Official Luthiers Forum!

Looking for 620mm (7/8) scale plans with a standard type body style, not the narrow bouts of a Lacote. Searched the archives and also the GAL plans and have not seen any yet, but I'm only on my first cup of coffee Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just scale down a full size modern Classical. At 620 mm the body length and the bouts are going to have to be reduced, otherwise you will end up with an odd looking instrument.

I'm not aware of a reduced scale classical guitar plan, especially one that uses a full sized body. I would do as Michael suggested.

If you want to maintain a standard body feel you can always just reduce the body lenght from the bridge forward. If you kept it full size the bridge will be about 1.5" forward of the optimum placement.

I would consider leaving the lower bout in tact, scale out the new lenght from the bridge to the top of the body, and redraw that portion to look good to my eye.

Just some Sunday morning thoughts

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I think if you leave the lower bout as is, the bridge placement will be too far North of the widest point of the lower bout.
I would probably take some off the length of the upper bout and some off the length of the lower bout. Reducing the width of the lower and upper bouts + pulling the waist in some. It doesn't have to be much but you should aim to keep things in some proportion.
I could probably draw one up in a matter of minutes.

Joe, the bridge will only move forward by 15mm (650-620)/2

Jeff,

You are right of course. Must have been to much Open this morning or not enough coffee

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I asked this because this is only number 3 for me and I was afraid that even minor mistakes in scaling might affect the sound to a great degree. Would the soundboard and back be ever so slightly thinner ? This will not be a student guitar. I am building it for my brother, who is about to retire after teaching guitar over thirty years. And he owns a Hauser III. No pressure there

Jeff

Jeff,

So it is an accomplished player that wants this guitar. I assume he picked out the 620 scale. And I'm guessing he did so because of some great sounding short scale guitar he played once.

If that is the case then you have your work cut out for you. Hopefully an experienced classical builder will come in and offer some advice.

Good Luck!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Thanks Joe

My brother is starting to get some arthritis and found a 620mm much easier to play, although he didn't care for the narrower neck. I don't want to build a butt ugly guitar, but the sound and playability come first in this case.

Jeff

Well then, if it was me, until I heard better, I would go with a successful body style,bracing pattern and just shorten it the required 15mm (assuming it is a 650mm plan) from the bridge to the 12th fret. You can use whatever fingerboard width he desires. I even put a slight radius in my classical finger boards but that is just me.

The more I think about it the more anxious I am to hear how it comes out.

Should be a good project !!!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Michael has been so kind as to draw up a plan. My brother picked out a nice bear claw top from Rudi a few years ago and I have a dark set of EIR to pair it with. I'm really looking forward to this build and perhaps I'll document it.

Jeff

I was about to make some other suggestions, but if Michael has drawn up a plan for you I would trust his expertise.

Otherwise I would have suggest one of the smaller bodied Torres guitars such as FE17 which would take the shorter scale nicely. Or A Panormo which is a 630mm scale and plays and sounds very much like a traditional Spanish guitar.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
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