Foro Flamenco


Posts Since Last Visit | Advanced Search | Home | Register | Login

Today's Posts | Inbox | Profile | Our Rules | Contact Admin | Log Out



Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.





Small Torres build experiences?   You are logged in as Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >>Discussions >>Lutherie >> Page: [1]
Login
Message<< Newer Topic  Older Topic >>
 
kominak

 

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010
 

Small Torres build experiences? 
Hello,
I'm contemplating building small body/short scale guitar for my 6yo daughter this summer. Anyone has any experience with Roy Courtnall's Torres plan?

http://www.masterguitarplans.com/torres-requinto/

On a selfish note - as the guitar seems to be lightly build - can I expect to get a decent negra sound of it (using mad.rosewood instead of cypress)? Or would you put the fan braces more parallel to each other?
As she'll grow up from that instrument in a couple of years and at the moment the playability is more important to her than sound anyway, I might as well set up the guitar as flamenco

Martin

_____________________________

Martin Kominak
Slovakia
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 18 2015 7:14:17
 
estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
I've built a requinto and small scale Torres recently, the Torres naturally has a little growl like a flamenco guitar. Basically the same thing back then.

The Torres concept of the braces stays the same but the size of the guitar changes. If you see the book by Romanillos you can see the format Torres uses is this inverted 'kite' form, he scales the braces to fit body size without too much change. I'd just make it like the Torres plan and it will be a bit flamenco because his concept was the beginning of the flamenco development into a special flamenco guitar. I've even braced a few flamenco guitars exactly like a Torres and they sound flamenco. It's more about the braces, top thickness, bridge weight that give a flamenco sound more than back & sides. I think.

_____________________________

https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 18 2015 9:32:03
 
Stephen Eden

 

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
When I was an apprentice, we made a Terz guitar with the tiny plan. I can't remember if we scaled it up a bit though. It was definitely small enough for a childs guitar though.

Really punchy sound being so small. We used Wenge for the back and sides as I think we got the set for £10 or something like that. It could be used for either classical or flamenco really.

_____________________________

Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 18 2015 11:22:16
 
kominak

 

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
That's good to hear - I think I'll give it a go. Thanks a lot for reassuring information!

_____________________________

Martin Kominak
Slovakia
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 18 2015 13:55:23
 
Flamingrae

 

Posts: 220
Joined: May 19 2009
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
Not put any pics up but last guitar I've done was a small pattern. I looked at the small Torres in the Courtnall book, but I didnt like the curves. So, I did a cross using the dimensions of the small guitar but then used curves similar to Santo over this. Done my own internals and danced around cross naked at midnight etc. I'm happy and reports back are good too. For flamenco guitars I'm defo going to do another small pattern. They are loud and punchy which is somehow lost on the bigger models. Do not be frightened to give this a go.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 20 2015 22:06:48
 
kominak

 

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to Flamingrae) 
Thanks for encouraging words - I already started gathering woods. It's interesting how much cheaper it is compared to regular size guitar.

_____________________________

Martin Kominak
Slovakia
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jun. 23 2015 13:51:51
 
kominak

 

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
It took almost 2 years since I started gathering materials and almost 9 months of actual building over weekends, but finally the guitar is finished.
Many thanks for all the encouraging words 2 years ago - my daughter loves the guitar and I was very pleasantly surprised by the sound the guitar produces. I doesn't sound small or cheap - the trebles are crisp and fast and the basses rivals those of my full sized blanca.
If anybody is contemplating building such a small guitar, I can highly recommend Roy Courtnall's "Torres requinto" plan.

Some specs:
Top: alpine (swiss) spruce from florinet
Back/sides/bridge/headplate: Madagascar rosewood
Lining: curly maple





Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (2)

_____________________________

Martin Kominak
Slovakia
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 16 2017 19:36:14
 
kominak

 

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
Besides lower costs for the top/back/sides another benefit of such a small footprint is that you can get away with some cheaper jigs, too. Like this $0.25 "under the shelf" chop stick go-bar deck:



Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

Martin Kominak
Slovakia
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 16 2017 19:41:55
 
pundi64

Posts: 234
Joined: Jul. 29 2016
From: Thailand

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
Very nice, like the headstock, cutouts. Hope she enjoys it, to the max.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 16 2017 22:17:29
 
estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
Killer results!

I like your traditional solera too.

_____________________________

https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 16 2017 22:45:26
 
mrstwinkle

 

Posts: 551
Joined: May 14 2017
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to pundi64) 
Agree. Love that headstock.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 17 2017 0:09:09
 
heyjamesguesswhat

 

Posts: 9
Joined: Apr. 13 2016
 

RE: Small Torres build experiences? (in reply to kominak) 
nice work! thats a nice looking soundboard too.

really like your gobar deck.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Jul. 23 2017 9:55:14
Page:   [1]
All Forums >>Discussions >>Lutherie >> Page: [1]
Jump to:

New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET

6.640625E-02 secs.