How deep does a mold need to be?

[redir]

The Golden Ratio.

[redir]

I admit on every single guitar I have ever built I can see something out of proportion. Almost always though I am the only one that see's it though I imagine the builders here would as well. I call it the hand of the maker I am reminded in this thread of Printers picture with the block between the head and tail block to maintain symmetry. I need to try incorporate that into my open face building as it's a great idea. But I do intuitively believe that working top down and mold free creates the least stress on the top and allows the top to be more free. Truth or not it's part of my believe (and marketing ) system.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by redir

... I do intuitively believe that working top down and mold free creates the least stress on the top and allows the top to be more free....

I totally would not argue with your belief ... but I have to say it's something that I have wondered about in the past ... ie whether freedom from stress is necessarily beneficial.

I recently got to talking about this with Bridgid Kaelin from Louisville, who is a virtuoso on the musical saw, and it is an indisputable fact that the more you deform the saw, the louder and more musical it becomes.

From my own (very) limited experience, I would hazard a guess that the minimal amount of force required to make the sides fit the mold wouldn't have any significant detrimental effect on tone. Gluing the linings removes most of the residual stress IMO.

[redir]

Originally Posted by murrmac123

I totally would not argue with your belief ... but I have to say it's something that I have wondered about in the past ... ie whether freedom from stress is necessarily beneficial.

I recently got to talking about this with Bridgid Kaelin from Louisville, who is a virtuoso on the musical saw, and it is an indisputable fact that the more you deform the saw, the louder and more musical it becomes.

From my own (very) limited experience, I would hazard a guess that the minimal amount of force required to make the sides fit the mold wouldn't have any significant detrimental effect on tone. Gluing the linings removes most of the residual stress IMO.

Yup it can work both ways. I go back and forth between arching the tops for example or building dead flat. All I can say at this point is they sound different.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by redir

Yup it can work both ways. I go back and forth between arching the tops for example or building dead flat. All I can say at this point is they sound different.

That is something I have wondered about as well.

Charlie Hoffman builds dead flat, and I believe (possibly erroneously) that Martin also built flat back in the day. I think John Arnold also builds flat.

Obviously the string tension will pull the plane of the top way out of flat, regardless of the original conformation.

[LouieAtienza]

If I'm not mistaken Martin sill builds tops dead flat, though the slightly cant the rim past the UTB a little less than 1° for neck angle...

[printer2]

I have a hard time getting away with arched tops and backs with the humidity drop in winter that we live with here. I have a few bodies that are cracked and I will be repairing come spring. I was going to build two flat this winter but when it comes to humid season I don't know what it will do to the geometry.

[Bruce Sexauer]

It is both possible to use a mold and minimize stress, and to build without a mold and create excess stress. It is easy to pretend there is no stress when relying on a mold, and very difficult to miss seeing it if there is no mold. As always, good tools are easily misused, it's all about the craftsman.

The arch in the plates gives the wood somewhere to go when the humidity drops. I mostly build very close to flat, but not quite. I have two building dishes I use, one at 40' radius, the other at about 45'.

In my "snakehead" stock alone I have redesigned a dozen times, and I do feel I am getting there. Of course I have thought that many times. My most evolved shape, which I have been happy with since 2004, is my symmetrical OMish "FT-15". The 00 I started this week is reinterpretation of a paper template I have been using since around 2000, and I used its very nice curves to redraw the template directly on the top. This version will be a 13 fretter, the first such 00 from me, and will be 7/16" longer that the piece of paper that generated it. I would have been unlikely to build this particular guitar if I'd had to make a mold.

[Cantelibre]

Has anyone here built an acoustic guitar with bubinga back and sides? Do you think it is excellent tonewood? Just wondering what I can expect out of it.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Cantelibre

Has anyone here built an acoustic guitar with bubinga back and sides? Do you think it is excellent tonewood? Just wondering what I can expect out of it.

The last guitar I built had Bubinga back and sides. They call it African Rosewood even though it's not a Dalbergia. I suppose I could say it sounds like a rosewood guitar but then so can other types of wood. It's certainly sufficient for guitar making, possibly even really good. It is good looking stuff too, I had no issues bending it.

[Shuksan]

I've built one guitar with bubinga back and sides. It sounds quite good. This set is more figured than what you typically see for bubinga so it was a bit challenging to bend (I use a hot pipe) but it worked fine. Similar density to East Indian rosewood. I would definitely use bubinga again and have a couple sets on the shelf waiting to be used.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Cantelibre]

Beautiful guitar. I like the way you carved the neck heel.