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Author:  KenH [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:40 pm ]
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I have it in my head that I want to build a very slim acoustic guitar and make use of some K&K pure western pickups.


The guitar will have a solid outer skeleton made of maple with integrated bracing routed from the same piece of maple and a top of spruce and back made of figured maple. The neck will use a standard electric guitar bolt on neck. There will be not be a usual sound hole and rosette, but rather F-holes shaped like lightning bolts.


My thinking is to build a guitar that feels and plays like an electric, but sounds like an acoustic. I know that hollow body guitars are out there, but I want this one to be different. The top will have a 28' radius and the back will have a 16' radius. It will have a standard acoustic bridge complete with bridge pins and bone saddle.


Anybody tried anything like this that could give me some tips on how to get started?
Author:  joe white(old) [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:46 pm ]
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Check out Rick Turners RN-6 (nylon) and RS-6 (steel string). It is a thin body guitar with internal bracing like an acoustic guitar. Tom Anderson has the Crowdster, a chambered solid body with acoustic bridge and pickup. Then there is the Taylor T5.
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:52 pm ]
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Something like this maybe?
Hollow Body
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:57 pm ]
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EDIT : woops-   They make a six string..
6 str.
Author:  KenH [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:02 pm ]
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That is similar to what I have in mind, except that those guitars have humbuckers installed. What I am thinking is to have , basically, a standard acoustic guitar but only have the sides be around 1 to 1 1/2" thick. The only pickups would be the K&K Pure western pickups attached to the bridge plate.
Author:  James Orr [ Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:17 pm ]
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John Mayes also built some successful stage guitars like this. Maybe he'll
give the details.
Author:  martinedwards [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:51 am ]
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I did a Les Paul shaped guitar once.

the back & sides were milled from a 1 inch thich Mahogany table top.

the top was carved from beech and has about 1" of arch to it.

standard artec piezo under a bone saddle on the bridge & a Jazz style tailpiece.....

worked GREAT!!
Author:  Wade Sylvester [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:42 pm ]
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Hey Ken,
I built an acoustic MIDI slim-line guitar some time ago.
Not quite as thin as your planning. And I mounted an AMC rig with individual saddles for the MIDI setup. The system also has an audio output as well. The instrument worked great as a MIDI controller but I never liked the acoustic tone of the instrument much. This is likely because of the over bracing of the top. However, I just got one of those Mama Bear preamps from D-tar and the guitar sounds great through this device. I think if you have a good top setup with acoustic pickups etc, it would sound great through a Mama Bear no matter how thin the sides are.
I think if I replaced the top, this could improve the acoustic sound some. One of those, "if I knew what I know now" kind of things..

Sounds like a cool project!
Do show us your progress.
Author:  stan thomison [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 2:16 pm ]
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these have been done a bunch by builders so not really something to different.

Performance guitar is what friend of mine called his as has others. I have built one and liked it, but sent it off to someone else. Take a solid body guitar body, hollow it out and put on a top and access in back. Can do a Fender type bolt on or set neck.

Ones I have been around and sound nice. Can do it steel string or classical style.

Why carved braces intergrated top? Not bad, just wondering why when can brace it normal or another style and glue to top.
Author:  joe white(old) [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:24 pm ]
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Here is a link to my Crowdster and one of Ricks paint peeling RS-6's. Entirely different animals but equally great!


 Renaissance RS-6 with Ameritage Case - Play Live? This is for you!! - The Acoustic Guitar Forum


Guitar of the Week


 
Author:  joe white(old) [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:27 pm ]
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OOPS To see my Crowdster, select the archives at the Anderson page and click on May 8 2005.
Author:  KenH [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 2:35 am ]
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The crowdster design is exactly what I had in mind with the exception of the sound hole cutouts on each side in the shape of a lightning bolt.


Thanks for the links!
Author:  joe white(old) [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 2:46 am ]
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Ken, If you contact Tom Anderson, he is very personable and willing to share any knowledge that he can. A guy built a stage acoustic over at the OLF and Tom even supplied one of his own pickups (electric) for the guitar. Great guy to chat with.
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