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Hello anyone!

I'm starting my first guitar-building project for achieving my master of science and for this reason I got me the plans of the OLF small jumbo. However, I can't find the thicknesses of the top, back and sides on the plans... Can somebody help me? I don't want my first guitar to crack just because I made them too thin nor sound bad because they're too thick... I have Maple as back and sides and spruce as top.

Thanks!

Martin

Hello,
I think it is very difficult to give you an answer. Everything between 2,0 and 3,0 mm could be fine, depending on the woods used, their mechanical and technical properties. How they are sawn, what bodyshape you are using, what scale length, what kind, gauge of strings you prefer, just evreything around, and of course what sound you are looking for.

If there would be a simple rule what thickness you need to do, we could close these forums immediatelly...you can ask ten guiatrmakers and you will get eleven differnet answers, and probably all are right on their own.

Anyhow, if you want, you can give me a call and we can talk for a while, I life in Germany.

Best regards, Alex

Martin, as you're clearly of a scientific bent, put "Trevor Gore Guitar" into your search engine and have a look around my website. The thickness of the panels can all be computed from the wood's material properties using proven materials testing techniques and panel vibration theory.

Good luck with the Masters.

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

For first guitar you can start at about .125 for top and .115 for back and sides. You get them to that point and then it is feel.

It may be a little heavy, but this gives you room for scraping and hand sanding and your safe. If you like it and do more, you can then mess with other aspects as you gain experience.

Just a kind of good place to start as you learn to build and get a feel for the materials. Don't need to try to make the first one by over thinking and complicating things.

That said some of my tops are at the .110 range and back and sides .085 or so. So start and see how the wood feel and go from there.

Martin, Could you clarify: is the guitar for use in your Masters of Science or is it a hobby project? If the former, your research aims are likely to influence the wood and thicknesses choices.

_________________
David Malicky

Martin: For your first guitar the Germantown Gent(Mr. Todd) is right on the money in my mind.Have fun and good luck.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I'd say it depends, I know the LMI jumbo plan calls for .115 but that's a standard thickness, can be thicker or thinner depending on wood stiffness. As a rule the plywood top of a cheaper guitar will be thinner, because plywood is stiffer, in fact so stiff I couldn't even destroy it even when I tried...

use the standard thickness (bout .115 or .125) and work your way from there. Tap the soundboard and see if you like the sound. I suppose you can do stiffness tests to decide for yourself, but as a beginner luthier it's hard to know what to look for...

Bracing is probably more important anyways.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Wow, thank you all guys, very helpfully! Didn't think to get as many answers in this short time I'm not doing it the scientific way, it's just the practical part of my master thesis, in the scientific part I will compare the sounds of cheap and expensive guitars (and hopefully mine if I'm building it fast enough). Anyhow, thanks a lot, I think I will get along very well with your advice!

Personally the difference is rather large, at least for acoustic guitars. For electrics its mostly the feel of the instrument, being that more expensive instruments have better construction, feel, etc.

Almost all plywood guitar I have heard sounded bad, it sounded muffled and lacking clarity and volume, while better guitars have much better clarity and volume. Now as for the difference between a guitar built by Linda Manzer or Somoygi, then the difference is much smaller and becomes subjective.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com