Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello friends
i got one query

last year i built 1 F-cut steel string fretless guitar.
which was designed to sound like Sitar
it was flat top and was domed to 8 mm.
Engelman top . IRW back and sides and ebony fretboard
and had 3" body depth and 15" lower body bout
the guitar is sounding great.

now the same customer wants me to build same guitar
but this time he wants more deeper bass and longer sustain

so im thinking of using european spruce this time
i saw LMI and there are 3 categories
german . alpine and caucasion spruce.

pls help which spruce to use
and what should be body depth?
im planning about 17" lower body bout.

waiting for ur consultations

Add 1/2" of body depth and it will give you the bass you are after.

Now for the sustain, I'm not sure how to help you as the fretless aspect certainly kills a big part the sustain. That said, I don't think the solution can be found in a specific type of spruce.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

A magnetic pickup and a compressor/sustainer pedal would do the trick.

The type of spruce is probably not one of the more important factors. I fiddled with fretless guitars for a while years ago. Fretless and sustain are not two factors which can really coexist together, and a buzz bridge just makes it worse. That said, I'd consider adding more mass to the neck with a fixed glued in steel reinforcement bar. Stiffness and mass will reduce the energy loss through the neck. Perhaps go to a heavier brass trapeze as well. Is that one aluminum? IMO it would also help to replace the three piece saddle with a one piece.

If none of that helps sufficiently, you can always add a hurdy gurdy wheel, or use an ebow.

Just curious - why would striving for a sitar-like sound lead to a fretless configuration?

I'm actually very interested in the fretless guitar idea, but coming from the different direction of trying to do a cross-over of sorts of flamenco and the oud. In my mind this does not at all lead to the sort of brightness that I'd expect from a sitar.

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

thanks friends for ur replies
the player plays with his fingers so there is very less loss of sustain.
also im planning this time using 3 mm brass freboard and brass nut for sustain
and may go for 5" depth.
will it help?
also i can uplaod some of its video clips here
but dont know how to do

friends i uploaded 2 clips in youtube
i hope u see and like them

like the clips:) neat sound:)

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If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason. - Jack Handey

Hey very neat Rahoul! The sound is indeed quite 'sitaresque'.

But for your next one, I think 5" might be pushing it. 3.5" to 4" will make a big difference.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I agree with Alain... a deeper body will give you more bass but 5" is too much. If you stay with a 15" lower bout then 4" would be my recommendation. With a 16" lower bout, I would use a 4.25-4.5" depth.

17" lower bout with a 5" depth is a very very big guitar

That is indeed a nice sound. How do you feel that compares or contrasts with the more typical (at least as far as I know) slide guitar technique (Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, etc)? Advantages, disadvantages of the two relative techniques?

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Thanks friends for ur replies and liking my guitar
the customer is not afraid of big size
should i go 17" with 4" -4.5" depth?
and will brass fretboard useful for longer sustain ?
using brass because the ebony is getting used up very fast
and there are chances of breaking nails of the player.

Um....don't shoot me, but why doesn't he just buy a sitar and be done?

Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

dear friends
if we use indian rosewood neck instead of african mahogany
will it increase sustain ?