Zenith has had some exciting new arrivals from Pratley in our guitar collection. Pratley Guitars is a guitar manufacturer based on the Gold Coast of Australia. Their guitars are well-known in the Australian music scene for their unique design and character.
History of Pratley Guitars
Pratley Guitars was founded by luthier Martin Pratley. Martin already had years of experience designing and crafting acoustic guitars before starting Pratley Guitars in 2004. He spent time designing and playing guitars while completing his degree in Design and Technology. After completing his degree, Martin moved to the Gold Coast. This is where he established Pratley Guitars as a brand.
After years of making custom guitars and stompboxes, Pratley Guitars allowed Martin to officially start a brand and distribute his instruments throughout Australia and internationally. Since its inception, Pratley Guitars has expanded its acoustic guitar lineup. Many notable musicians have commissioned custom guitars from Martin over the years. In 2019, Pratley built replica guitars for Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS.
Features of Pratley Guitars
Pratley Guitars includes various special design features that give their guitars a unique tone and quality build. Here are some of the features you can expect from Pratley Guitars:
Australian Tonewoods
Pratley Guitars are built almost exclusively using Australian tonewoods. Native woods such as Queensland Bunya and Silver Quandong create a unique sound to tonewoods from other countries. This makes the tone of a Pratley guitar stand out from other guitars. The use of native wood also creates an original finish on their acoustic guitars.
Fretboard Design
The fretboard of Pratley guitars is designed to not touch the soundboard and instead float above it. This is similar to how other stringed instruments like violins & cellos design their fingerboards. The floating fretboard allows the geometry and voice of the guitar’s soundboard not to be compromised during construction.
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Pratley uses traditional Nitrocellulose Lacquer on their guitars. After years of research and testing, they concluded this lacquer enables higher sustain and note complexity.
Our Pratley Guitar Range
At Zenith we have a selection of acoustic guitars from Pratley. Our range of Pratley guitars includes dreadnought, mini, OM and stage sized guitars. Each guitar is crafted using a different combination of native tonewoods, making each guitar unique in both look and tone.
If you are looking for a high-quality guitar, Pratley is definitely worth considering. Visit Zenith today to see and play our new range from Pratley Guitars. We can assist you in finding the best instrument to suit your needs.