Search found 251 matches
- Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:17 am
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Neck dovetail with a rounded body
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1436
Neck dovetail with a rounded body
On a guitar where the top of the body is rounded, rather than completely flat, how do you route the dovetail into the neck portion? It seems to me that the body part of the dovetail routing would be easy enough, but on the neck side, if the body is round, rather than flat, you will have large gaps i...
- Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:35 pm
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Side Port For Real
- Replies: 8
- Views: 8408
Re: Side Port For Real
That looks fantastic. Top work!
- Wed May 31, 2023 10:10 am
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: My Side Port Binding Process (LONG)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 23117
Re: My Side Port Binding Process (LONG)
Fantastic tutorial. I am thinking of using elliptical soundports on both the bass side upper bout and the side of my next archtop, so this is extremely helpful. I am trying to figure out which side to put the side port seam of the binding, towards the top of the guitar or the back. Initially I was t...
- Sat Feb 18, 2023 4:30 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Smaller archtop bridge placement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 9232
Re: Smaller archtop bridge placement
Thanks Alan! That is exactly what I am aiming for - a sound more like a flat top than the woody muted sound of most archtops.
- Sat Feb 18, 2023 1:46 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Smaller archtop bridge placement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 9232
Re: Smaller archtop bridge placement
Barry, thanks for that info. I was not aware of that. However, I am trying to do something different. I want to try an archtop with an oval sound hole in the upper left of the soundboard (so bass side upper corner) along with a side port. Obviously, there are no plans for such a guitar, and I am at ...
- Sat Feb 18, 2023 10:35 am
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Smaller archtop bridge placement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 9232
Re: Smaller archtop bridge placement
Thanks Alan. Do you know if will calculate volume, so I can try to calculate the correct Helmholtz opening size, or is there a better way to do that?
- Thu Feb 16, 2023 7:38 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Smaller archtop bridge placement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 9232
Re: Smaller archtop bridge placement
Thank you Alan for your response!
- Mon Feb 13, 2023 7:50 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Smaller archtop bridge placement
- Replies: 8
- Views: 9232
Smaller archtop bridge placement
I'd like to build some smaller archtops - 15" and 14" lower bouts, and am planning on using a 25" scale (at least for the 15"). I have seen some with the normal neck connection at the 14th fret, and some with a connection at the 15th fret. When guitars mostly had the neck join th...
- Mon May 02, 2022 6:09 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: How do you get a smooth finish on spruce?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 8378
Re: How do you get a smooth finish on spruce?
I do the same as Alan, foam block. Places that sell auto body supplies will have foam blocks of different densities. I bought a few different ones, and cut them up to a smaller size. You can even shape them with sandpaper to fit various contours.
- Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:38 am
- Forum: Bowed Stringed Instruments and Bows
- Topic: Daughter looking for violin-family luthier school
- Replies: 9
- Views: 10616
Re: Daughter looking for violin-family luthier school
I used to live very close to the Chicago School, when I was in Chicago (it is actually in Skokie, which is better). I brought my lawnmower for repair to a place right next door, and I saw the sign on the door. I was not involved in lutherie back then, so I never knocked. It is a humble looking build...
- Tue Nov 30, 2021 7:34 pm
- Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
- Topic: Stabilized Wood
- Replies: 2
- Views: 8793
Re: Stabilized Wood
What are you using stabilized wood for (what part of the instrument). I would think the stabilization process would destroy the tonal quality of the wood. However, if you want a source, I have purchased stabilized knife blanks from Arizonaironwood.com. The owner is great - very accommodating, nice g...
- Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:21 am
- Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
- Topic: Oud or lute question
- Replies: 5
- Views: 10072
Re: Oud or lute question
Unless you are trying to sell something, you can do whatever you want - flat staves, rounded staves, in Greek bouzoukis, there is even a technique for hollowing out the center of each stave, with a scraper to make the stave concave, so the seems are raised.
- Fri Oct 15, 2021 5:04 pm
- Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
- Topic: Oud or lute question
- Replies: 5
- Views: 10072
Re: Oud or lute question
On lutes, the staves are very thin (maybe 2mm or so), so to round the back of the instrument to eliminate the flats, if there are a low number of staves would remove the wood from the stave joint, before you rounded the body. Most lutes of a pretty low number of staves. Ouds generally have a higher ...
- Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:53 am
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: I'm back with guitar #3
- Replies: 9
- Views: 9058
Re: I'm back with guitar #3
Very cool. Would be great for some surf rock. Love the care theme (at least that is what it looks like to me, a woody with a surfboard).
- Mon May 10, 2021 5:15 pm
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Additional transverse bracing in x bracing
- Replies: 6
- Views: 14005
Re: Additional transverse bracing in x bracing
Alan, thanks for your reply. You always have good, well thought out responses. One of the reasons that I never got into violin making (although I did do quite a bit of research) is that you have to make copies. Sure, if you are making instruments for non-concert violinists, or just for fun, you can ...
- Mon May 10, 2021 10:07 am
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Additional transverse bracing in x bracing
- Replies: 6
- Views: 14005
Re: Additional transverse bracing in x bracing
I recently saw a young maker's bracing pattern (I think it Tim Frick, who studied with Tom Ribbecke, but don't quote me on that) and there was a pretty substantial upper transverse brace there. I assumed that it was there, as Barry notes, to prevent the rotation of the neck due to the string pressur...
- Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:13 am
- Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
- Topic: A child's size oud
- Replies: 3
- Views: 7570
Re: A child's size oud
Awesome!
- Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:06 am
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: My latest build: a renaissance guitar
- Replies: 5
- Views: 6948
Re: My latest build: a renaissance guitar
Joe, you are doing amazing work! That rosette is stunning. Thanks for posting.
- Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:51 am
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Patents
- Replies: 5
- Views: 7754
Re: Patents
I made a take-apart, travel, electric, Greek bouzouki a number of years ago. I had showed it to an attorney who had done some very basic patent work, and he said I could apply for a patent. But I did some more research, and there is a ton of prior art in the area (Fender, etc.). In the end, the mark...
- Thu Mar 04, 2021 6:48 pm
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: advise for altered approach for helping a first timer
- Replies: 20
- Views: 43141
Re: advise for altered approach for helping a first timer
So, I did this with a couple of friends of mine, who wanted to see how Greek bouzoukis are made. The problem was that I have a very small shop, and there was hardly room for me, and my work, and then you add 2 more people, and two more instruments, and it got unwieldy. The other issue was that both ...