| Subject: | Re: [RESOGUIT-L] Ordering A Custom Dream Reso | | Date: | Tuesday, March 27, 2007 22:02:28 (-0500) | | From: | Eugene <U14 @....org>
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My thoughts and opinions herein are primarily generic to custom guitars
including but not limited to resophonic guitars.
Figure out what sound you want first. Find some examples of similar instruments
preferably in-hand instruments, but recordings are a good alternative. The
in-hand instrument is the best bet because it has the sound that you want when
you play it. Sometimes part of the sound/tone we are looking for is rooted in
the playing technique and not merely the instrument.
Play lots of instruments. Ask questions about the ones you like. use a
flashlight to look (as best you can) at how the sound-well is shaped/proportioned
on the ones you like and do NOT like. Ask who made the cones and get as many
details as possible.
When you can measure the string spacings that you do and do not like and make
notes. Dial calipers of adequate quality for this task can be had pretty cheap
these days. If you know what spacing you prefer your Luthier can get right
(according to your preference) the first time; otherwise they just set them up to
their specs (not yours).
A whole instrument is the sum of its parts and its construction. When you and
your Luthier meet to work out the nuances of your instrument; you want have the
in-hand instruments with you so that you can illustrate what type of sound you
want. When it is possible have multiple meetings with the Luthier. Building
rapport is one of the surest investments you can make toward realizing your
dream.
With most instruments much of the stuff that determines the sound of an
instrument is not immediately visible to the naked eye. Building mellow and
balanced sounding instruments is more of a challenge that building bright ones.
Any Luthier that is at all competent can build a bright and balanced sounding
guitar out of Mahogony as a primary wood simply by knowing how to voice the
instrument with: the amount of tension which they build in to the instrument,
bracing, in some cases some laminations, et cetera. In practice they can provide
to you guidance regarding the wood, internal design, components, and even
construction techniques. Every Luthier is different so they know what they
prefer to do to build for a specific sound.
Cosmetics are always an issue on a custom instrument. But often things which
are in part cosmetic are also part of how a builder will approach getting the
sound that they understand you to want. The type of wood selected for the neck is
a good example of this. While you can put a veneer or dark toner on a neck to
hide the wood type e.g. a sunburst type finish. If they were going to build a
maple body with a maple neck they could choose a fancy grade of maple and match
the neck to the body with a translucent or toner enhanced with translucent
finish. This could create a much more striking looking instrument that sounded
much the same as an opaque finished guitar made from a less fancy grade of the
same wood.
Other cosmetic factors can be less intuitive. These black non-glare tuner
buttons may look great in the box, but they may heat up in the sunlight more than
their nickel-plated siblings. Choosing a flat head-stock or a slotted head-stock
will to some extent determine your options for your tuners. If you have large
fingers you may prefer your tuners spaced 3/16ths or a quarter of an inch further
apart than the guitar you are currently playing: this is a little change which
makes the guitar just a little bit nicer to you.
I have explored enough tangents (if not too many) already. The gist of what I
am saying is this.
1. First you need to know what the sound you want is.
2. You need to have some idea of what cosmetic attributes you are drawn to.
3. You need to be able to communicate if not demonstrate to your Luthier the
sound you want.
4. Your Luthier needs to know what your preferences in cosmetic attributes are.
5. Your Luthier should know what works for them to realize particular
tonal/harmonic attributes and tell you what they think would work. So they
should let you know what they would choose to realize "that" sound.
6. To realize the dream guitar you and the Luthier must work together.
7. (see #1)
Ultimately you could discover that something which never occurred to you might
comprise the ideal formula. Your particular builder might suggest something like
a neck comprised of laminations of Purpleheart and Cypress for example. You
never know, the options are endless.
Regards
-- Eugene
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