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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 5:30 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:50 am
Posts: 361
First name: herry
Last Name: trismono
City: malang
State: east java
Zip/Postal Code: 65142
Country: Indonesia
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Hello... I need help for increasing my knowledge... pizza Eat Drink idunno

Whether there is a standard formula for: Thickness of the Top, Sides and Back for Accoustic Guitar?? And...
Whether there is a standard formula for: This wood's (Rosewood=for example) suitable for Back And Sides. And the other wood (Maple, Sitka=for example) suitable for Top...
And What wood suitable for neck or fret.
Whether at will or there is a standard formula like the hardness of the wood...
Thank's a lot.
herry tze. [uncle]


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:17 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:34 am
Posts: 3081
The universal answer is 42.

Sorry, there is no standard formula. Try some books or read this forum front to back...


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:35 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:23 am
Posts: 1372
First name: Corky
Last Name: Long
City: Mount Kisco
State: NY
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Herry -

Welcome!!

You're asking the right questions. If you'd like to embark on building your first guitar, and I highly recommend it - it's a journey that you'll inevitably find fascinating, frustrating, blissful, surprising, and ultimately rewarding - I'd suggest you get some good books on the subject. After getting through the first couple, you'll have a good base of guidelines which you can follow on your first. It seems that everyone wants to build something unique on their first, and I did too, and the experienced advice is pretty consistent in saying "don't do it". Keep the variables limited on number 1, focus on building your first as close as possible to a proved design, and learn from your mistake on the first one. My point of view is that the most important thing on the first is to GET IT DONE. There will inevitably be some frustrations, and you'll learn as much from correcting your mistakes as you will from the book. If you're turned on by adapting a design, or trying a complex inlay, go for it. It's not a low risk strategy for making the first guitar as good as it can be, but if you aren't passionate about the design, you probably won't stick it out, so for me the lower risk strategy was to follow my gut on some innovations, which I found interesting. It got me through the frustrating parts. At least that was true for me. You may be different.

I'd start with "Build your own Acoustic Guitar - Jonathan Kinkead" (if you're building a steel string)
I found this book to be extremely user-friendly, relatively complete, logical, and the pictures are excellent. Descriptive and beautiful to look at. I used it for my first guitar and it was just right. After you finish the first, you'll have many more questions, and the forum, other books, etc. can helpo with those.

I dont' build classicals, so others will have to make suggestions if you wan't to build a classical guitar.

If you're not a book person, I've heard great things about John Mayes' CDs.

There are other great books on the subject - Guitarmaking:Tradition and Technology by Cumpiano and Natelson, and Ervin Somogyi's books, The Responsive Guitar and Making the Responsive Guitar. But I'd start with Kinkead's for the first guitar.

Good luck and keep us posted!!


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 9:38 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:50 am
Posts: 361
First name: herry
Last Name: trismono
City: malang
State: east java
Zip/Postal Code: 65142
Country: Indonesia
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
hello, thank you Haans, Corky Long...
thank's so much, I'll try all of your suggestions and book recomendations...
herry tze... [:Y:]


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:08 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:50 pm
Posts: 3933
Location: United States
If there was a formula, it would be a long wone, with about two dozen co-dependant variables (there are no _independant_ ones). Fortunately, it's all embodied in the standard designs.

There is a way to figure out how thick to make the top, depending on a measurement of it's Young's modulus. I've mentioned it before, but if you can't find it in a search I could go through the process again.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:32 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:07 pm
Posts: 512
City: Tucson
State: AZ
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
.....and you can't go by species either, every piece of wood is different, so we just adjust it until it's as light and stiff as we can get it.

The goal and steps to making the best musical instrument one can make are very simple, but actually carrying out those goals and steps is hard work indeed.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:47 pm 
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Contributing Member
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Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:52 am
Posts: 4524
First name: Big
Last Name: Jim
State: Deep in the heart of Bluegrass
Country: usa
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
The Formula is as follows :

( 1 ) Add Cold beer and Questions
( 2 ) 2 Parts Padma wit and Wisdom
( 3 ) Add More Cold Beer And Questions
( 4 ) Hesh Tutorials On Cleaning
( 5 ) Find Good Game on TV
( 6 ) Add More Beer and Questions
( 7 ) Make Lotsa Sawdust And Ruin a Couple Pieces
( 8 ) See Formula Step 6
( 9 ) Repeat As Necessary !

laughing6-hehe

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:44 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:50 am
Posts: 361
First name: herry
Last Name: trismono
City: malang
State: east java
Zip/Postal Code: 65142
Country: Indonesia
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Thank's Alan Carruth, Ian Cunningham and WudWerkr Eat Drink ahahaha.... laughing6-hehe good idea...
Todd Stock thank's very much...


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