42 string guitar?

i'm listening to the video ...

the 19th string on the left hand side is a touch flat. honestly, imagine tuning that thing?! i think i'd rather just make some friends with normal guitars and have them play some songs with me :D

it is incredible though :)

Andy.
 
that thing has to be pretty structurally solid to be able to hold all those strings in tune without just exploding to bits under the pressure. amazing.
 
zed32 said:
that thing has to be pretty structurally solid to be able to hold all those strings in tune without just exploding to bits under the pressure. amazing.
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All those strings are not tuned to optimum tension. Many are designed to vibrate sympathetically. It is not as complex as it first seems. A very nice instrument to boot. There are others the idea is not new.
 
Can you imagine if the strings broke? It'd be lethal.

I remember seeing pictures of this guitar on another website but never heard it being played.

I'd hate to put new strings on it.
 
I saw Pat play that a few years ago...he had one song on his "Imaginary Day" CD that he used it on, so he only played it on that song. Not exactly a "go to" guitar...
 
muttley600 said:
All those strings are not tuned to optimum tension. Many are designed to vibrate sympathetically. It is not as complex as it first seems. A very nice instrument to boot. There are others the idea is not new.
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it says in the description the instrument is under 1000 lbs of pressure when all 42 strings are up to pitch.
 
faderbug said:
it says in the description the instrument is under 1000 lbs of pressure when all 42 strings are up to pitch.
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is that a lot? i assume so, obviously.

how much pressure is a normal guitar under?

Andy.
 
mshilarious said:
Yeah, I can hardly be bothered to tune my 29 string harp, fortunately that is a stable instrument :o
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Orchestral Harps have 37 strings. The harpist always has to get to rehearsal early to tune so it is quiet. I am pretty punctual, I always get to a rehearsal a half-hour in advance. The harpist is always on stage tuning.

Harpists spend their lives tuning. :D Ironically they dont play that much, its not like there is harp throughout a symphony, just scattered bits here and there.
 
andydeedpoll said:
is that a lot? i assume so, obviously.

how much pressure is a normal guitar under?

Andy.
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someone is bound to correct me on this but i thought is was about 160 lbs for acoustic bronze strings and about 90 for steel strings
 
DavidK said:
Orchestral Harps have 37 strings. The harpist always has to get to rehearsal early to tune so it is quiet. I am pretty punctual, I always get to a rehearsal a half-hour in advance. The harpist is always on stage tuning.

Harpists spend their lives tuning. :D Ironically they dont play that much, its not like there is harp throughout a symphony, just scattered bits here and there.
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There's certainly something to be said for playing oboe. Well, except for :eek: ;)

OK, I think I could handle cymbals :o
 
faderbug said:
it says in the description the instrument is under 1000 lbs of pressure when all 42 strings are up to pitch.
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Yep but that isn't a problem when the soundboard is well braced and you have solid bridge blocks. Also that is an over calculation in my estimate. Your average set of medium guitar strings places 180lbs on the neck and body. Its also pulling not compressing. I'd be more worried about glue joints than the top giving up.

A piano is under huge amounts of tension and the soundboard on one of them isn't significantly thicker than a guitar. About 2 to 3 times from memory.

If anyone wants to know how much tension a set of strings applies theoretically try this calculator
 
muttley600 said:
A piano is under huge amounts of tension and the soundboard on one of them isn't significantly thicker than a guitar. About 2 to 3 times from memory.
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Piano strings are mounted on a cast iron harp!
 
not always!! i have a very old piano in my hallway that is all wood, including the frame the strings are er... strung on.
 
mshilarious said:
Piano strings are mounted on a cast iron harp!
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Not always. And the forces are still acting on the sound board in the same fashion as a guitars soundboard. In other words the important component of the force is that bearing down on the bridge. That component is no where mear 1000lbs. Thats why I'd be wary of the glue joint on the bridge and the neck joint. The main component of the force is acting back down the string pulling the bridge.

I've seen the inside of quite a few similar instruments as this one. The soundboard can withstand it no problem. The action on many of the courses is also not important. It is in many respects similar to a harp guitar in that respect.
 
muttley600 said:
Yep but that isn't a problem when the soundboard is well braced and you have solid bridge blocks. Also that is an over calculation in my estimate. Your average set of medium guitar strings places 180lbs on the neck and body. Its also pulling not compressing. I'd be more worried about glue joints than the top giving up.

A piano is under huge amounts of tension and the soundboard on one of them isn't significantly thicker than a guitar. About 2 to 3 times from memory.

If anyone wants to know how much tension a set of strings applies theoretically try this calculator
Click to expand...

The thing is, in this case it's not just the neck and the back of the soundboard that have tension applied, the whole soundboard has two sets of strings to put up with in addition to two necks. I think that their estimate is probably a lot more in the ballpark of what it actually is since the people who gave that estimate were probably involved in the building process.
 
timthetortoise said:
The thing is, in this case it's not just the neck and the back of the soundboard that have tension applied, the whole soundboard has two sets of strings to put up with in addition to two necks. I think that their estimate is probably a lot more in the ballpark of what it actually is since the people who gave that estimate were probably involved in the building process.
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I know how and where it was built, I have also met the luthier in question. I have built guitars with up to three necks. I also know that physics is physics and there is NOT 1000lbs of force on that soundboard. Period ;)
 
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