The guitar is currently hanging while the lacquer cures. It should be ready 1st week of October.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
2015 Band Guitar - some finish pictures
The guitar is currently hanging while the lacquer cures. It should be ready 1st week of October.
2015 Band Guitar (update 2)
Onto the body.... This body is also special in several ways:
1) The entire soundboard can now be active, and so it is braced more lightly in the upper bouts.
You can see it in the pictures below - typical Dreadnought guitars have a HUGE 3/4" wide brace across the upper bout and just above the sound hole.
2) the Sound hole has been relocated to the upper bout.
This removes and area of weakness right where you don't need it... in line with the string tension. By moving the sound hole, we are free to brace the top better for the string tension.
3) With the sound hole moved, I can now place a carbon fiber "axial brace" between the headblock and the tailblock.
As the string tension attempts to pull the two blocks together (resulting in a higher dome on the top, and therefore higher string action), it will now be pulling against this very stiff carbon fiber tube. This strenghtens the top without adding any mass to it, so the top can still vibrate as if it wasn't there.
4) This years guitar will have a built-in pickup, one that acts just like an external mic (but without the fuss).
This will keep it sounding like an acoustic guitar even when plugged in. The mic is flexible and can be positioned for the best sound.
5) The scoop cutaway now has an "organic" shape to it, as it re-curves back to form a Venetian style cutaway profile.
7) The beveled armrest is now smoother as it goes from tailback to the waist.
Pictures below.
1) The entire soundboard can now be active, and so it is braced more lightly in the upper bouts.
You can see it in the pictures below - typical Dreadnought guitars have a HUGE 3/4" wide brace across the upper bout and just above the sound hole.
2) the Sound hole has been relocated to the upper bout.
This removes and area of weakness right where you don't need it... in line with the string tension. By moving the sound hole, we are free to brace the top better for the string tension.
3) With the sound hole moved, I can now place a carbon fiber "axial brace" between the headblock and the tailblock.
As the string tension attempts to pull the two blocks together (resulting in a higher dome on the top, and therefore higher string action), it will now be pulling against this very stiff carbon fiber tube. This strenghtens the top without adding any mass to it, so the top can still vibrate as if it wasn't there.
4) This years guitar will have a built-in pickup, one that acts just like an external mic (but without the fuss).
This will keep it sounding like an acoustic guitar even when plugged in. The mic is flexible and can be positioned for the best sound.
5) The scoop cutaway now has an "organic" shape to it, as it re-curves back to form a Venetian style cutaway profile.
7) The beveled armrest is now smoother as it goes from tailback to the waist.
Pictures below.
2015 Band Raffle Guitar (update 1)
Have been too busy building to post here, so I'll just do a quick 3 posts with information on this years guitar.
This year we are using Claro Walnut tonewoods, with Curly Koa binding as an accent. Headstock, fretboard, and bridge are Indian Rosewood.
I've made some drastic changes to the neck design which are quite cutting edge as far as innovation.
1) the neck is mounted on a tripod of set screws which makes it fully articulated.
As a guitar ages, the top naturally pulls up (it is fighting 170 pounds of tension!) and eventually the playing actions gets high and difficult to play. The solution is generally a very expense neck 'reset' where the neck is removed (unglued, finish cut) and the heel is resurfaced to change then angle at which it meets the body. It is expensive enough that too many old guitars are simply abandoned. With an articulated neck, changing the neck angle is easy by just loosening the anchor bolt, and turning a single set screw a small amount.
2) In place of an adjustable truss rod, this neck has a carbon fiber "D-tube", which will keep the the neck perfectly straight. It is actually hollow, and you can hear when tapping on the neck.
3) To reinforce the heel on the tripod mount, there is also a carbon fiber "saddle" which ties into the D-tube and extends down into the heel, thus strengthening the normally weak short wood grain.
4) We have decided, in the interest of more ticket sales, to "unbrand" the guitar so strongly form Atascadero High School.
The headstock logo is now branded as "Solariego" instruments, and the fretboard contains only musical notes in Mother of Pearl (rather than the Greyhound motif of the past). This will make it easier to sell tickets in surrounding towns.
5) Lastly, the fingerboard is no longer glued/resting on the top of the guitar. It is now cantilevered over the top like a violin or archtop guitar.
In addition to allowing the neck to be adjusted, this also removes a pressure point from the top which the cause of old guitars "caving in". It allows the removal of the heaviest bracing across the top, and this allows the entire guitar top/soundboard to become active in creating sound.
This year we are using Claro Walnut tonewoods, with Curly Koa binding as an accent. Headstock, fretboard, and bridge are Indian Rosewood.
I've made some drastic changes to the neck design which are quite cutting edge as far as innovation.
1) the neck is mounted on a tripod of set screws which makes it fully articulated.
As a guitar ages, the top naturally pulls up (it is fighting 170 pounds of tension!) and eventually the playing actions gets high and difficult to play. The solution is generally a very expense neck 'reset' where the neck is removed (unglued, finish cut) and the heel is resurfaced to change then angle at which it meets the body. It is expensive enough that too many old guitars are simply abandoned. With an articulated neck, changing the neck angle is easy by just loosening the anchor bolt, and turning a single set screw a small amount.
2) In place of an adjustable truss rod, this neck has a carbon fiber "D-tube", which will keep the the neck perfectly straight. It is actually hollow, and you can hear when tapping on the neck.
3) To reinforce the heel on the tripod mount, there is also a carbon fiber "saddle" which ties into the D-tube and extends down into the heel, thus strengthening the normally weak short wood grain.
4) We have decided, in the interest of more ticket sales, to "unbrand" the guitar so strongly form Atascadero High School.
The headstock logo is now branded as "Solariego" instruments, and the fretboard contains only musical notes in Mother of Pearl (rather than the Greyhound motif of the past). This will make it easier to sell tickets in surrounding towns.
5) Lastly, the fingerboard is no longer glued/resting on the top of the guitar. It is now cantilevered over the top like a violin or archtop guitar.
In addition to allowing the neck to be adjusted, this also removes a pressure point from the top which the cause of old guitars "caving in". It allows the removal of the heaviest bracing across the top, and this allows the entire guitar top/soundboard to become active in creating sound.
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