The 'Classical Guitars' are firmly based in the Torres/Hauser tradition, and are lightly built in the traditional Spanish method. What this means in practice is that the guitars are constructed without moulds, 'in the air', which gives complete freedom to alter the designs at any moment, but more importantly allows the ribs with their inner liners to be set in shape free of any external tension, which moulds often impose, allowing the ribs and back assembly to resonate freely, a quality necessary for a 'fine' guitar.

Brian Cohen has developed a unique method of construction. This is the 'double assembly' method, invented and developed by BC. Without going into too much detail here, ( although the photos on the gallery section do illustrate this) the method allows each component to be acoustically tuned to approximate pitch prior to assembly. The ribs with linings, the back thicknessed with bars at near final thicknesses, the almost finally thicknessed table with bars slightly over-size, and the neck with head carved, tuners fitted and the heel block internally carved ( the external heel is only carved right at the end of the construction process)- these components are glued together, 'in the air', but in such a way as to allow subsequent disassembly. In this embryonic pre-assembled state, the instrument is acoustically tested, and precise resonance readings taken of each component in conjunction with the rest of the guitar- (each part affects the tuning of another)-The guitar is then dis-assembled, and each component is then graduated, re-shaped and thinned as needed, in order to achieve a pre-detemined set of acoustic readings- B.C. calls this process ' teaching the wood to sing'. The guitar is then assembled once again, this time permanently, and preliminary 'micro tuning' is done at this stage. After the bindings and fingerboard are in place, only then can the final 'micro-tuning' take place. This process is known as the ' Dynamic Resonance System' ©. The precise tunings and combination of tunings are not published here, but the sequence of resonances selected is chosen to maximise fundamental, harmonics, summation and subtraction frequencies. It is this process that gives B.C. guitars their unique tonal qualities- the rich basses, and warm open trebles, clarity and balance. (One by-product of this process is the minimization of the nail sound sometimes heard as a 'click' on the treble strings.)

The materials used are of the very best- the best aged tonewoods are used sometimes from very old pre- WW2 stock, offered with full Cites permit if required. The spruce now being used is from trees purchased still standing in the forest by Brian Cohen in 1976, and logged and split ( not sawn) into soundboards. All bars are cleft from the log, 'short grain' or grain 'run-out' is simply not allowed into these guitars. The cedar for the neck is well aged, necks are guaranteed not to warp or twist. Fingerboards are from the blackest dense ebony only. Tuning machines are from David Rodgers*, to a special design, to minimize weight, and made to a special spacing. Brian Cohen was the first to have the idea to commission David Rodgers to make the backplate ends match the head pattern- this has now been copied so widely, BC has now abandoned this design practice. (* other options available here, see specifications for some alternative designs- e.g. the 'Estudio' guitars use Alessi Tuning machines). Bridges are always straight graineded quarter sawn, except for the Model B where slab-sawn wood is used.

Fretting- The intonation of the guitars is very accurate, using an intonation system well described by John Gilbert, and further improved by BC. Briefly, this method takes into account not only the deflection, ergo sharpening, of the note in front of each fret if it were in its theoretically correct place, but also accounts for the deflection that take place behind each fret. BC has further modified the Gilbert description to refine it yet further. The result is a tuning system applicable to any string length, with intonation as perfect as any guitar could ever be.