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The DVD does cover the 'Blanchard modes', iirc. I must have loaned out my copy, so it's been a while since I've looked at it.

For the record, I was teasing, you should absolutely keep those tops in your stash!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

It is interesting to me that the cracks line up with the MOP dots in the bridge. Are there bolts under the dots? Could stress from the bolts have caused the cracks?

Alan, I went to your web page and clicked on the link for your DVD but the link is dead...

Is their another place I could get it? Also, is there instructions somewhere to build the tone generator you use. As I said, I had a link to a site that explained this but I no longer have it. Not sure if the video was you or someone else but I would like to pursue this a bit more.




Yea, I figured you were teasing but if I find I am not going to use these I will let you know. I have a pretty good stash of some very nice AAA and AAAA Sitka tops as well as a a couple of Bear Claw Sitka tops so I am not wanting for top woods. I just ordered another top from Alaska Tonewoods which is called Quilt/Pillow figured Sitka Spruce so I am interested to see it when it arrives. So I have a number of quality tops to use that I have confidence in.




Barry, no those dots are just that. I have repaired enough bolted on Gibson bridges to know that is a pretty bad idea... so I just simulated it when I made this bridge. BTW.. The piece of Rosewood I used for that bridge was also cut in the 60's as well. I tried to keep it as "vintage" as I could.

Cheers,
Bob

For a tone generator, you can use a downloadable program called “Sweepgen” on a PC. Plug the PC into an amplifier of your choosing to drive the speaker. Wear hearing protection.

I haven't heard anything about sales of that DVD in years, so it may be off the market.

I'll try to remember to post some pictures of the 'Blanchard modes' here.

Tone generators used to be a problem back when you needed to do them with hardware. These days there are apps for that. I'll put in a plug for a free Android app called 'Luthier Lab' that was written by a friend of mine, Mike Mahar, and his wife. Aside from having a tone generator module that was set up for the purpose of plate tuning, it's got a ton of other useful features. You can use it to generate shapes and bracing layouts, fret scales (including multi-scale), and arch contours for carved tops and backs, all of which can be printed out full scale. The tone generator allows you to take photos of the patterns, label them with the frequency, and save them in a folder for the particular instrument, along with other data. There's also a spectrum analyzer to find the output peaks. You'll need an amp (which can be a Bluetooth device) with a minimum of 15W or so of output (more is better), a speaker that's rated for 30W or so (sine wave has high peak-to-peak voltages), ear muffs (!), a few foam pads, and some sawdust or aluminum (not plastic) glitter.

I covered a lot of the basics of 'free' plate tuning in a series of articles in 'American Lutherie', issues 28-30 back in '91-'92. They're in the appropriate 'Red Book' from the GAL. We've learned a few things since then, of course, but that's still good background.

Bob, Thanks for the link, I will download it and have a play I am also into keyboards and have a number of soft synths that will do sine wave sweeps but I think I would be just trying to re-invent the wheel so I'll give this a try as well as the app Alan suggested.





Thanks for the info Alan,
I downloaded that app and had a bit of a look around it. It looks to be a very cool little app. I have an amp that will be perfect for this. so I am half way there.

I have the Big Red Books that you are referring to and have the articles bookmarked so I will read through them and see if I can get the idea of how this is done.

I am curious about your use of this. Is this something you still do to each instrument or was it an experiment that gave you reference for building future guitars?

Since I am an artist I don't do math...(Right brain/Left brain thing) So I find this interesting because it is mostly visual.

Thanks again for pointing me in this direction.

Cheers,
Bob

I've done this on every guitar and fiddle I've made for the past 40+ years, and I have the file folders to prove it. I sometimes think that file cabinet is the most important 'tool' in the shop: it remembers stuff better and longer than I do.

Thanks for all the info Alan, I read through the article in the Big Red Book... Great article with some good info. I have been searching out more about this and I am planning on setting up a rig to play around with it and see what I can learn and do. I wish your DVD was still available but I am guessing most of the info is available on the internet.


As to the question about these other tops. Only one of them had similar fine cracks in it. It just so happens it was a a couple of numbers away from the ones I used on this Gibson.
So I kind of think these are some kind of defect in the log, either a defect or a stress crack from when they fell the tree (maybe??) But it appears that the other sets are fine, just floppy.

I appreciate all the feedback and help guys. I don't usually ask too many questions since I am pretty resourceful on my own, but sometimes you just need to ask...

Cheers,
Bob

If you can work out a deal that satisfies Alan and any other stakeholders in the DVD, I can make you a copy (but you can’t have mine).

I could probably be convinced to part with it…

Looks scratch free…

Did anyone have trouble reading their Carruth DVD? I couldn't read the last 1/4 or so on several different Macs (none of which had trouble with other DVDs) in our house years ago. I tried to get a replacement, but the vendor insisted there was nothing wrong with mine, so I gave up. Lots of grea info in the rest of the DVD though. Thanks, Alan.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Ed,
If Alan can't come up with one I will take you up on that offer.
I would prefer to have the money go to him, but if he doesn't care them I'll send you a PM

I appreciate the offer.

Cheers,
Bob

Fair enough!

I had this problem with John Mays' DVDs...being "me", I ended up being able to read them into a DVD making program and burning my own repaired discs which I was able to properly watch. The picture of the DVD in meddlingfool's post looks awfully like a home made as opposed to professionally made DVD as were John's and I suspect the issue derives from that fact.

Well, I sure didn't make it and I bought it from … LMI maybe? Some reputable source.

I wasn't implying pirated, rather one made by using a DVD-r disc and burning it with their computer as opposed to how a "professionally" produced one is made

https://www.mixonic.com/dvd/

DVD replication as opposed to duplication

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, but I can imagine it takes a very small hiccup in the burning process to make a DVD with chapters and such to become unplayable in certain areas