FINE TUNING A GUITAR

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Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

FINE TUNING A GUITAR

Hi Folks,

I just finished a modified version of a flamenco negra for Carlos Rodriguez. He will most likely put it up on You Tube to demonstrate it sometime in the near future.

It was a chore, for sure, since I had to follow his explanation with certain measurements I was not familiar with.

He wanted a strong bass and a higher frequency treble, with a vowel tone in the middle register, so that the guitar would have good projection, and then, to top it off, he wanted volume with a low action.

I sure hope he likes it, as I spent 6 months on this puppy.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 17 2013 19:17:44

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Cool. Did you salt the braces?

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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 17 2013 19:22:52

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Ricardo)

I was so sick I almost threw up on the guitar at one time :-)

But I'm happy with it in-spite of needing new glasses to do a better French polish.

I have no idea if he will like it but I hope so. Oh yeah, I didn't use salt, and I haven't used salt for quite some time, mostly just polishing fan braces with 400 to 600 sand paper.

The articulation and timber of the instrument has become pretty valid with very little adjustment, and the microscopic sanding is to bring up the tonal nuance.

This is still an enigma, as it's a search every time I do it.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 17 2013 19:36:50

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Well, he liked it a lot and said maestro you are a genius. I asked him if he was just trying to make me feel good :-)

Now, on to finishing a Miguel Rodriguez style classical for a player in Austria.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2013 14:50:32

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1674
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

What, no pictures?

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2013 3:38:35

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

Ethan I haven't learned how to put pictures up on this list yet.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 27 2013 14:13:09

HolyEvil

Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Hi there Tom, the luthier that did a little work on my David Macias on this thread
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=179130&appid=&p=&mpage=1&key=nodal%2Cbars&tmode=&smode=&s=#179130
also mentioned sanding braces and changing a guitar's tuning from A to G# or G etc.

Do you use this extra nodal bars in your voicing or just sanding the braces?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 0:29:29

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1674
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

I haven't learned how to put pictures up of this list yet.

Maybe I can help, Tom. When you're writing in the little window like I am right now, down below the text box it says Click here to upload! and to the right of that is a box to check to Embed picture in post. Check the box and click on the Click here to upload! Now you get another window, even smaller, with four places to select a file to upload. Click on the Browse button to the right of one of the blank spaces (where the file name will eventually reside). If you have a digital photo somewhere on your computer this will enable you to locate it by browsing your files and click on it. Then you click Open and the file name and location will appear in the space. Then load 3 more photos the same way if you want to and finally click the OK button at the bottom of the little box. You may run into a snag if your photo's file size is too big. You have to reduce it to at most 1024 KB with some kind of photo editing software first.

_____________________________

Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 2:39:54

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to HolyEvil)

quote:

Do you use this extra nodal bars in your voicing or just sanding the braces?

I actually used one small bar to stiffen a Mexico guitar in its bass but just once, since normally I fine tune the fan braces to get added nuance to the tone. This technique adds several different aspect to a guitar's voice and articulation, etc.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 3:40:27

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

quote:

Maybe I can help, Tom. When you're writing in the little window like I am right now,

Here is a new head design I'm building........

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 3:45:18

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Its nice. I like it. Especially the two little titties on the top.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 8:48:49

gerundino63

Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

I like the headstock too!

@ Anders, I see two kissing angels......guess I have to go out more often....

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 9:30:31

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

I can see the 2 kissing angels now that you mention it.
I think I´m the one who should go out some more. I see titties on a guitar headstock.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 12:00:22

Gummy

Posts: 495
Joined: Nov. 27 2005
From: North Carolina, USA

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

Maybe it's two angels rubbing their titties together?

It looks nice though

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 16:22:25

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson

Its nice. I like it. Especially the two little titties on the top.

Anders, I'm building a replica of the 1977 Miguel Rodriguez classical guitar for a player in Austria, and I should have said I'm building a new guitar with a older head design of a Spanish master.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 16:42:26

britguy

Posts: 712
Joined: Dec. 26 2010
From: Ontario, Canada

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

quote:

Especially the two little titties on the top

What! No nipples?

Maybe add a couple???

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Fruit farmer, Ontario, Canada

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2013 20:42:06

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

Labia

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www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 17:26:12

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ricardo

Labia

very fleshy ones :/

could also be two balls and a missing penis
(imagine a penis there in the middle, now that would be a real "macho" guitar headstock design)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 17:35:29

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Arash)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Arash

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ricardo

Labia

very fleshy ones :/

could also be two balls and a missing penis
(imagine a penis there in the middle, now that would be a real "macho" guitar headstock design)

Well, that would be the entire rest of the guitar.

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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 17:40:24

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Ricardo)

That would be an extremely long penis, very thin and with a huge head.

Oh, needless to say it would be a guitar with almost no balls

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 17:54:34

JuanDaBomb

Posts: 189
Joined: May 18 2011

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

and the two bulges on the side are belly rolls? Some guys like a place to hold on to...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 18:34:06

C. Vega

Posts: 379
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

You guys sound like a bunch of ten-year-olds "talking dirty" on the playground.
Grow up.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 18:38:28

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

aye aye sir.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 19:04:30

Erik van Goch

Posts: 1787
Joined: Jul. 17 2012
From: Netherlands

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

To me it looks like 2 mirrored "en profile" pictures of a (animated) cartoon/action figure enjoying a well deserved rest. Can't put my finger on it exactly but somehow feels like a mixture between the blond studd from s1ingle and mr. Incredible.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2013 22:20:43

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

It's Reyes' headstock from the 1960's I think. In the mean time the hormones have made the breasts larger. The side rolls are really called "back fats".

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 2:12:36

C. Vega

Posts: 379
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Deleted.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 9:49:13

britguy

Posts: 712
Joined: Dec. 26 2010
From: Ontario, Canada

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

Here is a new head design I'm building........

\
In spite of all the foregoing wit:

I like it.

Very classic design. Restrained. . .Not too elaborate. . .

Reminds me of an antique mirror frame we had when I wa a kid. . .

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Fruit farmer, Ontario, Canada

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 13:57:17

C. Vega

Posts: 379
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 14:10:44

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to C. Vega)

Actually, it is a replica of the Miguel Rodriguez style that I build for those who want a near bench copy for classical guitar music. Only with a few slight modifications to strengthen its power and performance.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 14:46:51

britguy

Posts: 712
Joined: Dec. 26 2010
From: Ontario, Canada

RE: FINE TUNING A GUITAR (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

Only with a few slight modifications to strengthen its power and performance.

Do 'slight modifications' to the headstock design really affect power and performance?

How?

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Fruit farmer, Ontario, Canada

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2013 16:10:59