Solid Body Acoustic

[Mr T]

HI Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone on here has built a solid / Chambered body acoustic like a godin? I'd love to put one together with warmoth parts but I'm not sure if it's possible. I like the godin but I can't get on with the neck, and like my own spin on the design eg, tummy and forearm cut. Any help would be great!
Cheers
DT

 

[Johnny]

Not sure exactly what your looking to do, but there's a link in the following thread that's a pretty awesome nylon stringed Warmoth.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20160.msg297478#msg297478

 

[Mr T]

Not sure exactly what your looking to do, but there's a link in the following thread that's a pretty awesome nylon stringed Warmoth.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20160.msg297478#msg297478

This is exactly what I'm talking about!!! This is lush, I do want it to be a steel strung guitar though. I play in an Irish band and I'd like to play something that would be more comfortable to play on stage (freeing me to jump around like a crazed loon)
I was thinking of using a hollow body tele body, and sticking a piezo under the bridge and possibly a transducer on the front/sound board. I really like the idea of a paduk neck as I sweat buckets on stage (nice image for you all there) and both nitro and poly finishes can feel sticky (again, another great image for you all).
Any and all comments and ideas would be great

 

[craigtoo]

Not sure exactly what your looking to do, but there's a link in the following thread that's a pretty awesome nylon stringed Warmoth.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20160.msg297478#msg297478

This is exactly what I'm talking about!!! This is lush, I do want it to be a steel strung guitar though. I play in an Irish band and I'd like to play something that would be more comfortable to play on stage (freeing me to jump around like a crazed loon)
I was thinking of using a hollow body tele body, and sticking a piezo under the bridge and possibly a transducer on the front/sound board. I really like the idea of a paduk neck as I sweat buckets on stage (nice image for you all there) and both nitro and poly finishes can feel sticky (again, another great image for you all).
Any and all comments and ideas would be great

Mr. T...!

I'm looking for a "harder" Seamus Egan sound...  Is that what you're after? 

This is exactly what I've spent hours considering.  A hollow body, piezo, and nylon strung 5 or 6 string - Tuned in 5ths.  Archtop? Pine?  EDIT: Spruce?

I play Bouzouki's and Octave Mando's now (and fiddle).  I'd like to add more edge to the Irish Trad band I'm in.      Or start a new one....  Carry on.  Reading with interest!

[return to lurk mode]

 

[stubhead]

Steve_Karl is the guy:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?action=profile;u=2388;area=showposts;start=60

There are some other posts you can search out, going through a lot of the details. (Going by approx. time period might be your easiest filter.) And he'd probably be willing to chat, most of us are after you laud our genius to a suitable degree.

 

[Mr T]

Ok I now want to build 2 guitars!
I’m aiming for half way between the traditional acoustic thunk, and the bite of a telecaster bridge. At the minute, there’s an accordion, fiddle, bass, mandolin and banjo so the ablity to mix the electric and acoustic sound on-the-fly would make my life so much easier.
The guitar I want to build is for DADGAD/Standard tuning accompaniment. I currently use a lowden but it’s not really built for “Jumping round the stage”.
The spec for this guitar is roughly this –  (Oh it’s called the PaddiCaster BTW)
Paduk tele neck, corian nut, planet waves tuners, (I hit pretty hard and need to be able to change strings quickly and in the dark!)
Semi Hollow/chambered Swamp Ash tele body in butterscotch blonde and a
Tele style bridge but made out of Ebony, with a split bridge for better innoatation (like the lowden)
Headway snake piezo under saddle pickup, with a stacked volume and tone control.
Bare knuckle Brown Sugar single coil at the bridge with a stacked Vol and tone
I really want to build a short scale 4/5 tenor guitar as well, basing the neck on a 510-520mm scale length for tunes. I’d like it to similar to the above build but maybe it might look a little strange.
That said warmoth do a double neck body ………………………………………

 

[Johnny]

Something like this...

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Bodies/DoubleNecks/DoubleTele.aspx

Though, I'm not sure if they offer it as a hollow body.

Also, you may want to add stainless steel frets to your build list.  Pretty much everyone here loves them.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Stainless frets would be overkill for a nylon string guitar, but for anything made of metal...  If you make a guitar with out pickups, there is a marker hole for the CNC mill right about where the bridge pickup would lie.  Just be aware it is there ifthere is no pickup route.  Kind of sounds like you are going to do a number of ideas with this one though.
Patrick

 

[Johnny]

Stainless frets would be overkill for a nylon string guitar, but for anything made of metal...

Unless I read wrong, the plan is to build a steel string guitar.  As for stainless frets on a nylon string guitar, you certainly don't need them to extend fret wear, but I'm not sure how they would feel.  I know I don't bend strings when playing on nylon strings which is where you really feel the difference, but then there are others that are considerably more aggressive players.

 

[dmraco]

you can make ANY solid guitar sound like an acoustic.  All you need is a Fishman Powerbridge.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/fishman-powerbridge-pickup-for-les-paul?src=3WWRWXGP

You will need the pre-amp too:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/fishman-powerchip-preamp

Build ANY guitar you like, and add this bridge.  Or add it to a current axe.  Sounds great.

I build one for my church work.  I can switch between acoustic, electric, or a combo of the two.

 

[Mr T]

Thanks a million everyone you've given me a lot of help. I do intend on sticking acoustic strings on this guitar and was wondering if anyone has done this on the graphtech ghost or fishman system, and did it sound "more acoustic"?

 

[alterbridgefan]

Allow me to vent... I've always thought it would be awesome to build a solid bodied classical... spruce top, walnut body, classical bridge with a big, fat, raw neck.

 

[dmraco]

Thanks a million everyone you've given me a lot of help. I do intend on sticking acoustic strings on this guitar and was wondering if anyone has done this on the graphtech ghost or fishman system, and did it sound "more acoustic"?

See my post above....I have used the fishman.

When you say acoustic strings, do you mean steel or nylon

 

[Johnny]

Stainless frets would be overkill for a nylon string guitar, but for anything made of metal...  If you make a guitar with out pickups, there is a marker hole for the CNC mill right about where the bridge pickup would lie.  Just be aware it is there ifthere is no pickup route.  Kind of sounds like you are going to do a number of ideas with this one though.
Patrick

I was thinking about this project and the marker hole. I nice solution to the hole might be to install an inlay over the hole. You could put whatever appeals to you, a gecko, geometric, etc. DePaule is a good source and a good place to look for ideas.

 

[stubhead]

Allow me to vent... I've always thought it would be awesome to build a solid bodied classical... spruce top, walnut body, classical bridge with a big, fat, raw neck.

You know it's been done on a commercial basis, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Chet_Atkins_SST
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=gibson+chet+atkins+sst

Besides the SST, there are a number of others. You could probably do one just as good or better with a bit of research - they seem pretty expensive for what it really is - a board, a bridge, a transducer....

 

[alterbridgefan]

I was thinking more along the lines of steve's build but classical, not just nylon. The look, too, of a classical. ivoroid binding, spruce top, traditional bridge.

 

[Steve_Karl]

One of the real perks of the one I did is the strat bridge making each string totally adjustable.
The body is very light, much more so than I expected, but I'm not complaining.

 

[Johnny]

One of the real perks of the one I did is the strat bridge making each string totally adjustable.
The body is very light, much more so than I expected, but I'm not complaining.

Steve, that is just a gorgeous instrument.  Great job!!!  :icon_thumright:

 

[Mr T]

One of the real perks of the one I did is the strat bridge making each string totally adjustable.
The body is very light, much more so than I expected, but I'm not complaining.

Steve, that is just a gorgeous instrument.  Great job!!!  :icon_thumright:

I would have to agree, I'm considering doing the tele version. But it is a thing to behold!

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks guys.
Warmoth made it easy.

S