For Arizona guitar maker Mike Baranik, the epiphany that took his steel-string
guitars to a higher level came two years ago at the Great Midwest Guitar
Show in St. Louis. While exhibiting his guitars, he compared notes and
instruments with respected fellow luthier Taku Sakashta, who offered
both encouragement and some uncommon advice.
"Taku told me I need to build instruments that look as good as
they sound," Baranik recalls. "He knew that good tone alone
wouldn't get my guitars noticed, and he inspired me to develop new designs
and be creative with my building."
Breaking away from the standard OM, SJ, 00, parlor, and jumbo designs
he had built since becoming an independent luthier in 1995, Baranik
introduced three new models a year later: the PX, CX, and JX. The success
of these fresh designs, with their elegant appointments and sophisticated
sound, has caused the young luthier to move to a larger workshop (Baranik
Guitars, 1300 E. Eighth St., Suite 102, Tempe, AZ 85281; [480] 894-3448;
www.baranikguitars.com).
"The new Baraniks combine clarity and even tone across the fingerboard
with musical warmth in the midrange and bass, a blend that's very difficult
to achieve," says Steve Swan, whose San FranciscoÐarea shop features
instruments by several top luthiers. "Designwise, they have a natural
flow and simplicity that highlights the woods and the instrument as
a whole."
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Baranik's CX model
with Adirondack spruce top and koa back and sides.
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The PX, CX, and JX modelsÑapproximately the size of the typical parlor/00,
concert, and jumbo, respectivelyÑfeature several distinctive elements.
All have asymmetrical bodies, with a higher waist on the treble side
and a lower bout that's wider on the bass side, for comfort. Novel top
and back bracing contribute to tonal clarity and balance. Unusual appointments
include a beveled asymmetrical bridge with rounded corners, crescent
purfling that encloses the endblock and neck joint, and a graceful rounding
of the heelcap. Base prices for the PX, CX, and JX models are $4,200
(including a hard-shell case).
"I think people are more open to new designs than they were five
years ago," Baranik says. "They want guitars that sound good,
look good, and play easily, and they are confident enough to move beyond
the conventional and wait a bit longer for a custom instrument."
Yet for all their distinctiveness, Baranik's guitars reflect his traditional
approach to building. "I love the beauty of fine wood," he
says, and it shows in his instruments. Body and top woods, from traditional
to alternative, come from a treasure trove of superb sets purchased
over several years, including one spent working at Woodworkers' Source,
an exotic wood supplier. "Adirondack and Italian spruce are two
of my favorite topwoods," he says. "I like lots of different
woods for backs and sides, including koa, Brazilian rosewood, Macassar
ebony, and claro walnut." Wood binding, purfling, rosette, endblock,
and heelcap are standard appointments, and a cutaway, slotted headstock,
or fingerboard inlay is available by custom order. Because each instrument
is handmade, the customer can select the combination of tonewoods, scale
length, and nut/string spacing that suits his or her specific playing
needs.
Baranik understands players' needs because he started out as a guitar
player. He took guitar-building classes at Phoenix's Roberto-Venn School
of Luthiery in 1993 and then apprenticed with head instructor John Reuter
for several months. In 1994 he returned to the school as an assistant
instructor, an experience he considers extremely valuable. "I enjoyed
the dynamics of teaching," he explains, "and found the students'
questions to be a great catalyst in discovering which building techniques
worked and which didn't."
In 1995, he joined the fledgling Phoenix Guitar Co., building and repairing
acoustic and electric guitars. "I benefited from the experience,
because I got to do a lot of repair and finish work and improve my skills
in those areas," he notes. The company soon closed, but after a
year with Woodworkers' Source and a brief period crafting custom furniture
and a handful of electric guitars, Baranik began building acoustic guitars
under his own name in 1996.
Baranik notes that the climate of his new shop, like his old one, is
carefully controlled. "The desert provides a good environment for
guitar building," he says, "because it's a lot easier to add
humidity to the air in a shop than to pull humidity out, as builders
have to do in many areas." Although the new shop is twice as large
as his previous one, Baranik expects to continue producing approximately
20 guitars per year.
Excerpted from
Acoustic
Guitar magazine, September
2002, No. 117.
