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RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to Adam)
I built a few flamenco guitars early on that I fitted with wooden tap plates. I really liked the idea back then but had to come around to reality as they do not make a very durable tap plate. One client of mine said that when he golped he felt like his nails were getting stuck in the plate a little bit. So in this I think it's fair to say plastic is the better material.
I recently did some work on a Lopez blanca that had wooden tap plates and they looked awful as the owner played the guitar a lot. He wanted me to remove them and replace them with plastic but I was worried about getting them off cleanly, not knowing for sure what glue he used to stick them on (that and the color difference from where they had been glued on). They were incredibly thick, almost 2 mm. I thinned them down a bit and refinished them. It may be my imagination but I thought the guitar sounded better once they were a little thinner. The owner was considering selling the guitar so for him it was more important to get the guitar in top condition.
John is right when he said that mass of whatever you are gluing to the top of the guitar is more important than the material. He is also right that a plate is not really going to give you any structural benefits. The most acoustically sensitive part of the guitar is behind the bridge, in front of it you have the torque and compression load of the strings and bracing that is serving a largely structural purpose. I think thats why you can, within reason, get away with gluing a tap plate to the guitar without affecting the sound.
RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to ChiyoDad)
quote:
ORIGINAL: ChiyoDad
John, what thickness do you use: 0.005", 0.011" or 0.015"?
The material is as important as the thickness. I use 11 mil polycarbonate which is hard to find. Polycarbonate is very hard and therefore more resistant to scratching or scuffing. I get it from a wholesale printing supply vendor but I have to buy 100 plates at a time.
RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to jshelton5040)
quote:
I use 11 mil polycarbonate which is hard to find. Polycarbonate is very hard and therefore more resistant to scratching or scuffing. I get it from a wholesale printing supply vendor but I have to buy 100 plates at a time.
John, so I take it you also make your own adhesive for the golpeadores?
RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to TANúñez)
quote:
ORIGINAL: TANúñez
John, so I take it you also make your own adhesive for the golpeadores?
I realize I misstated my original post. I have to buy 50 plates at a time not 100. They are self adhesive just like the ones from the previously mentioned vendors. They even have the protective film on the outside.
Posts: 151
Joined: Jun. 30 2007
From: San Francisco Bay Area
RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to jshelton5040)
I finished installing mine. I noticed that plastic tap plates make the taps of my nails sound more staccato. I like that and am tempted to add a small golpeador to the upper bout's bass side for taps there as well.
I have no idea if the sheets I got from LMI are polycarbonate. They're 0.011" thick and are specifically for flamenco guitars.
EDIT: Corrected the thickness of the sheets I got from LMI. They were 0.011" thick (11mil) and not 0.11" (110 mil).
RE: Applying a golpeaor - bad for th... (in reply to Adam)
Would I be completely insane to want to try one made of a beautiful metal like copper, brass, or bronze? (thin) I rather dislike plastic and prefer to avoid it.
Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing? What would the sonic effects be?
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