Official Luthiers Forum!

I am messing around with steel string guitar shapes in preparation for building a new guitar. I have been concentrating on what looks good to me. I know only the basics about the affects for shape and volume on guitar sound. Anybody know of a good source of wisdon on the subject of guitar geometry?

Charlie, here is a nice web site on guitar acoustics.

Music Acoustics Don A39055.8738888889

_________________
Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

The way I figure it, make a distinctive shape and it will contribute to a distinctive sound. If 'distinctive' is part of what you're after (in my case, it is), this is a good thing. I don't think you can make a bad sounding guitar by making it a different shape.

Just one thought on the subject.

_________________
Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

The basic rule is whatever you do it will still sound like a guitar. I think sometimes we can get a little too obsessive on shapes, If you just stuck to basic OM or OOO shape the variations on bracing, top wood, body depth etc could possibly give you every type of sound you wanted.

That said I just love the OO size for it's playability.

Colin

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Just a side note worth considering. I went far enough down the trail of designing my own "custom" shape to have a moment of reality. I will have to order a custom case too.

I know that there are those who will build the inside to fit your custom guitar shape.

For those who have had to do this - what is the premium for having a case made to fit?

Ameritage it is not as much as you may think. I am not permitted to post the Luther's price on the forum but I will tell you that My custom SJ shape + custom interior fabric + custom exterior fabric + my logo embroidered on the Ameritage case cost about $60 more that the standard Gold series case when I buy 1-3 cases at a time and about $30 more per case at 4-6 at a time.MichaelP39056.680787037

I think shape has at least some effect. Make a teardrop shaped guitar and it will have a bozouki like sound. Make a guitar shaped bosouki and it sounds guitar like. I Haven't heard more than a couple guitar shaped bosoukies but they both had guitar like sound. It could have all been because of the bracing pattern.

Welcome Aboard!

Hi Charlie,
I have built a few differently shaped guitars and it would seem the sound of the instruments are more effected by changing the bracing, bridge placement, sound hole and inner air space etc. than by the shape itself.
I make gobs of drawings before settling on a specific shape.
The strange thing is, over the years my drawings are getting closer to looking like a 00 size guitar shape.
Let us know what shapes look good to you?

Wade

_________________
Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

THanks for all the interest in my question about guitars shapes. I am new to this site and am amazed at the participation level.

Thanks Hesh in Mich.for the welcome aboard message.

To Don Atwood - I checked out the music acoustics web site you suggested and found a deep well of technical info. Going to take some time to absorb all that. Thanks Don

In answer to Wade's question, I am ending up with a shape very similar to the new Taylor GS series. My quest was not for something distinctive but something that looks right in a more traditional sense. As I thot about moving the soundhole or making it bigger or changing the width of the waist etc, I began to question the affect of these changes on the sound. That was the motivation for this posting. The message I get from all the responses is that as long as I don't wonder too far off the norm there are other things that will have more impact on sound.

Thanks again for all the help. Charlie