The Carcavelos Mahogany Guitars
We have a limited supply of this special wood for the construction of truly unique instruments, reflecting on the history of this material and taking advantage of its special quality. Each guitar will bear the Carcavelos Wood Seal, certifying its provenance. The Carcavelos Guitars also come with case, certificate and a Carcavelos wine sample set of 7, 12 and 15 year-old wine from the Oeiras Winery.
The history of the wood and the Guitar Barrel Project
Many thanks to Stefan Schleicher for his wonderful review of the Carcavelos #5 and Carcavelos #6 guitars which appeared in the German magazine Grand Guitars!
CARCAVELOS #9
This is a very special member of the Carcavelos guitars family - born out of a collaboration with the artist and pyrography master craftsman Dino Muradian (James Hetfield of Metallica is a fan).
There are not that many contemporary images of the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisboa, but the engraving Dino used for his pyrography art (creating a picture by scorching the wood) is a vivid depiction of the shaking, the tsunami and the ensuing firestorm, and the panic of the people trying desperately to find a safe spot amidst the mayhem unfolding around them.
This guitar has a hollow body in the 'Vienna style' with an inset Maple top. The Indian Rosewood neck is the last one I made for the
Nouveau guitars series, originally intended as a backup. The back of the headstock displays the Carcavelos Mahogany seal on a gold leaf
background. It is fitted with a BoneTop pickup and wraparound bridge, designed to leave as much space as possible for the pyrography art. The virgin Maple top travelled all the way to Hawaii,
where Dino lives, and back to Portugal after he finished the design, to be finally married to the Carcavelos Mahogany body. The back of the guitar displays the original inner surface of the
barrel, with the marks made by the workers chiseling away at the mineral deposits left by the wine. There were even a few number tags left on some of the original planks, so this one gets to
display the appropriate #9.
Presentation is always important, all the more with a special instrument as this one. The horizontal orientation of the image suggested the necessity of designing a fitted custom stand for this guitar. This stand provides secure positioning in a variety of angles, allowing for an optimal display. The finely detailed pyrographic image thus can be enjoyed at close range. The guitar will also receive a custom fitted case to accommodate its specific shape and size.
CARCAVELOS #8 (also known as #700D)
The second double duty guitar. Cutting up the boards of Carcavelos Mahogany often reveals the large dowels used to join the massive planks. These holes at times limit the usable length of the wood. But they are also witness to the life and wear these planks have experienced. I've always liked the cross sections of these boards, with some of the holes still filled by a slice of dowel. This wood is old growth, dense and heavy - taking a cue from my Vienna line of hollowbody guitars the one-piece body is extensively carved out to relieve the weight. The top is an assembly of cross sections, laminated together. The shape derives from the "butterfly" shape I've used on many Totemguitars and is echoed by the angular design of the headstock, the original starting point for this piece.
CARCAVELOS #7 (also known as #700B)
This guitar is doing double duty - it is part of the #700 group and also this series. It features the iconic "seismic spiral" and a top showcasing the weathered and worked surface of the barrel wood, witness to its long history. The wood sings with what almost seems like an internal reverb and the dazzling P-90 style pickup does it ample justice.
CARCAVELOS #6
Heavily textured top over a chambered body with a two-part sculpted back
CARCAVELOS #5
Seismic wave carved across the whole top and gold leafed. Highly sculpted back. Two P-90 style pickups with luminescent Raffir Noble bobbins
CARCAVELOS #4
Lightly worked top on a chambered body. The edges are carved to reveal the clean inner wood, both front and back.
Seismic wave sculptured symbol with gold leaf. BoneTop pickups. Carcavelos Wood Seal on the back
CARCAVELOS #3
Heavily textured top with mammoth ivory pickup bobbins. Seismic wave sculptured symbol with gold leaf
CARCAVELOS #2
Top showing the honey-colored Mahogany emerging from under the aged, worked surface. Pickup bobbin of fossilized mammoth ivory. The long-tenon neck heel bears the Carcavelos Seal on the gold-leaf surface
CARCAVELOS #1
Straight and simple. A solid board, with traces of mineral deposits on the top, bearing light markings from the removal process. Seen from the side, the stain left by the wine can be seen deeply penetrating the wood
