Henrique Schneiter's Guitarra Baiana

[Henrique Schneiter]

A new little guitar and long story behind it (for those who can be interested...)

Back in 1942, the musicians and electronic techs from Bahia called Antonio Adolfo "Dodo" Nascimento e Osmar Macedo have created the first electric instrument made in Brazil, that was an electric Cavaquinho that they called Pau Elétrico (electric stick). They claimed to have done that without knowledge of the fry-pan or the works of Leo Fender. Shortly they started building the instrument with different body shapes and using the tuning of a mandolin, but preserving the scale length of the cavaquinho. The instrument is mainly seen on the carnival parties of Bahia and Recife.

Osmar's son Armandinho Macedo have mastered the instrument and became well known in many countries. Being a huge Hendrix and rock fan, he added a fifth string to allow lower, rockier sounds. He's and incredibly humble guy but a serious badass player. I think someone would like to check the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_YpCDaBdJ8

Back to my guitar, I have made some mods to better suit my playing and fingers, like expanding the scale (from 35 to 42 cm) and adding another lower string (or better keeping it). It's tuned G-C-G-D-A-E, the first four as a mando, and two extra bass strings (the first tuned in fourths and the second in fifths). It's all hardwood, wich makes is just as heavy as a regular guitar, but it gives great sustain and tone to such a small instrument.