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Posts: 1034
Location: Yokohama, Japan | Okay, so this is not O related! Sorry! But it is OFC related, well kind of...  
So, an OFC member's son asked me to do this conversion! It really turned out to be an amazing instrument. Please check it out if this sort of thing is of interest to you! Build Thread @AGF: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577132 Build Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131306403@N07/albums/72157713734825716 Thanks for letting me share OFC! |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | That's a neat project. Tuning in 5th's is arguably easier for playing melodies and you can make some nice mandolin chords especially with the aid of a capo. I often thought I'd try a tenor guitar for that reason. Any reason you did not use 4 or 6 strings?
Edited by sycamore 2020-04-06 3:41 AM
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Joined:
February 2016
Posts: 1802
Location: When?? | This is a very, very cool adaptation, Ken! I swear, if there is anyone who could pull this kind of thing off, it's YOU!
Question is.. can you still smack a puck with it?
Edited by Love O Fair 2020-04-06 10:59 PM
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Joined:
October 2012
Posts: 1034
Location: Yokohama, Japan | sycamore - 2020-04-05 5:39 PM
Any reason you did not use 4 or 6 strings?
Thanks for the kind comment sycamore. Actually, I just did what the customer asked for. I've got no experience with anything other than your standard basses and guitars, so this was all new to me.
Love O Fair - 2020-04-06 12:47 PM
Question is.. can you still smack a puck with it?
Thanks Love O Fair! Well, I think you'd need a tee (like in T-ball) just about 12" tall to let the puck sit right in the sweet-spot of the bridge where the birch can do what it was originally intended to do! With a 25.5" scale I bet Wayne Gretzky could do some serious damage with this resonant "stick"! LOL!
Just a final comment, since the string tension changes from a 6-string light gauge total of 158.168lbs. to a svelt 5-string custom gauge tension of 125.118lbs. on a standard 25.5" scale guitar, maintaining string break angles became a paramount consideration. The looser string tension combined with a shallow string break angle (necessary for a tail-piece design) would really hinder resonance.
I never really realized how every guitar has a unique string tension "signature" (for lack of a better term) for each string. This project made me curious as to other possible string tension combinations. The customer originally wanted a .066 PB 5th string, but that seemed really huge; and he often tunes the 5th string up to D which would make the tension balance over all 5-strings skewed to the bass side of the neck. He agreed with a .060 5th string that balanced out the package nicely. And when experimenting with the 2nd string (.019 steel gauge) the .019 seemed to be pulling really tight and was losing some resonance. When it was replaced with a .016, it sounded much much better.
As is always the case, there has to be some trade-off between voice and feel; so, for the 2nd string the customer stayed with a .019. But each and every string had this kind of interesting change in voice by changing the string gauge. I suppose that should be obvious; but for me, it was a great learning experience.
No wonder why moody, p.i. is so keen to talk about strings! For me, string purchases were always about good tone/no hassle, and the Adamas line of strings have never ever let me down (and I love the thicker core design for the wound strings too), but this project taught me that each string should be carefully chosen to match the characteristics of the instrument in question (I realize how impractical that is...) if the voice of the guitar is to be maximized.
Anyway, thanks for the kind comments and the interest. Japan's declared a state of emergency; so, I was hoping I could stay in and play my Os all day and night! Alas, life is not that easy! Stay safe everybody!
Edited by arumako 2020-04-08 11:52 PM
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February 2016
Posts: 1802
Location: When?? | @arumako >>> but this project taught me that each string should be carefully chosen to match the characteristics of the instrument in question <<<
One at a time.. man.. that could be an endless search and trial, potentially expensive too.. but would also be fun if given the proper resources. |
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Can You Figure Out What I Did to This Dreadnought?
