The Design of the Ascender

Nashville craftsmanship meets medical-grade engineering for the first and only stage-worthy, full-size folding guitar. Our folding guitars are assembled by a team of world-class luthiers and passionate guitar techs.

  • Patented Mechanism

    At the heart of the world’s first professional folding guitar lies a feat of engineering: the patented folding mechanism which includes a mid-neck hinge, translating truss rods, and a floating bridge.

  • Unlock & Fold

    The throw of the concealed lever loosens the strings to 3 lbs of tension, unlocks the hinge, and enables the guitar to fold symmetrically in half.  The strings “follow the fold” for elegant string management while in the folded state. 

  • Unfold, Lock & Play

    When the neck is unfolded and the lever is returned to its concealed location, the strings revert to their fully tensioned state of approximately 118 lbs of tension. With a simple top-off tune, your Ascender can be easily dialed-in and ready to rock.

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Features of the Ascender

  • Patented Engineering

    Our patented folding mechanism includes a mid-neck hinge, translating truss rods, and a floating bridge which collectively allow the Ascender guitar to fold symmetrically in half. Our growing list of patents adds incredible value to our unique design.

  • Plek Neck Perfection

    The neck of the Ascender is a familiar modern “soft-C” shape and is fitted with 22 nickel frets and a 12″ radius. Each neck is made with a Plek system, a computer-controlled fingerboard planing and fret leveling tool to ensure perfect action for optimal playability.

  • Concealed Lever

    When you release the concealed lever, the string tension drops from 118 lbs down to just 3 lbs, which we’ve exhaustively tested to be just enough to rest the strings within the V-grooves as the neck folds without damaging the strings.

  • Seymour Duncan ‘59s

    Fitted with a pair of Seymour Duncan ‘59 Pickups, there has been no compromise made to the versatile tone and bright attack of the Ascender.

  • Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy Hinge

    One of the incredible pieces of engineering within the Ascender is the aircraft grade aluminum alloy neck hinge, which, when detensioned, allows this premium full size, gig-ready guitar to fold symmetrically in half.

  • Protective V-Grooves

    There are six v-shaped grooves just before the 12th and 14th frets, where the neck splits in two places to fold backwards. These give the Ascender a unique elegant string management system, allowing the strings to follow the fold, keeping the strings safely in place when the neck of the guitar folds.

Specs & materials

  • Nut Width: 1.7”

    Neck: Mahogany

    Fretboard: Ebony or Pau Ferro

    Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo

    Tuners: Graph Tech Ratio Locking Tuners

    Body: Basswood or Alder

  • Bridge: Tune-o-Matic Roller Bridge

    Pickups: Seymour Duncan ‘59s

    Controls: Stacked tone, volume controls and coil split for both bridge and neck pickups

    Factory Strings: Fender Bullets .10-.46

    Weight: 8.5 lbs.

    Built: Assembled in Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Endorsed by the guitar industry’s most well-respected luthier legends

Each Ascender is made in cooperation with celebrated luthier Joe Glaser of Glaser Instruments, who is a member of the Ciari Guitars Advisory Board, to ensure the craftsmanship required for a pro-play guitar.