Official Luthiers Forum!

Greetings,

Love the update to the forum. Speedy.

Question: Does anyone know where one can get a set of plans for a Venezuelan Cuatro. I cannot find any on the Internet.

Thanks
Ken

I want them too!!!

I have been on the lookout for quattro plans for several years and havent found any. If you find some, PLEASE let me know?

Ken

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Reguards,

Ken H

The Puerto Rican Cuatro and the Venezuelan Cuatro are two completely different instruments. The first has 10 strings (five sets of two) and the second has four strings. The body shapes are completely different. The first looks like a viola on steroids and the second looks like a fat uke. I have found several plans for the Puerto Rican model, but never any for the Venezuelan instrument.

Ken

Unfortunately there is a BIG difference in the instruments. Seems like every latin american country has it's own instrument they call a quattro, but none I have found are like the Venezuelan instrument. Just for the record, I did find that site you point to.

Thanks anyway!
Ken

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

My girlfriend is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico and loves the cuatro very much. I would like to build one someday. I went to the link above but they are out of stock. I also emailed William Cumpiano who was also out of stock on the plans. He did say he would put me on his list when he got them back from the printers. Also, he sent me a set of plans in .PDF format.

My question, is it possible to take this .pdf to a printer to make a full scale drawing?

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Chuck,
you can take the PDF to any Kinkos or Sir Speedy type printer. They usually have large b&w printers/plotters that will print out large plans for architects, etc. Is the PDF to scale or do you need to scale it up? Also, I've found these printers sometimes stretch the image in the direction the paper travels, so often they have to make a 1 or 2% reduction in height of the document when they print it if you want it to be accurate.
Craig S.

The Summer 08 American Lutherie (Vol 94) has an article on Venezuelan Cuatro construction.

The associated plan, #58, doesn't seem to be available from the luth.org
site, yet, though.

Eric

Which one uses the armadillo shell?

I believe that the South American instrument that uses an armadillo for
body is a "charango".

Has anyone ever seen a comprehensive overview of the entire guitar
family that includes all of the exotic (at least to most N American English-only
speakers, anyway) South American regional instruments?

Eric

I havent seen a comprehensive South American Instrument Guide, but I bet one of the forum regulars here could point us in the right direction.

I have been to Venezuela at least 10 times over the last 15 years (prior to Chavez calling Bush a devil) and have experienced the true Venezuelan Quatro on a number of occasions. The tone and quality of the instruments is remarkable and I would love to have one, even if I have to build it myself.

It is more the size and shape that a jumbo uke would be if there was such a thing, or a 4 string Jr Dread might also fit the description.

I am still interested inthe plas for one and will keep my eyes open for the GAL set of plans for one when it is available.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Ken,

If you're still in search of that plan...

It looks like the GAL plan for a Venezuelan cuatro is now available
as plan #58.

See luth.org


Eric