LaPatrie Guitar Motif -

LAPATRIE 8858 Details

Nestled in the forests of the Eastern Townships in Québec, Canada, there is a small village named LaPatrie. What started as a small luthier shop in 1982 has evolved into a village of guitar builders. Today there are over 200 people in LaPatrie dedicated to the art of hand crafting guitars. in honour of that tradition, our line of classical guitars has been named after the village where they were created.

The LaPatrie Series of classical guitars consists of five models. The Motif, Etude, Presentation, Concert and the Collection. All LaPatrie guitars are crafted from top quality tone woods to produce instruments of exceptional resonance and structural integrity.

800 Year Old Trees
All LaPatrie guitars feature solid cedar tops. The wood used in these tops can be found only in cedar trees that have an average age of about 800 years. The tight, straight grain in this wood makes it strong in the direction of the string tension while at the same time flexible across the grain lines. It is this combination of rigidity and flexibility that give the top its resonance. The vibration of the guitar top is the most crucial element of the sound.

Lacquer Finish
LaPatrie guitars are finished with a special lacquer formula. This finish is light enough to allow the wood to breath and vibrate freely. The tops resonating capacity actually improves as the guitar is played over an extended period of time. This gradual improvement in the response of the top is often referred to as "aging". Poly finishes inhibit top vibration and are therefore never used on LaPatrie guitars. Many other guitars use a thick plastic finish that smothers top vibration and prevents the benefits of aging.

Classics that are comfortable to play
Classical guitars of the past have typically been made with thick neck dimensions, while this promoted a certain amount of neck stability, it often made certain playing aspects difficult to execute. It is for this reason that special attention was directed to the neck design of the LaPatrie guitars. Neck width and string spacing conform to classical standards, but a new truss rod system allows the profile of the neck to be reduced producing a neck of extraordinary comfort, while increasing stability. The LaPatrie necks are carved from Honduras mahogany. All LaPatrie models feature a rosewood fingerboard and bridge.

Motif
The Motif takes its compact dimensions from turn-of-the-century parlor guitars. This is an excellent instrument for anyone more comfortable with a smaller instrument. The compact body of the Motif suggests a ¾ size instrument but this is a full-scale guitar. Most children from about six years old can handle the Motif quite comfortably and because they are practicing on a full-scale switching to a full size classical guitar can be accomplished with very little adjustment. There is more to the compact body style of the Motif than comfort, this is a serious guitar with many of the same features that professional guitarists look for in the best handcrafted instruments. The solid cedar top and genuine lacquer finish ensure that this guitar will not only sound great when you first receive it but will actually become better sounding with playing over time. The body is made from a three-way lamination of hardwood that includes a poplar center sandwiched between two layers of mahogany. The Motif neck is made from Honduras mahogany with an Indian rosewood fingerboard.

Compact body size (9-1/4" upper bout, 13" lower bout),
solid cedar top,
mahogany back & sides (laminate),
2-3/32" nut width,
mohogany neck w/rosewood fretboard,
rosewood bridge w/compensated saddle,
25-1/2" scale,
gold "lyra" style tuners w/pearloid buttons,
semi-gloss (satin) finish.

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