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Patrick -> RE: Shelton-Farretta double bodied flamenco (Jun. 4 2004 18:23:49)
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Jim,
This is a post I made on FT. No they are about the same weight as a negra.
I believe I can give you a bit of info on the Shelton doubles. I have played several of his doubles. In fact I am sure I have played the spruce but not the cedar that are in the pictures. It's important to realize that the doubles are not to be put into a blanca or negra category. They are what they are.
What John and Susan do is build a guitar with cypress sides and a rosewood back. They then build an outer shell, which slips over the main guitar. The outer body is attached to the inner by the small wedges you can see in the pictures. John says the outer body contributes very little, if any, to tone production, thus the use of cypress for esthetics and weight reduction.
The outer body serves a couple of functions. The first, as mentioned is to not dampen the back from vibration. The second is to create a sound chamber, not unlike a speaker enclosure. The rosewood back literally drives the inner air chamber (the gap between the two backs). This excited air (for lack of a better word), is forced out the gaps between the sides.
What I find interesting is when you play a Shelton double; you don't hear a great difference from his single body blanca’s. The difference is incredible when you are in front of the double. I have had John play a single and a double side by side. Trust me, it's like night and day.
What I find is the double is a little less raspy or edgy, if you will, from his singles, yet not the same as a negra. Think of the doubles as super charged blanca’s, with negra qualities. If you play on stage or accompany in a mid to large size room, these things will blow out any other guitar.
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