Falbo Guitars at NAMM

[Wendell123]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Well I'm Italian, and there's a reason you don't see many Italians in the NBA. When was the last time you heard "Carmine gets the rebound, and its Nunzio for the three!"

Yes, my guitars are all normal sized.

Carmine and Nunzio both , on the rebound, wacked 3

[frankfalbo]

Thank you everyone for being gracious. I can only reveal so much until the patent issues. Then there will always have to be trade secrets about the precise dimensions and the preferred torque balance for given situations/results. An issued patent can sometimes be the instruction manual on how to steal the design unfortunately.

Having just finished NAMM I can tell you IP was a hot topic. Anyone who licenses it would get full disclosure and help with implementation to achieve that luthiers objectives, but until then you have to prepare for the propensity for deviance the world has exhibited thus far.

In my experiences Mike makes good points. Videos can only do so much but players and luthiers end up getting the concept, why it works, and then when they play the guitar they hear and feel what they would expect based on the physics of it.

It doesn't make it right for everyone, I have no delusions of grandeur, but I wouldn't start a company if I didn't think it had value to musicians and the advancement of the art. I think the phrase is "I may be dumb but I'm not crazy" but I fear its the other way around sometimes.

Originally Posted by mikealpine

...I'd be curious to see pictures, but don't necessarily need that, or need to follow the mathematical principals that help decide exactly where to brace and at what angle is best...

I don't need to understand brace placement optimization either, but I can tell you without even getting close to the guitar that the diagram in the photo below is incorrect, or at the very least incomplete.

When you have that many arrows going in the same direction, things move. I can see from the photos things aren't moving, therefore the forces must be balanced. I also understand the value of intellectual property and the desire to protect it. However, public advertising coupled with this much secrecy sends my skepticism meter into the red zone.

[mikealpine]

Todd, I understand. Not arguing, just taking a bit on faith in terms of Frank's concept of repositioning the anchor points and how the strings are routed to redistribute the force against the top. I'm sure there is some clear methodology as to how to effectively do this, with the proper positioning to counter a specific amount of force. That's why I say that overall, the concept makes sense, especially because I have always wondered at the total amount of force pulling on the bridge, either from the standpoint of how it doesn't simply rip off one day, or simply causing it to bulge up while the area inside the bridge doesn't start to reverse belly (too much time on my hands?). I view this in a similar vein as McPherson moving the sound hole and cantilevering the fretboard to allow a greater amount of the top's surface area to vibrate. Does it work? I don't know, but they sound good. Anyway, the clips of the guitars sound very nice. Does Frank Falbo's concept really do what it says? I don't know, but in my own mind, trying to apply some limited engineering concepts, it seems like it should. Does it make for a better sounding guitar? I don't know. The clips sound very nice to me. Would love to be able to play one of these at some point and judge for myself.

Frank, does the string thickness impact your designs? As I think about it, spurred by Todd's question about the arrows and such, it would seem that as you move from lights to mediums and up, the amount of force applied is that much greater, and you'd have to counteract more torque as the thickness of the strings increase. If my thinking is correct, then are you locked in to a specific string thickness based on the model?

[frankfalbo]

Strings: actually its the opposite. The string gauge impact is virtually negated because it only converts to compression. Of course it impacts neck relief and all the other stress points but whether the implementation targets neutral torque or leaves some in, its now functioning well within the range of tunings and as heavy a string gauge as you can handle.

Flip a piece of spruce onto its end grain, and we could all stand on it (if our balance was good enough. Compression is not the weak link.

Todd I've said before your skepticism is welcomed. If there is something about the way I'm explaining that isn't connecting, we might just have to wait until issuance where I can reveal more, or have a discussion away from the public and permanent nature of these forums. Luckily skepticism doesn't alter physics, but it can shine a light in hard to see areas.

Please don't judge based on a hand drawn NAMM display. That's there as a throwback to the original video. I can't tell you how many people pointed to it and recognized it. It was drawn after midnight prior to the show, I'm not sure my art skills were at the top of their game. There are elements missing, but in contrast to the forward rotating torque it seemed to make the point.

[JoeCharter]

There's only one real way to find out whether the design is "worth" it -- and that is by picking up a Falbo guitar and giving it a try.

Luthiers all come up with ideas which they believe will make a difference and perhaps create a signature sound for themselves.

Personally, I am not much into new ideas when it comes to guitars -- but if people pick up a Falbo and enjoy playing it -- and they like what they hear and see -- the technical stuff becomes secondary.

I would only point out that there aren't enough photos of the guitars on the website. And there should be a way to contact someone at Falbo without having to fill out that web form. If people are going to send money in, they need to be able to call.

Also, in order to establish trust, there should be more information as to where and how the guitars are being built. Is it a solo luthier built guitar? Factory built? Is it made in the US or is it an import?

At about $3K, a US factory built guitar with an alpine spruce top is an honest offer for sure.

[frankfalbo]

Thanks, Joe.

I try to make it clear how my guitars are made here: http://www.falboguitars.com/#!overview/cry5

While not a solo luthier build, there are a lot of critical tasks I still perform myself on a daily basis. I couldn't produce this volume flying solo. But I wouldn't call what we're doing a factory build either. As time goes by I continue to cross train the staff in how the Falbos differ from a Larrivee, and at every point the Larrivee craftsmen & women never cease to amaze me. When I hand off a task it is like I've done it myself. The latest, for some NAMM builds was the nut shaping and buffing. I could mistake them for my own.

But my neck shape, and the entire headstock and volute transition has not been digitized yet. So I'm hand shaping each neck at this point. This is something I'll never teach anyone to do, because there's no point. Soon we'll have the 3D file, and their neck sanders will just take it from the CNC to completion. Right now it's basically a hand carve after the CNC removes the bulk. It'll be a seamless transition when it occurs, but for now each neck has a lot of personal hours logged. I still fret each one, bridge shape and glue, make and install the piece inside, etc. It's quite a hybrid process.

Thanks for the suggestions on the website, it will change as we grow I'm sure.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Thanks, Joe.

I try to make it clear how my guitars are made here: http://www.falboguitars.com/#!overview/cry5

Sorry Frank -- my bad. You've made it clear indeed but I had missed it.

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

While not a solo luthier build, there are a lot of critical tasks I still perform myself on a daily basis. I couldn't produce this volume flying solo. But I wouldn't call what we're doing a factory build either. As time goes by I continue to cross train the staff in how the Falbos differ from a Larrivee, and at every point the Larrivee craftsmen & women never cease to amaze me. When I hand off a task it is like I've done it myself. The latest, for some NAMM builds was the nut shaping and buffing. I could mistake them for my own.

But my neck shape, and the entire headstock and volute transition has not been digitized yet. So I'm hand shaping each neck at this point. This is something I'll never teach anyone to do, because there's no point. Soon we'll have the 3D file, and their neck sanders will just take it from the CNC to completion. Right now it's basically a hand carve after the CNC removes the bulk. It'll be a seamless transition when it occurs, but for now each neck has a lot of personal hours logged. I still fret each one, bridge shape and glue, make and install the piece inside, etc. It's quite a hybrid process.

Thanks for the suggestions on the website, it will change as we grow I'm sure.

Makes sense -- thank you.

Congratulations on putting this line of guitars together -- and all the best to you and your latest endeavour.

[kramster]

Really interesting and good reading here...thanks