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What am I doing wrong? (Tuning)

Posted by Conor on October 19, 2010 at 9:11pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I've recently completed my first cbg build- a six string acoustic guitar.  However, when i strung and tuned the guitar to standard tuning (eadgbe), it sounds terrible, as if it is completely out of tune.  There are a few things that i feel may have caused this. First, i used an actual guitar neck from a smashed guitar i found in my attic.  Secondly, i may have put the bridge (which is a large bolt) too close to the fret board, but it cannot be adjuted anymore due to the length of the body.  Will this affect sound quality/mess up my tuning? Should my cigar box be tuned to an alternate tuning to compensate for whatever is wrong?

 

If anyone has experienced something similar id love to know and how you solved the problem.

 

Thanks!

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Replies

  • Mark Werner October 21, 2010 at 10:01am
    You have to be able to accommodate the scale length the neck was made for. You can quickly calculate this by measuring from the nut to the 12th fret. Your scale length will normally be twice that figure.
  • Diane in Chicago October 20, 2010 at 9:31pm
    Yup! Just be sure your bridge is in the right place and you are good to go.




    Conor said:
    Do anyone know if it's posible to use a winebox as my body then tune the thing to standard tuning so that it can be played like a "regular" parlor guitar?
  • Conor October 20, 2010 at 8:00pm
    Do anyone know if it's posible to use a winebox as my body then tune the thing to standard tuning so that it can be played like a "regular" parlor guitar?
  • ProfWaldo October 19, 2010 at 10:24pm
    Don and Diane, this is great advice n' I'm so glad I stumbled upon it because I've got a couple of old "parts" guitars with kinda' okay necks that I'd been thinkin' of using. Thanks. And thanks to Conor for askin' this.
  • Diane in Chicago October 19, 2010 at 10:19pm
    You are not alone. I just built a 19" scale instrument with a 17" fingerboard. Box is salvagable, the neck, nope. Maybe the fingerboard if I can slice it off with a bandsaw. Live and learn.



    Conor said:
    I had the same theory about the floating bridge. Too bad my box isn't big enough to move the bridge that far from the nut... I guess i'll just have to scrap the project for now and design a bigger body!
  • Conor October 19, 2010 at 10:10pm
    I had the same theory about the floating bridge. Too bad my box isn't big enough to move the bridge that far from the nut... I guess i'll just have to scrap the project for now and design a bigger body!
  • Diane in Chicago October 19, 2010 at 10:04pm
    Build or find a soundbox that allows you to put the bridge at the right distance. Your idea of using a cast-off neck is a good one, just need to find the body. I have a silverware chest, for example, that might make a great dreadnaught guitar one day.

    Like Don says, measure the distance from the nut to the 12th. Double that and that's the approximate distance from nut to bridge. A floating bridge will let you make micro adjustments after the thing is strung up. A fixed bridge frightens me - I'm not that precise of a builder. Good to have the wiggle room.



    Conor said:
    Ahh i see, i assumed that the fretting on the neck i have would work. i attached the neck to the guitar by cutting a slot into the box and sliding the steel reinforcement bar into place, so the neck does not extend out the back of the body, thus the bridge is aparantly way to close to the frets. Is there anyway i could use this pre existing neck or is the only solution to manufacture one which extends past the length of the body?
  • Conor October 19, 2010 at 9:49pm
    Ahh i see, i assumed that the fretting on the neck i have would work. i attached the neck to the guitar by cutting a slot into the box and sliding the steel reinforcement bar into place, so the neck does not extend out the back of the body, thus the bridge is aparantly way to close to the frets. Is there anyway i could use this pre existing neck or is the only solution to manufacture one which extends past the length of the body?
  • Don Thompson October 19, 2010 at 9:37pm
    Your tuning should not be affected as long as you don't fret the strings. I am meaning open tuning. No fretting. And no your guitar is set up wrong, your bridge is in the wrong place. Remove the frets, fill the slits in, or put a new fingerboard on it. The bridge is too close to the neck and the notes will never be right FRETTED. Figure out a way to have the bridge sticking out the back of the guitar. Or start over. and have your neck not so close to the body. Put a piece of wood out the front of the box and screw the neck to that. Nut to the 12th fret and the 12th fret to the bridge should be close, actually the bridge should be a bit farther from the 12th fret. there are times is just better to start over.
    Don
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