Martin
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Post by Martin on May 2, 2014 14:22:22 GMT
Maybe you already have it, but if you could design a dream guitar, and either build it yourself or have a friendly neighbourhood luthier do the honours, what would you go for? I don't mean a guitar that's already out there, but something you would specify yourself without restriction. For example: - what size would it be? - what shape? - what scale (maybe multiscale?)? - what nut width/neck width? - how many strings? - what tonewood would you use for the top? - what tonewoods would you use for the back and sides? - what materials would you use for the neck, fingerboard and bridge? - would you specify bracing (pattern, shape etc) or other aspect affecting the voice? - what hardware would you specify (tuners, strings, saddle, nut)? - would you have electronics for amplification (if so, what?)? - what characteristics would this guitar have and for what reason (arched top, bevel, cutaway etc)? - if not building it yourself, who would you choose to build the guitar for you? - if you've had experience of ordering a custom guitar before, in hindsight what would you do differently this time? Just a bit of fantasy fun for a Friday
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Akquarius
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My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
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Post by Akquarius on May 2, 2014 15:27:09 GMT
I'd be looking for an auditorium size with a venetian, no, florentine cutaway (I always mix these up. I mean the pointy one ). Alpine spruce top, back and sides cocobolo or ziricote(I haven't made up my mind yet here). The neck would be maple ( ), fretboard, bridge and bridge pins rosewood. Nut would probably be bone. As to the bracing: I'd leave this entirely to the luthier. I'm not skilled enough to make decisions here. Tuners would probably be Schaller GrandTunes. They're not that fancy, but they do their job. No electronics. I'd like this guitar to have a full, yet distict and clear sound. The main purpose for this guitar would be jigs, reels, strathspeys and comparable fingerstyle stuff. It would probably look a bit like this:
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alig
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Post by alig on May 2, 2014 15:47:53 GMT
Ok...
Ziricote b/s Sinker Redwood top - just fancy it Some sort of contrasting wood for the binding - maybe bloodwood...? 25.5" scale (haven't tried a multi-scale yet...) Modified Dread/Sobell MS shape 60/46 bridge/nut spacing - little bit of wiggle room Gotoh 510 tuners (18:1 or 21:1) Mah neck No idea about bracing - black art best left to the initiated Obviously it would have to do everything well - sound like a cannon yet singing sweetly in DADGAD, etc. Venetian cutaway maybe K&K mini but no built-in preamp Ebony, perhaps Macassar ebony (!?) fingerboard Ziri inlay around sound hole but otherwise plain - just edge markers, nowt on fingerboard. Of course, I'd have to go to deepest, darkest Fife and engage our own Rory D. Or perhaps Dave W. Cross the pond and chat to Messers Greenfield and Kostal?
And that's all I want to say on the subject. I'm off to a birthday party in a barn tonight and want to be able to concentrate...!
Be well all.
Alasdair.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2014 16:13:17 GMT
Well, I have two very beautiful guitars that serve me well, and an excellent workhorse Taylor, so not so much a guitar. What I've really been thinking about a lot just lately is an acoustic bass. I love the sound of the Brook Otter that Paul Downing played on my album- a real double bass sound. However, I would love to design something different from the ground up. Starting with this kind of idea for the body shape: I want the offset sound hole because I would like the finger board to be extended writes down the body in order to give me a built in thumb rest. It would be a fretless 4 string, laminate maple neck, European spruce top, cherry or maple back and sides. These schaller bass tuners: It would have black nylon strings, hopefully allowing me to play with my nails to some extent. Good thread Martin! Robbie
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walkingdecay
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My main instrument is: brownish and rather small.
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Post by walkingdecay on May 2, 2014 21:23:14 GMT
Easy. This: Gallagher G-50I'd prefer a cutaway, as I do get up into the parts of the neck that produce sounds best appreciated by bats, but in the end it's the sound that matters and I love the sound of mahogany and spruce. There's a sort of creaminess in there, never getting too brittle. It's the formula used in my Ibanez AW1000, and I love that guitar.
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Post by earwighoney on May 2, 2014 21:38:27 GMT
There's one at TAMCO, for £1895 if you didn't already know.
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Post by slidingwolf on May 3, 2014 15:01:46 GMT
Either a 1930's wood bodied Dobro or the equivalent made by Mike Lewis. Or then again I would love to try teh more exotic Paul Beard models, but you don't see 'em on sale over here www.beardguitars.com/odyssey_A_home.htmllink
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007
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My main instrument is: 1965 Hagstrom H45E
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Post by 007 on May 3, 2014 17:30:41 GMT
Dodgy Link Martin
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Post by curmudgeon on May 3, 2014 17:36:09 GMT
Maybe you already have it, but if you could design a dream guitar, and either build it yourself or have a friendly neighbourhood luthier do the honours, what would you go for? I don't mean a guitar that's already out there, but something you would specify yourself without restriction. For example: - what size would it be? --------- 12 fret to body - what shape? ...................... dreadnought....or RS style jumbo - what scale (maybe multiscale?)? .. 25.5" dread, or 24.75" if the RS style - what nut width/neck width? .......... 1 & 13/16" - string spacing depending upon scale., - how many strings? ................................................ six - what tonewood would you use for the top? ............................... prolly adirondack - preferably "torrified". - what tonewoods would you use for the back and sides? ............... Prolly EIR - what materials would you use for the neck, fingerboard and bridge? - hog neck, ebony board/bridge - would you specify bracing (pattern, shape etc) or other aspect affecting the voice? ....No - I'd take advice. - what hardware would you specify (tuners, strings, saddle, nut)? ................ Waverlies would do, bone or FWI nut/saddle - would you have electronics for amplification (if so, what?)? .....None. - what characteristics would this guitar have and for what reason (arched top, bevel, cutaway etc)? ....... No. - if not building it yourself, who would you choose to build the guitar for you? ............ SCGC, Bolazer Und Hernkes, Collings. - if you've had experience of ordering a custom guitar before, in hindsight what would you do differently this time? .... Understand PRECISELY what I want. Just a bit of fantasy fun for a Friday Answred on a sunny Saturday.
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Akquarius
Cheerfully Optimistic
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My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
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Post by Akquarius on May 3, 2014 17:39:50 GMT
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007
C.O.G.
Posts: 2,601
My main instrument is: 1965 Hagstrom H45E
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Post by 007 on May 3, 2014 18:17:10 GMT
Mmmm Thanks Bernd Well good stuff there
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Post by marcus on May 3, 2014 18:30:20 GMT
A guitar that makes me play like.... Robbie... well you did mention "dream", Martin, although in this case perhaps it would be more relevant to state "dream on". Cheers, marcus
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walkingdecay
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Post by walkingdecay on May 3, 2014 20:32:42 GMT
There's one at TAMCO, for £1895 if you didn't already know. Thanks mate. In truth it's only a dream. I could never justify spending that sort of money on a guitar, even to myself.
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Post by alexkirtley on May 4, 2014 18:41:29 GMT
I'd do my twist on a old stella... - what size would it be? - 12 fret - what shape? - Parlor - what scale (maybe multiscale?)? - 24 3/4" - what nut width/neck width? - 1 11/16" nut - how many strings? - 6 - what tonewood would you use for the top? - Spruce - what tonewoods would you use for the back and sides? - Highly figured curly maple - what materials would you use for the neck, fingerboard and bridge? - Highly figured curly maple neck, ebony fretboard and bridge - would you specify bracing (pattern, shape etc) or other aspect affecting the voice? - Ladder bracing - what hardware would you specify (tuners, strings, saddle, nut)? - Open gear 3 on a plate tuners, bone nut & saddle, tailpiece - would you have electronics for amplification (if so, what?)? - possibly Baggs M1A or M80 - what characteristics would this guitar have and for what reason (arched top, bevel, cutaway etc)? Slotted headstock - if not building it yourself, who would you choose to build the guitar for you? - Any volunteers? - if you've had experience of ordering a custom guitar before, in hindsight what would you do differently this time? - never ordered, played or owned a custom guitar Just wish I could afford to get one built...
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Post by vicov on May 4, 2014 18:51:31 GMT
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