The 10th Anniversary Model
This guitar introduces Eduardo Bossa's new 10th anniversary model, labeled "10º Aniversario". Eduardo has stressed to us that this isn't a "limited edition". Bossa designed it as a permanent alternative to his standard concert guitar. The two share virtually the same plantilla and soundbox, but the anniversary model uses a different construction system that gives it its own feel and tonal palette. He sees it as neither better nor worse than his standard concert model, but as a complement to it. This is our third guitar from this fine maker who we first met at the seventh Antonio Marin Montero Guitar Making Competition held in Granada, Spain in July/August, 2024 where this guitar took 2nd prize.
Construction
The anniversary model differs from Bossa's concert guitar mainly in how it's built. The spruce top keeps a traditional fan layout, but the bracing and top thicknessing are very different from those of his standard model. In the body, he uses laminated double sides. This gives the body extra rigidity, so less energy is lost through the sides and more is sent through the soundboard, which adds focus and projection.
Comino Crespo
For the back and sides, Bossa chose comino crespo (Aniba perutilis), a tree found only in Colombia and almost unknown in the guitar world. It is a rare and costly wood that Bossa considers truly exceptional. He offered it to GSI especially for this guitar and values it for its excellent tonal properties and for having just the right density and hardness for guitar making. Its beauty is just as striking. The golden color is entirely natural, with no tints or dyes. True to its name (crespo means "curly" in Spanish), the wood is known for its lively curly grain, and this set has an especially deep, three-dimensional figure that ripples across the back and shimmers as the guitar moves in the light. Bossa paired it with a spruce soundboard. He notes that it would work just as well with cedar acoustically, but he prefers the visual harmony of the lighter colored top with golden-colored back and sides. The fingerboard is Colombian ebony, which rounds out a guitar that celebrates the woods of Bossa's homeland.
Details and Appointments
The trim is refined and carefully matched. Dark bindings and fine purflings outline the top, back, and sides. The sides are framed in their own purfled borders, and a slender center strip divides the bookmatched back. At the tail, an inlaid end graft with a delicate rectangular purfling echoes the lines of the body. The scalloped headstock has a central stripe of figured golden wood between fine lines. The bridge has a mother-of-pearl tie block inset with a fine checkerboard mosaic.
The Zenú Rosette
To set the anniversary model apart visually, Bossa made subtle changes to the purfling, binding, and bridge tie block. He also dedicated a distinct rosette layout to the model, while his standard concert guitars keep his earlier designs. The rosette pays homage to the woven crafts of the Zenú people of the Colombian Caribbean. It is made by skilled local artisans from black and white straw fibers, woven into concentric bands of zigzag and chevron patterns. The motifs recall the pre-Columbian designs that are still part of the region's traditional weaving.
The Sound
With this model, Bossa set out to create a more piano-like voice, and he has succeeded. The sound is solid and deeply anchored, and the notes are dense and weighty, like those of a fine piano. The guitar is loud and highly directional, with excellent projection and a slightly stronger bass than Bossa's concert model. Most striking of all is its consistency: the voice is alarmingly even from the lowest bass notes to the top of the treble, with every note carrying the same character and weight. Add the comfortable, player-friendly feel found in all of Bossa's guitars, and the result is a powerful, distinctive concert instrument and a compelling alternative to his standard model.
Photos of this guitar taken during construction
