| Even in the things
we have in common with our American cousins, we on this side of the pond
inject a certain je ne sais quoi’ to impart a European flavour. We speak
the same language with a different accent, we swing differently (compare
Django to Eddie Lang) and I guess we build guitars differently. Most European
builders, when building original instruments, will produce sounds owing
more to the French and German luthiers of forty years ago than to the famous
American builders of the same period.
This young up and coming
luthier from Finland is no exception to my broad theory. Finland while
not being noted as a guitar building nation has produced high end acoustic
guitars for the world market over many years. Peavey is the latest to utilize
the talent available. This however is the first archtop I have seen from
a Finnish builder. (Before you all write in, Levin guitars are from Sweden!)
Markku Henneken is a young
luthier who I learn from reading his impressive catalogue is producing
a range of archtop guitars alongside solid bodied, flat-top and semi-acoustic
instruments. He also builds an impressive looking double bass so I can
assume he has obtained a formal instrument building education.
|
| The guitar Markku
sent to the U.K. for review is his top of the line Henneken Royale ‘Deluxe.’
‘Royale’ denotes the materials used (highly flamed maple and first rate
spruce) and ‘Deluxe refers to the extensive inlay work and multi-layered
bindings. For those customers with less flamboyant tastes, a basic players’
guitar called the Karelia Standard is also offered. Like so many archtops
built today, the most obvious point of reference is Bob Benedetto’s work.
This is not too surprising as he wrote the book most of these guys read
while learning their craft. Henneken has lifted the tailpiece and pickguard
details from Bob but has produced his own unique features and developments
on an otherwise traditional design. The body shape has an exaggerated waist
giving it a smaller look. I had to measure the 17” bout to convince me
it wasn’t a 16” guitar. But this produces a defined shape Markku can call
his own.
Other features not utilized
on many archtops include a fixed (not adjustable) violin type bridge. I
have seen this feature on a Benedetto but this gave me the first opportunity
to assess the bridge design. I must say I found any improvement in tone
outweighed by the inconvenience of lack of adjustment. I am a serial fiddler
and I admit it. Another unusual feature is his choice of colors. While
the review guitar is a flawlessly applied golden blond I loved the translucent
green, blue, red and orange shown in his catalogue. It is strange to see
such garish colors applied to traditional luthiery skills, but it works.
With the advent of the universally accepted blue guitar series, perhaps
it will be metalflakes next!
The guitar as reviewed had
an EMG active humbucker fitted and I felt it did the guitar a large injustice
as the sound was strident and nasal. While this is a subjective matter
it should be noted that like most builders, Henneken offers a full range
of pickups including all Kent Armstrong’s models, Gibson humbuckers, Fishman
transducers and most other major units.
It is hard to fault this
guitar. The sound is very ‘European’ and would be great for unamplified
‘chunk-chunk’ rhythm work but might alienate players looking for a subtle
D'Aquisto tone. The workmanship on the review instrument is generally of
a high standard, yet if forced nit-pick, the odd off-centre fingerboard
inlay and the occacional less than smooth radius to the body binding could
distract. I had to really look for these faults as I feel a reviewer has
to, but neither bothered me as a player, and as minor faults that could
be corrected on his current output, they would not stop me from recommending
his work.
If you're looking for a mid
priced quality archtop a little bit different than the current American
builders, then look no further than this young scandinavian. |
