The El Rey by Otto D’Ambrosio

     I began the concept of building the El Rey guitars with one question, “How would a independent guitar maker bring hands on craftsmanship back into the electric guitar world”. This answer led me on a two year quest to develop the next level of ingenuity in hand built electric guitars. 

The D’Ambrosio El Rey.

Form
  
     It is always a priority in my guitar making to have all the parts of an instrument seamlessly blend together. The neck joint is always a concern for all standard guitars. Bolt on, glue in or dovetail. Personally I choose the latter. “The neck should always be one with the body, cosmetically and physically, as structurally significant as possible“. This picture of the neck union shows the neck and body formed by what appears as a signal piece of wood. The back of the neck just flows down into the curvaceous smaller body. Every bit of the heel is contoured with graceful lines that pour into the radiused cutaway thus blending the top, back, sides and neck into one continually flowing work of sculptural art.
      It was because of this guitar that a designer/manufacturer relationship between Eastman Strings and D’Ambrosio Guitars began. This original piece was completed for a very well known artist in 2004. It was almost immediately followed by a trip to Beijing to start production of the El Rey line. In summer 2005 we launched the new electrics at NAMM. Two years and many frequent flyer miles later I think Eastman and I have succeeded in bringing new original ideas to an “everything’s been done before market”

 

What’s so new?   

     So what makes the Eastman ER-guitar so unique? It’s “The Neck Block Cutaway” This small but integral part of the ER-guitars bridges the gap between real acoustic and electric domains.

The prototype internal structure of an ER-2. (neck block cutaway lower left of body)

 

Function

     What does this block of wood do for the sound of these guitars? It’s no secret that instrument weight has a huge impact in the sustain and resonance of a guitar. These hand-carved ER-guitars put the weight where it matters for sustain, and removed wood mass from the body to create resonance. The Patented “Neck block Cutaway” serves many responsibilities in these guitars.  Like most acoustic neck blocks, they receive a mortise so the neck can be glued in with a tapered dovetail, but unlike acoustic neck blocks, the ER’s incorporates the span of the cutaway. This adds structure and sustain to a traditional acoustic sound box, as well as transferring some of the necks vibrations across the top and back plates of the extremely resonant 5 ¼ pound  guitar.
     The other important feature borrowed from acoustic jazz construction is the hand carved top and back. “The skill and patience of carving a musical instrument is what Eastman Strings employees know, and they put that time and skill into every guitar branding my name“. These solid wood tone plates produce a very thick midrange for the electric guitar player, able to cut through most electric band settings, but still maintain a responsive and brilliantly articulate sound quality.
     Originally thought as just a compact jazz box, the ER-1 and ER-2 are a great alternative for the jazz guitarist that’s looking for an earthy wood tone. In the November 2006 Guitar Buyer Paul Alcantara said “Plugged in the guitar presents a voice remarkably close to that of a full size arch top. Backing off the tone control a tad transports you instantly to a jazz-approved Johnny Smith /Joe Pass territory, but that’s not to say that the ER-1warm woody tones could not be made to work in other settings. Individual notes speak with clarity and definition, so that complex chords, scale passages and arpeggios remain clean and articulate”

 

Woods and construction differences

     The wood selection for the ER-1 is a spruce top with mahogany back and sides. The well balanced warm sound of a mahogany works extremely well with the single PAF style neck pickup. If you are a simple, uncomplicated musician, this is the ER for you. The ER-2 upgrades the sides and back to highly figured maple. Our ER-2 is the most versatile two pickup guitar available, the blend of the two independent humbuckers and the added reverberation of the carved hollow body gives you a tremendous variation of tones (and overtones). Although the ER-2 is technically considered an acoustic guitar, due the fact that it has a free moving top, so… it is subject to feedback. If playing through a JCM800, consider the ER-3.
  

The difference between the ER-3 and its jazzier siblings.   

This very important internal detail that makes the Eastman ER-3 stand out as the bastard stepchild. We of course are referring to the bridge block; this piece of wood is glued to the back and top plates to secure the bridge into. The Tone Pros locking bridge needs to be fastened to the top by two adjustable studs. They are drilled through the top and into this block, giving rigidity to the top. The large metal wrap-around bridge also adds sustain and the bridge block eliminates any chance of feedback. 
     Adapted towards louder playing circumstances the ER-3 is dubbed the Deluxe Rock. The top is hand carved flame maple with mahogany back and sides. Compared to the ER-2 there is a small weight increase due to the heavier top woods and bridge block, but still unbelievably less than 6 lbs. 

 

The Designer

  

Otto D’Ambrosio in his Rhode Island shop with a completed 2007 Prelude.

D’Ambrosio Guitars in Providence, RI. currently produces several instruments a year for mostly private sales. The waiting list is approximately 2 years and 2007 pricing starts at $5,800 for flattops and $7,300 for archtops. For any information please contact Otto at info@dambrosioguitars.com