THE ESTHĀUG

An odd name for a guitar, it's an acronym for Augmented Aesthetic. And it concerns its shape and proportions.

The starting point for the design is a straight line as the longitudinal axis of symmetry, then the marking of a segment (scale length) and especially its middle, the starting point...

A long-standing extraction work, left and taken up several times over time, and using the help of the golden ratio, some very simple but precise drawings, associations of surfaces represented by circles, strange harmonious connections to find inflection points of a curved line whose length is specified by a kind of equation using the circumferences of the circles used and closely interlocked in this harmonic design (the book "The Aesthetics of Proportions in Nature and in the Arts" by Matila C.Ghyka allowed this work).

The general idea does not confuse beauty with aesthetics; it is about finding a proportion and shape according to a work that must happen as much as possible without my abstractions, reducing a bit the use of chance. The Golden Ratio providing a decision-making aid, in short!

A descriptive video work is approaching.

Hervé Lahoun

ESTHAUG AMBASSDRICE Concert Guitar - Model S17 No. 60
Scale length of 650mm. Year 2022.

This guitar is designed around the Esthaug shape (Augmented Aesthetic) which originated from a long process of dimensional research in the profile drawing, using the Golden Ratio.

Soundboard in spruce (year 1998) of the highest quality - Its bracing is made entirely of spruce taken from a very old soundboard of an old Pleyel piano.
It is designed according to a Lattice concept that could fit into a fractal system, composed in total of 117 glued and laminated pieces of wood in multiple layers, a pre-tensioning work established in the mold of the top's shape, it's a kind of giant spring. The rest of the components are also made of aged spruce, including two mouth bars, reinforcements under the rosette and under the fingerboard, two "mustaches" on either side of the soundhole, all glued in the mold then sculpted.

For the ebony components of this instrument, the ebony is of the highest choice from a vintage stock, certainly estimated to be over 50 years old. The stability of this wood and its fineness are exceptional.

*Rosette made of an ebony circle, filled in its center with a series of Alphanumeric motifs (white in maple, black in stained linden) to designate this instrument, interspersed with a # pattern.
*The top edge binding is made of maple and stained linden veneers constructed in one piece to eliminate a joint at the bottom of the body.
*The side edge bindings are made of ebony associated with a small red strip then base stained linden.
*The neck heel is bullet-shaped, made of an ebony block matched with red and black veneer to align well with the side edge binding.
*The bottom side join binding is made of ebony then red and black veneer.
*The body (back and sides) is made of top-quality Indian Rosewood (CITES OK)
-Side system composed of a multiple assortment of woods, assembled and glued in a mold representing the profile of the instrument.
-Composition: Indian Rosewood, linden, balsa, ash plates for the molded block in three layers at the bottom-side join, molded in multiple layers for the "Soundhole" section on the left shoulder, A counter side in linden table side adds a contact surface to increase the width and thus the gluing surface. The visible interior of this composition is made of a very long red-stained maple veneer (One whole piece).
-The back of the instrument is Indian Rosewood
-The three back bars are made in three layers of very old Sapele mahogany (spring) The internal back strip is composed of four layers glued in a longitudinal shape mold in linden-red maple-linden-red maple.
-An external median strip is composed of ebony, red and black stained linden.
*The Neck is made of Honduras Cedar (CITES OK), heel block as well. Reinforced with two longitudinally embedded carbon rods and receiving a maple strip (2mm) in position under the fingerboard (offset to increase tension holding)
-The head receives a multi-layer plate ebony-red linden-ebony.
*Schaller "Grand Tune Classic Hauser" tuning machines, with a 35mm spacing between cylinders.
*The fingerboard is ebony.
*The bridge is ebony, its tailpiece is framed by a bone frame enhanced by a small black-red-black strip. Its nut is bone.
*The entire instrument is covered in extra thin PU varnish, directly on wood.
-For the neck, a black dye saturation precedes the varnishing operations.
-The headplate and bridge are polished and then oiled.
-The fingerboard is finished in satin, oiled as well.

This guitar is tropicalized, both internally and externally varnished.

This guitar is made to last over time if well preserved and with loosened strings when it must be stored for a long period

Esthaug Ambassadrice S17 N60    Sold