The Secret Valentine is what we call a 'hybrid acoustic guitar', meaning that the majority of its body apart from the Cool Acoustics soundboard is constructed from wood.

The main purpose of the Secret Valentine project has been to conceive, design and build an instrument to Gordon Giltrap's personal specifications and taste. Gordon regularly gigs with the first of the Secret Valentine guitars, and he has since kept a close eye on the instrument iterations that have followed. The Secret Valentine project takes its name from one of Gordon's favourite personal compositions.

Beyond the two variations of the instrument featured on this website, Rob and Alan have experimented with different combinations of wood (e.g. maple back and sides, laminate back and sides) and construction (e.g. A-bracing pattern, X-bracing pattern) to determine ways of honing the instrument for different musical styles.