Cole Clark Guitars manufactures guitars to provide the optimum in sound quality and playability. The fact that they use modern technology should not be mistaken for a lack of respect for past methods. The violin makers of history understood the necessity of tuning the vibrating plates of an instrument ( the top and the back ). Tops and backs are carved to achieve the best possible sound, using CNC router technology for extreme accuracy. The results are instruments which perform like no others. Part of the design brief for Cole Clark Guitars was to make a better acoustic guitar. They have achieved this, with Patented methods which they also apply to other acoustic instruments such as lap steels. "Cole Clark Guitars use and recommend Elixir strings... simply because they sound better for longer" www.coleclarkguitars.com