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 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 #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
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 #3
Heavily textured top with mammoth ivory pickup bobbins. Seismic wave sculptured symbol with gold leaf
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 #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 #6
Heavily textured top over a chambered body with a two-part sculpted back
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 #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 very 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, once again the original starting point for this piece.
