seeking guitar construction opinions.

[atreidesheir]

I am planning a guitar build next year.
A brain fart said build a les paul type with maple body and mahogany top sandwiched with bolts instead of vibration dampening glues.

I figure a bolt top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, and one under each pickup

Any thoughts on the the wood combination and/or the use of bolts instead of glue?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Wont make a measurable difference. When you put the top on the guitar you clamp the 2 pieces of wood together which will squeeze 90% of the glue out. Vibrationally there would be no advantage to bolting it on.

 

[atreidesheir]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Wont make a measurable difference. When you put the top on the guitar you clamp the 2 pieces of wood together which will squeeze 90% of the glue out. Vibrationally there would be no advantage to bolting it on.

That makes sense. Differences between bolt-on and glued-in necks sparked the idea.
I built one of those StewMac acoustic guitar kits for a friend last year and it was a bolt-on neck and it really impressed me (fantastic guitars worth 3or4x the cost). That is what made me ask the questions.

It could be incredibly ugly (or really cool) too. I imagine the reverse order of tonewoods would mostly be a wash too. But it seemed like an interesting thought experiment. Still intrigued by it...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

This is such a good idea that i have disassembled my pre-WWII Martin and am going to nail it back together tonight

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

You said it right..."brain fart".

Too much gas make you do crazy things.

 

[AlexR]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

I just wonder what testing you did to know that glue is a vibration killer.

 

[Tyler Perdue]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Many thanks

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Oh no Tyler Perdue, many thanks to you.

And OP, I don't think you'll gain much from such a method.

 

[atreidesheir]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

The stewmac kit used a bolt on dovetail like this:

I was very pleased with the neck resonance and response. Very alive (feeling). That was the germ of the idea. Just wondering about expanding the idea.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Some glues may absorb vibration, but only if they are left very thick. When wood is glued and clamped together there is essentially no glue thickness, it becomes a wood-to-wood contact joint and the glue plays no part in the tone/vibration equation.

It is common knowledge that different types of wood transmit vibrations differently. If, for example, you just bolt the body and top together, there will not be a complete body-to-top intimate connection between the two and the vibrations will tend to be isolated within the two wood types. This could lead to a situation similar to electronic microphonics...you will get "buzzing". The glue is necessary to create continuity between the mahogany and maple (so they act as one wood).

So, again, I say...yes indeed, a brain fart.

 

[Snoogles]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Many thanks

huh?

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/search.php?searchid=17345757

 

[scottosan]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

I am planning a guitar build next year.
maple body and mahogany top

Dont you have this backwards?

Also, use glue.

 

[atreidesheir]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Just looking beyond tradition. Even my Charvels and Vandenberg feel like they have long gray beards these days.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

i don't understand the desire to innovate just for innovation's sake.

if it ain't broke don't fix it. keep it simple. y'know?

 

[PonyKiller]

Re: seeking guitar construction opinions.

Hahaha, bolt-on top. That's a really,,, interesting idea actually. Kinda reminds me of the BC Rich invisibolt thing. It didn't last long apparently.

I can only picture taking such guitar to the Les Paul forums. "OMGzz bolt-on top?! Kill it with fire!! Set tops rulez!"