What's the deal with slope shoulder guitars?

[Silly Moustache]

Hmm, that didn't work - I'll try again ::::::;

Left: Collings DS1ASB (Dreadnought Standard 1(hog) A (adi) SB (sunburst) - Collings version of the original dreadnought design

Right: Santa Cruz "RS" (they aren't allowed by Gibson or the Smeck family or something to call it a Roy Smeck) - but that's what it is - the Gibson originals were all designed as Hawaiian deep bodied ..."Jumbos" (short scale).

[Von Beerhofen]

Surely there's still a bit of room left for this one:



Ludwig

[TBman]

Originally Posted by ataylor

Did someone say slope-shoulder guitars?

Which guitar is this? Looks great.

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by TBman

Which guitar is this? Looks great.

It’s a Fairbanks F-35 in red spruce and mahogany.

[Vol46]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Thanks. The BG60 would be what I would get.

There is a great looking Blueridge 40 AS ( Adirondack top, sunburst) for sale in the AGF classifieds right now at a very attractive price.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Vol46

There is a great looking Blueridge 40 AS ( Adirondack top, sunburst) for sale in the AGF classifieds right now at a very attractive price.

Where? I can't find it.

Also is the 40 similar to the 60?

[Mr. Paul]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Where? I can't find it.

Also is the 40 similar to the 60?

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...ight=blueridge

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Mr. Paul

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...ight=blueridge

Thanks. Really looking for a AG60 though

[C_Becker]

Hmm, slope shoulder

Apart from looking really good, I think they have a little less bass than the square-shouldered ones and I find them more comfortable to play.
I prefer mine in 25,5" scale though for more clarity and tighter bass.

[jdto]

Originally Posted by Rmz76

It's also in the bracing, and shorter scale length that play a part. Although it's a rare bird, the Gibson Advanced Jumbo is a different beast, it has a non-scalloped bracing and is a long scale. It has a lot more volume and sustain.

I wasn't aware that the AJ had non-scalloped bracing. Everything I have read or seen about them says scalloped bracing in the "advanced" pattern.

You can see the J-45 standard X bracing here on the left compared to the "advanced bracing" on the right.


Here's a pic of an original AJ from the UMGF which shows scalloped bracing:


Link for reference: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/theu....html#p1676705

[hairpuller]

Originally Posted by ataylor

It’s a Fairbanks F-35 in red spruce and mahogany.

Man, that sucker looks awesome! What it sound like???
scott

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Hmm, that didn't work - I'll try again ::::::;

Now these look more like the real deal! I think that with 14 frets it's more of a cosmetic than functional distinction to a regular dread. But with the body enlargement to 12 frets that's where the slope style really kicks in.

[Alan Carruth]

In some respects the shape of the original 12-fret Dread was a look back at the guitars that were made in Strad's day. Those were ladder braced, and relatively narrower, but had much the same sort of curve. A case has been made that the early makers would use a 'spline' curve: basically bending a stick to get a curve that would connect the end points and the desired waist location. This gives a continuous curve that varies from one place to another, where many modern makers use a set of circular curves and connect them with straight lines. I've always felt the modern method lacked some elegance, and have worked out other ways to do the layout.

Note, too, that the Gibson slope Dread shape is somewhat wider in the lower bout than Martin's, which tends to exaggerate the flattening of the lower end in contrast to the rounder upper bout.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by jdto

I wasn't aware that the AJ had non-scalloped bracing. Everything I have read or seen about them says scalloped bracing in the "advanced" pattern.

You can see the J-45 standard X bracing here on the left compared to the "advanced bracing" on the right.
...

Yes, for some reason I was thinking the "Advanced X Bracing" used on the J-35 and Advanced Jumbo was non-scalloped. Looks like most significant change is in the placement of the two parallel tone bars in the lower bout. The J-45's bracing accentuates mid-range, the Advanced Bracing pushes a bit more bass.

[jdto]

Originally Posted by Rmz76

Yes, for some reason I was thinking the "Advanced X Bracing" used on the J-35 and Advanced Jumbo was non-scalloped. Looks like most significant change is in the placement of the two parallel tone bars in the lower bout. The J-45's bracing accentuates mid-range, the Advanced Bracing pushes a bit more bass.

Yes, that is what I've noticed with my J-45 True Vintage. It has a different voice than the Standard and it has the advanced bracing with parallel tone bars. I've found the J-35 to be reminiscent of the TV in terms of voicing, although not quite the same.