"An ideal instrument is one that makes you a better player. It expands your musical reach by extending the conventional limits of playability, invites the expression of your soul through its broad range of tonal color and deep reserves of power, and inspires your creative passion with a voice that resonates to the beat of your heart."
click to enlarge |
I
build modern steel
string, nylon
string and electric guitars as well as traditional and custom instruments. These
professional performance guitars are optimized in every way for sound and
playability. Each guitar is created one at a time to the specifications
of the individual client. I work alone in order to assure the highest quality
results through personal attention to every detail. As a result, production
of these instruments is extremely limited.In the hands of an artist, a fine guitar might allow the human soul to be expressed in a way that moves us deeply and changes us forever. There are many subtle components to the voice of a guitar that can sing so directly to our hearts. Among them:
| click to enlarge |
•
Rich harmonic content • Focused projection
• Great array of tone colors
• Clear separation between notes
• Even balance between strings
• Broad dynamic range
• Immediate response
• Controlled amount of sustain
| click to enlarge |
These elusive sound qualities breath life into a guitar-shaped object to produce a meaningful musical instrument; one with genuine character and depth. They justify the effort and expense of building guitars by hand and they determine the real value of any such instrument. I work always to achieve and to balance these qualities while taking into account each client's individual playing style and musical needs.| click to enlarge |
PlayabilityWe usually mistake the limits imposed on us by our instrument for the actual limits of our own musicianship. It's a revelation to experience yourself playing better than you had known yourself to be capable of, through the extended playability of a performance quality guitar. I invest an uncommon amount of time and attention into every aspect of the neck and 'setup' to produce the transparent playability for which my instruments are known. Subtle adjustments of the neck shape, fingerboard radius and other such details can create a guitar specifically adapted to your personal playing style.
| click to enlarge |
WorkmanshipA guitar's workmanship is apparent in both the cleanness of the work and the soundness of its construction. I consider every construction and design detail in terms of its potential acoustical, structural, functional and aesthetic contribution to the finest possible instrument. The style of my instruments reflects a taste for simple elegance based on the natural beauty of the materials themselves and is free of superfluous detail and gratuitous ornament. I aim to express the essential spirit of the guitar at its best, through honest workmanship that highlights pure design without getting in its way.
| click to enlarge |
MaterialsAs you'd expect, every guitar described here is built from the finest quality master-grade instrument woods. Select European spruce and Brazilian rosewood are standard materials for most models. East Indian rosewood, African blackwood, highly figured maple, koa and other stunning woods are optionally available for back and sides, as are Adirondack, Engelmann and Sitka spruce, and Western Red cedar, for the soundboard. Each wood's unique tone character recommends its use in a particular instrument.
Telephone/Fax:
(503) 292-2385
Email: Charles Fox -
©2005 Charles Fox Guitars