weird question: bowled back guitars

filmdude100cms · Unread post by **filmdude100cms** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:41 am

praisedave wrote:another quick question... would a veneer on the back/sides change the sound qualities of the quitar?

yes

DUS7IN · Unread post by **DUS7IN** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:20 am

I am not trying to be rude but it does not seem that you have fully thought out this process. Anytime you put veneer on a piece of wood you have a laminate that is held on by a hard glue. The dampens vibrations. If you are going to spend 50-100 hours building a guitar do it properly. If you are going to build a low end guitar save yourself the time and money and by a cheap one. If you have any questions keep asking them but right now I suggest you take the time to list exactly what you want in this guitar. From top...back and sides...binding...any inlay...type of tuners....scale length...purfling...backstrip...electronics...what type of finsh... . Do some readings about how the different materials affect the sound. Read about setting a neck and placing a bridge and make sure you are comfortable doing that. Do you even know what type of bracing pattern you will be using on the top. Are you comfortable reading wood grain and carving with a chisel? Do yo want to arch your top like all of the best handmade builders or are you okay with a truly flat top? I am just askign these questions to try to make you be specific about what you want. I wish you luck but think it through before you do it, and do not cheap yourself out by trying to be flashy while saving money. I good guitar is one that sounds good...not necessarily one that looks all customed out.

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:28 pm

DUS7IN wrote:I am not trying to be rude but it does not seem that you have fully thought out this process. Anytime you put veneer on a piece of wood you have a laminate that is held on by a hard glue. The dampens vibrations. If you are going to spend 50-100 hours building a guitar do it properly. If you are going to build a low end guitar save yourself the time and money and by a cheap one. If you have any questions keep asking them but right now I suggest you take the time to list exactly what you want in this guitar. From top...back and sides...binding...any inlay...type of tuners....scale length...purfling...backstrip...electronics...what type of finsh... . Do some readings about how the different materials affect the sound. Read about setting a neck and placing a bridge and make sure you are comfortable doing that. Do you even know what type of bracing pattern you will be using on the top. Are you comfortable reading wood grain and carving with a chisel? Do yo want to arch your top like all of the best handmade builders or are you okay with a truly flat top? I am just askign these questions to try to make you be specific about what you want. I wish you luck but think it through before you do it, and do not cheap yourself out by trying to be flashy while saving money. I good guitar is one that sounds good...not necessarily one that looks all customed out.

i have truly thought out this proces and visited many a site and took many a book out from my local library. i am using adirondack sprice for the top, i was hoping to use quilted maple for the back and sides but i may not be able to afford it, (my backup is mahoghany), i am doing block inlays made of quilted maple with 1/60" red borders, tuners are waverly, scale length and all other measurements (fingerboard width and degree of curve) taken from Martin D-28 specs, flamed koa purfling and binding/trim, clear gloss laquer finish on the body, satin on the neck, and any electronics would be fishman installed by a pro post completion of project. I am comftorable setting a neck and bridge, I am using the X pattern bracing used my martin, i have carved many things from wood to stone with a chisel and i am very comfortable doing that (thats my best skill) i am slightly arching the top. (exhale)
My question stemmed from something that i read saying that the back and sides only accounted for 5-10% of the sound quality, i certainly wouldnt consider veneer-ing the top but if the back and sides are only like 1/10th of the sound i didnt think that it would affect the over all sound barely at all. (and it would look so bangin) you are clearly more educated than i so if anything ive read is wrong tell me please! but i assure you that i want to build a quality guitar and looks absolutely come second. Money is an issue but even if i have to built it slowly over a year or so because thats when i can afford the next materials i require, i will do so. i have done my homework!

DUS7IN · Unread post by **DUS7IN** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:33 pm

fantastic, I now understand where you are coming from. You are right that most of the sound comes from the soundboard(bracing is huge) on the top but think about any of the laminates that you have played. A solid wood guitar will always sound better. You can get a good set of mahogany or rosewood for under 100 dollars. Try building with those on the first project. You will learn a lot. On the second project you could try something more exotic and highly figured and you will be more comfortable spending a high dollar. Good Luck!

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:49 pm

DUS7IN wrote:fantastic, I now understand where you are coming from. You are right that most of the sound comes from the soundboard(bracing is huge) on the top but think about any of the laminates that you have played. A solid wood guitar will always sound better. You can get a good set of mahogany or rosewood for under 100 dollars. Try building with those on the first project. You will learn a lot. On the second project you could try something more exotic and highly figured and you will be more comfortable spending a high dollar. Good Luck!

thanks, i appreciate the help but there may not be a second project, and if there is it may not be any time soon. do you think i would save more money if i bought the basic drednought kit from stewmac and upgraded the top, binding, and everything else aforementioned or should i go from scratch? the whole kit definetly saves money but with the upgrades it brings it to about even as scratch. the scratch is prolly higher quality but with stewmac i know it'll all work and i save shipping... hmmm.

DUS7IN · Unread post by **DUS7IN** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:04 pm

I think the kits are probably not bad to begin with. it really depend son what you want. If what you want is not in the kit then I suggest going from scratch. One good thing about the kit is that the neck is already craved and the binding is bent. If you want to avoid bending and go from scratch make sure you have the binding bent for you too! really go for exactly what you want(inside the budget of course). What tools do you already have?

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 7:04 pm

DUS7IN wrote:I think the kits are probably not bad to begin with. it really depend son what you want. If what you want is not in the kit then I suggest going from scratch. One good thing about the kit is that the neck is already craved and the binding is bent. If you want to avoid bending and go from scratch make sure you have the binding bent for you too! really go for exactly what you want(inside the budget of course). What tools do you already have?

i have all tools required (cept for bending iron obviously) i also have access to a nice router. i was under the impression that binding was flexible and all you had to do was glue it in place and clamp it. is that bent in the same way as the sides?

DUS7IN · Unread post by **DUS7IN** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:31 pm

if you are using wood binding you usually will have to bend it. Any wood bindings I have ever used needed to be bent. The plastic bindings are easy and flexible

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:21 am

DUS7IN wrote:if you are using wood binding you usually will have to bend it. Any wood bindings I have ever used needed to be bent. The plastic bindings are easy and flexible

oh... i see. they're prolly easier to bend though, right? and you can use the actual guitar as the jig. that pvc thing swe posted will prolly work for the binding

DUS7IN · Unread post by **DUS7IN** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:45 am

they are easier becasue they are thinner but they are easy to bend off axis too. Remember when you ben it just nees to be close. Make an outline to clamp too after you bend it so that while it cools the grains lock into the shape you want

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:48 pm

DUS7IN wrote:they are easier becasue they are thinner but they are easy to bend off axis too. Remember when you ben it just nees to be close. Make an outline to clamp too after you bend it so that while it cools the grains lock into the shape you want

thanks alot for all your help man, the project begins as soon as i can get sufficient funds, prolly spring break abouts!

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weird question: bowled back guitars

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