Klas refers to a high-performance bio-composite material used in violin making in particular. Its vibration performance is comparable to the best types of wood, such as maple, walnut, ash, mahogany, etc. and surpasses wood in terms of stability, due to its composite design, by infusion method.

The K.L.A.S., understand Kopo Linen Acoustic Solution (Kopo Lin Acoustique Solution), was designed in an eco-responsible approach to preserving the wood resource. Its main compound is flax fiber which today offers multiple alternatives to replace historical composite materials such as glass or carbon fiber.

Linen is already establishing itself as one of the materials of the future, in the sports industry in particular, and in design crafts, among others.

Having long been aware of ecological issues, Kopo sources its linen fabric from one of the most renowned French producers, based in Normandy, which ensures the local collection and transformation of linen into different fabrics intended for composite.

 

Why KLAS?

The interest of an instrument partially designed in composite is first of all ergonomic, for the body of the instrument in particular, which can thus offer unique comfort by offering soft and rounded shapes, very difficult to achieve in traditional wood.

Some predecessors such as the famous Ovation brand had understood this well, but certain improvements remained to be made, particularly the stability of the instrument in a seated position.

But it turns out that other advantages of this material appear throughout the experiments carried out, such as mechanical stability, stability over time, resistance to impact, and an acoustic color as rich and warm as many woods currently used for acoustic guitar bodies.

 

The design of the Klas by KOPO

The Klas was created in the Kopo violin making workshop in 2017 when the first tests were carried out, after an advanced comparative mechanical study. The criteria of density and flexibility were used to determine the composition of the first guitar bodies produced.

Eco-composites based on linen fiber show behavior comparable to that of wood thanks to the flexibility of the linen material, more organic than glass or carbon. The combination of different types of fabrics is necessary, and the partial use of other materials such as basalt and hemp is positive.

Numerous tests have been carried out since 2017, and around twenty prototypes have already seen the light of day, which make it possible to adjust the composition of the Klas in the precise choice of the different fabrics used and their proportions.

 

The KOPO experience

Frédéric PONS experienced luthier (Atelier Kopo founded in 1988 in Rennes), recognized by his peers and president of the APLG since its foundation, showed himself very early on concerned by the future of the sector in terms of the use of different wood species. 

In search of long-lasting and efficient solutions, he began to take an interest in composites in the 1990s, carrying out numerous experiments, with carbon fiber in particular, then the gradual choice from the 2000s to favor non-tropical woods. characterizes his guitar making.

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The encounter with the nautical world, quite natural in Brittany, made Frédéric Pons understand the ecological and mechanical interest of a change towards eco-composites based on linen and hemp already used in this field. Linen fiber guitar shells!

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KLAS: Trademark registered with the INPI under number 4588667

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