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It is shipped in the case which is placed inside a shipping box.
Lattice Braced Guitar
with Bird's Eye Maple
Ordering instructions below
See Schramm's comments about this guitar below.
Above are thumbnails of the cedar soundboard, the schramm head design, and a detail showing Schramm's use of bird's-eye maple, rosewood in the arm rest, and cedar top. Click thumbnail to enlarge.
The domed, multi-layered back of the Schramm's lattice braced guitars have no internal bracing and add great stiffness to the overall structure.
The outside surface
layer of bird's-eye
maple in the back
is made from a single
(not joined) piece.
Above is a detailed view of the joinery, purfling,
binding, armrest and bridge.
A beautiful combination of birds-eye maple back and sides, cedar top, padauk bridge, and rosewood wood armrest and face plate.
The guitar produces a very warm, powerful, velvety, sound without being dark, with crisp highs and freely resonant basses. The playability of Schramm's neck is among the easiest that we know.
The three lattice braced guitars that we have currently in our inventory were built for the GFA Convention of 2007, correct? How did people like them, what was their response?
SCHRAMM They looked so much like a Smallman that either people loved them or hated them. But I attracted lattice players. Ben Verdery came over and played the guitar with one of his students who was in the finals at the players competition. He liked the Brazilian and recommended that his student get it with the carbon reinforced adjustable neck. Verdery travels so much he likes to be able to mess with the action. Ben wanted to take one of the guitars for a master class he was giving in Pasadena. I was thrilled to let him.
Tell us about the influence that Smallman guitars and the lattice bracing concept have had on you.SCHRAMM I've loved the Smallman guitars since the '80s. I was intrigued by the design and knew that I would eventually build a lattice braced guitar. I've now built 30 of the lattice guitars. The bracing makes sense. When you take the top and flex it in the middle you get bendng in the bouts, you just get more movement out of the top than in fan bracing. It makes the whole top vibrate lively because of the opposite motion of the lattice. The bridge is stiffer and you get motion in other areas. A great example of this is seen in the John Williams video where he goes to visit Smallman who at one point picks up the lattice and demonstrates this vibrating movement to Williams.
I understand that you own a Smallman that you currently have for sale.
SCHRAMM Yes. I use it to compare and study. It is for sale, but part of me hopes it doesn't sell. It is unique in a good way and it's a special treat to take it out and play it.
You make lattice braced guitars with balsa/carbon fiber bracing and also redwood. What is the difference in sound from your perspective?
SCHRAMM The balsa carbon fiber is brighter in sound and the cedar has a warmer sound, but I like them both. I was making the bracing using very light balsa and using more carbon fiber. The current guitars I'm building with heavier, stiffer balsa and less carbon fiber. I will make the top thinner and bring out more tone. I am always experimenting with different designs to see what I can get out of it. I will continue to build fan braced guitars too. I am currently building another Rodriguez model like the one you have for sale. Even my lattice guitars have a certain sound characteristic like my fan bracing, it's what I call the luthier thumbprint, it's my sound. Have to tweak it to get a certain voice to it.
Do you have favorate woods that you most like to work with?
SCHRAMM I like anything that works. I just love working with wood, even the way the wood feels when you work it is fun. I love the feel of a nice cut on spanish cedar.
How do you know what you are going to do with the bracing when you are building a new guitar?
SCHRAMM From experience of making many instruments over 20 plus years... the wood tells you what to do. It's not something I can explain.
Tell me about the domed laminated back and laminated sides on your lattice guitars?
SCHRAMM This was a feature of the Smallman guitar, no transverse braces! It measures 7mm thick on the back. There are 7 laminated core veneers with grains that switch directions for strength and stiffness. I use maple for the core veneers and marine grade epoxy. The backs are made in a mold and a vacuum press creates the downward pressure. Its very strong. On average the back is 7 ply. It is important to say that this is not done for cost savings. The time it takes to do this is considerable and veneers are not cheep. I have to buy hundreds of dollars of material to get enough to make a back. Cocobolo is great and maple is good for core veneers. The type of wood on the face that you see on the outside and inside has no affect on the sound. I could use oak if I wanted. The sides are 5 ply laminated as well. I am still experimenting with back thickness. I just did one that is 10 ply to see what happens. It has a high pitched ring to it when you tap it. The plywood used for - what I call the chassis (the assembly under the soundboard) - is marine grade birch. I like the design because it's controversial and you think it shouldn't work but it does.
Interview Continued :
Top - Cedar
Bracing - Cedar Lattice
Back & Sides - Bird's Eye Maple Laminate
Binding - Madagascar Rosewood
Finish - Lacquer Back and Sides, Steel Wooled Lacquer Top
Bridge - Padauk
Tuning Machines - Schaller
Neck - Mahogany
Head face Plate - Madagascar Rosewood
Fret Scale - 650mm
