WHAT IS CARBONFIBER ?
Carbon fiber; is a new generation material that becomes popular and spreading widely in aerospace, defense, automotive and sports industries, due to its unique properties such as; high strength, ultra lightweight and fascinating appearance. When compared; it is much more stronger than a same sized steel bar and much more lighter in mass. Besides these properties; it is not thermally effected from heat due to its very very low thermal expansion coefficient which is near to zero. It can resist to high temperatures and do not absorb humidity. With these competitive specifications; it is preferred by many industries, where developing strong and lightweight products is the priority. Additional to strength and lightweight, the visual attraction of this material becomes the reason to be preferred, in designing luxury and fascinating products.
As Karbon Tasarım; we are also preferring carbon fiber for these unique properties, to develop and manufacture end user products.
CARBONFIBER INSTRUMENTS
Our design and production team is experienced on making bowed instruments for years and improved this experience in world’s leading instrument making centers such as Cremona, Markneukirchen and Mittenwald. Detailed studies were performed for improving and bringing difference to these instruments. With the engineering experience, it is noticed that it will be beneficial to use carbonfiber material and related production processes for improving the properties of these traditional instruments. After few years of design, research, prototyping and production process, final products have been completed and became perfect for the users. Regarding musical instruments, carbonfiber has many advantages. But carbonfiber itself has differences within its production methods. Old techniques of carbonfiber such as infusion or hand lay-up, can not give the best and top properties to the final instruments. Therefore, in order to have the highest strength, lightest weight, most powerful tones, highest durability against heat and humidity; customers must prefer the manufacturers that are using high-tech materials (prepregs), high temperatures and high pressure while production. Karbon Tasarım have all of these advanced processes that results in the most advanced products.
Advantages of carbonfiber instruments are as follows:
· They are much more lighter in weight than wooden instruments. Our carbonfiber instrument are about half weight of that wooden instrument. This gives comfort to the player while playing long periods, as well as during transportation.. Due to our high-tech carbon fiber processes and materials, they are ultra light weight , durable and resonate much more than classical instruments which results in higher and powerfull tones.
· It is not effected from environmental conditions, such as heat and humidity. Thermal changes generally causes tonal and tuning problems on wooden instrument. With respect to the material characteristics of carbonfiber, the tuning neccessity of the instrument is reduced to minimum. Additioally, the carbonfiber material does not absorb humidity. This becomes essential and results in no change on the instrument’s tonal quality and having stability on the notes, while the humidity has an negative effect on wooden instruments. As our instruments are made from high-tech prepreg carbonfiber material, under pressure and at about 150 °C temperatures, they can resist temperatures up tu 100-110 °C or very cold environments, with no problem.
· Having repeatable standard tonal properties. Wooden instruments shows difference on tonal properties in each other due to the wood that they have been produced. Against this, it is almost possible to repeat the tonal quality and make the same instrument, in carbonfiber material.
· Having more precise, brighter and powerful sound. Due to the sound transmitting characteristics of the material, the carbonfiber instruments give faster response than wooden instruments. And this, provides the note positions to be more precise, the sound brighter and more powerful. Instrument becomes easier to play and supporting the player. Besides, the softness and the emotion of the wooden instruments are still preserved.
· Having high strength. With the properties and structural characteristics of carbonfiber, it is stronger even it is thinner. It is much more tolerant against damage than wooden instrument. Additionally, monoblock structure which the neck and the body is integrated, avoids neck deflection or disassembly problems.
· Visually fascinating. Beside the mechanical and physical advantages of carbonfiber materials, they are also preferred for their attractive visual looking. They are used in many vehicle or areas for giving luxury, such as automobiles, yachts, planes. This appearance brings attraction and difference, also to the instruments.
· Design Without Cornices. Cornices (corners) of a violin or a cello, on both classical wooden or carbonfiber instruments, are sound absorbing areas which were used to increase the glueing surface for the ribs to top and back plates. Hence our carbonfiber instruments are produced as mostly integrated one piece body, there is no need for such vibration absorbing corners anymore which also results in the tone and power increase of the instruments.
OTHER DETAILS ABOUT OUR INSTRUMENTS
Color of Instruments : CF (Carbonfiber) have a natural black 3D dimensional texture that gives it a fascinating appeareance. This is a loved view by most of the users. But, if it is required for the player in any other color or would like to have wooden looking, it can also be painted. See our related pictures.
Bassbar and Soundpost : Our acoustic instruments have wooden or carbon bassbar and soundpost like the classical instruments; for the distribution of the vibrations among the body. Regarding the taste of the sound we can choose wooden parts for warmer (wooden like sound) tones or carbon parts for brighter and powerful tones. Bridges are preferred to be wooden to have warmer tones.
Fingerboards : Our fingerboards on the instruments are also made of carbonfiber. It is a hollow design, to be much lighter in weight but more durable than trophical trees (ebony) that no wear of strings can happen in time. No need for maintenance and not effected from heat or humidity. And also, we prevent the consumption of endangered exotic trees by this way.
No Maintenance Needed : Due to the strehgth and durability of the CF material, these instruments do not require periodical maintenances and have much more longer life which withstands the distruction of environmental conditions in time. Strings and wooden bridge are only the parts that require to change.
Model of the Instruments : Stradivari 1715 models was taken as a design base of our instruments but it is modified due to the needs of CF and other design criterias. Our acoustic instruments are mainly in few parts. Scroll, side ribs and back plate are integrated into one part, thanks to the ability of composite material manufacturing techniques. Top Plate and Fingerboard comes as other main part. Removing the cornices and integrating most of the parts into single pieces results in ultra light weight and more durable and thus more vibrating structure. Although design is slightly different, instruments are in standard 4/4 sizes regarding the string length and other playability properties.
Carbonfiber Manufacturing Techniques : CF has many different, basic and high-tech processes for manufacturing. Wet-layup or resin infusion are relatively the basic processes that most of the companies use. But, these result in unneccessarily heavier and thicker parts which will have less durability, more effected from heat&humidty and less vibrating instruments. Our company uses, high-tech processes for CF which requires more engineering knowledge and high precision equipment to achive. As a result of having aerospace grade prepreg materials and processes, high temperatures up to 150 °C and high pressure; we are able to have fiber-rich, more durable and more vibrating instruments. Thus, all the instruments have to be well compared in technically and sound-wise, before purchasing and not just comparing the visual appereances only. Resin-rich, varnish-rich, thicker CF instruments and accessories should also be investigated against technical-wise.
Replacing the Parts : Wooden parts such as soundpost or bridge can be replaced by the user or by their luthier, easily. Upper and lower saddle tha are mostly ebony on classical instruments are integrated CF parts on our fingerboard and top plate. As they are ultra durable and do not wear in time, there is no need to change they during the entire life of the instruments. Fingerboard is replacible by us but there is no need for this. Pegs are also replacible by any user or luthier. All our instruments are delivered to the customers ready to play and tested by our experts before delivery.
Tonal Quality : Although it is a personal taste than depends on the player, in general CF instruments have brighter and more powerfull tones. They are easy to play with lesser pressure on bow and especially notes position are net and flawless. Additionaly, wolf notes are rare or none in CF instruments or can be moved out of the playing positions due to the different vibration characteristic of CF. Additionally, CF instruments are highly responsive and projective. Even very small changes in the position of the bridge or the soundpost can result in a totally different tone characteristics that means a rich tonal spectrum is under your control and you can explore upper limits of the instrument. Different bridges or strings will also be interesting for the user to discover. The sound of the instrument additionally improves when the strings and the bridge will conform in time. Our instruments are suitable for beginners as well as professionals. Beginners prefer CF instruments for their ease of use and rich tonal responses and durability. Professional prefer CF instruments due to their environmental and structural durability in outdoor activities, easier playability, light weight in long duration of play, lightness in weight to carry or transport.
Stock and Lead Times : After pandemic, we are keeping less stock of our instruments and accessories. If we have it in stock, we are able to ship it very soon. If we do not have it, we require the lead time mentioned on the product page, to produce it for the customer. Especially, custom instruments need a time slot. But, as we are using the advanced processes, this enables us to process faster which does not take too much time unless we do not have any other orders in the waiting list. For the detailed shipping and lead time, we can provide information via our emails.
