Iulius Orchestra

Engineering the future of tone

A steel-string designed to combine clarity, control, and dynamic range.

The Orchestra brings together its structural design and acoustic control to shape how the instrument behaves under the hands.
It responds immediately under light touch and maintains its structure when pushed, allowing you to move across dynamics without losing clarity or control.

Rather than favoring a single type of response, the Orchestra is designed to handle variation in playing. It remains readable in fingerstyle and stable under stronger flatpicking, without quickly entering saturation.

The result is an instrument that feels controlled, consistent, and fully usable across a wide range of playing conditions — offering precision without sacrificing musical presence.

Cantilevered neck

The neck is inserted directly into the upper bout of the soundboard, without a traditional heel block.

This configuration improves the distribution of forces between neck and body, contributing to structural balance and consistency of response, particularly in the upper register.

The result is a more even behaviour across the fretboard, combined with full access to the highest positions and simplified maintenance.

Drop Port

The asymmetric upper port modifies how acoustic energy is radiated from the soundboard monopole.

It supports low-frequency response while maintaining clarity, avoiding the typical accumulation and loss of definition associated with standard soundhole behaviour.

At the same time, it provides a more direct listening field for the player and facilitates microphone placement in recording situations.

External Tuning Slot

The ETS system allows precise adjustment of the main resonances after assembly.

Rather than leaving their placement to chance, the resonances are positioned and maintained in relation to the target behaviour, reducing irregularities and limiting the appearance of wolf notes.

This ensures a stable response across the fretboard, with consistent sustain and controlled interaction between notes.

Each instrument includes an individual specification sheet with frequency response data, allowing the evolution of the instrument to be monitored and, if needed, re-adjusted over time.

T-Fan Bracing

The T-Fan bracing system controls mass, stiffness, and modal distribution in relation to the intended response.

It results in a low equivalent mass of the soundboard (around 58 grams) and a mobility value around 16 (s/kg × 10⁻³), supporting a fast and controlled reaction to input.

The structure is designed to maintain stability across dynamic variation, ensuring that the instrument remains consistent under both light and stronger playing.

Each instrument is adjusted at system level during the build to align its resonant behaviour, avoiding irregularities and ensuring continuity across the full range.

Specifications

Top                             Jura spruce
Back and sides           Crelicam ebony
Neck                           FSC mahogany
Bridge                       Crelicam ebony
Fingerboard                Crelicam ebony, 12″ radius
Nut                             bone, 44.5mm
Saddle                        bone, drop-in
Neck Profile                C shape, 21.5-24mm @frets 1-9
Frets                           medium 18% nickel-silver
Scale Length               25 1/2″
Bracing Pattern           Hybrid T Fan bracing 
Body Finish                 Glossy nitro
Neck Finish                 Glossy nitro
Strings                        Elixir nanoweb 012/053 

Dimensions

Body Length                 485 mm
Body Depth                   110 mm
Lower Bout Width         385 mm
Total Length                  1010 mm

Acoustic parameters

Monopole mobility         16.5 (s/Kg³)
Equivalent mass             52 g
Mode T(1,1)1                     90 Hz
Mode T(1,1)2                     190 Hz
Mode T(2,1)                      214Hz

Frequency response

The frequency response of the Orchestra shows a controlled placement of the main resonances.
The presence of dipoles and tripoles between 200 Hz and 1 kHz reflects a well-developed overtone structure and an active response across the range.

This distribution of resonances supports a consistent behaviour across the fretboard, allowing the instrument to remain clear and stable under a wide range of playing conditions.

Download the specification sheet

My journey as a luthier is rooted in both tradition and acoustic engineering.

Discover how acoustic science and intuition come together to shape my guitars.

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