Blackbird Guitars to Release Revamped Rider Acoustic and Nylon String at NAMM 2008
January 14, 2008
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Following their NAMM 2007 launch, Blackbird Guitars introduces two new models for NAMM 2008. The last year was spent evolving their revolutionary Rider model and delivering a batch of fifty big sound, small body guitars. The revamped model builds on the success of its predecessor with a reduction in overall weight and a slight increase in body size. These changes serve to maximize tone produced by the one-piece carbon fiber, hollow body, neck and head resonance chamber. Also new for 2008, Blackbird Guitars releases a nylon string model that like the Rider, delivers a previously unattainable mix of satisfying tone and compact road-worthiness.
Blackbird Guitars' success is driven by a blend of traditional guitar-making with design construction inspired by Formula One. "Race cars and our guitars are surprising similar in that both need to be as light as possible while maintaining maximum stiffness- for us this translated to more resonance from a smaller guitar", explains production manager Troy Stevens. The improvements are evident in this latest incarnation of the Blackbird Rider- weight is reduced by 15% to 2.75 pounds from last year despite growing nearly two inches in width to 10-1/2 inches. The upgrades make the guitar louder and richer tonally while neither diminishing sturdiness nor its suitability to go where other guitars may not- such as in a plane's overhead bin, the Himalayas and beyond.
Nylon string released:
The anything-but-classical Nylon string, sports the slot-head-influenced Surface head design. Aside from providing a home for side-address tuners, the head enhances tone by reducing weight and increasing the size of the head-mounted sound hole- a feature it shares with the Rider. Rider and Nylon also share the linear body profile and Soundscoop, an upper bout extension which is home to the off-axis sound hole. These innovations work in harmony to create a seemingly physics-defying tone by concurrently maximizing the size of the resonance chamber and surface area of the soundboard. "With a Blackbird the whole instrument resonates delivering a strong and nearly full size sound, so its easy to forget that it is so compact and extremely durable.", says founder Joe Luttwak. To compensate for the reduced string tension, the Nylon is 1-1/2 inches wider than Rider at 12 inches, providing guitarists an uncompromising playing experience while retaining a travel-ready size. The beautifully handmade Rider and Nylon, SRP $1599 and $1899 respectively, are offered with an optional DTAR pick-up with volume and tone dials easily accessed, yet discreetly located at the soundhole.
Features of the Rider
- Stereo Sound Hole (SSH): Innovative head-located sound hole projects sound from hollow neck to reduce standing waves
- Hollow Neck Unibody: One-piece hollow body, neck, and head form the sound box for increased bass, sustain, and volume.
- Soundscoop: Extended shoulder to 10th fret increases sound box air volume; off-center sound hole boosts effective size of sound board.
- Carbon Fiber Construction: Light weight, weather proof, and virtually indestructible; ultra thin sound board.
Electronics DTAR Wavelength Load N' lock ($140 option) is the premier under-saddle pickup system for acoustic guitars. Mated with the Rider, the thin, piezo transducer with an 18-volt, low-noise, high-input impedance preamp produces a beautiful tone. It also features easy AA battery access through a beefed-up strap knob and sound hole-mounted volume and tone dials.
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