This build is a test for some ideas I had in regards to fully hollow arch-top guitars.
I love arch-tops on many levels.. the tone, the appearance, craftsmanship.. probably the most advanced and time consuming guitar for builders, and in many cases, the borderline between being a "builder" and a "luthier".
These instruments were designed many years ago for orchestra players before the electric guitar and amp were invented and the goal was to project the loudest possible sound in order to bring the guitar to mix nicely with the other loud orchestra instruments. This was the reason for the larger size with the arched top and back (similar to Classical Stringed instruments).
The basic idea is to capture the string vibrations from the bridge with the vibrating top, which reflected the vibrations to the back of the guitar and projected the magnified level out. The top and back of these guitars have a complicated relationship and a good luthier was able to tune them properly to maximize the free vibrations and get a proper projection.
Today there's less and less demand for arch-tops and I'm not here to judge or point the reasons... but I assume it has to do with both music styles and playing comfort.
I've been trying to find a good reason to come up with an arch-top design. Something that will make sense and take advantage of the "projection" and will still be usable for the modern player. Something that I can use as a platform for both acoustic playing in the living room with the kids and family or play amplified in the studio or on stage without the feedbacks...
The Bone Voyage is my attempt at doing all the above and I designed it to be a crossbreed between the Bone-I and a classic arch-top.
Keeping the size of the Bone-I (13") was a must. I want it to fit in a LP size case, be light as a feather and still perform as a workhorse with a rigid construction, but getting that arch-top projection from a 13" body is rather insane.. or is it?
I believe that the problem may very well be used as an advantage in this case (-;
If I was to build a 13" arch-top by using the classic lumber and methods alone
it would have been a colossal disaster, but changing the design in such a way that will create a totally new instrument that actually sounds good is something I want to explore.
Here's my plan:
Smaller size classic arch-top plates (top and back) can't produce the deep low and warm frequencies and need to be done differently so:
* I will make the top and back from harder and thinner maple and disconnect them completely from the neck joint block. This will give my a 30% larger free vibrating area in the upper bout and will add more lows and highs
* The sides will need to be thicker to serve as a "heavier" support for the vibrating top/back
* I will get rid of the kerfing strips - no need for them as they only serve as a mechanical connector that doesn't help the tone TMHO
* Use solid resonant wood as much as possible and try to avoid unnecessary glue joints
The above properties will create a very responsive "box" with a more even EQ pattern. This will be a good base for using an AirGap PU but I still need to push things toward the warm tone zone... so instead of using a standard Mahogany or Maple neck I will use a deeper and warmer sounding lumber that will provide a warm low end but still retain all the nice harmonics that the AirGap PU can capture.
So... we can divide the new animal into 3 main parts, Plates (top/back), Sides and neck. While each part will need to be very unique, they will still be combined into a great sounding instrument.. cross your fingers.. here we go.
I love arch-tops on many levels.. the tone, the appearance, craftsmanship.. probably the most advanced and time consuming guitar for builders, and in many cases, the borderline between being a "builder" and a "luthier".
These instruments were designed many years ago for orchestra players before the electric guitar and amp were invented and the goal was to project the loudest possible sound in order to bring the guitar to mix nicely with the other loud orchestra instruments. This was the reason for the larger size with the arched top and back (similar to Classical Stringed instruments).
The basic idea is to capture the string vibrations from the bridge with the vibrating top, which reflected the vibrations to the back of the guitar and projected the magnified level out. The top and back of these guitars have a complicated relationship and a good luthier was able to tune them properly to maximize the free vibrations and get a proper projection.
Today there's less and less demand for arch-tops and I'm not here to judge or point the reasons... but I assume it has to do with both music styles and playing comfort.
I've been trying to find a good reason to come up with an arch-top design. Something that will make sense and take advantage of the "projection" and will still be usable for the modern player. Something that I can use as a platform for both acoustic playing in the living room with the kids and family or play amplified in the studio or on stage without the feedbacks...
The Bone Voyage is my attempt at doing all the above and I designed it to be a crossbreed between the Bone-I and a classic arch-top.
Keeping the size of the Bone-I (13") was a must. I want it to fit in a LP size case, be light as a feather and still perform as a workhorse with a rigid construction, but getting that arch-top projection from a 13" body is rather insane.. or is it?
I believe that the problem may very well be used as an advantage in this case (-;
If I was to build a 13" arch-top by using the classic lumber and methods alone
it would have been a colossal disaster, but changing the design in such a way that will create a totally new instrument that actually sounds good is something I want to explore.
Here's my plan:
Smaller size classic arch-top plates (top and back) can't produce the deep low and warm frequencies and need to be done differently so:
* I will make the top and back from harder and thinner maple and disconnect them completely from the neck joint block. This will give my a 30% larger free vibrating area in the upper bout and will add more lows and highs
* The sides will need to be thicker to serve as a "heavier" support for the vibrating top/back
* I will get rid of the kerfing strips - no need for them as they only serve as a mechanical connector that doesn't help the tone TMHO
* Use solid resonant wood as much as possible and try to avoid unnecessary glue joints
The above properties will create a very responsive "box" with a more even EQ pattern. This will be a good base for using an AirGap PU but I still need to push things toward the warm tone zone... so instead of using a standard Mahogany or Maple neck I will use a deeper and warmer sounding lumber that will provide a warm low end but still retain all the nice harmonics that the AirGap PU can capture.
So... we can divide the new animal into 3 main parts, Plates (top/back), Sides and neck. While each part will need to be very unique, they will still be combined into a great sounding instrument.. cross your fingers.. here we go.
