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Help needed - string tension
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Andy Culpepper
Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA
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Help needed - string tension
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OK so a client is ready to return a guitar to me for one reason: he feels the string tension is too high. He says the strings are extremely hard to fret with the left hand, and he is a professional musician who regularly plays 3 hour gigs so it is a big issue. I need to get to the bottom of this thing of string tension. Here are the factors as I see them: STRINGS: Hannabach medium tension basses and Conde Hermanos medium tension trebles. SCALE LENGTH: this guitar is 650 mm, it's a fact that the longer the length of the string the more tension it needs to be at the same pitch, so 660 or longer would mean slightly higher tension. Although informal studies have shown that players don't really notice this. ACTION: the action on this guitar is 3.0 mm - 2.8 mm. The string clearance at the nut is what I would consider just enough -- when the string is fretted at the 3rd fret, the distance from the string to the 1st fret is just a few 1000ths of an inch. String height at bridge is 7.5 mm. TOP CONSTRUCTION: this particular spruce top is 2.2 mm thick under the bridge, with 5 fan braces under the bridge ranging from 3.7 mm high to 3.2 mm high. The bridge is Indian Rosewood weighing in at 16 grams. There is no bridge patch, lattice brace, Bouchet bar, whathaveyou. What other factor am I missing?? Do other luthiers feel that new guitars with new strings need some "playing in" in order to loosen up and feel comfy? I think that must be what it is because I don't see any other reason why it would be hard to play, and it didn't feel hard to me.
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Andy Culpepper, luthier http://www.andyculpepper.com
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Date Jan. 31 2011 0:09:33
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Anders Eliasson
Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006
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RE: Help needed - string tension (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
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Put a set of Luthier 20 on it first of all. One thing noone has mentioned and its the most important: The guitars own tension also called pulsation. This is a matter of the stiffness of the soundboard and the bracing together and its THE most difficult and THE most important factor in being a good builder. Its more important than sound. A guitar which is to stiff or soft doesnt work wel and you cant change it with changing string tension. A soft guitar is soft and a stiff guitar is stiff. As a builder you need to gain experience when choosing and working your wood. Make a reference soundboard that you are not going to use. It has to be top level wood with a rosette installed. Use your thumbs, compare and weigh what you make. I cannot say a word about the actual guitar because I havent tried it. So you need to judge it yourself. Compare to your other guitars and if possible to other makers guitars. If the pulsation, is not specially high, then its the player who has a problem. Did he ask for a specific soft, medium or hard tension guitar. With respect of return policy... Thats a VERY difficult one. For someone only making 8 - 12 guitars a year, taking back an instrument can be really tough or even mean that you´re out of business..... (We are not Wall Mart or Carrefour) Taking back a guitar which you know is good and where you have a 25% non refundable deposit helps a lot. You´ll sell it again and earn some extra money for your trouble. If the guitar is really good, (and you have enough level of playing to judge that) then I think you have the right to refuse taking it back. The guy has payed you for your workhours. If not, he can go to GSI and pay 60 - 100% extra. As a last thing... And it has to do with all the discussions of copying. Al pieces of wood are different. There can be a huge difference between one soundboard and another. Some has to be 1,9mm and others 2,5mm (Then thin one isnt nescessarily the best!!!!! it depends on weight) Every little stick you use for the bracing has the same problem. So building copys after plans doesnt help you. If the plan says 2,2mm, you might have to work something else depending on your wood. This you can only learn by building a lot of copys of the same plan and not by swithcing from one plan to another like many beginning builders do.
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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 31 2011 8:15:32
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Andy Culpepper
Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA
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RE: Help needed - string tension (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
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OK, thanks everybody. Anders, I am familiar with this idea of pulsation. Do you think it affects the left hand too?? I'm not building a copy and I treat each soundboard as an individual, thinning it according to how it feels, and then thinning the braces and the edge of the soundboard while playing it to fine tune it. This is a not-super-stiff top with a little runout. Basically what I need to know is, how is this pulsation controlled? I purposely brace lightly under the bridge to try to control it. but when I've used bridge patches or stiffer bracing, or a stiffer top, the pulsation, to my hands, hasn't changed. All my guitars, to me, feel easy to play. Once again, this is the LEFT hand we're talking about, not the right. Thanks. Oh and I do offer a return policy for a full refund, less any damage to the guitar. It looks like it's going to be taken advantage of because the client seems very discouraged, but I told him to keep it for a few days, try different strings, play it in a bit, etc...
_____________________________
Andy Culpepper, luthier http://www.andyculpepper.com
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 31 2011 12:22:37
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