Marcus van Engelen De Brug Guitars
DONS'
The Don's Guitar is a revolutionary design, and a coproduction with my good friend Fred Dons. Fred is an inlay and airbrush wizard, and his input on the shape of this model was crucial. The constructual improvement of the neck-body joint is the final result of my quest. For two decades I have been trying to find the solution for two issues:
-how to combine the advantages of a set neck and a bolt-on
-how to mount the pickups without the use of plastic rings or scratch plates, without having the wires and mounting parts exposed
The Dons' neck has an elongated, 25mm thick extension that doubles as a pickup module and a bolt on neck to body "paddle". This moves the necks screws deeper into the body, thus eliminating the need of a heel on the body. Result: the hand can be moved to the higher positions on the neck much more easily. Yet the mounting surface between neck and body is rather larger than smaller in comparison with a standard bolt on, so that the vibrations of the neck are not lost. And the "banjo-like" tone of a neck-though construction is avoided.
It turned out this construction is ideal for semi-hollowbody guitars. The chambers are routed into the base from the top, after which the base is radiused. Next, the 3mm top is pressure-glued on. This top is laser cut, so the neck extension can be fitted with the cutout, leaving the drawing on the wood intact.
Like any great semi-hollowbody this model is rich in overtones, making it perfect for the optional Shadow Nanomag system. This is a tiny, near invisible magnetic pickup with an active amplification system. When combined with the regular magnetic pickups, the latter remain passive, which is a first in acoustic amplification of electric guitars.
Many hollowbodies suffer from poor sustain and uncontrollable feedback. Not so with the Dons'. The place and shape of the sound chambers and the sound hole (a logo image of two mobster types in profile, personifying the Dons) are placed according to the accumulated data and insights in building this type of guitars. Yes, guitar design is also a science.
The Dons' comes standard with a wrap-around bridge. It can also be fitted with a Stetsbar vibrato, which can be considered the Rolls Royce of vibrato bridges.
The final result: a modern classic. Stylish, versatile and comfortable. Light in weight, heavy in tone. It can make you whisper and scream, be cheerful, sad, angry or any mood you want. Despiet the many options, the interface is simple and intuitive. It invites you to find your boundaries and slowly push them out.