Official Luthiers Forum!

I am gathering materials for a 00 size guitar. Given that smaller guitars usually are shy on bass I am thinking of going from the standard butt depth of 4" to 4 1/4" to try to help this. Will this little amount actually help the bass any or is it a "why bother"?

Some people prefer these smaller guitars because they have less bass and more clarity. I don't really think a 1/4' will make a whole lotta difference.

I just strung up a Adirondack/Mahogany deep body Gison L-00 "style" guitar that is 4 7/8" at the tail block and 3 1/2" at the neck. I also added a soundport to try and see if it would help.

The verdict is that this instrument is LOUD and has a great bass response as well as clarity through the mids and highs. I could not be happier with the tone of this box and the ease of playability. One thing I should also mention is that the scale is 24.9" and has a string spacing at the bridge of 2 5/16" which makes finger picking a breeze.

Good luck with your plans and don't be shy to be aggressive with the depth of your instrument.

Ray

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Guitar Building = Continuous Improvement Process

John,
I believe the extra 1/4" is a good idea. I build most of my guitars deeper than spec.
BTW - I'm in Murrieta if you need any help. I graduated from Hemet High.

PM me if you'd like to come by sometime and talk.

Saturday I'm going to an AGF guitar together in LA. Let me know if you'd like to come.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.