AO...What models do you currently offer, and what are their prices?
DS...I named one of my archtop models "North sea". By the way, the name comes from the world famous "North sea Jazz Festival" a yearly event in The Hague. All my archtops have hand carved and tuned tops and backs, and are offered in the following models, the "Standard", "Natural", "Cello", the "7-string Swing" and the "Orchestra". All available in sizes from 16 to 18,5 inch, with or without cutaway, custom scale length and neck dimensions, solid ebony fingerboard, ebony or thuya pickguard and tailpiece, with or without pickup. Prices start as US$ 4500, including a Calton custom made case.
I also offer classical models such as the "Classical Access", with a special cutaway. Prices start at US$ 3000, including a Hiscox case. The flamenco models are offered as a standard model, and also available with the special cutaway, as the "Flamenco Access". Prices start at US$ 2500, also including a Hiscox case. Furthermore I offer my "Modele Jazz" European jazz guitars, inspired by the selmer design, also offered as the "Modele Jazz Patina", with the look of an old guitar, using original antique parts. Prices start at US$ 2500, including a Calton case. Of course custom features are available on any model at an extra charge. All guitars are finished in a hand-applied nitro-cellulose lacquer.
AO...How long does it take you to complete an instrument ?
DS...For an archtop it takes about six months, from scratch. It also involves a lot of talking with the customer, discussing every aspect of the instrument. It is not possible to work uninterruptedly on one instrument at a time, so I work on different instruments off and on. I also do repairs and customizing of instruments.
AO... How many instruments do you build a year, and do you perform all the work yourself ?
DS...I build some 10 to 15 instruments a year, and I love to do all the work myself.
AO...What hardware, tuning machines, fretwire etc. do you use ?
DS...For the tuners, I mostly use Schaller and Grover, as for pickups for my archtops, I prefer the Benedetto floating pickup, made by Kent Armstrong. Of course, I also discuss this with my customers. As for fretwire I mostly use Dunlop, the fairly wide no 6130. For tailpieces I only use wood, mostly ebony, sometimes with a thuya inlay.
AO...Are there any details of your instruments you pay special attention to ?
DS...Oh yes, I can talk for hours about this ! But to concentrate on one thing, besides a lot of other things, I pay much attention to the weight of each of the different parts of my guitars. Concerning the sound i consider weight a very important factor. My aim is to build as light a guitar as possible, without sacrificing the strength of the construction. For instance, I pay attention to the specific gravity of the woods I use, there are differences within the same sort of wood, depending on all sorts of parameters involved in the growing of a tree. Like the overall weather condition, the composition of the soil, etc. For every guitar I build, I keep records of the weight ratio, and the thickness of the different parts of my instruments. Of course, all these things go by comparison, because each instrument is different. The reason for doing so, is to try, within the multitude of parameters, to find possible pints of reference.
AO...Did you experiment with unusual woods, and what are your preferences concerning the woods you use ?
DS...I am fairly traditional, so I did not experiment that much. For my classical guitar tops, besides spruce I also used cedar for some time, but I stopped using it because I did not achieve the sound I was looking for. I my opinion, a cedar top sounds more flat, less colorful. With a spruce top the dynamics are much better. So for my classical guitar tops I only use top quality European spruce, and either Brazilian or Indian rosewood, cocobole or maple for the sides and back. for my flamenco guitars, I use European spruce or Western Red Cedar for a more percussive sound, and Spanish Cypress or rosewood for the back and sides. You have to deal with a lot of tradition, especially with the classical guitarists. They mostly do not accept other, non traditional, materials.
For my archtops, I prefer European or Sitka spruce for the top, and maple for the neck, sides and the back. I do not have preferences for European or American grown woods, although there are differences. For instance Sitka is often very closely grained, but softer and less rigid compared to European spruce. Good results can be obtained with different sorts of spruce. The same goes for maple. The choice of wood is important but, in my opinion, less important than many people suppose. It is by no means axiomatic, that when a certain wood is used, it will render a particular sound ! When handling it, craftsmanship is of paramount importance.
AO...Earlier,
you mentioned "Thuya" as a wood you use. Where does
it come from ?
DS...It is a beautiful looking coniferous wood from North Africa. Parts of the root are stunning. By request I use it as an option for the pickguard or to decorate the tailpiece, and/or headstock.
AO...Speaking about wood, is it difficult to acquire the quantity of fine woods you need ?
DS...It is not easy ! Because you spend an enormous amount of time building an archtop, it is only worthwhile using the best available woods. A great deal of time is spent on finding the proper woods, especially for the large 18,5 inch archtops. You have to maintain good contacts with your suppliers, so they know exactly what you are looking for. Hence, I am gradually building a "wood network". Often I show my instruments to the wood suppliers, so they can see for themselves what I made with "their" woods, and they always love to see them, so the next time I buy, they hopefully will have kept their best wood for me. Fortunately I do not need vast quantities, but because I prefer to see, feel, tap and "hear" the woods before buying, I have to visit the dealers. This is rather time consuming.