The Grand Legacy Double Top
The Grand Legacy is a new guitar design with many special innovations. The objective has been to provide significantly more power for the concert guitar while keeping the Spanish sonority that we love in the instrument. This has required original thinking and the integration of several new developments and materials available in contemporary Luthiery all blended with many proven legacy techniques.
The principle feature in the Grand Legacy is the Double Top Option. This is a composite of two very thin soundboards with a honeycomb interior. The objective is to yield a soundboard that is 40% lighter than a conventional model. The exact materials and process are proprietary. The rest of the guitar including the bracing is built normally. This guitar is available with the Solid top and Kasha Bracing as standard.
The quality of sound is the best I've ever accomplished:
- The guitar is very powerful and has an amazing projection that is very
penetrating.
- It sounds like a good wooden guitar, not a loud lute. The prototype has a
Cedar soundboard and it sounds Cedar, but close to neutral and slightly
warm.
- The strongest feature of this instrument is the sonority which produces
color on each string to an exceptional degree. Ponticello to Dolce sounds
like two different instruments and the "sweet spot" in the middle can
produce color effects with a simple change of angle in the stroke. This
guitar makes me wish I could play well.
- The basses are dark and can go warm or focused, The trebles are brilliant
and singing with NO weak notes or wolf notes. Mid range is supportive and
versatile. It is even and balanced.
- Of interest is that everything I 've described above seems to be a
signature sound of the Double Top.
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The guitar has an Acoustic Port in a design from Native American art
although it looks contemporary. The port works, giving the player a better
connection with the guitar without being obtrusive. Covering and uncovering
the port makes a difference to the player and the audience.
- The Double Top option is $1600.
The Grand Legacy uses traditional Spanish "heel" construction that has been adapted to the double sides and other Reynolds guitar design requirements. For example, the neck, top of the ribs and soundboard are constructed on one flat plane and by altering the taper of the fingerboard I can control the design of the bridge and saddle height in a precise way. The soundboard has a dome built into the lower bout which is helpful for structural and acoustic reasons.
The new Grand Legacy has been a terrific design and process challenge. It takes longer to build and requires more material, but in the end I feel that this guitar has exceptional performance and value to offer it's owner.
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The guitar has an Acoustic Port in a design from Native American art
although it looks contemporary. The port works, giving the player a better
connection with the guitar without being obtrusive. Covering and uncovering
the port makes a difference to the player and the audience.