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I wonder if neck dive on flamenco guitars can be problematic for guitarists. I think flamenco guitars are heavy on the headstock and light on the body. Can a luthier do something against it?
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
quote:
I think flamenco guitars are heavy on the headstock and light on the body.
I think the premise is incorrect. Perhaps the size of the data-set should be increased before drawing such a sweeping conclusion?
But, if you have a guitar with this problem, one solution could be to replace the tuning machines with a lighter set. Alternatively, a 5 lb. weight can be attached to the tail end with duck tape. Either solution will do the trick.
But seriously, not all flamenco guitars are neck heavy. If a guitar is way out of balance there might not be much can be done beyond seeking out a new guitar that has a lighter neck.
Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
My Bernal and my old Anders do not suffer from this problem so not all flamenco guitars are as you describe. Maybe you have some heavy duty tuners? Which guitar is it?
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to kitarist)
Nails are so... 17th century, all the cool kids have been using a battery drill and sheet rock screws for years, tru hipsters Suguru, and the proles duct tape.
HR - slowly and painfully weening himself of the pain pills
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
So many variables with guitar mass. Guessing as you become more familiar you will pick a more balance instrument next time If you want a lighter neck then it’s pegs.
HR
quote:
ORIGINAL: devilhand
I wonder if neck dive on flamenco guitars can be problematic for guitarists. I think flamenco guitars are heavy on the headstock and light on the body. Can a luthier do something against it?
_____________________________
I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Escribano
My Bernal and my old Anders do not suffer from this problem so not all flamenco guitars are as you describe. Maybe you have some heavy duty tuners? Which guitar is it?
Fortunately, I'm not affected by a neck dive flamenco guitar because I still have to get my first flamenco guitar. My current guitar is a classical one. Feels like it's a balanced instrument. The question in my first post is more future oriented. What to look at when I get a flamenco guitar. Also I wanted to know what both players and luthiers have to say about it. After reading a few posts my conclusion is neck dive is not a problem for a flamenco guitar. But the tuning machines and pegs may cause a problem.
Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
quote:
I think flamenco guitars are heavy on the headstock and light on the body.
If you've yet to own a flamenco guitar how can you have such thoughts!? I've played guitar for a decent while and never even heard of neck dive let alone have an opinion on it
is it a big issue for classical players?
quote:
Just nail the strap in a new place on the guitar and keep going until you find a balanced position.
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to Stu)
quote:
is it a big issue for classical players?
Neck dive can be a problem for e-guitar and bass guitar players. Not a big issue for classical players. As you know they hold their guitar at a 45 degree angle.
Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
Flamenco guitarist sit down while playing.
Adapt your sitting position, use arm or legg support, or a cloth on your legg, a foot stool......but adapting a guitar for this.......
If you have a problem, make sure, really sure, it is not yourself that makes the problem. Than look another time very careful. Wait for a day. Look again another time very careful. And if you have done this, than maybe, maybe, see if you have to adapt anything or anyone else.
You may, if you want, use this tip anytime you like.
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to Stu)
I had a set of tuners made from solid Iridium with enriched Uranium rollers that glowed in the dark. Looked cool but neck dive was a problem. I gave them away to some kid
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
Could any luthier here tell me how flamenco guitar weight is distributed? For example how much does the body weigh? The neck and headstock without tuning machines? The fretboard?
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
It’s usually lighter than a modern classic guitar but the same weight of an old Torres or Santos guitar. A cypress guitar (blanca) is usually within the 1000 -1400 grams range while a negra is more or less the same weight of a classical. I used to have a very good Sanchis Carpio weighting 1700 grams.
Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to JasonM)
quote:
I had a set of tuners made from solid Iridium with enriched Uranium rollers that glowed in the dark. Looked cool but neck dive was a problem. I gave them away to some kid
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to gerundino63)
quote:
Flamenco guitarist sit down while playing.
Notice how Mr. Wooten still employs a strap, even while playing when sitting. Perhaps this video can be used as a starting point to suggest locations to nail the strap. On second thought, hammering nails does seem rather brutish, drywall screws really are far more refined. The beauty of drywall screws is they can be reused to fill the holes left behind as the strap is moved around the guitar while looking for the perfect balance point. Hat tips to HR and Konstantin.
quote:
Could any luthier here tell me how flamenco guitar weight is distributed? For example how much does the body weigh? The neck and headstock without tuning machines? The fretboard?
In regards to the request for the component weights of a guitar, all guitars are slightly different. If using a strap doesn’t appeal, may I suggest selecting a guitar with a sound port. The port can be used as an entry point for a nice silk necktie (Paisley never goes out of style) with the sound hole being the exit point. The tie can then be worn around the neck, as usual. The benefit is it will hold the guitar in a comfortable playing position REGARDLESS of whether one is sitting or standing. The other advantage is the player puts forward a snappy and natty appearance to the audience. Visual impressions count, if you wanna be a pro. Let us never forget this.
P.S. I am still conflicted on the optimal knot to use for the necktie; Full Windsor, Half Windsor, Four-in -Hand, Pratt...the possibilities seem endless. Perhaps this should be left to each individual’s discretion.
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
Just so as not to be too flippant about identifying the component weights of a guitar, it’s not so easy to answer this when the Spanish method of building is used. This is because so many components are shaped while attached to the other components. It’s not like the North American/Northern European method of building the body and neck separately, and then attaching the neck with a joint like a dovetail or whatever. So, braces are shaped after being attached to the top and back; once this is done there isn’t much point in weighing the completed element, the builder tends to work with stiffness and/or tones during the shaping process. The body is boxed with the neck attached, prior to carving the neck. The fingerboard is attached to the guitar prior to tapering and fretting. And so on, the whole thing comes together as a unit, not an amalgam of separate elements.
There really isn’t any practical way to answer your question.
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to RobF)
quote:
If using a strap doesn’t appeal, may I suggest selecting a guitar with a sound port. The port can be used as an entry point for a nice silk necktie (Paisley never goes out of style) with the sound hole being the exit point. The tie can then be worn around the neck, as usual. The benefit is it will hold the guitar in a comfortable playing position REGARDLESS of whether one is sitting or standing. The other advantage is the player puts forward a snappy and natty appearance to the audience. Visual impressions count, if you wanna be a pro. Let us never forget this.
P.S. I am still conflicted on the optimal knot to use for the necktie; Full Windsor, Half Windsor, Four-in -Hand, Pratt...the possibilities seem endless. Perhaps this should be left to each individual’s discretion.
A capital idea, Rob. While paisley never goes out of style, as one who considers himself a classic conservative, might I suggest a regimental rep tie? In the original British regimental rep tie, the stripes were angled from left to right, or from “heart to sword,” as the young subalterns said in a nod to their fighting roots. Brooks Brothers created the American version, with the stripes angled from right to left, no doubt to maintain sartorial distance from our former colonizers. Either one would do for playing guitar while sitting or standing.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to devilhand)
quote:
At 0:50-1:00 Neck dive in sitting position
I mean yeah, if you take both arms off, your guitar is going to fall, whether you're sitting cross-legged or traditional. That's normal. The solution is: don't take both arms off
The guitar is held in place by your leg, chest, and right arm. If for some reason your right arm is completely clear of the guitar, then you probably make up for that by letting the neck rest in the curve between your left hand thumb and index. That could potentially happen with certain ways of playing picado when you get to the bass strings, but that's it. I don't really play electric, but I'd imagine this neck dive business is an issue just because the standard position is different (because the instrument is so thin?), and so they don't rest their right arm on top of the guitar to keep it in place? Dunno. But yeah, I honestly don't think this is anything to worry about.
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RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
so really what is the point of this question?
I'm asking this out of curiosity. Have you asked yourself how many people live where you live now? How many men and women and the age structure? I like flamenco. So I want to know more about the instrument. Nothing to do with neck dive anymore because it's not an issue as the posts in this thread suggest.
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Neck dive on flamenco guitars (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
A capital idea, Rob. While paisley never goes out of style, as one who considers himself a classic conservative, might I suggest a regimental rep tie? In the original British regimental rep tie, the stripes were angled from left to right, or from “heart to sword,” as the young subalterns said in a nod to their fighting roots. Brooks Brothers created the American version, with the stripes angled from right to left, no doubt to maintain sartorial distance from our former colonizers. Either one would do for playing guitar while sitting or standing.
Bill
Since very few people in the USA have any idea which British school or regiment a pattern might belong to, or which way the stripes ought to slant, it's perfectly safe to wear striped ties here.
For fifteen years I had a fair amount of business in England. A company I worked for had contracts with the UK government, and I consulted for them after I went out on my own.
My briefing for people I took with me for the first time included, "Don't wear a striped tie. Some of the most popular patterns in the USA belong to British schools or regiments. You would risk giving offense."
Here's a Royal Army Ordnance Corps tie available from Amazon--one you would likely have run into on the contracts I worked in England.
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