Short scale guitar

[Peter Wilcox]

My 16yo granddaughter has short fingers, and has used that and "the guitar's too big" as excuses for not learning to play the dreadnought I gave her a couple of years ago, so I thought I'd make her a smaller one.

This one is loosely modeled after the Taylor GS Mini, and has a scale length of 23.5". Top is redwood, sides, back, fretboard, bridge, heelcap and headstock veneer are maple, neck is mahogany. Sounds like a guitar and plays in tune.

No more excuses.

[Peter Wilcox]

A couple more pics.

[Todd Stock]

I like that...any more excuses from her?

[Bryan Bear]

I like that maple a lot and the whole dark top light sides vibe is cool!

[Dale Penrose]

Very nice!

[Ryan Mazzocco]

That is a very pretty guitar. great job! I hope she plays it.

[Peter Wilcox]

I like that...any more excuses from her?

Won't know for awhile. She lives 700 miles away and I'm too cheap to buy a case and ship it. She was here over the summer and helped a little with the build, and may come get it over Thanksgiving.

[Jason Rodgers]

That's some killer maple on the back and sides, and I like this dark top, too. For my own tastes, I would want to see the whole fretboard the darker maple, and simple black dots, but overall it has a great color scheme. What's that tail depth: maybe it's the scale, but it looks really deep. Good solutions for a lucky little gal.

[Peter Wilcox]

Jason - it's 4 1/2" at the tail, 3 1/2" at the heel.

All the maple is from different stock, and the fretboard doesn't match at all well. Were I to do it over, I think I'd dye the fretboard to match the other maple, then dye the marker spaces to match the top.

[Ryan Mazzocco]

Fwiw I think it looks terrific just how it is.

[Mike Conner]

I really like the curly maple and the contrast with the top plate. Your daughter should be very proud of it, especially since it came from you and she had some hands on it during the build.

I am building 23.5" scale guitar shaped octave mandolins, 14.5" lower bout width. The Kaces classical guitar polyfoam cases have worked out really well and the price is very reasonable (about $75):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018T ... _pC_nS_ttl

An inexpensive hard case I have also used (about $56):
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... uitar-case

Just some suggestions for more affordable cases...

[Peter Wilcox]

Thanks Bryan, Dale and Ryan - I'm glad you like it.

Mike - the Kaces isn't available, and the Muscican's Gear case has only a 4" depth, and mine needs 4 1/2". I'm doing the 150mi round trip to the big city (Reno) next week, where there is a Guitar Center. If they have the case (or others) in stock I'll see what the guitar fits. Thanks for the links.

(Ryan and Bryan - what does PMoMC mean - something to do with Missouri I'll bet.)

[Ryan Mazzocco]

did you use purflex or the real deal? If purflex, how did you like it? I've been thinking about trying it.
and I had to re-read the OP to be sure, but it's not his daughter, it's his Grand-daughter.

[Mike Conner]

Peter,
Yes, the Kaces seem to come and go in terms of availability. I have a couple in "inventory", guess I should have paid closer attention to the link I sent

What I was trying to pass along is that the classical guitar cases seem to be a decent fit for the shorter scale. My archtop octave mandolins are about 5" from the outside of the back plate to the peak of the floating bridge and they fit well in both cases mentioned.

Good luck with the search, and I am very impressed with the instrument you have created for your grand-daughter. I am certain she will cherish it always.
//mike

[Peter Wilcox]

did you use purflex or the real deal?[/u]

Neither - just cheap (Chinese) plastic - black, white and abalone pearl for the rosette, and tortoise shell and abalone pearl for the binding.

[Randolph Rhett]

That is plastic masquerading as shell? Pretty convincing! Don't know if in person it would be obvious, but from the pictures I would never had known.

[Peter Wilcox]

Peter,
Yes, the Kaces seem to come and go in terms of availability. I have a couple in "inventory", guess I should have paid closer attention to the link I sent

What I was trying to pass along is that the classical guitar cases seem to be a decent fit for the shorter scale. My archtop octave mandolins are about 5" from the outside of the back plate to the peak of the floating bridge and they fit well in both cases mentioned.

Good luck with the search, and I am very impressed with the instrument you have created for your grand-daughter. I am certain she will cherish it always.
//mike

Thanks for the links, Mike. Guitar Center couldn't help. so I went ahead and ordered the Musician's Gear case and it just came. The guitar fits - of course the neck and body are short, and the upper bout is narrow, but the lower bout holds it in place well. The bridge and strings impress upon the cover, but it closes without forcing it.

Thanks again.

[Mike Conner]

Peter, Glad it worked out for you. It was kind of late in the design process when I realized I would need a case for my 14.5" wide GOM. It was just luck that the classical case worked out. For the MF case I just tuck a couple of microfiber clothes along the upper bout to help steady the instrument in the case.

[Don Penniman]

It looks wonderful -- I hope your granddaughter enjoys it and it becomes a lifelong companion.

With all due respect to the good people at Taylor, it has lots more mojo than a GS Mini.