Official Luthiers Forum!

I am going to build a guitar for a friend who is a Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel fan. We are currently talking about a 14 fret 000. Tommy's guitar looks pretty close in size to a 000 but with deeper sides. I couldn't find any detailed specs on their website and I was hoping someone here could help me out with some body dimensions and scale length.

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Having been around Tommy and his guitars a number of times, I am pretty sure that the sides are fairly normal in depth, maybe a tad deeper, but somewhere around 4.25 to 4.5 is fine .. as for scale, pretty sure its 25.4 ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I have one here in the shop for repair, I'll measure it for you.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I haven't forgot, I'm just not in the shop right now...

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Cant see tommy's guitars needing repair...

Just saw him a few months ago, wow, what a show!

I remember an expatriate Scottish sessions guitarist commenting on my second, saying that it sounded similar to a Maton.
It was a 3mm thick 'A' grade Sitka/Red Meranti (which can be fine) but a bit overbraced for my taste, straight out of the Jonathan Kinkead book.
I could understand the comment, having heard Tommy at a small gig locally a few years before, and playing several Ozzy guitars afterwards.
The gig was quite something, and my better half (unexpectedly) also enjoyed it.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

"Cant see tommy's guitars needing repair..."

Are you kidding? Tommy beats the hell out of his guitar...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Tommy, beating up guitars ???? .. nahhhhh ... I saw him a couple years back just after he had smashed a hole about the size of a golf ball in the side, bass side lower bout .. he thought the guitar sounded better with it, so he had a guy reinforce it, not repair it !!!!

Tommy only really beats up a couple guitars .. he has some pristine ones at home ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Here's what I got:
Nut width: 1 3/4ths inches
21st fret width: 2 1/4 inches
scale length: 25 1/2 inches
e to e at bridge: 2 3/16ths inches
shoulder width at widest across top:11 3/16ths
waist width across top at narrowest: 8 16/16ths inches
hips at widest across top: 14 5/16ths inches
body depth at neck: 4 inches
body depth at tail: 4 7/8th inches
The increase in depth is not due to an arch along the back but rather a wedge shape. (not a Manzer wedge)
The back braces are arched across the back though.
Hope this helps!

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Thanks!

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

I've seen him twice here in Houston and we sat about 3 or 4 feet from him (front row table). I was suppose to go with a friend the first time, but he backed out. So I took my wife. Surprise, she loved it. The next time she insisted on going again. Loved it again. Great fun show. Very friendly to chat with and take pictures.