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Alquier appeals to eco-conscious guitarists with Cosmic One launch

Alquier appeals to eco-conscious guitarists with Cosmic One launch
Luthier Jean-Yves Alquier and team present the limited edition Cosmic One
Luthier Jean-Yves Alquier and team present the limited edition Cosmic One
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Jean-Yves Alquier & Co have launched the Cosmic One eco-friendly guitar on Kickstarter
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Jean-Yves Alquier & Co have launched the Cosmic One eco-friendly guitar on Kickstarter
The Cosmic One (center) is part of Alquier Guitars' Ethiq line of eco-friendly instruments
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The Cosmic One (center) is part of Alquier Guitars' Ethiq line of eco-friendly instruments
The Alquier Cosmic One guitar is limited to a production run of just 100
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The Alquier Cosmic One guitar is limited to a production run of just 100
Main feature set of the Alquier Cosmic one guitar
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Main feature set of the Alquier Cosmic one guitar
The Cosmic One features a bamboo body back and a bamboo fingerboard, maple body front, titanium hardware and non-exotic woods
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The Cosmic One features a bamboo body back and  a bamboo fingerboard, maple body front, titanium hardware and non-exotic woods
The back of the Cosmic One's body is made from bamboo, while the neck is maple topped with a bamboo fingerboard
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The back of the Cosmic One's body is made from bamboo, while the neck is maple topped with a bamboo fingerboard
Luthier Jean-Yves Alquier and team present the limited edition Cosmic One
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Luthier Jean-Yves Alquier and team present the limited edition Cosmic One
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Exotic hardwoods are getting harder to come by and tighter tonewood regulations are having an impact on guitar making. Over the last few years, many leading manufacturers have been raiding wood piles from demolished buildings or using materials that are easier to come by. But France's Alquier Guitars is going all out for its Cosmic builds, turning away from tropical wood, making use of sustainable bamboo and breaking out titanium hardware.

Major guitar makers have had to dance around tighter CITES regulations introduced early last year that aimed at putting a halt to rosewood trade around the world, usually replacing the endangered wood with less exotic species. Alquier has a more progressive philosophy, to only use FSC and PEFC certified sustainable wood and bamboo.

"We don't have the right any more to build guitars like we did in the 1950s, using tropical wood," said the company's Jean-Yves Alquier. He has spent 5 years looking into sustainable guitar making before launching the company's Ethiq line of instruments – which use bamboo as an alternative to exotic woods, titanium for hardtails, knobs, switches and truss rods, and custom in-house pickups. Now it's launched a Kickstarter to get the Cosmic One into the hands of eco-conscious players.

Jean-Yves Alquier & Co have launched the Cosmic One eco-friendly guitar on Kickstarter
Jean-Yves Alquier & Co have launched the Cosmic One eco-friendly guitar on Kickstarter

The instrument benefits from a familiar-looking ergonomic single cut design, with the fast-growing evergreen used for the body back and fingerboard. Its body front is fashioned from flame maple, and it has a 25.2-inch scale maple neck. The company says that it uses titanium for the hardware as a less toxic replacement for the kinds of metals (such as nickel and chrome steel) normally found in electric guitars, noting that it "adds resonance and sustain to your guitar's tone." And it rocks curvy, bamboo-covered P90-style custom pickups at bridge and neck positions.

The 22-fret Alquier Cosmic One is limited to just 100 models, with the Kickstarter pledge set at €1,990 (about US$2,450). If all goes to plan with the already-funded campaign, shipping is expected to start in June. If you fancy a titanium tremolo system rather than a stoptail, three double-rail pickups and a 5-way blade switch on a one-of-a-kind Alquier guitar, the Custom Buzz is still available for a pledge of €8,500. The video below has more.

Sources: Alquier Guitars, Kickstarter

Help Build the Guitar of Tomorrow | Alquier Guitars

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