Northworthy
Hartington
A medium-sized British acoustic, made from Brazilian mahogany and
Sitka spruce and retailing for a very reasonable sum.
Review by Martyn Booth
As the trend back towards curvy acoustic guitars continues to gain
momentum, British manufacturers Northworthy have responded to the
demands of their retailers by developing a new 000 style model;
the Hartington.
Construction
Although the overall dimensions are similar to a Martin 000 style,
the construction of the Hartington shows that it is far from being
a copy. The most outstanding difference could be detected with closed
eyes, as the neck is super slim all the way to the heel. It is made
from Honduras mahogany with an Indian rosewood fingerboard and simple
mother-of-pearl dot fret markers. Such insubstantial necks are subject
to great variations of relief, according to the different string
tensions and gauges the player chooses, so Northworthy employ their
own design of double-acting truss rod to keep everything under control.
Owing to the mechanics of their system, adjustments need to be made
in the opposite direction to most rods; i.e. looking down the neck
towards the body, turn the nut clockwise to increase the relief
and anticlockwise to reduce it. The headstock is faced with kingwood
and carries a matching truss rod cover and an abalone logo, which
obviously has some significance that eludes me. It’s the sort
of logo that will drive you wild as you try to figure out how the
meaning of something so simple could be so elusive; at the same
time you know that the magic would be lost forever if someone explained
it to you.
The body may, at first glance, look like a fairly conventional 000
but Northworthy have stamped their identity firmly inside the soundbox.
The back and sides are Brazilian mahogany and very tall, peak-topped
mahogany back braces made me
wonder if it really could be true that personality is moulded by
geographical environment - well, the guitar was made in the Peak
District! The ribs have no ties but the end blocks are fitted with
the grain at right angles to the sides. The bottom block is chamfered
to minimise stressing and therefore distortion of the top and back,
should it encounter any shrinkage or expansion. I prefer this type
of bottom block to the parallel side and block grain concept used
by people like Martin and Guild; I think it is more likely to resist
the sides splitting should you drop the guitar and impact the endpin
— the force of a wedge-shaped endpin being accidentally rammed
into the block has the potential to split a guitar quite a few inches
into the ribs, but the simple expedient of turning the grain at
right angles imparts considerable extra strength to the region.
Having said all that, the Hartington doesn’t have an endpin
anyway; it is fitted with a chrome screw-mounted strap button!
The top is solid Sitka spruce with an Indian rosewood bridge and
ziracote soundhole rosette. The latter matches the
heel cap and end seam fillet. Table bracing is a conventional X
pattern but, again, the struts are wider and higher than on something
like a Martin, and finished with a triangular top.
Although the bracing and kerfed linings are finished off with slightly
less finesse than some other well-known British guitars, the workmanship
is still more than adequate considering the price tag. Externally,
where finish is open to scrutiny, the Hartington can hold its own
with the best.
Despite the generous bracing, the Hartington is a fairly tight guitar
and worth every penny
Northworthy have chosen to use Brazilian mahogany and English sycamore
for the body binding. This could have looked a little bland had
they not had the foresight to use a ‘slab’ cut for the
mahogany pieces. This alters the way light is reflected off the
surface and changes the colour slightly. The result is a very attractive
2-tone effect, which is maintained at all, points on the guitar
and in all lighting angles.
In Use
The acoustic player who likes to feel the proverbial tree trunk
in the palm of his left hand is going to have a severe culture shock
on picking up a Hartington. The neck has more in common with a contemporary
ultra slim electric guitar; it is a shallow C-profile and a mere
20mm deep at the first fret, increasing by only half a millimetre
at the 10th. The fingerboard is broad and flat and the wide, low
frets are perfectly polished, without a trace of a sharp or lifting
end. With the action set at 2.25mm/1.75mm at the 12th fret and slightly
more relief than I would personally choose, the guitar is superbly
easy on the fingers. A set of 12-52 gauge strings on this will not
offend even the wimpiest of electric players!
Sensibly thought out string spacing at nut and saddle (see spec
check) means the guitar should feel comfortable for most people,
whether fingerstylists, flat-pickers or strummers. Cosmetically,
I could not help noticing that the bass string is slightly closer
to the edge of the fingerboard than the top string, but it certainly
doesn’t cause any playability problems.
More surprises are in store when it comes to the tone. The Hartington
seems to sound like a bigger guitar than it really is. It is also
warmer and darker than you would normally expect on a brand new
acoustic. The bass strings are very rich and the top strings are
clear and lively, but I thought I could detect a slight lack of
attack on the G and D strings. Whether this is a natural disposition
of the guitar or the result of a not-quite-new set of strings is
hard to say, but I found the resulting predominance of bass and
treble over the mids an unusual and attractive sound.
Conclusion
Despite the generous bracing, the Hartington is a fairly light guitar
and worth every penny of its price tag. It has a very appealing
warmth and resonance and plenty of individuality and character.
I know I keep banging on about all the superb British acoustic guitar
makers who are deservedly finding wider recognition after years
in the wilderness, but you need to make sure that Northworthy are
on your growing list. For all this British talent to survive, they
need the support of their home market. The days when you needed
to buy an American or top Japanese acoustic to get anything good
are long gone, and many fine British guitars are half the price
of similar quality imports. Building acoustic guitars is an art,
a craft and a science, which can only be carried out by people with
knowledge, experience and skill. Because of this, bad handcraft
builders are a rare breed; so don’t be scared off because
a name is unfamiliar or small scale.
Now, electric guitars... that’s another story.
Spec Check
Northworthy Hartington
Top: Solid sitka spruce
Back and sides: Brazilian mahogany
Neck: Honduras mahogany
Fingerboard and Bridge: Indian rosewood
Number of frets: 20 (14th at body)
Scale length: 645mm
Neck width at nut: 44mm
String spacing at nut: 36.5mm
String spacing at saddle: 55.5mm
Overall length: 997mm
Maximum body width: 385mm
Body depth: Approx. 100mm
Machine heads: Gotoh
Case: Hiscox Liteflite or Calton, both extra
Reproduced with kind permission of Guitarist Magazine (Future
Publishing)
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