Chartwell Guitar

2023 Traphagen CSA rosewood and cedar traditional

Woods: Straight grained aged Brazilian rosewood back and sides, western red cedar solid top. Honduran mahogany neck. Dyed spalted rosette. French polish throughout.

Specs: 650mm scale, 53mm nut, 44mm string spacing at nut, 58mm at saddle. 4mm string height at 12th fret, bass string. Gotoh tuners, sound port, 12 hole tie block, inlaid purfling,  raised fretboard,  Metro humicase. LaBella mht wound strings, Savarez Crystal ht trebles.

Condition: new

Comment: guitar purists readily admit traditional solid top guitars have a special voice that even the best double tops cannot produce.  But double tops are often their choice because of the easy power modern tops produce. Recent traditional guitars coming off Dake’s bench are now equivalent in volume to his double tops, and may project even better. This beauty has some of the last of Dake’s straight grained Brazilian rosewood and the dark cedar top is a fine aesthetic match, offset by the intricate purfling inlay and the spalted rosette.

Dake has included sound ports on all of his work lately and it enhances the player’s sense of the volume it naturally produces. I would add that, compared to the Traphagens I played going back just a few years, the trebles are much more pronounced while maintaining the sweet creaminess Traphagen devotees have always admired.

This being the tenth Traphagen to come through my shop I have consistently heard buyers comment on the ergonomics, notably the neck shape, which is a bit on the slim side. It asks less left hand effort that with blocky neck profiles.