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Harp guitar - pics and soundclips
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=13114		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Dave White [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:22 am ]
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Well this is both niche market AND ladder braced so be prepared . . . .



Jacob ladder braced harp guitar with 6 sub-bass strings– 4 piece Lutz spruce top, 6 piece English walnut back, English walnut sides and bindings with bwb side purfling and bwbbwb top and back purfling. Rosette is twin circles of bwbbwb. Neck is English walnut /Cuban mahogany /EIR/ Cuban mahogany / English walnut with scarfe joint, stacked heel, and adjustable neck joint. Fingerboard, bridge, tail wedge, headstocks and backstrap veneers are cocobolo. Ebony bridgepins and slotted bridge. 3 bone saddles and 2 bone nuts. Hollow arm peghead is English walnut. Gotoh slothead tuners. Side-soundport. Finish is hand-rubbed pre-catalysed lacquer over Z-poxy on the back and sides and over shellac on the top. Neck is Tru-oil over Z-poxy. Tuning: F G A Bb C D D A D G A D. String gauges: 0.070”, 0.070”, 0.062”, 0.059”, 0.053”, 0.053”, 0.042”, 0.032”, 0.024”, 0.016”, 0.012”. Scale length 24.6” and sub-basses approx. 28”.

I’m very pleased with the sound – the combination of hollow arm, side soundport and sympathetic sub-basses means that it sounds like I am playing inside a church or cathedral with the built in reverb and the rumble and punch I get in my belly from the back is very satisfying. The bottom 2 sub-basses are a little floppy but this was as big a string that I currently want to use. With some K&K mini’s installed it will sound great. This is a very light and compact guitar but I’m still working out the “string geography” and it will take me a long time to work out how to play it to get the most out of the sub-basses.Also the tuning possibilities are pretty huge It got it’s debut at Folk Club Night at Burwell (my annual summer treat) last week:



Here are the sound of the strings and octave harmonics:

Strings

And here is a piece where I am using some perfunctory sub-bass arpeggios and runs. It’s an excerpt from a medley I played at Burwell, this tune is Pierre Bensusan’s “Voyage d’Ireland” recorded into an AKG C1000S with flat EQ and no effects added:

Voyage D'Irelande

Thanks for looking and listening.
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:31 am ]
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Dave, that is truly beautiful in looks and sound.  Very complex tonally.  The playing is nice too.
Author:  Colin S [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:50 am ]
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Dave as I said before fabulous guitar, just got to love having two slotheads on one guitar and three saddles! Sounds good and as usual your playing brings out the best in it.

You can always be relied upon to build an ultra niche guitar. Now you've just got to build the case.

You could spend a whole lifetime of playing and still not cover all of the alternative tunings and string gauges.

Colin
Author:  Sam Price [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:52 am ]
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David,

I always find your work inspiring. WELL DONE!! What a treat to come home from work and see this thread!!

I love the sub basses.....I imagine the basses are a LOT warmer and intense in "real life"- I feel the microphone hasn't picked up the basses as well as it should.

Walnut has such a unique "nutty" tone that really seems to go well with the Celtic/Folk sound.

FANTASTIC work Dave, and GREAT playing!!

I sincerely hope you have space to store this guitar in your house!!
Author:  LanceK [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:53 am ]
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Very nice Dave!
Author:  Don A [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:11 am ]
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Dave it looks and sounds great. I'm amazed at how quickly you finished this build.
Author:  Andy Matthews [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:57 am ]
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That sounds truly wonderful!
I've played a couple of harp guitars, and they're excellent instruments. Even though I don't really know what to do with all the bass strings the guitar-side of the instrument benefits so much from that big soundbox and sympathetic string vibration.

Well done!
Author:  RobE [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:11 am ]
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That sounds amazing! Thanks for the showing us your wonderful build.
Author:  old man [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:01 am ]
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Some day when I don't have dial-up


Beautiful instrument, Dave!!!

Ron
Author:  Dave White [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:33 am ]
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[QUOTE=Hesh1956]
The last three notes of part of the tuning clip reminds me a Sarah Vaughan and Send in the clowns.
[/QUOTE]

Hesh,

Do you mean like this :

Send in the Clowns
Author:  Bruce Dickey [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:48 am ]
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[QUOTE=old man] Some day when I don't have dial-up


Beautiful instrument, Dave!!!

Ron[/QUOTE]

First, I agree, this is a neat design and it sounds great.

Secondly, Ron, How 'bout I burn you a copy?
Author:  Bruce Dickey [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:31 am ]
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Ron PM me your address, your high speed is in the mail.....
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:41 am ]
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Dave, I suffer with Ron's dilemma...
But like him, I think your harp guitar is beautiful.
It's amazing how quickly you can put 'em together!

Steve
Author:  jack [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:08 pm ]
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A very nice looking and sounding harp guitar Dave... send in the clowns, really nice..
jack
Author:  K.O. [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:42 pm ]
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Dave can you guess what I have been doing all day.

Running multiple OLF copies and sound files to match and pondering reading specs and pondering some more,
then letting go of it all for a while and just listening and enjoying.

A whole lot to think about.

Embarrassed my mind thought of a couple of non-destructive experiments.

All the finer points in your design to me really do seem to fit and complement each other.

I do think this design rides a bit of a razors edge.
It looks as though very subtle changes in brace carving and placement could have large impact in the character of voice?

Author:  Rick Turner [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:59 pm ]
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Very nice take on the hollow arm harp guitar concept.   Nice sound and playing as well. Good one!
Author:  Rick Turner [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:01 pm ]
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Oh, have you considered installing harp sharping levers?
Author:  Dave White [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:44 pm ]
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Waddy,

Thanks - this really is a guitar you can get lost in.

Colin,

Thanks too. I thought about building a case but I think I'm going to have to do a lot of busking and get Calton to make one for me.

Sam,

Thanks - there's usually a space for another one . . . just

Lance, Don, Jammy and RobE - thanks

Hesh - resonant it certainly is and it has my trademark loudness too!! Glad you like Clows. I hope the B part is right as I couldn't find a recording, but it seems to fit.

Ron and Steve - Sorry, but broadband is "cheap as chips" over here and I always thibk of the US as being so far ahead. Hope Bruce can sort you out.

Bruce & Jack - thanks.

Kirby - I think knife-edge is a great description and is where I aim for on my instruments. I treat bracing as much as a friend rather than a structural nuicance. It's there as much to shape the sound as much as it is to structurally support. I thik subtle changes have subtle impacts but I always "voice" my toops the same way - carve and sand until I have ringing sustain just about everywhere - including the upper bout area which is only tonally dead if you want to make it that way. Thinking gets you only so far, having the wood in your hands and doing/making is the only real way to learn.

Rick - thanks. That means a lot coming from you. This is really my first "sighting shot" with this sort of instrument and I wanted to explore small/ladder bracing and so the double slothead was just perfect. Also I'm so used to moving between tunings that my fingers and ears work just as quickly as levers and as well for me. I have a proper Lutz harp set from Shane waiting to do a "real" harp guitar at some stage and the prospect of changing sub-bass tunings mid-tune could be interesting so the sharpening levers may be included. These instruments could be very addictive
Author:  Arnt Rian [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:04 pm ]
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I finally got a chance to listen to the soundclips on my good computer. I sounds great, and fine playing too!

I always look forward to seeing your instruments, they may be a bit "different" but they have your personal touches and they are recongnizeable from instrument to instrument. I like your style, and it is wonderful to see how you develop with each new creation; keep it up!
Author:  Dave Rickard [ Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:59 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Steve Kinnaird] Dave, I suffer with Ron's dilemma...
Steve[/QUOTE]
Steve, If it's okay with Dave and you want a copy I can burn a CD for you. PM your snail mail
Author:  Sam Price [ Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:25 pm ]
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Dave, will you be exhibiting this at the Acoustic Guitar Show in September?
Author:  Dave White [ Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:09 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Sam Price] Dave, will you be exhibiting this at the Acoustic Guitar Show in September?[/QUOTE]

Sam,

Yes
Author:  Kim [ Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:07 am ]
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Dave, this is yet another wonderful looking and sounding instrument,combined with your superb playing skills the result is mesmerizing.

Cheers

Kim
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