HR Members guitar design and build thread

Acoustic, because I've never seen one built, and they're more difficult, and as you're a Pom, I need to make things as difficult as possible for you to distract you from making disparaging comments about our rugby team.... :guitar:

Can we have a dolphin-shaped sound hole? :confused: :D
 
CHECK FIRST POST FOR UPDATE ON PROGRESS.

OK guy's currently electric has it 6-4. I shall let it run for a few more hours to give it a full 24 and then we decide.

I'm going to edit the first post of this thread each time a decision is made so that new comers to the project can get upto speed fairly quickly.

Moving forwards I shall maybe place a few options concurrently to speed things up. The next question in building any instrument is scale length so get your reasons ready for that one. Following that the most obvious options will be set neck, bolt on or straight through.

Second selection. Lets go with the standard choices and "other" please specify reasons for your choice for the benefit of others.

24 3/4"
25 1/2"
25"
0ther..
 
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stevieb said:
Cool idea.

Electric.

Why:
1. All the variables (Mutt probably got most of them) make designing an acoustic a pretty daunting task- how would you know what design feature did what? Electrics have fewer variables, or at least easier to change variables- you can swap out pups in an hour, whereas changing the top's bracing pattern requires rebuilding the entire guitar.
2. Results should be more interesting, at least visually.
3. If we are lucky enough to avoid a monstrosity (see "Ugly guitars" posts,) we might have a decent guitar. But as it will be done by committee, the smart money says "Ugly!"
Click to expand...

Conversely designing an acoustic primarily driven by the members here could be a good incite into the varianbles and the process. I wouldn't let this design wander off in to anything that wouldn't work and can explain why and how as we go.
 
Chili said:
Acoustic, but something out of the ordinary. A hybrid, like a solid body electric for the top. Resonant ports along the sides. Some weird monstrosity.

Reasoning: to do somethign out of the ordinary.
Click to expand...

If we decide on a predominantly electric you can still float those ideas then as options. Could be interesting.
 
OK guy's electric has it 7-4.

Moving forwards I shall maybe place a few options concurrently to speed things up. The next question in building any instrument is scale length so get your reasons ready for that one. Following that the most obvious options will be set neck, bolt on or straight through.

Second selections. Scale length and Neck set.

Lets go with the standard choices and "other" please specify reasons for your choice for the benefit of others.

24 3/4"
25 1/2"
25"
0ther..

Body neck join.

Bolt on
Set neck
Straight through neck

Voting now open.
21/09/2011.26pm GMT
 
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If an electric design is ultimately decided upon:

I would like to see you add the PRS 25" scale to your list of standard options.

I would like a decision on Hollow, Semi-hollow, or solid made before I chose a scale length or neck joint.

It would be interesting for you to set a rule that guitar not be a copy of a popular commercial design. I'd like to see the drawings you get.
 
Milnoque said:
If an electric design is ultimately decided upon:

I would like to see you add the PRS 25" scale to your list of standard options.

I would like a decision on Hollow, Semi-hollow, or solid made before I chose a scale length or neck joint.

It would be interesting for you to set a rule that guitar not be a copy of a popular commercial design. I'd like to see the drawings you get.
Click to expand...

We are going electric 7 - 4.

Any reason why you would choose the scale length post body design? It's not normally done that way. Assuming a fairly standard neck body join in terms of what fret it occurs at the scale length dictates a few things that for ever after are set in stone such as bridge position. In the case of a hollow or chambred body it also limits where you can and cant remove material from to some degree.

This is a point in case though and part of this exercise is to illustrate that design is not simply a question of taking all the bits you like and stacking them up..
 
muttley600 said:
We are going electric 7 - 4.

Any reason why you would choose the scale length post body design? It's not normally done that way. Assuming a fairly standard neck body join in terms of what fret it occurs at the scale length dictates a few things that for ever after are set in stone such as bridge position. In the case of a hollow or chambred body it also limits where you can and cant remove material from to some degree.

This is a point in case though and part of this exercise is to illustrate that design is not simply a question of taking all the bits you like and stacking them up..
Click to expand...

The first question I ask myself is what I would use the guitar for. In my thinking everything flows from that. I might choose a different scale length for a deep bodied archtop than I would for a solidbody with humbuckers as I would play the two guitars differently.
 
Milnoque said:
The first question I ask myself is what I would use the guitar for. In my thinking everything flows from that. I might choose a different scale length for a deep bodied archtop than I would for a solidbody with humbuckers as I would play the two guitars differently.
Click to expand...

Yep, Thats why I discussed type of guitar first. Seeing as we seem to be heading predominantly electric that rules out deep bodied archtop and acoustic leaving us with solid body, chambred or possibly 335 style. You don't have to post a preference for scale length but at this stage of a design that is normally the way you go. On a piece of paper or cad file you put a line from nut to bridge and everything else grows around that. You can change it later but that normally means shifting everything else.

I'll add 25" as a choice to the selections and see if there are other takers. As it happens that is my standard scale length unless asked for something else.
 
I vote through-neck, 'cause I think they are the coolest. Also, make the guitar scream "THROUGH NECK!" when looking at the top of the guitar.
 
Any scale length preference?

I'm going set neck because I have always liked the solidity it offers added to the fact I can have different neck and body materials. I playing with the combination's that offers. That said there is no better or worse with any of the options. 25" scale for me. I like the feel that offers especially with heavier strings.
 
25 1/2 scale please. I prefer the extra tension that you get with the longer scale. 24 3/4 scale gits make the strings feel a little 'rubbery' to me.
And while you can go up a string guage to offset that it's not quite the same. I also like having slightly more room at the higher frets.

Neck-thru-body please. While there's controversy about this ..... the couple of neck-thrus I've played (and I own one right now that's my fav git ever) did seem to have enhanced sustain ever when using pristine cleans and a neck thru allows for really good high fret access.
 
Lt. Bob said:
25 1/2 scale please. I prefer the extra tension that you get with the longer scale. 24 3/4 scale gits make the strings feel a little 'rubbery' to me.
And while you can go up a string guage to offset that it's not quite the same. I also like having slightly more room at the higher frets.

Neck-thru-body please. While there's controversy about this ..... the couple of neck-thrus I've played (and I own one right now that's my fav git ever) did seem to have enhanced sustain ever when using pristine cleans and a neck thru allows for really good high fret access.
Click to expand...

I have nothing against neck thru but for my taste they are a little bit 1980's fad.. I'm with you on the longer scale length. Even on 25 1/2" is stick 12's on there. I don't notice a significant difference above 25" though
 
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