French manufacturer of "HexSpira" didgeridoos
Colas, Who is he? I am a didgeridoo player, addicted to this mysterious instrument since I met him 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 of encounters and street shows.
Throughout my career as a musician I have created didgeridoos that have allowed me to progress in my playing, and in my understanding of the instrument... starting with the usual "sandwich" method which consists of hollowing out and recalling 2 pieces of wood. Unsatisfied with this method I wanted to go further and I 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 stops to allow a perfect assembly. And it is the profile of these slats that determines 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 that 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 the manufacturing templates, to only offer perfectly finished instruments, without any defects.
This geometric precision is inherent in the hexagonal assembly. With the "sandwich" method it requires much more attention to detail and working time if you want 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, making them accessible to the greatest number of people.
Plywood what?
Plywood is made of very thin layers of wood glued together, alternating the direction of the wood fibers. HexSpira didgeridoos are made of birch plywood, the top of the range of wood panels in terms of mechanical strength and density.
The cross structure of this material prevents any movement of the wood, and above all makes any cracking impossible. 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.
And what about the sound?
The sound of the didgeridoo is at 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 out of the ordinary in many ways and it is legitimate to wonder if the sound quality of the instruments is up to par. Over time I have developed strong requirements regarding the sound and characteristics of my didgeridoos. 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!