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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:09 am 
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Walnut
Walnut

Joined: Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:53 am
Posts: 1
First name: Joe
Last Name: Harding
1st time building an arch-top, and considering making it a double cut-away....an advice/pros/cons? Currently I play a 16" acoustic arch-top with a single cut, and it sounds awesome....for my build I'm doing a 17" lower bout. I know that it changes the physics of the guitar, creating a loss of mass on the soundboard, but would a double cut be a "noticeable" difference? Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards,
J


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 3:08 pm 
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Contributing Member
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Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:34 pm
Posts: 1097
First name: Bob
Last Name: Russell
State: Michigan USA
Focus: Repair
Status: Semi-pro
Joe,
You didn't say if you have built any guitars before. If you have not then I would suggest what was suggested to me (I just finished my #1). I also wanted to build a cutaway and it was pretty unanimous that I should start with a standard acoustic or better yet a kit to learn about building. The reasons were pretty sound and the main one being that I would not get bogged down on my first build and get discouraged. I have learned a lot of things that I thought I knew but really didn't. My #1 is complete and it came out much nicer than I expected and I am starting on #2. This one will also be a regular guitar because I learned that doing a cutaway is still a bit over my head.

As for the tone difference? I am not really sure because it depends on a lot more than just the cutaway. How are you planning on bracing it and what dimensions will they be? How think the body will be and what sound hole(s) will you have? What kind of wood it is going to be made of and a slew of other factors go into how a guitar sounds. That is why i am sticking to building a standard guitar for at least the next 4 or 5 before I even try a cutaway.


Cheers,
Bob


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:12 am 
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Cocobolo
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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:41 am
Posts: 150
First name: Matt
Last Name: Cushman
City: Great Falls
State: MT
Zip/Postal Code: 59401
Country: usa
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
A double cutaway offers no greater access on a thick bodied guitar. Due to the width of the neck body joint. Semi hollow body guitars join at the 19th fret rather than the 14th fret and are thinner. So a double cutaway is a good way to go. But wih a full bodied archtop there is no need to do all that bending.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:39 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:08 pm
Posts: 1958
Location: Missouri
First name: Patrick
Last Name: Hanna
State: Missouri
Country: USA
Hey, Joe,

Bob sure made some good points in his response. I'm not sure anyone can say definitively whether you'd notice a difference between a single and a double cutaway. Sure....such differences could be measured by various scientific means, but would you really hear the difference? Maybe you would, but maybe you wouldn't. All I can tell you for sure is that two cutaway sides will be twice as difficult to bend as one cutaway side. That is not a small consideration. Still, if you're hankering for a double cut, I think you should go for it! I mean it! And best of luck to you no matter what you decide. I hope you will share your results with us, because we all like to see each other's guitars here and there's plenty to learn from everyone's efforts.
Patrick


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:00 am 
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Cocobolo
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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:41 am
Posts: 150
First name: Matt
Last Name: Cushman
City: Great Falls
State: MT
Zip/Postal Code: 59401
Country: usa
Focus: Build
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As far as the influence on tone is concerned, I think I agree with Bob Benedetto. In his book the note before chapter two deals with the non cutaway vs. the cutaway model. In the note he says, "The non cutaway has "a distinct acoustical advantage ". There is no mention of a double cutaway, but with the reduced air volume from the extra cutaway there would likely be some change in tone. Also the body mold has to be altered to build the double cutaway.

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A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 12:15 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 12:45 pm
Posts: 644
First name: Lonnie
Last Name: Barber
City: Manchester
State: Tennessee
Zip/Postal Code: 37355
Country: United States
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Status: Amateur
Unless you own a mega mold


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