A Chinese Guqin

[Bob King]

Does any one have or know where to get plans for a Guqin ? I have seen them on "you tube" and watch them made but could use a set of plans. Probly won't do all the steps as it is said there are 100 of them . But just for fun a one time build.

[Tom Snape]

I hope to build a guqin at some point. I examined and handled some in Chengdu China a few years back. The closest thing I have found to a plan is a book called "Abiding with Antiquity", which is an English translation from an 1855 Chinese text. (ISBN 978-1-4303-0346-6). I even have my set of silk strings and my deer horn to grind into powder ready. I'll be watching this thread to see if someone knows of an actual plan.

I have not been able to figure out where to obtain a suitable piece of wood for the top half. To stay with tradition it should be a good piece of paulownia, at least 49" long, 1.25" thick, and about 7.5" wide.

[Tom Snape]

Bob, check out the second photo at this link. Pretty close to a plan. It gives a lot more dimensions than I've seen anywhere else:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collectio ... /180015292

And they have similar drawings for some other guqins.

[Bob King]

Thanks that site of the Met helps with the overall size . I will do more searching , and most likely will not start on one until spring so have plenty of time . The note buttons are not given , I guess I will make those with a tuner and temp string after the top is on and before the finish is applied. At least that is now the plan, got to gather the wood.

[Tom Snape]

There are 13 of them, called "hui". The book I referenced doesn't say how to lay them out.

Here is some help:

https://blog.nyl.io/guqin-part-1-harmon ... most%20dot.

[Michael Cyr]

I also would like to make one of these as a project then move on to something else so if you find a set of prints someplace please let us all know meanwhile take look at this site http://littleoldqinmaker.blogspot.com/2 ... tents.html He goes through the complete process of building a guqin with some pictures. He also tells you were to place the buttons and how it is figured out.

[Jim McConkey]

FYI, you should be able to edit your own posts within 30 minutes of creation (pencil icon on the message). I deleted your duplicate message.

[Bob King]

I have been reading / viewing all the above sites plus some I have found on the web. So far I have found that there is not a definite set of plans, nor are there a design that is "correct". The most complete as far as information goes is the blog provided by Michal above. It is all most to much to wade thru, and gives things that most all ready know, like how to do simple things. But well worth reading, and a help in what " is that called" and what it looks like. I have found that there is no proper way except to say general guide lines. The shapes found are varied and some easier to make than theirs. The Blogepot guy has the simple shape and goes against my taste but who am I to throw a stone ?
So to answer Michael , and others on this quest ,no-no plans as such would that I would like to have found. It would seem that unlike our other strings that have a mostly set of size and shape the Guqin has only 7 or 10 strings and is 134 cm to 200 cm long , about 15 to18 cm wide. (see what I mean).
But please keep those sites coming as it will be spring before I can start on one, my shop is no heated.
I did noticed some of the sites on the web are incomplete and one place I found that had silk strings had a sale on that ended in 2017. I take it that many sites were from HK or the main land ,kind of sad that there are not more info of our kind coming out of there.
Again thanks for all the above help..

[Tom Snape]

I have found that when I'm trying to find information online about things from other countries with different languages, I will find more results when I translate the search words into the native language, and then search with the translation. For example, guqin in Chinese is 古琴. Performing Google searches using Chinese characters returns results I wouldn't find otherwise.

I still haven't found fully dimensioned drawings for building a guqin, but I think there is enough information available from different sources about overall dimensions, and enough straight-on shots, that one should be able to come up with their own plan that is reasonably correct. After all, there are a lot of variations in guqin styles and shapes.

I did find this thread in a Chinese forum where someone uploaded an AutoCAD DWG that contains outlines for several guqin shapes. The file is in the first post and was uploaded as a compressed .rar file. The file name translates to "guqin line diagram". There are no dimensions in the drawing, but it is drawn 1:1 scale in millimeters, so any dimension can be taken directly. I downloaded the file, uncompressed it, and it opened fine in AutoCAD.

http://www.guanglingsan.com/thread-6846-1.html

[Tom Snape]

I browsed around in the guqin builders forum that the link I posted in the preceding message leads to, and it seems there could be other plans and documentation available for download, but you have to be a member and it seems there is some payment required using a token system.

There is a good thread where the construction of a guqin is well documented from start to finish. The builder is mostly using hand tools.


http://www.guanglingsan.com/thread-4548-1.html

[Bob King]

Tom have you notice that not only do they use hand tools but some of the wood they use we would probably would reject? of course they cover it with that lacquer so the wood does not show thru . I watched one "master" glue some boards on the outside of a board that was not wide enough. It had knot holes and they were removed then plugged . I like my wood to much to cover it that way.

[Tom Snape]

Considering how much work goes into build a qin, it is surprising they don't start out with better looking wood. Of course, as you mentioned, the wood ends up being completely hidden by the lacquer.