What sets Flaxwood guitars apart from many other great guitar producers is that
Flaxwood does not limit their options; the phrase "...because that's
the way guitars have always been built" is constantly questioned at
Flaxwood. Is there a better way to do things? Do the new technologies
now available have something to offer that we are unaware of?
Yes, they're irreverent, they're curious, they're open-minded, and
innovative technology does not spook them. But they don't love
innovative technology for its own sake; Flaxwood will only use
technology that delivers, that helps them get closer to that tone and
that feel we all crave for. If technology does not deliver, they stick
to time-tested solutions.
Materials: flaxwood, our dream tonewood...
As much as they love wood, the people at Flaxwood wondered whether wood
could be made more resonant, more uniform, and more stable.
In the process, using spruce as their base material, they created a
completely new high-end tonewood in its own right - flaxwood.
This wonderful material gave them a combination of properties that
could not be in traditional woods, and this material is at the heart of
the wonderful vintage Flaxwood tone. And yes, it really is probably the
most environmentally friendly tonewood available today.
Technologies used in producing the parts of a Flaxwood guitar
Rather than using CNC to cut the guitar parts as is normally done,
Flaxwood opted to mold their parts using hi-tech mold-injection
technologies.
Mold injection offers a level of uniformity, 3D detail and a
practically uncapped production capacity that CNC cannot match. The
molds needed are phenomenally expensive to make, of course, but once
they're made, the quality is practically 100% constant.
Luthiers and traditional luthiery
Perhaps surprisingly to some, the Flaxwood folks are traditionalists
too.
Once the guitar parts pop out of their molds, the assembly, finishing
and setup are done the old way, with old school luthiery of the highest
order.
Master luthier Veijo Rautia and his team bring decades of experience to
ensure every Flaxwood guitar is impeccably set up and ready to sing.
Labour of love
Flaxwood has been an investment-heavy proposition from the start, both
in terms of money, and in terms of the energy the people have put into
this company. Developing the new materials and technologies took about
6 years, during which time hardly any guitars were sold. The belief
that something important was being developed, pride in the local
know how of the Joensuu area (in Eastern Finland), and a passion for
excellence was strong in everybody, from the investors down to the
people sandpapering the guitars.
In short, creating this Flaxwood guitar and the company around it has been a
(very expensive) labor of love.
So now, when an ever-increasing number of quality-conscious guitarists
(including a growing group of world renown guitarists) strap a Flaxwood
on to do their thing, or when Flaxwood gets a glowing review from
quality-conscious guitar magazines, it is certainly a reward that has
not come easy, but one that is therefore all the sweeter.
Open your mind, and let a Flaxwood guitar open your heart.
Its warm resonance, wonderful playability and vintage tone will give
you that Feeling - somehow reassuringly familiar, yet with a new edge
that just needs to be experienced.
Flaxwood Guitars - tradition and high-quality handcrafted in perfect
harmony with revolutionary technology.
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The Story of Flaxwood Guitars
