Grand Guitars Magazine
German Edition 2008/1

“Who invented it?”

Review: Rolf Spuler Paradis Nylonsting & Steelstring

By Patrik Wilhelm
(Interpreted from German to English by Dennis Hartmann)

Intro: Cough drops, darn it, where are the cough drops? I can’t get through the winter months without my Ricolas .My throat itches and whistles when talking. So my only relief is this little yellow bag. And who’s invented these wonderful things? Right, the Swiss. The nifty confederates are world champions in inventing countless products. But besides the Ricola cough drops, Studer tape machines, the Sauber Formula 1 Team and the chronometer by Cartier is also the worldly known Toblerone chocolate, which proves anew each time you have a piece how versatile the Swiss really are. How do I get to the subject chocolate, you might ask? And that writing for a Guitar magazine? Well, guitarists are pleasure people. The same with good luthiers. And maybe it was truly the three corners of the Toblerone chocolate bar that inspired Rolf Spuler to create his Paradis guitar series since there are three cornerstones that describe this one of a kind instrument:

1.) The simplistic handling, acoustically and playability, of an E-guitar.
2.) The sound and volume of an acoustic instrument
3.) The connectivity demands of the 21st century: FireWire and Guitar-to-MIDI

Technically all that was made possible by Rolf Spuler’s high-tech instruments. The result is an instrument that is masterly crafted combined with NASA like high precision techniques, in unique action.

Houston, we don’t have a problem

To not completely drool, I decided to do the only right thing: Grab it, play it and be in awe. I would like you to know something in advance, though. Never in my 25 years knowing and playing the guitar have I held such a nifty and surprisingly detailed instrument in my hands. One can see quite a lot in pictures and on the company’s website, but the real features show to be more integral and therefore an invisible part to the perfect ergonomic design. All that is done with a lot of passion and love for detail. And Rolf Spuler and his team manufacture, actually no, they don’t manufacture, they live for this. And this is audible with every note played on the instrument.

Both the Paradis 6n (nylon strings) and 6s (the steel version) that are here for me to test shine with their sheer beauty. Exquisite woods, like flamed maple for the 6s and bubinga for the 6n, were used with the aid of CNC to create a beautiful semi-hollow body in which they framed stylish teardrop shapes. They are equally practical as well as weight reducing, plus an eye catcher first rate. The necks are made of solid rosewood and merge so perfectly and organically with the guitar’s body that it almost looks like it was molded. This continues all the way up to the headstock. The modified Gotoh machines are set in a 2-4 configuration, which are hidden behind two wooden cover plates to make them almost invisible. The real treat, however, are the cover plates themselves. Little magnets hold the covers to the headstock so perfectly, thanks to CNC, not even a little gap is visible, making it look like one single piece. To top this, the covers are also used to house a little pin underneath which can be used to unlock the string-lock mechanism.

Integrated in the design of the headstock, „Spuler-like“, is a fret board extension for the bottom E sting. Clicking the miniature mechanism on the neck drops the E down to a D. It’s equally simple as it is effective. You don’t find that much fun on 15 sq. Inches that often. It looks like that the long Swiss winter months are responsible for such a thorough thought out construction. Where ever you look you will find design tidbits, crafty details, simply called: Swiss engineering at its best.

Like a Hubble

The story doesn’t obviously end here and I can see Rolf Spuler having a smirk on his face as I am taking off the cover of the electronics department, which is hidden underneath a precisely cut-out round plate on the back of the body.

Since now, guitar electronics are usually little sad looking compartments carrying low cost Chinese manufactured parts that could corrode and fall off the circuit board just by looking at them. Not so in Rolf Spuler’s guitar. It looks more like the Hubble Telescope’s peripheral control unit. Looks like Mr. Spuler is not only a very crafty luthier and designer but also versatile in pickup design, microelectronics and circuit board design. The guitars can hold either a digital Firewire module or a MIDI module. A flawless connection to the newest sound and recording software is hereby given. The volume of each string can, of course, be individually adjusted. But that’s not all, Spuler thought, and added a so called PolyBass, a sub-harmonics generator, which is integrated in the preamp’s circuitry. This PolyBass creates a low octave (in the spectrum of an E-Bass) off the original sound of the 4 bottom strings resulting in effects from a "rounding" of the sound all the way to a very "fat" bass enhancement. This even works polyphonically without a tracking delay. So far, this PolyBass is the only one of its kind in the world. Spuler recommends a Bass-Woofer to really enjoy these sustaining basses.

Angels in Space

After so many superlatives, still the sound and the playability are the determining factors. The 6s, the steel-string model sounds fresh with deep earthy tone that’s audible even when played quietly. The specially designed Piezo-Pickup-System carries this sound very naturally and projects this, due to the filigree construction of the Paradis, into a really fast “attack back to the player”. You can feel each and every harmonic, how it first moves through the guitar and then into the player, which makes the thought of taking the guitar out of your hands an awful one.

The rather flat and in comparison to standard guitars wider neck benefits the playability as well. This is a perfect precondition for playing valiantly or emotionally on this paradise-like instrument. Brilliant trebles shine brightly over the angelic presentation. Well, with an instrument that’s called Paradis, the Godly can’t be far.

I have a similar experience with the nylon string due to the bubinga body, although this one has a bit more depth in the deeper tonal ranges. The piezos specially unveil on this model their sensitivity to which you could almost name the string manufacturer upon touching the string. And this is good the way it is, an essential condition for masterly phrasing and authentically interpreting old masters. It’s no surprise that every note sounds warm and lively, considering how careful Rolf Spuler tends to every instrument. As modern as the Paradis 6n may seem, Spuler designed the bridge tie block in a very classic way. In Spuler fashion, all faders and knobs are neatly set in the lengthened bridge ornamentation and hardly visible. These faders control volume, PolyBass as well as other functions to adjust the stage sound but never interfere with the very natural and warm character of the Paradis 6n.

The guitars hang off the guitar strap neatly balanced and without ostentation due to the ergonomic construction and their light weight. Thanks to the beautifully styled cutaway and the comfortable neck profile, the Paradis is playable up to the highest registers and enables the player to accomplish even the freakiest solos without roadblocks.

Futurama, here we come!

As the concept shows, however precious the Paradis guitars are, they are precision tools for the active musician and it would be a real shame if they would end up in a hidden showcase at some collector’s home. Every guitarist that makes a living playing the guitar will appreciate the Paradis’ uncompromising and practical components and know how to use them. Since we’re talking about a first rate, high class instrument, it is definitely the choice for professionals, studio musicians and people who look for top notch quality, features and reliability. That we not only receive Rolf Spuler’s precision work but also a visually attracting, first-class sounding instrument comes almost naturally and beyond any doubt.

The future minded multimedia capabilities of both guitars lift them up to guitars of another realm. And the air up there is pretty thin. But that’s how it is in space. Futurama, here we come! Theology professors specializing in the Old Testament can breathe easier. The Garden of Eden is for some guitarists located in Switzerland. Let’s get there, Scottie, beam me up!

Price: starting at 11.300 USD incl. duties & shipping

USA contact: www.fineguitarconsultants.com
Website: www.rolfspuler.com