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Personally I'm not a fan of soundports and I'm not an advocate of modifying factory guitars so that's probably not something that I would personally do...

I see a whole lot of potential problems there and very few (if any) potential improvements...

So why not? Nothing in that list of CONS seems to concern the owner. He obviously doesn't care about value or warrentee.

I would mostly worry about structural issues. It might be something to consider how to brace/patch the backside of the port first...or at least have some thought process into cutting the originating hole (carefull with tear-out etc). Cutting that hole clean may not be an issue if its Poly finished as that may help with chips etc.

The only mod work I turn down on a regular basis is to vintage guitars. I just won't cut a vintage guitar up for any reason. And when I work on vintage guitars that have been modded, most times I am trying to reverse the mod. (usually something someone did with a router a double coil pickup!).

THe biggest problem I find Todd, is that you take ownership of any issues/mistakes that happen once it is in your hands. This is true of the neck-resets I do. Man, while I am taking off a neck, I am praying the whole time that it will come off with no issues or unforseen damage. This is the case here too. Cutting into a guitar you didn't build could leave some unforseen issue you didn't plan on. Maybe a hidden brace, laminent sides with a void etc.

Joe

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Joe

Todd,

Oh, that's something I myself would steer away from. It's one thing to put one in a guitar you've built (doesn't sound like you're ready for that, just hypothethetically speaking). I'm thinking, what if it became viewed like the big repairer's sins from way back when - lopping off the FB extension when doing neck resets, or shaving top braces at the drop of a hat. They were accepted by many in those days, but to this day I cringe when I think of the jobs where I did them. I think adding soundholes may be seen the same way, years from now. "... but it's worth a lot less with that soundhole somebody cut into it."

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

My fear from this job would be the possibility of cracking and zipping the side during the operation. Taylor uses solid wood so there is no backup reinforcement. Adding reinforcment would be very difficult on a completed guitar. No way to get in there and clamp it properly. To risky for the likely payment.

Can it be done? Sure and done right. Only you know your level of ability to do it and do it right. I guess that is first question. Don't know other builder or thier experience to note why refered it rather than do it. All the concerns you noted are real so you know have to determine your own comfort level to do it. Customer may say now this is what wants and not matter about warranty and all of that, but sometimes customers also don't like the end result as things are not as they expected EVEN WHEN TOLD THE PROBLEMS that may occur. I have no doubt you could do this, but go with knowledge and gut. It will be what it will be if do it in the end and then can't change it back.

If the customer is willing to sign off on it I don't think making the port is a super big deal. You could add a couple of reinforcement veneers with a simple caul and magnets or even a small spreader and sticks. Starting the hole with a forstner bit and then a jig like Tony Karol's with a pattern bit should give you a very clean hole. A little CA to fill and then some shellac with a quick polish should look fine. All the other reasons though make it a tough decision. I would be very interested in what he thinks if you do it. Especially how it changes the sound to the player and a listener. Is it a basic Taylor or a higher end model?

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

It's not vintage NOW, but those old Martins weren't in 193x either.

If you do take it on, I'd for sure reinforce the side before cutting any big holes. You can drill a small one, and use that to pull a patch up tight on the inside. For that you could either shape a block exactly, which would be tricky, or shape one 'pretty close' to use, with some padding, as a caul for something else. I've used 1/32" plywood from the model airplane shop as a reinforcement several times. It's flexible enough to follow the curve, and quite strong. Epoxy it in with the face veneer across the grain of the side. Be sure to use a pieceof plastic bag on the caul: I know I don't need to tell you, but we all forget sometimes.....

Staying with a small port, and keeping it fairly close to the main soundhole location, will avoid large changes in the timbre. The 'main air' mode pitch will rise, and if it's already high that could lead to problems in the sound of the lowest notes. I'd chenck that before hand, and if it's already higher than, say, G#, I'd want to have some plan in place to drop it. You could do that by adding some sort of sleeve in the soundhole. That's another good use for the thin plywood. It might even work to add a tube to the port: I'll have to check that out when I get some time.

The hole can either be drilled with a Forstner bit and a backup block on the inside, or cut out with a Dremel/handshaft. One of my students put a port on a reso he made; the sound was originally 'choked' by a small soundhole. He used his handshaft to cut the hole in the side, and kept enlarging it until it started to sound worse. Then he put in a trim ring, which covered up the small irregularities around the rim and made the hole just enough smaller to get back into 'good' territory again. This would be an especially good way to go if you could do it when the owner was there; let HIM figure out how big he wants the hole. Then he's got less room to complain later.

Sure, why not - give em what they want and while your at it how about a retro-fitted cut-away too? Surely, and I am not calling you Shirley, the customer is always right - right?

PS: I am not a sound port fan either.......

Your "pro" list looks awfully short to me.

Part of being a professional as opposed to a pair of hired hands is that you exercise independent judgment about what's best for your client, and not do whatever you are asked. My advice is to follow your gut here.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Todd I am not sure trying to predetermine the size of a sound port is practicle, when I was in Frank Finnocchio's class , he was working on adding a sound port to one of his finished builds, he would whittle away at it when he had us busy , the sound port didnt seem to "work" until he reached a certain size opening.
It does not seem to me you could charge enough for the job to cover the responsibilities of doing it. I could be wrong though , some people want what they want ! Jody

I'll weigh in on this one, if only for some fun.

As to the value of a Taylor in some remote distant future...well, it might be valuable someday, but more than likely not. The old Martins that are valuable today were much more limited in their production numbers back then, and that is part of the reason they are so valuable. The Taylors are made by the tens of thousands, as compared to the hundreds or fewer of those old Martins. So there's a lot less chance of this or any Taylor having any great chance of value appreciation, except for limited editions. I'm not saying it won't happen, just that there's much less chance of it happening.

What's the knock on sound ports? I had never really played a guitar with one until I tried out Al's corker this past Sunday, and I have to say that opening up a few of the ports at the upper bout / waist area really made a great difference in the way I heard the sound coming from it. It gave the sonic illusion of the sound wrapping around the top and spilling over onto the side so I could hear it better. It was kind of nice...I liked it.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

As an owner I peronally would not void my warranty but who am I to say don't do it. I explain to the few clients that I have had that adding a port after the fact even if done by me, adding a port will negate the warranty on mine. That said I have done it twice to previous completed builds.

When I add a port to completed guitar, I make a caul the matches the inside upper bout shape that is 2” long x 2” wide unless that width interferes with linings for some reason. This caul is supported with and identical shaped caul on the other side of the body and spread with small turnbuckle and length of all thread. I then with a Forstner bit cut a 3/4” diameter hole, remove the cauls. If I want to enlarge the hole I use my 2” hand held pneumatic drum sander and hold the drum perpendicular to the existing hole centerline and sand to desired diameter by length. As you sand with the drum sander, due to the geometry of the upper bout radius and the diameter of the pneumatic drum sander you create an enlarged oval shape. I sand to the width and breath I think I want. Test and if more is needed sand some more. Carful it takes very little to sand a bunch. Once I am happy with the port I very carefully laminate 3” wide bias tape to the inside with thinned Titebond. Allow curing then carefully cutting with a razor to opening and sand the opening with 220p. Then I put an aired up balloon inside pressed against the port and touch up finish as required.

Its easy to add a soundport to a Taylor _ _ _CE. Just take out the electronics. I did it to my 714ce. No permanent damage, lightens it up a bit, sounds great, and you can get a good look at the insides. A wire was rattling around, so I had to take it off the panel to replace the wire guide. It was a good excuse to take it apart. Not exactly a clean look though.