Has anyone ever built a 6-string guitar, that is, a guitar with three pairs of strings? My concern is regarding the tension on the neck that six strings would create so I'm thinking about doubling its thickness. Maybe using nylon strings too. Any thoughts? Anybody? Bueller?
Thanks guys.
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wow, i bet those sound beautiful!!! i may have to build something with paired strings myself!!!! you have any videos of them being played?? (i'm about to check your profile...)
As far as neck width, that's subject to comfort. When I made Shane's, I first had to get an idea from him on what he was looking for in spacing between each course. The strings of the course are about 1/8th inch apart. This keeps them from buzzing off each other and gives you enough space that the string won't hang up on the forward bridge pins (if you use them).
Andrew Fowle said:
How about neck width and string spacing??? I'm attempting one tuned D aa dd. I don't know: - how wide the neck should be - how far in from the outside edge of the neck the outer strings should be
- how far apart to place the doubled strings from each other
- how far apart each of the three courses should be from each other.
Having one of the courses not doubled is only adding to my confusion.
I was wondering about the width of the space within the doubled courses myself. I was going to go to the local Guitar Center with a ruler and measure the courses of some of their 12-string guitars. The width of the neck, I imagine, would be the width of a standard 1x2 neck, which is really .75x1.5. And since there aren't supposed to be rules when it comes to building these puppies, I'd say the answer to the rest of your questions would be whatever looks/feels the best.
How about neck width and string spacing??? I'm attempting one tuned D aa dd. I don't know:
- how wide the neck should be
- how far in from the outside edge of the neck the outer strings should be
- how far apart to place the doubled strings from each other
- how far apart each of the three courses should be from each other.
Having one of the courses not doubled is only adding to my confusion.
My rule has always been that anything with more than 4 strings gets a truss rod automatically. Remember that a truss rod is not so much about resisting the pull of the strings as it is about correcting changes in the neck due to temperature or humidity changes. String tension obviously affects the neck and will have a bearing on the instrument but that's not the whole point of the thing. A guitar neck is alive and is in constant movement over the years. In fact, it's not uncommon to find that the ends of your frets stick out a little further than the sides of your fretboard after a year or so because the wood has contracted so much from moisture loss. Because the wood is always moving and changing right under your nose, you want the truss rod there to make continuous adjustments and to keep the guitar is the best playing condition possible. If the thing is only ever going to be a slide guitar or doesn't need to maintain the perfect shredding action, by all means skip the rod (as long as the neck is made of two or more laminated pieces).
Bluesdog said:
Shane has one called "Black and Tan" i believe Josh Gayou made that one but i'm not shure about that.
My mandola has the full 8-strings treatment, and no warpage at all... Of course, the neck is quite short, and I erred on the side of "beefy".... I also made it laminated. Two maple boards with a 1/4" oak piece sandwiched between.
It's a bolt-on, I used a furniture insert to hold the through-bolt.
Also, a good sturdy Cohiba box.
Replies
wow, i bet those sound beautiful!!! i may have to build something with paired strings myself!!!! you have any videos of them being played?? (i'm about to check your profile...)
Andrew Fowle said:
- how wide the neck should be
- how far in from the outside edge of the neck the outer strings should be
- how far apart to place the doubled strings from each other
- how far apart each of the three courses should be from each other.
Having one of the courses not doubled is only adding to my confusion.
Anyone have any pointers?
Larry McInnes said:
My rule has always been that anything with more than 4 strings gets a truss rod automatically. Remember that a truss rod is not so much about resisting the pull of the strings as it is about correcting changes in the neck due to temperature or humidity changes. String tension obviously affects the neck and will have a bearing on the instrument but that's not the whole point of the thing. A guitar neck is alive and is in constant movement over the years. In fact, it's not uncommon to find that the ends of your frets stick out a little further than the sides of your fretboard after a year or so because the wood has contracted so much from moisture loss. Because the wood is always moving and changing right under your nose, you want the truss rod there to make continuous adjustments and to keep the guitar is the best playing condition possible. If the thing is only ever going to be a slide guitar or doesn't need to maintain the perfect shredding action, by all means skip the rod (as long as the neck is made of two or more laminated pieces).
Bluesdog said:
It's a bolt-on, I used a furniture insert to hold the through-bolt.
Also, a good sturdy Cohiba box.
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