Maestro guitars
Encyclopedia
Maestro is a brand of guitars from Singapore
, who produces Classical guitar
s, Steel-string acoustic guitar
s and Ukulele
s. Maestro Guitars are some of the guitar companies from Singapore. The company own their own production facilities in China.
After acquiring help from his father with a workshop space in Renner Piano’s warehouse, Hozen journeyed to India
where he spent three weeks in Goa
with British luthier Chris Horton on an apprenticeship. Contacts with other luthiers were also made to try gain knowledge and advices on guitar-making. These included Kenny Hill (Hill Guitars) and Hideo Kamimoto. Maestro opened its first retail store in September 2004, at the Excelsior Shopping Center selling China-made acoustics.
Within a span of 5 years, Maestro Guitar now has 4 retail stores in Singapore. Maestro also opened a retail store in Bangkok
in 2009, their first retail outlet outside of Singapore. Its retail shop at the Esplanade closed down in 2009. The newest retail shop is currently at *SCAPE, located off Somerset in Singapore’s busy Orchard Road
shopping belt.
In 2010, in a bid to try better their qualities of guitars, Maestro established their own in-house production factory in China
. This factory supplies China-made guitars which are shipped to Singapore for installation of hardware, fret-leveling and setup.
, Europe
and Asia
.
Maestro’s classical guitars are made in the original Spanish way, with either a traditional fan-bracing or Greg Smallman
’s lattice-bracing. Maestro is also known to base some of their classical guitars directly on well known instruments like the 1888 Antonio de Torres 9-strut bracing or the 1951 Barbero flamenco guitar.
Maestro adopts the Bolt-on neck design for their steel-string guitars, with a double action truss rod
, which is seen as a feature for easier servicing, repair and set-up. Maestro’s steel-string guitars use the Scallop-X bracing method, which Maestro explains it to provide a strong and resilient top from the high tension created by steel strings.
Besides guitars, Maestro also builds Ukulele
s of the 4 recognized sizes of Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone. Many different variables of tone woods are used in Maestro’s line of ukuleles, including Flame maple
, acacia koa, Red Cedar
, Cocobolo
, Java Rosewood
and Granadillo
.
Carbon Fibre Rods are used to place on each side of the truss rod in a guitar’s neck to reinforce in and also to deter it from any form of warping.
Brass Toneplate
A brass plate is placed behind the bridge on the top wood of a guitar, which reinforces the bridge area. The brass plate vibrates during play from the bridge and this is also seen to increase the sustain and bass response of a guitar.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, who produces Classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
s, Steel-string acoustic guitar
Steel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
s and Ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
s. Maestro Guitars are some of the guitar companies from Singapore. The company own their own production facilities in China.
History
Maestro Guitars was founded in 2004 by Mr Ho Zen Yong (Hozen). Hozen, the son of a piano distributor, immersed himself into the local music industry at 12 years of age. He helped out at his father’s piano shop, Renner Piano, off Selegie Road. Passion and influences from fellow guitarists eventually persuaded him to leave Renner Piano and start up Maestro Guitars.After acquiring help from his father with a workshop space in Renner Piano’s warehouse, Hozen journeyed to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where he spent three weeks in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
with British luthier Chris Horton on an apprenticeship. Contacts with other luthiers were also made to try gain knowledge and advices on guitar-making. These included Kenny Hill (Hill Guitars) and Hideo Kamimoto. Maestro opened its first retail store in September 2004, at the Excelsior Shopping Center selling China-made acoustics.
Within a span of 5 years, Maestro Guitar now has 4 retail stores in Singapore. Maestro also opened a retail store in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
in 2009, their first retail outlet outside of Singapore. Its retail shop at the Esplanade closed down in 2009. The newest retail shop is currently at *SCAPE, located off Somerset in Singapore’s busy Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
shopping belt.
In 2010, in a bid to try better their qualities of guitars, Maestro established their own in-house production factory in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. This factory supplies China-made guitars which are shipped to Singapore for installation of hardware, fret-leveling and setup.
Construction
Maestro promotes themselves with a ‘high performance to price ratio’ policy and approach when building their guitars. They are known to use tone woods from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Maestro’s classical guitars are made in the original Spanish way, with either a traditional fan-bracing or Greg Smallman
Greg Smallman
Greg Smallman is an Australian luthier known worldwide for his innovative guitar designs. Although his guitars are in outward appearance similar to a traditional Spanish classical guitar, there are numerous innovative differences. Among them is the use of a high, arched and carved back for the...
’s lattice-bracing. Maestro is also known to base some of their classical guitars directly on well known instruments like the 1888 Antonio de Torres 9-strut bracing or the 1951 Barbero flamenco guitar.
Maestro adopts the Bolt-on neck design for their steel-string guitars, with a double action truss rod
Truss rod
The truss rod is part of a guitar or banjo used to stabilize and adjust the lengthwise forward curvature , of the neck. Usually it is a steel rod that runs inside the neck and has a bolt that can be used to adjust its tension...
, which is seen as a feature for easier servicing, repair and set-up. Maestro’s steel-string guitars use the Scallop-X bracing method, which Maestro explains it to provide a strong and resilient top from the high tension created by steel strings.
Besides guitars, Maestro also builds Ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
s of the 4 recognized sizes of Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone. Many different variables of tone woods are used in Maestro’s line of ukuleles, including Flame maple
Flame maple
Flame maple , also known as flamed maple, curly maple, ripple maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as "flames"...
, acacia koa, Red Cedar
Red Cedar
- Trees :* Toona ciliata, an Australian / Asian rainforest tree* Juniperus virginiana, a North American juniper* Thuja plicata, a North American tree in the cypress family- Places :Canada* Red Cedar Lake , a lake in the Temagami region...
, Cocobolo
Cocobolo
Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of the tree Dalbergia retusa from Central America.Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. The sapwood is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with...
, Java Rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
and Granadillo
Granadillo
Granadillo may refer to:* Brya ebenus, a species of flowering tree native to Cuba and Jamaica* Dalbergia retusa, a plant species native to Central America....
.
Highlights
Carbon Fibre Reinforced NeckCarbon Fibre Rods are used to place on each side of the truss rod in a guitar’s neck to reinforce in and also to deter it from any form of warping.
Brass Toneplate
A brass plate is placed behind the bridge on the top wood of a guitar, which reinforces the bridge area. The brass plate vibrates during play from the bridge and this is also seen to increase the sustain and bass response of a guitar.
See also
- List of guitar manufacturers
- Acoustic GuitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Classical GuitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
- UkuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....