Michael Sanden and True Temperament
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
It was a real pleasure to meet Michael Sanden, the Swedish luthier, pictured here at his visit to DV in Romford accompanied by his long time friend and demonstrator, Homesick Mac. Michael has been building guitars, mandolas and lap steels for getting on for 28 years from his workshop in Garsnas in Sweden and with his wife Kari, turns out on average three guitars a week, completely hand built and finished using only top grade tonewoods.
In 1996 Michael got his Master’s Certificate in guitar craftmanship and Sanden Guitars has been a member of the “Guild of American Luthiers” since 1983. You could say that when it comes to acoustic guitar construction, there’s nothing he doesn’t know and he speaks about it with authority and passion, freely imparting knowledge about the art, and how his own instruments are made.
I hinted in yesterday’s article that there was a surpise in store.When Michael opened the case to the guitar he had brought along, one of his own hand made instruments, there were a few astonished looks amonst the assembled gathering. What on earth was going on with that fingerboard, the frets were all zig-zaggy! Yes they are, and for a reason. This is a True Temperament fingerboard, a patented design that ensures accurate intonation all over the fretboard. It has long been known that the traditional fretting method of string instruments is a compromise, that a guitar can never be totally in tune. However, our ears make the necessary adjustments for things to sound ‘musical’. The True Temperament method of fretting solves this problem, reducing inter modulation between notes and making chords ring out with a sweetness not achievable on a normal guitar.
This is all very well, but this system was not just the result of a computer read out or some rigid mathmatical calculation without regard to the nuances of how people play the guitar or how it feels. Three factors were involved – computer calculations, an oscilloscope and, most importantly, ears! The frets themselves are made of a brass alloy material and look quite unlike nickel frets.The guitar also features a zero fret and straight or non-angled bridge saddle which means that all the intonation is taken care of by the True Temperament system.
To play, the guitar doesn’t feel any different under the fingers, for chording or single note playing. Bends? No different. Vibrato? Not a problem. The age old problem of the G and B string being out of tune with each other on certain chords is eliminated. Complex chords sound better. I spent some time playing this guitar and I simply couldn’t catch it out.
Michaels’ guitars are expensive, and he will make a guitar without the true temperement system. But I can’t see the point. If perfect intonation has always eluded you then a Sanden model may just prove too tempting to pass up. There is just one problem though – you may have difficulty returning to your normal guitar. Thanks Michael!
Tags: sanden, true temperament