Official Luthiers Forum!

Wow, I'm impressed you were able to build a guitar with the Overholtzer book--good job! I know many of his techniques and reasoning are considered "squirly" to say the least by todays standards and understanding. He did build some great sounding guitars however, so maybe he did know a few things.      He may have been one of the first builders to use a table saw to cut a traditional spanish heel.

Anyhow, to answer your question, I build all Hauser style classicals and use a 25' radius on the top and a 15' radius on the back. I think this is a very good compromise for classical guitars.

Cheers!

John

P.S. Make sure you look at a few of the newer books on building. They will make the job much easier than the old Overholtzer book.

I use a 30' radius top & back for all guitars.
The higher numerically radius produces a tighter more high end tone for me .But the 30' is just right!

But all aspects such as wood thicknesses and brace strength play a big part of the overall picture.
I tried many different radius before finding the 30' the best for my guitars.

It's worth the time and wood if you have it to try different combinations to find the one you like.

Mike Collins

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Mike Collins

I have talked with one maker who builds the classical top flat, and then radius's the bottom of the bridge which 'sucks' the top into an arch when it's glued on.

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

[QUOTE=Mike Collins]
The higher numerically radius produces a tighter more high end tone for me .But the 30' is just right! Mike Collins
[/QUOTE]

So are you actually able to tell a difference in tone between the different radiuses? I wouldn't have thought there would really be any difference in sound. The higher the number radius, the less the top is 'domed', thus it seems like there would be less stress, thus a lower resonant tone if anything?

John

OoPS!!!
Yes I'm backwards most of the time !
The smaller numerically radius makes for a tighter sound !
Just picture the top and -or- back pulled in a tighter curve!!
I've used this to produce guitars with a great treble(Classicals) AND punchy bass !
BUT most of my clients still want the warmth of the 30' tops & backs!
I like it also !
Mike Collins Mike Collins39103.7081944444

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Mike Collins

I know they are not guitars but they do function in the same way, but I use, as do all, a flat top on my lutes. The sound they produce has always surprised me in the amount of volume and the purity of the tone. I have inspected and repaired many and have rarely found that they have cracked tops from humidity problems. Some of the back joints on very elderly ones have moved and separated but rarely are the tops overly distorted from string tension (up to 25). Maybe the old guys watching the gap in their glued together thin strips of spruce knew more about wood than we do. Or maybe their wood had gone through many more cycles of hot/cold than ours before they used it.

Colin

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