Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - Turn old classical into resonator?

I found an old dreadnought body. I think I should salvage that classical guitar's neck and see If I can use it with that dreadnought body. I don't know what that dreadnought body is made of or how is it's condition. It will arrive in few days.

Why Isn't maple used on acoustic guitar fingerboards?

I've heard that oak is not a tonewood but It has about the same density as rosewood.

How hard is it to work with abalone? Using it as binding and rosette.

How hard is it to bend maple sides?

rasmus wrote:

Rasmus-
It would be very unlikely that the scale lengths and bridge positions would work out for that idea, I think.

For you dreadnought project, a new neck would be a better option, if it has no neck at all. You would need to figure out the scale length to work with the existing bridge position.

Cheers
John

I haven't found much information about uncommon woods and took a easy way out and just asked here :roll:

If that dreadnought body has different neck joint, how hard would it be to match classical guitar's neck and dreadnought body together?

Author:	rasmus [ Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:04 am ]
Post subject:	Turn old classical into resonator?
I found a old classical guitar for 10$. When it arrived I found it it's a smoker's guitar Body is pretty beat up. top is coming off from one side and theres a gap between neck and the body (at the joint). However neck is in decent shape. I'm holding it in a big garbage bag (It was impossible to breath in my room after 20 minutes when I was inspecting the guitar). Sides&back are not as beat up as the top so I thought I should keep the sides&back and make a new top. I wouldn't want to make a simple classical guitar, I thought I should make something different like a resonator or something crazy like a fretless acoustic Would sanding and air freshener get rid of the smell? Neck is 5 piece (mahogany, something, mahogany, something, mahogany) would it handle steel strings. (it has an unadjustable truss rod) Are there any nylon string resonators? (sorry for my ignorance) Any other good ideas I should do with the guitar?

Author:	JohnAbercrombie [ Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Before thinking about sanding, I'd just give the guitar a good cleaning to start on the smoke smell problem. There are specialized enzyme cleaning products used to clean houses - a friend bought a very (tobacco) smokey smelling house and had it cleaned professionally - some rooms weren't even repainted and the smoke odour is gone completely. You might be able to find more info on this type of thing- similar to getting rid of smoke smell after a fire. Trying to mask the smell is probably not a great idea, IMO. This could be a good opportunity to try out a different style of classical top construction - lattice bracing, double top, etc. I got an older Hofner classical with a smashed top a few years ago. Did a new top, converted to bolt-on neck, etc- pretty interesting project. Unfortunately, I got distracted and it's still awaiting a bridge. (Hung it up to 'let the finish harden for a week or two' in 2007!) Cheers John

Author:	rasmus [ Sun Jan 17, 2010 7:51 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Some pictures: http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/83/pilt0005.jpg Neck http://yfrog.com/2ppilt0006j Top http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/7726/pilt0007.jpg Sides are seperated little bit. Neck has lifted little bit http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/9660/pilt0008.jpg Gap between the top and sides Sorry for bad quality Is it possible to glue sides back together at the neck heel? Should I just salvage the neck or make a new top and experiment something crazy John that top looks great

Author:	Hesh [ Sun Jan 17, 2010 7:56 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Hi Rasmus and welcome to the OLF! Can an old classical be turned into a resonator? Sure - if you hit it hard enough..... John is giving you great advice so I have nothing to add other than that top looks excellent John - get a bridge on it and string her up! Welcome aboard Rasmus!

Author:	JohnAbercrombie [ Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Rasmus- That guitar doesn't look so bad! You could use it to practice some repair techniques, or something more drastic (re-top, etc). Resonator guitars tend to be quite heavily built, so perhaps a bit 'far' from the classical end of things. (I don't know how heavy your guitar is..) One thing which the separating back might allow you to see is what sort of neck joint the guitar has. Traditional Spanish-syle classical necks with the sides let into saw cuts are essentially 'built-in' to the guitar and not removable without quite a lot of disassembly. Factory guitars use a variety of attachment methods- dovetail, dowels and butt joint, etc. The Hofner in the pics above had a straight tenon glued into a laminated U-shaped plywood headblock. Some poking around with a mirror and light will give you more info as well. What you do with the guitar should probably depend on its quality when new as much as its condition now. What info is on the label? You didn't say whether the top/back/sides were solid wood or plywood. Checking at the soundhole and looking at the grain patterns on the inside and outside of the guitar can give you a hint about that. In any event, it will definitely need a refret. Another thing to consider would be to turn it into a 'nylon jazz classic' with a K&K pickup under the soundboard. Keep us posted- these projects are interesting. Thanks to both you and Hesh for the comments on my little Hofner project- I added some (glass) tube struts from the headblock to the waist as well. Top was a $4 Englemann top. Spalted wood for rosette from the firewood pile. The bridge is going to be a Gilbert-style with pin-type saddles- some day! It's fun when 'you've got nothing to lose' on a project -it's one of the great benefits of being an amateur. Cheers John

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Author:	rasmus [ Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:02 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Label inside says Musima resonata and made in German democratic republic. B&S are made of laminate mahogany and top seems to be solid spruce (not sure about the top). Neck seems to have dovetail joint. I found an old dreadnought body. I think I should salvage that classical guitar's neck and see If I can use it with that dreadnought body. I don't know what that dreadnought body is made of or how is it's condition. It will arrive in few days. That nylon jazz classic sounds like a interesting idea but would it be playable with wide classical guitar nut? If I already made a thread, I've got few questions about my first acoustic build I'd like to ask. There are spruces, maples, oaks, ashes and cedars in my country (Estonia). I could probably get those woods from local lumberyards dirt cheap. I wouldn't want to spend too much money on my first build. Top: solid cedar or spruce Sides&back: solid maple Neck: solid maple Fingerboard: ebony or maple Binding: abalone? Rosette: abalone? Bridge: oak? Inlays: ? Bracing: ? Why Isn't maple used on acoustic guitar fingerboards? I've heard that oak is not a tonewood but It has about the same density as rosewood. How hard is it to work with abalone? Using it as binding and rosette. How hard is it to bend maple sides?

Author:	JohnAbercrombie [ Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:01 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Rasmus- I'll get back to you with a more detailed reply later today. I just wanted to mention that it's usually better to start a new topic when you have a new question. So for your questions about the materials for your first build, it would be better to start a new topic in the 'Guitar building' area rather than here in the 'Official Resonator' area. You will get more people seeing your question there, I think. There is no problem just copying and pasting your questions from here into a new topic, which should have a title like 'Will these materials work for my first build?". Cheers John

Author:	rasmus [ Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
JohnAbercrombie wrote: rasmus wrote: I found an old dreadnought body. I think I should salvage that classical guitar's neck and see If I can use it with that dreadnought body. I don't know what that dreadnought body is made of or how is it's condition. It will arrive in few days. Rasmus- It would be very unlikely that the scale lengths and bridge positions would work out for that idea, I think. For you dreadnought project, a new neck would be a better option, if it has no neck at all. You would need to figure out the scale length to work with the existing bridge position. Cheers John Actually I thought about making a nylon jazz guitar, resonator or something else less common. I don't think it would be worth it to repair cheap laminate acoustic. I could probably get more luthier experience out of it if I did something more than just fix it up. If that dreadnought body has different neck joint, how hard would it be to match classical guitar's neck and draednought body together? I'm still in the "research step" with my acoustic guitar build. I thought I would make a topic with pictures of the build and ask questions there If I can't find an answer in the internet. I haven't found much information about uncommon woods and took a easy way out and just asked here I wouldn't want to just throw that old classical guitar away. I would lose 10 bucks

Author:	JohnAbercrombie [ Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
rasmus wrote: I haven't found much information about uncommon woods and took a easy way out and just asked here No problem, but... As I said, new subject, new 'topic' in the right forum will get you the most answers, and the most viewers. Some folks never look here in the Resonator area, but may be quite active in the Guitar Building' area. Believe me, you don't want to get advice from only me!

Author:	WudWerkr [ Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:42 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
Take a few min and look over the redneck reso thread , u prolly dont wanna do that , however its good for a laugh

Author:	alan stassforth [ Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
stumbled on this u tube vid, and remembered this thread... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkuCVTsc ... re=related

Author:	Dan Pennington [ Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:20 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Turn old classical into resonator?
It took me a while to find it in my collection of guitar literature. In the StewMac Trade Secrets Book Two published in 1999, there is an article on one of their staff turning an old classic guitar into a resonator guitar. Page 148 So, I tried it and it worked OK. I wanted a more steel body blues sound and it sounded country dobro so I sold it on the Reso Hangout as a kit because no one wanted it as a complete guitar. Unfortunately I didn't keep any photos of it , but you can see it in the ResoHangout ad: http://www.resohangout.com/classifieds/ ... sp?cid=271 An interesting project.

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