Search found 37 matches

by Paco Jimenez
Sat Jul 18, 2020 2:14 am
Forum: String Instrument Repair: Practical and Political Issues
Topic: Vintage archtop guitar, neck backbow - the right way to go fixing it?
Replies: 9
Views: 8165

Re: Vintage archtop guitar, neck backbow - the right way to go fixing it?

A bit OT, sorry. In case you are wondering that guitar is a late '30s built in the former Czechoslovakia. In Schönbach to be precise (renamed as Luby after the WWII). It seems to be an Albo (ALred BOrst) No. 23. In the '37 catalog it's described as all solid woods and carved, but I've seen many vari...
by Paco Jimenez
Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:57 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Bridges - Materials and energy losses
Replies: 6
Views: 7667

Re: Bridges - Materials and energy losses

The problem is that bridge rocking of that sort is, at best, unimportant on an arch top. That's how I understand it too. Floating bridges don't rock that much, if any. So I still don't get the reasonings behind using transversally wide bridge feet other than adding mass. Some other guys talk about ...
by Paco Jimenez
Sun Jun 21, 2020 11:36 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Bridges - Materials and energy losses
Replies: 6
Views: 7667

Re: Bridges - Materials and energy losses

We're not really dealing with a 'wave' phenomenon here, just a varying force, IMO. The bottom line, IMO, is that for most arch top bridges you can treat them as a 'lump' of a certain mass without too much danger of leaving anything out. The mass adds to that of the top, determining resonant frequen...
by Paco Jimenez
Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:51 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Bridges - Materials and energy losses
Replies: 6
Views: 7667

Bridges - Materials and energy losses

I tend to prefer single piece bridges over mutiple part ones. Of course there's always exceptions. But I've never thought too much about it or the causes for it in other terms than overall weight/mass, stiffness (floating bridges on arched tops are still braces somehow, aren't they?), impedance (whe...
by Paco Jimenez
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:25 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Can you carve top variably to emphasize bass vs treble?
Replies: 10
Views: 12725

Re: Can you carve top variably to emphasize bass vs treble?

Be careful what you ask for: I could go on about this stuff for a long time. Well, I don't see the problem. Always ready for a good reading LOL. But you are right, I should have been more precise. I was trying to ask about bracing as per the original quote. From what I've seen 'parallel' bracing se...
by Paco Jimenez
Thu Jun 04, 2020 2:00 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Can you carve top variably to emphasize bass vs treble?
Replies: 10
Views: 12725

Re: Can you carve top variably to emphasize bass vs treble?

From what I've seen 'parallel' bracing seems to produce a more 'bass balanced' timbre than X-bracing. Wow, really? That goes against what's generally accepted out there as a kind of dogma since the '30s when Gibson made of it a thing and D'Agelico and later D'Aquisto followed. Please, Alan. Would y...
by Paco Jimenez
Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:39 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: CHEAP Archtops, DIY
Replies: 30
Views: 34886

Re: CHEAP Archtops, DIY

One of the best archtops I've played and owned is a '50s laminated Bräuer (former Czechoslovakia). Not a budget guitar at all. Built to high standards. The key is how you laminate the plates. They are commonly 4 or 5 plies of very specific thicknessings and spices.
by Paco Jimenez
Wed Dec 31, 2014 10:24 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: type of bracing used with oval hole archtops
Replies: 6
Views: 8116

Re: type of bracing used with oval hole archtops

Solomon uses three fingers kinda fan for his great Phidelity. Old Gibsons had parallel (more an inverted Vee than actually parallel) before the X was introduced by the early '30s. does size of the oval hole change tone/volume Of course, like in any guitar. Smaller holes soud bassier, big holes sound...
by Paco Jimenez
Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:54 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Mini Archtop 14"
Replies: 22
Views: 21294

Re: Mini Archtop 14"

Kinda Guild M75 meets Parker or something like that.... Beauuutiful instrument. Truly charming. Great job!
by Paco Jimenez
Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:51 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: First Archtop Guitar
Replies: 19
Views: 25919

Re: First Archtop Guitar

It looks gorgeous. Great job! +1 on walnut for back and sides. Love it for archtops or any kind of guitars. +1000 on good local woods. No need for exotic tonewoods given you can get good stuff localy. Around here (Spain). you can get excellent native walnut, pearwood, cherry, cypress... who needs co...
by Paco Jimenez
Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:35 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Construction materials
Replies: 13
Views: 12504

Re: Construction materials

[...] But it will also sound like plywood, i.e. bad. We use a book matched top so the wood is symmetrical across the center seam, but you can do it with one piece if you can find one big enough. [...] Arch tops are carved from thick pieces of wood, not pressed into shape. Well...the cheap plywood a...
by Paco Jimenez
Sun May 19, 2013 12:20 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: converting Martin archtop to flat top .
Replies: 12
Views: 12205

Re: converting Martin archtop to flat top .

The bigger ones, the C series, had a special body shape that later became the OM size for the flat-tops. Yes, that size was developed for archtops first. The R series... I cannot remember it now for sure. I think they were 00 bodies. AFAIK... Oh and the scarcer top end F series were a special size u...
by Paco Jimenez
Thu May 16, 2013 5:04 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Reboot - Steam-bending Tops
Replies: 16
Views: 15616

Re: Reboot - Steam-bending Tops

Interesting reading. Thanks for sharing, Alan.
by Paco Jimenez
Mon May 13, 2013 4:07 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: "Spitfire" archtop
Replies: 18
Views: 14401

Re: "Spitfire" archtop

What a beauty.
by Paco Jimenez
Sat Apr 13, 2013 6:43 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: My full-access archtop
Replies: 12
Views: 11583

Re: My full-access archtop

Perhaps trying to get the bridge to tail distance down to 6", but I'd worry about losing sound. I played an Eastman El Rey in a shop that had 6" bridge to tail and I liked the feel of it a lot. But it had almost no acoustic sound for a variety of reasons. Don't be afraid of that. Strings ...
by Paco Jimenez
Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:01 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Pressed tops
Replies: 6
Views: 7160

Re: Pressed tops

For laminated check ACME as well.

http://www.acme-archtops.com/
by Paco Jimenez
Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:47 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New bridge made a huge difference
Replies: 25
Views: 23587

Re: New bridge made a huge difference

Ah, Ok. Now I got it. Thanks for clarifying.

Never tried a spruce bridge. I guess it deserves at least a go. Spruce has relatively low density so in certain way I guess what to expect from it, but it has a wonderful ringing or resonance. Seems like something to try.
by Paco Jimenez
Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:27 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New bridge made a huge difference
Replies: 25
Views: 23587

Re: New bridge made a huge difference

Dennis, I have a similar solution for the bridge of my archtop; bone saddle over hardwood bridge. It is only a hypothesis, but after observation of both the saddle and nut in refining the action setup, I noticed indentations at both the bridge and saddle that seem to indicate the windings of the st...
by Paco Jimenez
Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:11 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New bridge made a huge difference
Replies: 25
Views: 23587

Re: New bridge made a huge difference

Hey, Dennis. Have you put a bone saddle on top or is it just bare wood contacting the strings? I'm wondering.... Isn't spruce too soft for that use?

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