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Hi all. I am thinking of building a baritone ! Now, what are there to think of when it comes to baritone ? I meen Structural etc. As the strings are thicker there will be more tention/ force on the top, so should I build it, thicker, braces, top !! etc ? what are the bracing pattern most used for baritone as a baritone is tending more towards the bas output than a regular guitar do ! I know about the scales etc so thats not any worries but mostly structural or if there are any good pointers that are good to know when it comes to baritone.

Sincerely Lars.

HI Lars,

some things to ponder ....

Thicker strings do not mean more tension .. depends on the scale length, and how its tuned. If you check the Daddario website, you will get the tensions for the EXP23 set, but those numbers are for a 29.75 scale. Personally, I wouldnt bother making one that long - it doesnt help much with low end (I tried a 29 once - no different than a 28 IMO), thats entirely dependant on the box size. I would suggest a jumbo like body 16.5 or so wide, I use 28.44 scales now (was 28.5), but 28.44 is easier to make - I'll let you folks figure out why that is (hint .. SM Martin 25.34 scale).

I use the same bracing as my jumbos, but in a different tighter X angle (you need to lay these things out to see why) - otherwise you will need an 8 inch long bridge - too big.

I thickness my tops the same ....

I would love to see the new plans that the OLF is doing (maybe someone will show a set to me, as i make my own) - curious why they chose 28.9 scale, and how to brace /thickness.

I have played the new Taylor (right next to one of mine, at the 12th fret) .. I think the body is too small, plus they built it out of EI rw/spruce .. not the best choice - the softer B&S woods work better - it doenst have the low end of my designs. You can also google David Berkowitz' article from ASIA on baris .. some interesting info there

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Tony, I believe where the scale length comes into play is where you want the guitar to live. If you want it to live in say B or C, then 28" is fine, but if you want it to go down to A, you need more length because the strings will neither support the note nor behave very well at that tension.

The shorter you go, the more guitar-like the presentation, the longer the more baritone it becomes because both the scale and the heavier strings contribute to rounding those notes making them sound like the notes they're trying to be and getting away from the ping-y-ness that is the natural tendency of phosphor bronze strings and shorter scales.

Part of what you have to balance is the notes you're trying to reproduce, playability, i.e., whether the player has the hands to handle a longer scale, and the availability of strings which comprises both gauging and at how those gauges are arrived, i.e., core thickness vs. wrap which vary from manufacturer. Lastly, some folks just don't like the thicker sound that the heavier strings give because they are double-wrapped, i.e., they have a core, and are wrapped twice to arrive at the final gauging. It is a remarkable complaint given that there is a discernible difference between a plain and a wrapped string to begin with, but nonetheless, it is something to be aware of and consider.

Here's the link to the article. My bracing has changed since the article, but the overall thrust of what I do is contained herein:

http://www.berkowitzguitars.com/pdf/guitarmaker-33.pdf

I can agree with that David .. mine mostly live at B-B ... more common chords with std pitch guitar there too ... they are decent at A_A, but I feel the box needs to be bigger again as well ... it starts getting out of control ....

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Tony, how big do you feel it needs to be? My bari's are on my J body which is 16.625 x 20.5 x 4.75-3.75." The physical difference in neck length between your 28.44 and 28.9 is less than a 1/4" (as measured from nut to 12th fret).

Tony, David. Thanks for the great info, it really helpt me alot ! .

Will let you all know how my build goes.

Lars

Mine are about the same David .. but maybe 17 ?? i dont really know, havent tried to do it. As for the scale length, I realize that .. but 28.44 is a logical extension of 25.34 (hence my two neck travel guitar - one 12 fret 25.34, one 14 fret 28.44 baritone, same body) .. so on a bari FB, I only need to measure one fret, and the nut. Makes the Fb pretty easy to do using commonly available templates.

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

sorry wrong button (quote vs edit ...my bad)

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"