Andrew White’s Cybele is like a classical guitar with steel strings, and it should appeal to fingerstylists that straddle both worlds, and traditionalists who appreciate a natural look with no cutaway and no electronics.
“I’ve been building guitars with what I call the ‘Arcing Body Profile’ since 1999,” says Andrew White. “I didn’t invent anything, Steve Klein was doing it way back in the day, but I am a modern pioneer of a design that’s catching on. D’Ambrosio, Razo, and Wilborn are building guitars with similar body profiles, and larger companies such as Bedell are coming close. Jeff Traugott told me that we are looking at a clear change to the next generation of acoustic guitar.”
The premise of White’s forward-minded profile is actually based on an ancient understanding of the power of the arch in construction design. White uses arches in the guitar rim to eliminate flat spots. His arches are slightly more dramatic than traditional curves at the hips and shoulders, while broader arches encompass the top and bottom where acoustics traditionally flatten out. According to White, ergonomic, aesthetic, sonic, and structural integrity advantages ensue because increased curvature makes the guitar stronger, louder, more comfortable, and sexier looking.
The Cybele on review here is his smallest body style. With 14 thin frets to the body and an orchestral figure, it’s like a cross between a parlor guitar and a triple 0. Myriad variations are available, and the 110C NAT we received has a tannish red cedar top sporting a fine, straight grain that naturally separates it from the spruce pack. Simple, appealing appointments include a woodblock rosette, white pearl dot position markers, and a straightforward “W” white pearl logo set into the rich brown rosewood headstock veneer. The rosewood back and sides have deep black grain