Cost


The total cost of the Cadenza is £2250, which as of from 2023, is inclusive of VAT. A 10% discount offered to under 21's, university students and academic settings
Case and postage is not included

Guitar specifications

Mobirise

Body

 Well seasoned East Indian Rosewood with no or minimal decoration in terms of centre-strip, purfling and decorative bindings. 
Body length:- 490 mm.
Top bout:- 278 mm wide & 95 mm deep.
Waist:- 236 mm
Bottom bout:- 370 mm wide & 98 mm deep.

Mobirise

Front

European Spruce or Canadian Cedar in 7-fan-strut construction.  An attractive black and white, hand-crafted rosette of a simple, well balanced striking design. Concentric rings of different thicknesses surround a central herringbone detail. Rosewood bridge with bone-edged tie-block, and bone saddle.

Mobirise

Neck and Scale

The established standard profile of the neck which has proved popular over the years in terms of comfort and playability is fairly "c" shaped

65cm with 19 frets on an ebony fingerboard .
52mm at the nut with 43 mm string spacing.
Markers are at the 5th and 7th fret

Mobirise

Tuners

Gotoh 35G510QC tuners will be on all Cadenza's from summer 2021, providing an improvement in tuning action and longevity. Brushed brass with Ebony buttons.

The average weight of a standard Cadenza is 1485 grams
These guitars are shellac french-polished. One of the cost effective differences between the Cadenza and Stephen's other models starting at £4,500 is the finish. The exact same polish and technique is used but the Cadenza has an open grain finish. Although this does not produce the same exceptional high gloss finish as the top models, which have an additional process of grain filling, this still provides a beautiful light weight finish and protective seal.
All woods used are very well sourced and of excellent quality.

How to Choose

The big question, Spruce or Cedar? You may already naturally have a preference and feel confident in what option is for you. If that is the case that's great but we still welcome you to come and try both from our showroom at our home. That way you can get a good feel for the Cadenza, discuss any requirements in person and experience the difference in sound first hand.  For some it may help decision making to know in terms of sales which model is generally favoured; to date sales have been very evenly spread between the Cedar and Spruce. They are both remarkable guitars and the best way to decide is to come and try if possible. You are very welcome to stay for as long as you need and feel free to bring along any guitar you would like to compare them with side by side.

Mobirise

Spruce top

Here and Now

The Spruce tops have a brighter, complex sound. These Cadenza's will mature and develop with the player; presenting a wider tonal palate. Generally, it is accepted that Spruce-fronted guitars change more than Cedar-fronted ones. Traditionally built guitars with the fan brace system, as used by Stephen, also change more than lattice-braced ones. This being our subjective observation, there will always be exceptions to this reflection.

Mobirise

Cedar top

The Cedar fronted Cadenza is instantly much more open. These guitars are highly resonante. Warm tonal colours welcome the player. What makes the Stephen Eden Cadenza Cedar top rather special is the clean, pure sound which breathes and projects with clarity and depth.

Kianush Robeson is a wonderful guitarist and professional Classical guitar tutor who kindly let us film when he visited to try out a recently strung up Spruce and Cedar side by side. We hope you find the footage above helpful.
 
https://www.bexhillclassicalguitar.co.uk/aboutkianush

Customisation

We are all unique with our own preferences on what makes the ideal guitar. Your comfort in play is as important to us as making an exceptional instrument.
Please find below details about how we can make the Cadenza the perfect guitar for you. On the Cadenza model these are the only alterations offered.
                                                        Any adjustments to your Cadenza as listed below are at no extra cost.

Mobirise

Scale

The Cadenza is also available with a 64cm or 63cm scale length. There have been many happy shorter scale Cadenza owners over the years. Despite the slightly smaller size, the expert craftsmanship and all around quality of the guitar results in little sound difference compared to the standard model. The smaller scale options still notably retain a remarkable volume and depth of bass. Fret markers can be removed or added wherever your prefer.

Mobirise

Neck

The neck width depth and profile can all be adjusted. Stephen can hand carve the neck to be thicker or thinner and change the profile to suit.

Mobirise

String Spacing

43mm as standard but let us know your prefered spacing.

We use Royal Classic Sonata SN10 strings, and will always initially string up with these for our continuity in testing, but we are happy to accomodate your string preference.

Mobirise

Body Shape

If it is a smaller bodied guitar you are looking for that is not a problem, the Cadenza is available with the body dimensions of Lower bout 358mm ,Waist 240mm, Upper bout 276mm, Length 482mm. ( standard size pictured here)

Left Handed ?

Stephen can make a left handed version for you and has made several over the years. Please enquire for up to date stock details if it is something you are interested in trying.