French manufacturer of "HexSpira" didgeridoos
Colas, Who is he?
I am a didgeridoo player, addicted to this mysterious instrument since my meeting with it in 2006. First a curiosity, then a passion and a way of life, the didgeridoo has accompanied me and guided me throughout all these years, to the rhythm meetings and street performances.
Throughout my career as a musician I created didgeridoos which allowed me to progress in my playing, and in my understanding of the instrument... starting with the usual so-called "sandwich" method which consists of digging and recall 2 pieces of wood. Dissatisfied with this method, I wanted to go further and created the HexSpira didgeridoos, developing a new technique and a very different approach to manufacturing.
Why this hexagonal shape?
I make my didgeridoos by gluing 6 wooden slats, with chamfered ends to allow perfect assembly. And it is the profile of these slats which makes it possible to determine the internal geometry of the air column. The different sections of the instrument, more or less large, narrow, flared, etc., are "contained" in the shape of the slats. Thus, the internal geometry of the instrument appears during gluing, with perfect precision, and it is this geometry which determines almost all the characteristics of the didgeridoo in terms of note and playability.
This technique allows me two things:
- refine the air column of each instrument to perfection, through successive tests to achieve perfect sound and playability.
- reproduce them identically using manufacturing templates, to offer only perfectly finished instruments, without any defects.
This geometric precision is inherent to the hexagonal assembly. With the “sandwich” method it requires much, much more attention to detail and working time if we wish to achieve a comparable level of precision. This is why I can offer high-end didgeridoos at prices considerably lower than their conventionally manufactured equivalents, thus making them accessible to as many people as possible.
Plywood?
The crossed structure of this material prevents any movement of the wood, and above all makes it impossible to crack whatever the temperature and humidity conditions. Peace of mind in all circumstances!
These are the only didgeridoos offering both the warm sound of solid wood and the robustness that is usually only found in didgeridoos made of synthetic materials.
Insensitive to heat, I also tested their mechanical resistance in a rather extreme way: having withstood several passes under a car, I had to drive a truck over my "crash test" part to succeed in breaking the bond! And all this at a time when my gluing technique was much less sophisticated than it is today, and the glue used was less resistant...
And the son in all this?
The sound of the didgeridoo is the heart of my approach, it's what drives me and fascinates me :) Between the hexagonal shape and the material used, the HexSpira didgeridoos are unusual in many aspects and it is legitimate to wonder if the sound quality of the instruments is there. Over time I have developed strong requirements regarding the sound and characteristics of my didgeridoos. If the sound didn't fully satisfy me, I wouldn't have taken the experience very far. Today the didgeridoos that I make fully satisfy me as an experienced and demanding player. I'll let you judge for yourselves, by listening to the recordings or by coming to try them!