Brook Tamar 010 66 Brook Tamar 010 Brook Tamar 010 Examining local luthiers Brook Guitars’ handiwork, Russell Welton asks if you should meander your way past the Brook Tamar, or rather is it something you should have a burn on? rook Guitars are based near Hittisleigh in the back of beyond of Devon, tucked away in a purposemodified 300 year-old building which was originally a single-storey barn. At some point in its history it was converted and developed to accommodate an additional floor. It is to be found in an idyllic setting near Spreyton Woods and Bow, and is surrounded by traditional British woodland and rolling green hills. The team of builders is made up of five main people. At the helm are Simon and Andy, with Jack, Kevin and Andy crewing. Within the B building each room is purposefully adapted to accommodate a unique part of the guitar-building process and assembly, right through to lacquering and finishing details. This particular guitar model is called the Tamar and, as the name suggests, all their models are named after rivers of the nearby locale. Other models, for example, include the Dart, Taw, Okement, Teign, Otter and the Exe. Within the range are two main options for each model, the 010 standard and then the 015 which incorporates more choices of additional select tonewoods. Construction This guitar itself comprises select, chosen cherry for the back and sides and European spruce for the top. The cherry/spruce mix is one of the preferred combinations for its sonic quality and bright response. It has a very smart rosewood binding and a general look of class, with a deeply lacquered finish to crown its presentation. The initial appeal of the guitar is that it appears to be free of any outlandish and unnecessary features. This is one gimmick-free guitar. The wood of choice for the bridge, headstock veneer, fingerboard and bridgepins is ebony. The contrast of the dark with the pale-coloured top makes for a striking look despite having a minimalistic appeal. The look is classic and timeless without looking aged and is offset with a beautifully respectable headstock. All the Brook Guitars’ woods are subjected to a lengthy drying process, ideally for 12 months. As such they are then part of a very dry build. This makes for a very stable guitar which is far less subject to expanding or blowing out due to humidity variations in the surrounding environment. Even between different stages of the guitar’s construction, it goes back into the drying room to maintain this dry characteristic. The transverse brace underneath the upper bout is quite chunky and is slightly arched to add additional strength to this part of the guitar. Additionally, a single bolt is used to affix the dovetailed neck joint. This in itself is not glued and is more than sufficient to hold the neck firmly in situ; it also allows for easier removal of the neck, should you ever require a replacement top or internal repair if you were unfortunate enough to drop your guitar. The fingerboard extension is then glued to the instrument top sourced North Devon walnut, American walnut, Guatemalan mahogany, Sri Lankan mahogany or cedrella, each of which use slabsawn wood to give an attractive vertical end grain at the heel. The top and back are both bookmatched as you might expect on such a premium guitar, and finally, as a small point of interest, the end block has a glued veneer to add strength to the end-pin jack seating should the guitar take a knock. This helps to prevent any impact being transferred around the side of the body. Options The soundhole features Brook’s crow’s foot purfling design, but there is a list of alternative options you can choose from to further beautify your custom-built version of this model. Options include inlay work on the neck and/or headstock, dot or diamond inlay options, “The initial appeal of the guitar is that it appears to be free of any outlandish and unnecessary features. This is one gimmick-free guitar” using Titebond. This transverse brace also has the subtle advantage of raising the height of the neck slightly at the joint much in the same way a Les Paul’s neck tapers back from the body. Here, though, this tapering is less extreme than that and allows for greater adjustment of the bridge height when setting up the guitar. All of Brook’s guitars feature one-piece necks. This guitar neck is made from Brazilian mahogany, but many of their models are built from locally bound headstock and fingerboard choices and also abalone rosettes, fingerboard extensions and top borders. You can even choose to have a sunburst, black lacquered or a coloured finish. Brook also offer options for custom-made bridge designs! All the models are available as left-handed at no extra cost, and if you fall in love with any particular model, there is a very reasonable surcharge for having a twelve-string version commissioned too. With all of these ornamentation 67 Brook Tamar 010 Brook Tamar 010 Model: Tamar 010 Price: - £1865 This pickup option – extra £149.95 Manufacturer: Brook Guitars Built in: UK Body Size: Small Jumbo Woods used: Top: European Spruce Back & sides: English cherry Neck: Guatemalan Mahogany Fingerboard: Ebony, Ebony head veneer, rosewood bindings & heelcap Frets (No. & size): 20 frets , medium nickel-silver Tuners: Gotoh chrome, sealed Nut Width & Scale Length: Nut width – 44mm Scale length – 650mm Strings Fitted (Gauge & Brand) Elixir Polyweb Lights - 12 - 53 Onboard Electronics: Not as standard, we fit to customer specs., but on this model we’ve fitted a Headway Fixed EQ Left handers? No extra charge Gig Bag/Case Included: Hiscox Liteflight Inside: Headway’s new fixed EQ pickup system The English cherry and European spruce are one of Brook’s favoured combinations options available, I was left wondering if there would be much of a need for them as the standard 010 is so attractive in its own right. It is, however, great to know that there is so much flexibility on tap and a great willingness on behalf of the team to accommodate what your preferences may be. Due to such a high demand for their much prized instruments, you may expect to wait between nine and twelve months for your own guitar. Many of their customers are confirmed Brook addicts and have caught ‘repeat ordering disease’! Contact Details Brook Guitars Tel: 01647 24139 JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING “The sound is sweet and delicate rather than obstreperous, with plenty of definition and character on single notes ” headstock, and very attractively so, is a beautifully shaped volute which adds a little extra finesse to the instrument’s styling. The sound is sweet and delicate rather than obstreperous, with plenty of definition and character on single notes that, when played as chords, make for a collage greater than the sum of its parts, perhaps not unlike a palatable grassy Lowland single malt. There is a naturally occurring choral quality to the harmonics which is very musical and lively. To my mind, these personality traits are all too rare – often requiring meticulous searching out – and yet here they are definitively characteristic. Once plugged in, this is also a surprisingly loud guitar, as it was pioneering the new Headway fixed EQ preamp loaded pickup. (See our next issue for a dedicated field report.) The projection from our test bed AER Compact 60 amplifier used in conjunction with this was dynamic and hiss-free, truly enhancing the Tamar. In conclusion, I would encourage all acoustic fans to exercise extreme patience as they join the waiting list for one of Brook’s highly desirable models. Once you have played one, you never forget it. Russell Welton What we think Pros: Attainable hand-built quality with many options and creative choices of enhancement that will leave you excited and full of anticipation until you can be reunited with your dream incarnate. Cons: You may well want more guitars built for you! Overall: One of the most personal buying experiences where you can have a great input. ACOUSTIC RATING OUT OF FIVE In Use As you sit with the guitar you find it has a great balance and poise about itself. For me the most impressive feature of the instrument is the exquisite neck profile. It is slim, shallow, sits in the very pit of your palm and has the most superbly profiled and polished frets. The fingerboard itself has a high radius, and the attention to finishing detail has an obvious investment of care about it – so much so, there is even a slight taper to the neck, increasing by 1mm after the 12th fret. The responsiveness of the guitar is consistent through all the playing registers and this is with a very low set-up. This being said, you can request your set-up specifications from the gents at Brook, and they will set up the guitar accordingly. This all makes for a playing experience that really liberates both your playing and the independence of your fingers. There is nothing restrictive or obtrusive about this guitar. Strengthening the Acoustic Ratings Exceptional Excellent Good Average Poor Brook will future in a coming issue as our focal point of attention for our U.K. luthier’s column. 68