Bracing Ottomans :)

[Allen]

I was reading the thread in the OLF about building for a pickup, and some of the info was really good, but there is a least one notable member there that is so opinionated and might I say full of himself that it just turned me off of posting in that thread or reading much more for that matter. Thanks for your input Bob. I guess when the time comes it's just all going to come down to a compromise one way or the other.

I've got a few people that have played my OOO and cutaway OM, and they play in country bands at pubs and clubs etc. They've asked if I would consider building a amplified guitar, but I'd be just taking a shot in the dark hoping it might turn out.

Do most people that play acoustics with pickups know that you have either a light, responsive sweet sounding instrument, or one that will cut through to the back corners of the club, but sound less than stellar?

[Bob Connor]

I don't know whether some guitarists realise this Allen.

Certainly those at the top end of the scale will, but I think a lot of players, particularly vocalists who play guitar as opposed to a guitarist who sings, probably don't.

And I would imagine a lot of players have never played a responsive, lightly built instrument. So the only thing they know is a factory built instrument that they have bought from the local music shop.

And in a lot of cases this sort of instrument is perfect because it'll do the job for them. They're not too expensive, robust and sound good on stage.

If I was building for someone who wanted the best of both worlds I think that beefing everything up a bit would be the way to go. Slightly thicker top than you would normally do. Braces a bit beefier. Back slightly thicker.

If you are playing in a pub on a consistent basis the instrument will get knocks and dings.

And something a bit heavier would be useful if a blue breaks out.

Maybe we should be building National Steels.

Bob

[Allen]

I was thinking of building one of those, but never really thought how useful they would be in a blue.

[Allen]

I was just thinking that this thread was about whether we are bracing ottomans or something else. My first guitar certainly falls in the ottoman category and if being heavy and overbuilt is where you want to be when you use a pickup, then I just might have the perfect instrument already made