Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Yes, not strictly acoustic, but yes.

Ah ya champion blackalex. Thanks heaps. Mark, I'll text you soon and borrow those plans. I've won't be building a strict copy, so those neck issues won't effect me in the slightest.

Hi Mark, that would be great. I'll PM you.

Cheers.

Hi guys, looking for the basic body dimensions for a Maccaferri Selmer. Basic width and length of the top is what I need specifically. Everything else is going to be scaled up and adjusted, so not much point in buying plans. Cheers.

It is actually. I'm going for a Selmer style setup with a low break angle. The idea is to have less tension on the top. I know what you mean re string tension too.

Well I've been think about this neck attachment. Needed to do something similar for a long scale 6 string bass (36" scale). Here's my current design to allow for adjustment in both action and break angle. http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk127/stpeterscia/bass%20build%204%20-%20fretless%206%20stri...

Man, that's very impressive. Should be lovely and light to play too.

Heat will loosen titebond.

Cheers, I've emailed back and forth with Nigel a bit. I almost visited him in the UK last year but ran out of time. I've asked him about this sort of thing in the past, but he wasn't super keen about sharing his findings. I respect that. I'm actually leaning more towards a live top with a regular st...

Also found this...

https://nathanguitars.com/tag/gypsy-jazz-guitar-repair/

A Selmer style flat top Jazz guitar. Would this style of bracing be better?

Been reading the Ken Parker thread. This sort of thing could really work. Right?

http://www.martinkeithguitars.com/const ... ails.shtml#

Ok, sort of like torsion bars.

So on a 6 string you'd use braces only half that height?

That's really cool. I'm genuinely surprised by how little bracing there is for a 12 string.

Wow, that's a detailed answer! :) Honestly, I'd love to give carving an archtop a go... The issue is, I've spent quite a lot of money on a bear claw spruce top for it and it's already glued up. It's just been sitting in my workshop for the last year or so. I need you use it! I get what you're saying...

How much radius would you use for the top in that situation?

I guess break angle would depend on string tension, right?

Ok, Will that involve carving a top? Or can I brace a radius into the flat top I already have for the project?

It will get some piezos for sure. Good call. What about an acoustic body of some sort?

Right, so lets assume I'd cast the Forster style archtop idea aside...

What would you guys do?

Kinda done that style of thing 3 or 4 times already... sure they don't 'look' like a 335 but they're chambered to all heck with a centre block. http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk127/stpeterscia/Build%208%20-%20Surprise%20build/IMAG0416_zps9d72c06d.jpg http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk127/stpe...

The laws of physics say, unless I've got a chamber the size of an upright bass it's going to be pretty quiet anyway right? So, What I'm proposing is not so much a fully acoustic bass, but rather, an electric bass with some acoustic qualities. Which is really what I want anyhow, coz if it's fully aco...

Here's a Forster style archtop being played acoustically...


youtu.be/

Umm, ok.

I know it's slightly hare-brained. Maybe I need to build a working prototype with plywood first. I'm fully aware I won't end up with an acoustic instrument that works like an upright and produces fundamentals.

Sorry, should have clarified. The neck is one long beam from the headstock to the bridge (think stick). It also supports the PUs. Vibrations are transferred from that to the top. So really the top is almost completely unstressed. Does that help?