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If you were to design the perfect blues guitar , how would you build it???? i.e. body size , 12,13, 14 fret , nut size, scale, bracing etc....?????

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MK5acoustics.com

Steel body, 12 fret resonator, similiar size & shape as a National Delphi.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

were it mine id do something like a L00. i like scrappy dust bowl era blues. L00's and Kalamazoo KG14's were a big part of that sound. I'd go with stock specs. and add a truss rod (gibson's have, kalamazoos do not) and think hard about x vs. ladder bracing, (maybe make 2 and compare) -and just build it better. more cowbell.

That would be my 2nd choice! (and it's a very close second)

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

A guild F30, cuz that's what Mississippi John Hurt played, and he's my favorite player...

If you wanted something chimier, then a 12 fret 00 with ladder bracing. If this is for an ideal guitar, then I personally would add an A brace or something similar to the upper bout. Ladder braced guitars are prone to collapse and not particularly versatile, but they have a unique sound that can't be duplicated with X bracing, IMO.

It would be a very simple mahogany 00 with long scale (for down tuning) and a wide flat fretboard (for slide), slothead of course for mojo



you also need a very long scale ladder braced 12 string



and an old National style O or tricone

...never heard of a "blues guitar".
you can play blues on anything, and thats what the original blues players did

Actually, Mississippi John Hurt played many guitars. On his awesome Vanguard album "Today" he played Stefan Grossman's 1930 OM 45.

I think there is a fallacy that there is an ultimate "Blues" guitar. Many great players played many guitars. Most of the 20's/30's blues recordings were recorded on ladder braced guitars (such as Oscar Schmidt Stellas, Galiano's, etc). Why? Cause they were cheap, played and sounded great, and were available.

I have been playing fingerstyle blues for many years, studied with Stefan Grossman and Dave Van Ronk in the '80's. Dave used 2 Guild Rosewood Jumbos. Stefan owned and played alot of guitars, but favored the Jumbo Larson Brothers Prairie State style guitars (played Franklins PS for MANY years, which is why I got one after playing his). I think OMs make great blues guitars, as do L-00s, etc, etc, etc. Some folks like HOG for blues, Stefan only played Rosewood guitars (and Dave's were Rosewood too).

Now for Bottleneck guitar, I think it is different. I see it as 2 camps - the National Metal bodied camp, and the Stella Ladder braced guitar camp. I prefer the stella sound, and have several form the 20's (plus making my own now modeled after my Joseph Nettuno Grand Concert). The stellas came set-up with no radius at nut, so all strings are straight across - perfect for bottleneck. The throaty sound of an old ladder braced guitar is awesome, IMO.

So I will end with a common quote, that is entirely true - the Blues is in your fingers and your soul, not the guitar.

Anyway, my 2 cents worth.

Glenn

Well dudes...

Knocked out this sweet little carved arch top parlour blues machine for me lady friends birthday.
Carved from 1 1/2 inch thick plates, at 12 1/4 inches wide, the plates are quite voluptuous...
just like me sweetie.

23.5 inch string length
upper 9 1/4
lower 12 1/4
carved top and back, violin edge, bwb purfling
50 year old air dried strawberry cedar body
Neck chocolate cedar
Padauk head stock plates, fret board, heal cap and tail piece
Lilac bridge, cocobola strap pins
Oil finish.
Stay tites
Extra super lights .008 .010 .015 .021 .030 .038, 3 neekid, 3 wound....but gonna change them to mediums.











Me making one more for me self, from spalted birch and lutz and then me be destroying the bender shape and mold.


bleessings,
?adma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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some of the things I was thinking about, design wise....12 or 14 fret...many blues players mute the strings and a 12 fret may move the bridge back a little too far...wood choice of course..nut width, compensated nut and saddle, bridge size and weight , string guage etc,...... here is one I built a couple of years ago, didn't like the finish so I built a new neck sanded the body down to the wood and refinished it this summer ,L-00 size with standard x bracing, compensated nut and saddle...sounds really good..EIR and Sitka, with ebony bridge and fretboard..however I am looking to build another and gathering ideas, I have become a convert to falcate bracing and will probably go that route ...

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MK5acoustics.com

some of the things I was thinking about, design wise....12 or 14 fret...many blues players mute the strings and a 12 fret may move the bridge back a little too far...wood choice of course..nut width, compensated nut and saddle, bridge size and weight , string guage etc,...... here is one I built a couple of years ago, didn't like the finish so I built a new neck sanded the body down to the wood and refinished it this summer ,L-00 size with standard x bracing, compensated nut and saddle...sounds really good..EIR and Sitka, with ebony bridge and fretboard..however I am looking to build another and gathering ideas, I have become a convert to falcate bracing and will probably go that route ...

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MK5acoustics.com

Nice choices, Freeman!
And I love that archtop, Padma... Gotta build me one of those!

I love playing blues on the L00 I built for my dad. (The one in my avatar)

Well, truth be told, I think the blues is in the player. But I've gotta say you have all shown me some pretty darned cool guitars!
Not that this response helps the original poster answer his question... But I'll stick to my belief that the blues is in the player.
I do like those smaller little instruments, though. Pretty darned cool.

Patrick

I love Sara Todd. If you are looking for a fingerstyle blues machine Haans Bentrup is the man to call.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Just make sure it has a plain 3rd (properly compensated). Gotta be able to bend that G string...

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

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Haans is very much alive and well in Minneapolis and building some very cool stuff.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Haans hangs over at Dennis and Urban Sludge Waters site.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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