Bedell introduces the Rio Regal Parlor, . premium instrument that features genuine Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides in time for the upcoming 2016 NAMM Trade Show.
The 2016 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Trade Show is right around the corner, and as such guitar builders are unveiling their upcoming parlor guitars. One of which is the Bedell Rio Regal Parlor, part of the company’s premium Rio Acoustic series which feature genuine Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides.
Of the many available tonewoods used on acoustic guitars, the Dalbergia nigra of Brazil or also called Brazilian rosewood continues to be among the most highly priced and sought after timber for guitars. It is just as popular today as when it was used by luthiers for lute backs and ribs from the late Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Because it requires wet and damp forests and rich soils to thrive, it currently only grows in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, from southern Bahia to Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. Because of this, the supply of this wood is limited while the demand continues to grow, which means that you have to pay a premium to have this type of wood on a guitar.
Knowing this, Bedell still pushed through with making an entire line of acoustics that feature Brazilian Rosewood, and the Rio Regal Parlor is but one of them. According to the company, “Decades of being buried in a wet environment and the slow natural aging of the Esperanza tree somehow results in the finest music wood of all. You can hold a tonewood set between your fingers and feel it vibrate. A bright glass-like ring that sustains, and that unique Brazilian rosewood aroma, are a testament to its life.”
The back and sides of the Rio Regal Parlor is crafted from solid Brazilian rosewood, since this type wood is dense, Bedell was able to make the back side thinner to improve the overall response of the instrument. In addition, the top is crafted from hand selected salvaged Bearclaw Sitka spruce. This combination results in premium level tones that should work extremely well with the parlor guitar’s smaller body
The neck is crafted from one-piece Honduran mahogany, connected to the body via a dovetail joint and features 1 11/16″ nut width and a compound taper similar to vintage instruments from the ’30s. Other features include Waverly tuners, Bone nut/saddle, and ebony is used for the bridge, fingerboard and binding.
As expected the MAP for the Bedell Rio Regal Parlor is expensive at $6,990. For further details, you can visit Bedell Guitars.