Charles A. Hoffman Hancrafted Guitars

 

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THE WEDGE

Well this is an "innovation" for which I take no credit.  In about 1984 Linda Manzer, a very fine (and highly reputed) guitar builder in Canada started making some of her guitars thinner on the bass side than on the treble side.  In effect making the guitar wedge shaped when viewed from the end.  The purpose is to make the guitar easier to fit under the right arm and her design is both elegant and effective.  Some of my customers have expressed interest in this concept and I now offer it as an option on any of my guitars. 

I have always been concerned on some level with the ergonomics of playing a guitar.  Initially this meant fingerboard width and neck profile.  Then it morphed into such things as scale length and 12 vs. 14 fret bodies.  The wedge design is simply another step in the process of making sure that the guitar is as playable as it is beautiful sounding.  In my case the impetus to try Linda's wedge design was a customer with a severely compromised shoulder.  Then I realized that many of my customers, like myself, are somewhat "less youthful" than we once were and this design makes sense for many of us. 

Photos below:

 

This website and all of its content, text and images are copyright ©1997-2011  by Charles A. Hoffman.  All rights reserved. 

          Ergonomics
2219 East Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN. 55404

hoffmanguitars@qwestoffice.net choffman@hoffmanguitars.com

(612) 338-1079