Modding an existinr guitar?

[Kevin Stephen]

I bought a used Guitar Research(Peerless) Eddie Durham archtop & am doing some work on it. So far, have replaced the Tailpiece with a wood/brass hybrid, new wood pickguard, made a wood housing for a '64 DeArmond PU mounted to the PG, new wood trussrod cover & am now laying out new sound holes & a port. All this is to satisfy my craving to build one from scratch, or at least a kit. I will make a new bridge soon too. I have quite a few of the tools that I need to build, but need to set up the space & control the temp/humid. I built several of the fixtures called for in Cumpiano's book, but still need more. Actually, it looks like building an archtop is a bit easier in some areas when compared to a flattop acoustic. Mainly with regard to attaching the bridge, though...... that may be the only part that is easier. Other than that, I have only made a soundport for my classical guitar. It still needs a bit of clean up work in this shot.

I also have a Martin D28H kit that I purchased may years ago & then lost the shop, but I really don't want a dreadnaught right now. Anyway, was wondering if anyone else has experiences to share about practicing building skills on an existing instrument.
Cheers,
kev

[Michael Lewis]

If you want to make a guitar them make a guitar. You can tiptoe around the process for years and dabble in one aspect or another, but until you make your guitar you will just be wondering. So go ahead and make your drawing of the instrument, acquire your materials, and get on with it.

If you just want to make one guitar and have it turn out great, you will likely have a very long term project and it may never be completed. You don't paint a masterpiece the first time you try, it takes lots of practice. I suggest you get some inexpensive materials and make your first guitar, make your mistakes, get the whole concept in your head, then get better materials and make a better guitar with the experience you just gained. Save the premium materials for when you feel confident in your design and abilities. Even the longest journey begins with the first step.

[Kevin Stephen]

If you want to make a guitar them make a guitar. You can tiptoe around the process for years and dabble in one aspect or another, but until you make your guitar you will just be wondering. So go ahead and make your drawing of the instrument, acquire your materials, and get on with it.

If you just want to make one guitar and have it turn out great, you will likely have a very long term project and it may never be completed. You don't paint a masterpiece the first time you try, it takes lots of practice. I suggest you get some inexpensive materials and make your first guitar, make your mistakes, get the whole concept in your head, then get better materials and make a better guitar with the experience you just gained. Save the premium materials for when you feel confident in your design and abilities. Even the longest journey begins with the first step.

Thanks for your response, but a full on build is not feasible right now for several reasons ($$$$ & space). That is why I try to do what I can & keep the interest up & learning progressing. I understand that the first build may yield a marginal result, that is one reason I put off building the HD 28 kit. These repairs & mods are my "first steps" to get comfortable with certain procedures that I will encounter in a scratch build. Like binding the sound holes, tailpiece, pickguard & bridge design & fabrication etc. I find it fun & am learning which tools work best for me & which jigs & fixtures help. Actually, making mods to my existing instruments has provided a lot of information about the things that influence the final sound positively & negatively. Anyway, I will build a guitar in the future, but in the interim, I have to be content to "fiddle" with them & take away anything I can from the process.
Cheers,
kev
P.S. Michael, I noticed that on "Wing Feather" you used a long tailpiece with a corresponding shortened string length behind the bridge. I am interested in knowing the effect of this on the sound. This happens to be an area that I am experimenting with, primarily with a perpendicular vs a slanted left or right string attachment.
Thanks, kev

[Mark Swanson]

If you do your homework right, it won't cost you any more money or use up any more space to build a guitar of your own.

[Kevin Stephen]

If you do your homework right, it won't cost you any more money or use up any more space to build a guitar of your own.

I respect your opinion, but don't agree. ( Guess I need to do more homework) I have read about many kitchen table builds, so know it's possible, but I don't have ANY money to spend on this right now & the appropriate space cannot be allocated for an extended time. If I try to build in a space that is cramped & must be relinquished to other uses, I fear that the process will not be a pleasant one. Not to mention slow & frustrating. For right now, I am content to make it a casual endeavor, with the ultimate goal being a scratch build. I am getting there & if a few things fall into place I will make the shift from tinkerer to builder this year.
BTW I'm not making excuses for not building, it's just not the right time to start.
Cheers,
kev

[Michael Lewis]

The main "difference" between long and short tailpieces seems to be the feel of the strings. Longer tailpiece (shorter over all strings) yields a tighter feel, conversely a short tailpiece (longer strings) offers a softer more relaxed feel to the strngs. There are mutes made for banjos that are basically weights that attach to the strings behind the bridge and can be moved closer or farther from the bridge to effect the loudness and tone, and are quite effective. This type of mute seems to have little effect on an arch top guitar. I have tried various iterations of tailpieces looking for effect and settled on getting the feel I want and then the esthetics to go with the instrument.

[Kevin Stephen]

The main "difference" between long and short tailpieces seems to be the feel of the strings. Longer tailpiece (shorter over all strings) yields a tighter feel, conversely a short tailpiece (longer strings) offers a softer more relaxed feel to the strngs. There are mutes made for banjos that are basically weights that attach to the strings behind the bridge and can be moved closer or farther from the bridge to effect the loudness and tone, and are quite effective. This type of mute seems to have little effect on an arch top guitar. I have tried various iterations of tailpieces looking for effect and settled on getting the feel I want and then the esthetics to go with the instrument.

Thanks! This is an area that I am playing with now on my "mule" archtop, 'cause it is a fairly easy mod. Maybe I'll make a test TP with multiple string attachment points to better understand the effect.

Thanks,
kev

[Ben Loutrelle]

Kevin,

I am a proponent of messing with things figure out why they work. I started out modding cheap guitars. The first one was an old Kay archtop that cost $79. I figured, I can't wreck this, cause it isn't worth anything, even in perfect shape. I started the whole project on a camping trip! I was sawing off the dyed poplar fretboard with a wire hand saw. I eventually set up "shop" on the porch of the cabin on a kitchen table about 3' x3'. I reset the neck and refinished the whole thing with spray cans from Ace hardware. In this process I found out why poplar is a horrible choice of wood for instruments. Which led me to rebuild it again, with a new hardwood neck, new top bracing, new body depth, a new cutaway, and electric pickups. I used an old piano for most of that and when it was done was able to hear for myself that my instincts were correct. I learned so much from that guitar. It seems like anyone can put together a kit, but I don't know why you'd want to. I hate not knowing why I'm doing what I'm doing. I find the result is never very satisfying. Keep modding, you'll learn all sorts of things you want to learn, not just what a manufacturer of stringed furniture allows you to know. Keep experimenting, always be experimenting. I think to master something, one ought never rush into it. You're liable to learn the habit of making mistakes. That's how my guitar playing is!