Search found 108 matches

by Alain Bieber
Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:03 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

The paper on D.Field style shows that he is now staying under a double influence. One, the traditional romantic "french design" for instance Louis Pons as shown by the American lutherie plan N° 63 . Two, the Fleta family design, but treated in a much lighter way. Also, the ribs are made he...
by Alain Bieber
Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:00 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

Stephen, The main "French masters", long after R.B. have, I think, all departed from the RB original designs, but the complete set of their more recent designs kept some ideas of changing the amount of transverse compared with longitudinal rigidity to a slight benefit of the transverse one...
by Alain Bieber
Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:30 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

Stephen,
My feeling is that your First Bouchet bar could be on the strong side . It is vanishing more progressively at both ends. If you decide to shave, do it a little more on the bass side. Good luck.
by Alain Bieber
Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:01 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

Stephen,
Two points. One, Bouchet suppressed the closing bars when the soul bar was introduced. Second, he almost always braced a little less strongly the bass side.
Very nice work of yours, as usual.
by Alain Bieber
Tue Mar 17, 2015 3:55 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

Bill, you found the Field document and I thank you . Hello to you and Suzan .Hope you are well.
by Alain Bieber
Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:47 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

The most interesting document I know about the structural evolution of the set of guitars made by R.B. is the work of Dominique Field. It is a rather short paper but from a very well informed author. Field shared a lot during a large period with R.B. who considered him as his "fils spirituel&qu...
by Alain Bieber
Sat Mar 14, 2015 12:35 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?
Replies: 29
Views: 18010

Re: Viola! Alain Bieber are you lurking?

Thanks, specially to Stephen, who make me aware of a kind of "big sleep of mine", at MIMF level, and that was not very kind for the good friends I have in that very helpful and cosy forum. First I apologize. I should be more in the "digital world" than I am. My defense is my very...
by Alain Bieber
Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:52 am
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: Pine, Birch, Poplar?
Replies: 13
Views: 11776

Re: Pine, Birch, Poplar?

Hi Simon, I am not so sure poplar here is the same as poplar there. For instance the poplar used sometimes by the Cremona masters for back and sides of the quatuor instruments is "black poplar" (pioppo nero) also called sometimes "pioppo cypressino". The tree look different and I...
by Alain Bieber
Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:22 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: What are your prefered strings for a Selmer guitar?
Replies: 18
Views: 11954

Re: What are your prefered strings for a Selmer guitar?

Hello Dick, Sorry I did not notice quickly tour post. I have followed the Charles plan but introduced a very slight FB "rounding", I would say half way between a flat line and an usual rounding as seen on electrics. I stick to the Savarez Argentine since they gave me full satisfaction, but...
by Alain Bieber
Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:23 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Brazilian RW/Spruce Classical "Assegai"
Replies: 26
Views: 15483

Re: Brazilian RW/Spruce Classical "Assegai"

Very interesting instrument, and superb realization. What kind of thicknesses for that top would be my question. Congratulations.
I also love El Choclo. Do you know Roland Dyens (one of our leading guitar players) interpretation of that standard on You Tube?
by Alain Bieber
Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:46 pm
Forum: Jam Session
Topic: You said Ray Charles?
Replies: 0
Views: 3691

You said Ray Charles?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6k7hPWJOUQ

Young Slovenian guy and surprising imitation...
by Alain Bieber
Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:47 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Pearwood or beech for necks?
Replies: 9
Views: 8493

Re: Pearwood or beech for necks?

Hi Paco, Bernard Michaud " Le bois de lutherie" in Fertans near Besançon usually has nice guitar necks planks in Walnut (I suppose from South West France where there are a plenty. Also somewhat expensive but very nice maple cuts. Curly or "moucheté"... I do not know the English w...
by Alain Bieber
Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:00 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Mid 1800's James Ashborn peghead dovetail
Replies: 6
Views: 5683

Re: Mid 1800's James Ashborn peghead dovetail

It seems this maker was following the standard (at this time) covered V joint method (all over Europe except Spain). A set of videos on You tube by David Schramm can be useful. Also a discussion of possible interest for you on the Delcamp English guitar Forum. BTW, in American Lutherie N° 104 Winter...
by Alain Bieber
Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:36 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Copying a guitar without removing the top: Is it possible?
Replies: 18
Views: 13755

Re: Copying a guitar without removing the top: Is it possible?

X-ray tomography has been often used by very exacting measurers, generally Museum guys. To give an example an interesting written introduction to this technique, in English, is found in the Journal devoted to violin research in the US. A paper by Borman and Stoel (summer 2009), if my memory still wo...
by Alain Bieber
Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:13 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Ramirez Harmonic bar
Replies: 15
Views: 12531

Re: Ramirez Harmonic bar

I wonder if someone has measured properly the thicknesses (including distribution) of a Ramirez III "post war" large WRC model. I do not remember having seen that info before. The short paper visible on internet (by Gruhn, Gruen or a name close to that) is silent on this point.
by Alain Bieber
Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:46 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Ramirez Harmonic bar
Replies: 15
Views: 12531

Re: Ramirez Harmonic bar

Just a question. Ramirez III who introduced and consistently used, to my knowledge, this new (and bold) type of diagonal "crossing" strut almost at the same time he pionnered the use of WRC for tops, maybe was also tempted to fight a tendancy to correct a little bit the usually too generou...
by Alain Bieber
Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:40 am
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?
Replies: 62
Views: 46851

Re: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?

I just wanted to underline the fact that the role and importance of tradition, in a rather positive acceptance (which is mine I confess), should be discussed for each kind of instrument. Not"in general". And we all know that the problem of wood choices is different for instruments going di...
by Alain Bieber
Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:49 pm
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?
Replies: 62
Views: 46851

Re: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?

This topic will logically be very long, I fear it mixes too many ideas. It starts with, maybe and according to me, a slight lack of precision in what is meant about the world of string instruments. For some instruments one has no freedom of course, for others he has plenty. For some makers the input...
by Alain Bieber
Mon Oct 01, 2012 12:18 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Copying a guitar without removing the top: Is it possible?
Replies: 18
Views: 13755

Re: Copying a guitar without removing the top: Is it possible?

We all copy existing models, to a large extent. Professional builders try to reproduce, from one guitar to the other, the sound for which they are known, and this both for Flamencas and classical guitars. But focusing on bars and struts is not enough, this is what I firmly believe. You have to repro...
by Alain Bieber
Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:32 pm
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: The new "lion"
Replies: 18
Views: 12747

Re: The new "lion"

Hello Murray,
A nice balance around a perfect oval soundhole. You are expertly reviving some old under rated skills such as Laprévotte's. Plus your original ideas of course. Bravo, as usual.

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