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Harp guitar progress (pics)
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Author:  Dave White [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:31 am ]
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Little ladder braced "Jacob" - my first harp guitar - is coming along nicely and today I closed up the box. Here are a few pictures.

Here's the rim set with the back attached showing the cf flying buttress braces and the cf lattice braces for the hollow neck carrying the 6 sub-bass strings:



A side view showing the soundport:



Top signed next to the box, ready for glue up:



Top glued on - I'm using fish glue for this for the first time:



A couple of views of the "triabolic" bracing. The braces are just under 6mm wide and vary in height between 13-16mm at their tallest:





Thanks for looking.

Author:  Dave White [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:53 am ]
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[QUOTE=Hesh1956]
Why "Jacob" and not "Maslow?"[/QUOTE]

Hesh,

It's Jacob as in Jacob's Ladder - ladder braced, and you climb the ladder to heaven where the angels play wonderful music on their harp (guitars )
Author:  Sam Price [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:17 am ]
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ARRRGH!! I don't want to build a harp guitar, I don't want to build a harp guitar, I don't want to build a harp guitar....

If I repeat it often enough, I won't want to build one...

Dave, that is looking GREAT!!! I like the idea of two necks...I am assuming that the harp strings will be tuneable?

Author:  old man [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:59 am ]
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Wonderful, Dave!! That is really a different looking instrument. I would love to hear that thing.

Ron
Author:  Colin S [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 9:15 am ]
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Dave, another of your slightly outside the box instuments, but so Dave White. What tuning will it be?

I think if you didn't exist we'd have to invent you. Can't wait to hear it.

Colin
Author:  peterm [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:00 am ]
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Thats amazing!!!
Author:  GregG [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 11:02 am ]
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Neat Dave...I wouldn't know where to start with that one!

Greg
Author:  KenH [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 6:04 pm ]
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I had no idea that they had such structural type of bracing in them (the black looking braces?)


Interesting build!
Author:  robertD [ Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:58 pm ]
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Dave, that’s a very interesting structural design!

The hollow neck bracing pattern is commonly used for floor trusses.

I’m curious about the top. How thick is it now, and how thick will it be when your done?

Robert
Author:  Mark Hanna [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:17 am ]
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Great job Dave, How did you come up with the plans for this? Is there a place you can get plans for a harp guitar? Would love to try this one!
Author:  Dave White [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:36 am ]
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Sam,

Yes the sub-bass strings are tuneable and there is going to be be a great deal of experimentation as to what they will be tuned to. If all else fails I can use the second neck as a Weissenborn

Ron,

Thanks - you will. When it's finished I will do a sound clip as usual.

Colin,

Mainly in DADGAD with the sub strings something like F G A B Bb C, depending on how low I can get them to sound reasonably with a 0.070" biggest string.


Peter, Greg, Todd - thanks.


Ken,

They probably don't. The flying butress braces I do in all but my Weissenborn guitars and the carbon-fibre lattice on the hollow neck was done from the ends of cf rods that went in my necks that I kept thinking they would come in useful. Hopefully they will give good stifness and resistance to the 6 sub-bass strings pull for virtually no weight.

Robert,

The top varies in thickness now from just under 2.5-3mm. It will be thinned around the perimeters to leave it about 2.8mm in the centre , going down to around 2.2mm at the edges.

Mark,

The plans are my own based around a small ladder braced Concert sized guitar I made. You can follow the build on my website.


You can get plans for a Dyer type harp guitar from Harp Guitar Music

Author:  drfuzz [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:10 am ]
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It's great to see somoeone's progress on one of these. Building a harp guitar is way up on my list of things to make - one day I will get to it! This one looks like it will sound great AND last a long time
Author:  McCollum [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:39 pm ]
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Dave ,make two seprate bridges ,it will sound better!
Lance
Author:  rich altieri [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:39 pm ]
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This is what happens when talent and ambition meet!!!!

You da man. Wish I had that combination of talent and ambition. Very nice
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:59 pm ]
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Dave,
That is so cool.

Thanks for posting.

Steve
Author:  Dave White [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:34 pm ]
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[QUOTE=McCollum] Dave ,make two seprate bridges ,it will sound better!
Lance[/QUOTE]

Lance,

Thanks for the feedback. Your guitars and harp guitars are truly inspirational.

Do you mean that sperate bridges means you can set the sub-bass one further back to get longer scale length and better sound, or that seperating them means both bridges operate better, or both? This guitar is very much a prototype/trial and the design I have done means I will use an extended bridge, but I have a harp set of Lutz from Shane Neifer that - when I find the right b/s set - will become my first "proper" harp guitar whose design is still "eveolving" in my head.

Author:  Dave White [ Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:45 pm ]
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Kevin,

Thanks - they are interesting and fun to make.

Rich,
You are very kind but ambition isn't hard to get, and my talent is pretty average for the builders I see posting here on the OLF. I think what I do have is no real fear of failure (everything that doesn't work teaches you as much and possibly more than what does) and a great sense of curiosity. All the rest is just applying guitar making skills combined with logical thinking and an occasional burst or two of imagination.

Steve,

With my four daughters, cool is a state that I have to be in most of the time.

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