GEAR REVIEW
CIARI ASCENDER STANDARD GUITAR ELEVATES TRAVEL INSTRUMENTS | Eric Dahl
KEY FEATURES
• Mid-neck aircraft aluminum hinge
• Floating bridge
• Translating truss rod
• Rear body “ Throttle Actuator ” lever
• Basswood body
• Pau Ferro fretboard
• 1.7 ” nut width
• Satin finish
It is a unique opportunity when you can see the evolution of an instrument from its original prototypes to the guitar versions that are finally released to the public . That has been the case for me with Ciari Guitars which are currently made in Nashville , TN . Jonathan Spangler , the driving force behind this brand , even though he is a Patent Attorney also comes from a strong family music tradition .
The Ciari model that [ WM ] Worship Musician received for review is the Ascender Standard model . Their higher end deluxe model that
launched first a few years ago is the Ascender Custom . Ciari ’ s goal was to create a quality craftsman-built travel guitar that professionals would also be willing and want to play as their number one instrument ! There are many variations of travel acoustic and electric guitars and not all of them are created equal . The key challenge is how do you make a guitar more compact for smaller travel spaces while retaining an instrument that can stay in tune and handle fully tuned string tension ? A lot of thought , engineering , and guitar consulting from the likes of one of Nashville ’ s top luthiers Joe Glazer has gone into the creation of the Ciari guitars . The most unique feature is an aircraft aluminum alloy neck hinge that permits the guitar to fold in half at the neck joint , so that the neck folds to the back of body and is held in place with a magnet .
Next up in the back of the guitar cavity is the “ Throttle ” actuator that allows you to pull up to engage the truss rod into the neck and pull it down to fold the instrument in half . When in the folded down position , the guitar only has 3 lbs . of pressure on the strings to keep them in the V-grooves in the neck . When you engage the “ Throttle ” actuator into the up position it reaches 118 lbs . of pressure . The strings roll over a floating interior bridge tucked inside of the body and an external tune-o-matic roller bridge . The body of the Ascender Standard is made from basswood with a pau ferro fretboard and mahogany neck . The headstock is a wavetop 3-on-3 design with Ciari locking tuners for stability .
Electronics are straight forward with a single volume and tone to control both pickups and a three-way toggle for selection of the Seymour Duncan ‘ 59s pickups . The nut width is a comfortable 1.7 ” with a C-shaped neck that isn ’ t too thin or too fat . Satin neck and body are smooth to the hands and arms and don ’ t smug up like a gloss finish .
Playability and sound wise I was impressed by the sustain and different sounds I could coax from the pickups in all three positions . My favorite sound was in the middle position , but the bridge was great for soloing and slide guitar licks . The only thing I miss on the Ciari Ascender Standard is not having the capability to adjust the tone and volume on the pickups