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Blackbird El Capitan acoustic released, first made of Ekoa® linen
San Francisco- El Capitan, Blackbird Guitar’s latest model, debuts at the 2015 NAMM Show built on the concept shown last year. The small jumbo model has the tone and vibe of a vintage wood instrument, but is actually crafted of Ekoa®. The natural fiber composite is mostly made of low-density linen that rivals the tone of the best wood with stiffness in two directions rather than the simply one. Ekoa® is not only more tonally responsive but also exceptionally durable as well as humidity and temperature stable. El Capitan is the first guitar constructed of the new high-performance, ecological composite and a major step forward in premium acoustic materials from the industry standard old growth wood.
El Capitan’s enhanced resonance is driven by the Ekoa® double top soundboard as well as Blackbird’s celebrated hollow neck, unibody construction. In 2013, after years of research, Blackbird introduced their first Ekoa® built instrument Clara. The game-changing ukulele is widely considered the most powerful concert ukulele available. Building on this success, San Francisco-built El Capitan is a next generation guitar with unmatched dynamic response, old-school feel and a worry-free playing experience. This ground-breaking instrument will be available February 2015 complete with ergonomically sculpted slothead, truss rod and deluxe soft case. Street pricing starts at $2995.
Ekoa® materials are produced by San Francisco-based sister company Lingrove and are poised to revolutionize the music industry as a superior alternative diminishing wood stocks.
ABOUT BLACKBIRD
Founded in 2005, Blackbird has built a loyal global following crafting uncommonly resonant and resilient Ekoa and carbon fiber composite acoustic guitars and ukuleles. Designed for the most demanding musicians, these performance-grade, travel-ready instruments have weathered everything from packed concert halls to the brutal Antarctic winter. Building on this success, Blackbird dedicated several years of research and development to incorporating resonant eco-materials into advanced composite construction. The result of this effort is Ekoa -- a unique, plant-based tone material. Sustainable and renewable, lighter than carbon fiber, and extraordinarily strong, Ekoa combines the tone of vintage wood with superior responsiveness, stability and strength.
ABOUT EKOA
Ekoa is produced in partnership with Lingrove, a distributor of natural high performance materials. It offers high performance with exceptional strength, dampening, resilience and even lighter weight than carbon fiber. Ekoa is made up of linen fiber reinforcement fabric in a bio resin matrix, and is worker and planet-friendly. This natural composite has a beautiful designer material quality, which does not always require finishing and offers wood like damping and carbon fiber strength. Ekoa suitable for numerous applications
