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Visiting my brother today, I cam across a photo of a Jimmy D'Aquisto dreadnought in maple (natch). I am quite taken with the overall lines and oval soundhole. Does anyone have any information on it's construction?

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

I can offer no help but I would like to see the guitar, it sounds interesting.

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jw ( o)===:::

Google is your friend:
http://apple-guitars.com/gdata/gdata.php?id=254
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D'Aquisto_Flat_Top_Guitars

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

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...imagine there were no hypothetical situations...

Thanks guys. I'd be interested in hearing comments related to the use of Kasha-style bracing on steel-string guitars, particularly larger body style like dreads.

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

Joe, the photo was in a book. The only photo on the web I could find was this, slightly different example:



The one in the book had no burst, but a similar soundhole with binding and no rosette.

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

Ahhh. The garden hose soundhole.

Did Jimmy use Kasha bracing in his flattops? I hadn't heard that before.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks Curtis! I like it. The bridge looks a little "chunky" but otherwise a pretty guitar.

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jw ( o)===:::

Even his nylon string guitars were "X" braced. I find it hard to believe his flattop steel string guitars weren't also...

I'm afraid I don't know, Brock. I resorted to open-ended and somewhat ambiguous questions in the hopes that others would clue me in (and in a vain attempt not to reveal too much ignorance on my part, which I now fully confess to). The Wiki page says something to the effect of "Kasha influences", and that asymmetrical bridge seemed to me like it could be a hint of what lurked below. But going off of a wiki page and a scant few photos is obviously not enough, and I'm still scratching my head.

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

I remember reading an article, Acoustic Guitar if I remember correctly, with a profile of a D'Aquisto Dred. In the article it stated that the bracing was longitudinal, kind of like two large fan braces, or an X brace with no intersection.

Spent a good part of the today keeping an eye open for that copy...

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Douglas, was it Strings Magazine, issue 138, June 2004? http://www.stringsmagazine.com/issues/p ... ssueid=143

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

Don't think so as I've never cracked open a copy of Strings. Still, it could be the same article, some authors sell copy to multiple publications. I couldn't tell as I couldn't open the article.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Did find this in the Acoustic Guitar article archive search:

1978 D'Aquisto Dreadnought by George Gruhn.
1978 D'Aquisto Dreadnought. June 2004.

Looks like it was the same article.

This turned up some info, too.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Aquist ... op_Guitars

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Thanks for you help Douglas, I'll try to order the back issue.

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

I ordered the back issue, which arrived today. It does not mention anything about Kasha influences. It mentions that he used X-bracing, although not the Martin design, but rather "a central X with long, lenghthwise braces connected the ends of the x", no scallops, or tucking.

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA

You've just jogged my memory! I remembered the lengthwise parts but forgot that they connected the ends of the X.

Gonna give it a try?

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Maybe. I'll have to draw it out. I can't envision how the long braces clear the waist, unless the X is somehow truncated. I'll go ahead and make the presumption (feel free to correct my thinking), that because D'Aquisto was primarily and arch-top guy, that this dread bracing pattern was bereft of finger braces or fan braces - maybe a thicker top?

I wish he was around to ask..

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Cheers,
Curtis Olson
Hamilton, VA