Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace Review
I remember getting a friend request on Myspace from Frank Hartung Guitars quite some time ago. I logged in and went to check out the myspace page like I always do. After checking out the pictures on Frank’s Myspace page and his company website, I was just blown away. I immediately fell in love with his designs, with the Embrace and Diavolo models being my favorites. I immediately set up a section for Frank Hartung Guitars on the Boutique Guitar Resource website and contacted Frank. We exchanged quite a few emails and got to know each other very well. Before you know it, Boutique Guitar Resource became a USA dealer for Frank Hartung Guitars and I placed my first order. I ordered my first Frank Hartung Guitar with the following specifications:
Model: Embrace
Top: One Piece Redwood
Body: Honduran Mahogany
Neck: East Indian Rosewood
Fretboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Fretboard Binding: Maple with Ebony Side Dots
Frets: 22 6105 Stainless Steel Frets
Nut: Bone
Scale: 25″
Pickups: Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell Humbuckers with Distressed Covers
Hardware: Chrome
Tuners: Sperzel Locking
Bridge: Tone Pros AVT-II Wrap Around
Inlays: Custom F Hole Bone Inlay at 12th fret
Electronics: 2 Volume, 2 Tone with push/pull coil taps, and 3 way toggle switch
Wiring: Voxvox Wiring
Finish: Natural
Ebony Package: Ebony tuners, pickup rings, toggle tip, and knobs
Keep in mind, this guitar was supposed to be my first dealer purchase; however, when I started doing the specifications for the guitar, I knew it would be one that I would want to keep. As I watched the guitar being built, suddenly I just started calling it my guitar. Well, the guitar is finished and MY Frank Hartung Embrace has arrived.
Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood Top
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood
The first thing I noticed when opening the case was Frank’s unique Flow Carving in the beautiful one piece Redwood top. Frank developed his Flow Carving technique in 2002 and it adds a 3 dimensional effect to the appearance of his guitars. The tops of his guitars are beautifully contoured and the overall design of the Embrace model is perfection.
This Embrace is a pretty light guitar weighing in at 7.8 lbs. The guitar has a very balanced feel and is extremely comfortable to play. I play in a classical style sitting position and the angle of the body at the lower horn fits perfectly on my left leg. It is just a very comfortable feeling guitar. I immediately felt like the guitar became part of me.
Frank’s attention to detail is outstanding. This is an area where boutique guitar builders really shine and Frank Hartung Guitars is no exception. This guitar is absolutely flawless. The fretwork is top notch. Frank undercuts the fret ends by 2mm on each side before they are installed. When you run your hand up and down the neck, you do not feel any fret ends sticking out. The stainless steel frets feel wonderful. Bends are smooth and effortless. There is quite a bit of controversy about stainless vs. nickel frets. Some people say that stainless steel frets are much brighter than nickel frets. I personally do not hear any difference in tone at all. I prefer the durability and feel of stainless steel frets and that is why I decided to go with them for this build.
Frank Hartung Embrace
Redwood Top on Frank Hartung Embrace
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood
The neck is 1.69″ at the nut and the neck profile is similar to a PRS Fat neck. Of course, Frank is a custom builder so you can choose any neck carve you like. I love the feel of the East Indian Rosewood neck. There is just something about the feel of the wood against your hands. The East Indian Rosewood Neck with the Brazilian Rosewood fretboard is a perfect combination for me. I ordered my McNaught Vintage Single Cut with a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and fell in love with it so went with it on this build as well. Frank uses a compound radius on his fretboards. Instead of just using a 12″ radius for example, Frank’s fretboards are 9.5″ to 16″. What this does is makes chord work easier when playing closer to the nut and makes bending and lead work easier due to the flattening of the neck radius as you approach the neck heel. It isn’t something you are conscious of while playing, but it does make for a very comfortable feeling guitar.
The truss rod access is located at the last fret and is covered by a small wood plate. Frank uses this technique to strengthen the neck and headstock area so that broken headstocks are a thing of the past. To access the truss rod, all you do is unscrew the two screws and remove the wood plate. This can be done while the strings are in place. Frank provides a truss rod tool in order to make any needed adjustments.
Frank Hartung Guitars Truss Rod Access
One of the most beautiful features of Frank Hartung Guitars is the unique design of the headstock. His guitars truly are works of art. The design on these guitars is just perfect!
Frank Hartung Headstock
Locking Sperzel Tuners
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood
The Frank Hartung Embrace is absolutely beautiful and extremely comfortable to play….but what is really important is how it sounds. The Embrace definitely does not fall short here. I am a huge fan of WCR pickups. My McNaught has a set of WCR Goodwoods that just sound phenomenal, so I was hoping I would be just as impressed with the Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell pickups. Thankfully, I am! Both pickups sound amazing and I would have a hard time picking a favorite between the two. The Hartung Embrace, like my McNaught VSC, has coil taps on both tone controls and this really adds a lot of tonal variation. I no longer have any tube amps since all my playing is done at home, but when playing through the models in Logic Amp Designer, Peavey Revalver MKIII, and Amplitube Fender everything just sounded great. The Embrace has a full and warm sound. The sound was never excessively bright, harsh, or thin sounding. The Bare Knuckles are a very nice set of pickups for the Frank Hartung Embrace.
In my opinion, the most important factor with an electric guitar is how it sounds unplugged. You can always change out pickups, but when an electric guitar sounds good unplugged then you really have something special. I always thought my McNaught VSC had such a good unplugged sound so I compare every guitar to it. The Hartung excels in this area as well. The Hartung sounds really, really good unplugged. They are both quite loud when played unplugged. You can just feel the Hartung Embrace speaking to you as the woods vibrate against you. It has a rich, full, and open acoustic tone. The woods work very well together providing a round and warm tone. When you strum a chord you feel the guitar vibrate all over. You feel it in your hands as the neck vibrates and you feel it against your body as the body of the guitar vibrates. The Hartung just feels alive and full of life.
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood Top
Frank Hartung Embrace Mahogany Back
Frank Hartung Embrace Mahogany Back
I can say the Frank Hartung Embrace met and exceeded my expectations. Frank is building some of the most beautiful guitars available. His guitars are solidly built with extreme attention to detail. Not only are his guitars beautiful, but more importantly they sound and play fantastic. Frank is an amazing luthier and on top of that, he is an extremely nice guy. I feel very lucky to own one of his guitars!
Boutique Guitar Resource is an authorized dealer for Frank Hartung Guitars. Please contact BGR if you are interested in having a guitar built by Frank Hartung Guitars.
Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace Is Finished
Got word from Frank that my Redwood Embrace model has been completed. He also sent me a few pictures of the completed guitar. I am really excited to get this guitar in my hands. I will be showing more pictures and doing a full review of the guitar once I get it here and get to spend some time with it. All I can say right now is that it turned out just beautiful!
Parts For Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace
Frank Hartung Embrace With One Piece Redwood Top
Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace
Frank Hartung Embrace Redwood Top
Frank Hartung Flow Carving In Redwood Top
Back of Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace
Mahogany Back with Indian Rosewood Cavity Covers
Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace Headstock
Boutique Guitar Resource is an authorized dealer for Frank Hartung Guitars. Please contact BGR if you are interested in having a guitar built by Frank Hartung Guitars.
Frank Hartung Redwood Embrace Progress Pictures Part 1
Well, I thought I would do a post showing the build of my Redwood Embrace. It is currently in the building stage. Frank sent me some progress pictures so I figured now was a good time to start showing the progress of the guitar. The building process is my favorite part and I like showing how the guitars come together from the very beginnings.
One Piece Redwood for Guitar Top
The Beginnings of the Redwood Embrace
Computer Drawing Showing F Hole Inlay at 12th Fret
One Piece Indian Rosewood Neck
Wood to be used for Redwood Embrace Build
Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard
Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard with Flame Maple Binding
Honduran Mahogany Body
Honduras Mahogany Body
IRW Neck and BRW Fretboard
One Piece Redwood Top
Boutique Guitar Resource is an authorized dealer for Frank Hartung Guitars. Please contact BGR if you are interested in having a guitar built by Frank Hartung Guitars.
Frank Hartung One Piece Redwood Top
This is the one piece Redwood top that will be used for my Frank Hartung Embrace! I will make sure to show all the progress pictures from the build once the building process begins.
One Piece Redwood Top