The Motif Classical Guitar from La Patrie has a solid cedar top, laminated mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, rosewood bridge with compensated saddle, gold "lyra" style tuners with pearloid buttons, and a semi-gloss satin finish.

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 3/4 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.

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.

La Patrie Motif Classical Guitar Features:

• Top: Solid Cedar
• Back & sides: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Nut width: 2-3/32"
• Bridge: Rosewood w/compensated saddle
• Scale Length: 25-1/2"
• Upper Bout: 9-1/4"
• Lower Bout: 13"
• Tuners: Gold "lyra" style w/ pearloid buttons
• Finish: Satin

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