Travel Guitar
THE BLONDEL II IS BACK IN STOCK BUT SELLING FAST! The new stock comes with a much upgraded backpack gig bag with zipped music pocket, full length side zip, side carry handle and backpack straps. And the new instruments are sounding great, excellent set-up from the works is reducing my time working on them.
This isn’t a backpacker, it’s a punchpacker! With a solid spruce top and solid maple sides, the Blondel Cittern Guitar has a laminated limewood back providing an active sound (Celtic and Viking shields were carved from the linden-tree, the lime, one of the hardest woods native to Celtic Europe), and a maple neck. Harvested from the mountain forests of Transylvania, these woods are turned by Romanian luthiers into one of the most affordable and fun instruments a guitar player can own
Here’s a quick bit of feedback from one of the last sales before we restocked:
“I received the instrument yesterday and I have had a fixed grin ever since. I took it into work today and now my mates want one. It is hard to believe such a sweet and characterful sound could come from such a small body and have a full size fret board. Super…” – John Hindmarsh
Additional photos – click to view large versions:
bridge to neck
headstock top
headstock underside
heel of neck showing acacia strip
generous string spacing and fingerboard width at 14th fret.
The 2008 Blondel Cittern Guitar Mark II is 150 gms lighter than the original, replacing a steel fixed reinforcement bar in the neck with a laminated 3-part neck structure using two outer pieces of maple and a central strip of very hard, strong golden acacia. The headstock has been restyled to remove the pointed ornament which was prone to damage in shipping, and the fingerboard is naturally dark sonokeling rosewood. The bridge is also made of this rosewood, and the string spacing has been increased compared to the 2007 version shown in the photos above (same bridge, but the holes are drilled a little wider apart to make it better for fingerstyle).
It has a 612mm (24 inch) scale; the strings are a touch lower in tension than a normal guitar, and the stretch between the frets is a little less. Combined with a 45mm nut width, it’s strikingly easy to play. It has a flat classical-style fingerboard with comfortable frets, and you can string it with high tension classical nylon strings if you like, shimming up the saddle to get some extra action height.
Sound samples
The Blondel has a bright cittern-like treble, a powerful mid-range with a bluesy resonance, and an airy clear bass. US Irish-folk band An Triúr use the Blondel in Sovay on their myspace page. It has a very fast response due to the small body (14 x 8.5 x 2.25 inches) and light transverse bracing, and can be played for mandolin or zouk style melodies with a pick, fingerstyle, or just strummed.
How you hold it makes a big difference – pressed against your body, the limewood back can’t resonate properly. Held clear, or classical style rested on your thigh, it really sings out with a built-in natural reverb. DADGAD and open tunings are wonderful. It only costs £120 including Special Delivery UK post (approx $200 USA inc shipping – see Order Information Page and prices given with Buy It now buttons below).
For a sound sample or two, try these: Ghost in the Machine (song) and Troubadour Rag (instrumental).
Is it the same as…?
An Ozark, a Vintage, a Gremlin or a Montana? Yes and no. These cheaper instruments are made by the same factory to the same dimensions using the same type of body woods. They are stained and, as our suppliers have admitted, this allows lower grades of wood to be used. Ours are natural wood and we get the best stock. We redesigned the headstock, the entire neck (with laminated three-part construction) and specified better tuners with pearloid buttons in place of chromed plastic, a rosewood/sonokeling fingerboard instead of stained light wood, and a rosewood bridge. Issues of action and intonation have also been addressed.
We pay more for our instrument as most of the changed features are at additional cost, and we supply a padded gig bag, which is not necessarily included with other commercial variants of this guitar. And your Blondel II is checked for action and intonation before leaving Kelso!
We have instruments in stock now, for immediate delivery. Please note no deliveries will be sent out between September 17th and 24th 2010.
Buy Now using Paypal – Blondel Cittern-Guitars
Blondel II with gig bag including postage 1st class – UK/Channel Islands/Isle of Man. Cost: £120.00
Blondel II with gig bag including postage – France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia. Cost: £130.00
Blondel II with gig bag incl. postage – Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Central, E. Baltic, Balkans. Cost: £135.00
Blondel II with gig bag including post – USA, Canada, Mexico, Cent/S Am, Africa, India. Cost: £135.00
Blondel II with gig bag including post – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Pacific. Cost: £145.00
We have some Blondels with no bridge, no holes in the headstock, and no nut (but otherwise fully finished) available for D-I-Y octave mandolin or cittern projects. It is possible to string them with up to ten strings using cuatro machine heads and tailpiece. The price for these is the same as for a normal guitar (believe it or not, they actually cost us more to buy in). Place your order, and email us requesting a Blondel DIY project body.