A possible new type dreadnought build?

[laocmo]

What sound do you think would result if you built a standard D-28 type dreadnought body but mounted the neck to the body at the 12th fret. You would of course have to cut a few inches of ebony off the high end of the fingerboard and move the bridge a couple of inches back towards the middle of the body to avoid changing the scale length. I suppose you might also want to move the bracing so as to be closer to the new bridge? Although if you left the bracing alone you would then have a guitar body whose bracing would now be forward shifted bracing. Seems to me putting the bridge closer to the widest part of the body would result in a different sound. There may already be someone, or some company who builds guitars this way. But I’ve never seen one. The 12 fretters I've seen all have shorter scale lengths. Any opinions? Thanks!

[Bruce Sexauer]

THE USUAL THING IS TO EITHER EXPAND THE BODY OUT TO THE 12TH FRET, OR TO MOVE EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE SOUNDHOLE THE SAME AMOUNT AS THE BRIDGE. EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN IS ALSO POSSIBLE . . . IN FACT, I/WE DO IT ALL THE TIME. Whoops, Caplock intersects with lazy.

[John Arnold]

The 12 fretters I've seen all have shorter scale lengths.

The Martin 12 fret dreadnought has the same 25.34 scale length as their 14 fret dreadnoughts. Most of their 12-fret 000's are also long scale.
Moving the bridge without moving the bracing may result in a situation where the X-braces do not touch the bridge footprint. In addition to the likelihood of excess belly, you may find that the tone is too 'flabby' and bassy.
My best results have come when the X-braces intersect the lower corners of the bridge (Martin forward X positioning).
The difference between Martin's modern brace location and forward bracing is 1/2". The difference in neck length between 12 fret and 14 fret is about 1.38".

[M Hayden]

One of David Crosby’s dreadnaughts had a 12-fret neck on a 14-fret body, No bracing changes were made but he liked how it came out.

[phavriluk]

I made a 12-fret guitar using a 12-fret neck and a 14-fret body, intentionally moving the bridge to the middle of the lower bout. I also trimmed a fret off the bottom of the fingerboard so as to allow the soundhole position to approximate the soundhole position of a 14-fret neck on the same size body. Easy enough to do and it allows me to pick at about the same location in reference to the soundhole on both guitars ( I have one of each, using a 12-fret neck and a 14-fret neck on the same size body).

[Quickstep192]

Charlie Hoffman make a 12 fret guitar and in the description of it, he says:

“ I have always loved 12 fret guitars - by moving the bridge closer to the center of the effective portion of the soundboard, one can significantly change - and, (to my ear), improve - the tonal qualities of the guitar.”

Here’s a link

http://www.hoffmanguitars.com/concert_12_fret.htm

[phavriluk]

My thoroughly unscientific experience suggests to me that Mr. Hoffman called it right...

[Alan Carruth]

I don't agree with Charles Hoffman's reasoning, but he is right that you can put a 12 fret neck on a 14 fret Dread box, and vice versa, and end up with a good instrument if you do it right. The original Dreads were long 12 fret boxes; they shortened them up when they went to 14 fret necks. The body length has more of an influence on the tone than the bridge position on the top, IMO. You do have to design the braces around the bridge location, though: that, more than the geometry of the outline, is what determines the 'acoustic center' of the top.