I made a documentary about building guitars some years ago - free on the tube for anyone interested
What an incredible film.
Some great playing - I could listen to a lot more of that - and expert craftsmanship too.
Interesting comment that each soundboard has to be tuned separately. I guess that’s in terms of the size of the internal bracing rather than the layout of the braces. Must need a very practised ear to hear the difference as those extra handful of shavings come off.
Thanks for sharing. I would never have stumbled across that in the vast mass of YouTube.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
Brilliant film. I was multitasking but had to stop everything else to give it my full attention. Love the headstock carving with hand tools. Also the use of egg white to seal the soundboard was interesting, similar to traditional artists way of making paint - egg white mixed with pigment.
Bergen is a great place I hope to go back there some day.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
People often tune the back and front to a set interval, say 5th apart, C for the back and G for the front. Some use an electronic tuner and some do it by ear. Removing wood lowers the frequency I think.
I’ve seen builders tune each plate after it has been roughly thicknessed and outlined, then scrape down to the desired note. The bracing is then added and shaved down to get to the final tuning.
There are also people who tune by flexibility, how stiff it is.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
People often tune the back and front to a set interval, say 5th apart, C for the back and G for the front. Some use an electronic tuner and some do it by ear. Removing wood lowers the frequency I think.
Presumably that the "tap tone" Bill?
The more I learn about making acoustic instruments, the more skills it requires!
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
Yes tap tuning. Some makers also tune the sound board after the sound box is assembled by tapping and listening to the vibrations. Then they scrape away shavings on the outside until they are happy.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Thanks @Rocknroller912
I think I'll probably put any vague ideas of making an acoustic to one side for now. I'm usually happy if I can an electric playing adequately, and that requires a whole lot less skill!
I can imagine spending hours, days, weeks - ok, probably months - making an acoustic, and then finding that it doesn't play or sound as good as my old £150 Yamaha.
Which would be frustrating.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk