HOWE - ORME neck in need of body

[George Roberts]

I have had this Howe-Orme neck for years, hoping that eventually I would come across a body needing a neck.  No luck thus far.  If anybody has a body, let me know.

The neck is missing the tuners, the nut, and one pearl dot.  The fb is ebony, and beautiful Brazilian on the peghead.  The end of the peghead is stamped "U.S. PAT. 13 FEB 94"  Serial # is 2658.

I hate to see it go to waste.

George

[George Roberts]

Rest of the pictures.

[Ned Knepp]

Hi George. Why not make  your own body for the neck?

[charley erck]

Yes, the cylindrical top arch could be challenging.

[Howard Klepper]

Rick Turner is the guy to ask.  He collects Howe-Orme

[George Roberts]

Hi Ned.  Actually, I had considered making a body, but I agree with Charley that the cylindrical top arch would be a challenge, as would the arched braces and the arched bridge.  It seemed easiest to check first if there were a body out there.

George

[Ned Knepp]

Actually, at the risk of committing heresy, I wasn't suggesting that you have to replacate the Howe - Orme body. Just wondering if you considered build a body for the neck. It wouldn't necessarily need to be arched like the HO body would it? 

 

Ned

[George Roberts]

Ned,   Yes, that probably amounts to heresy.  The inquisition will be at your door shortly.  It happens that I have 2 other Howe- Orme guitars, and the basic design limits the options for the body.  The end of the finger board rides above the top of the guitar.  It is high enough that the top surface of the guitar also needs to be quite elevated.  This was accomplished by having the bridge ride on the cylindrical elevation of the top.  It also provides a lot of longitudinal stability to the top, and allows a somewhat thinner top (much like a corrugated roof.)

I am enough of a traditionalist that I would like to see the neck paired up with an original body, or else paired up with somebody willing to replicate an original body.

George

[Ned Knepp]

If it helps any I can have one of my kids beat me about the head and shoulders with a stick. 

 

I understand what you are saying. I know the neck is cantilevered over the body. At one point one of my brothers owned a Vega cylinder back mandolin. The back shape is very much like the pictures I seen of the Howe-Orme top. It would be a pain to replicate.  My thought was that it might be possible to build a more generally arched top or even carve a top to make it work. Of course, I understand that using it on an original body would be best if for no other reason than because it could mean keeping one more of a rare guitar in the world.

 

Sorry if traumatized anyone with my idea. Let the beatings begin!

 

 

 

 

[Tim Mace]

Change the neck angle?To lower the ht.above the top.

[George Roberts]

The Howe-Orme guitars are very full, and loud.  Also very responsive.  The major drawback is that the neck is really not very stable.  They all have an end pin, but if you tried to put a strap on one of these guitars, you would quickly be playing out of tune.  With the adjustable neck, you can get wonderful action, but any lateral pressure on the neck puts you immediately out of tune.

They are played best when sitting with the body of the  guitar well supported and little or no pressure on the neck.

Hope there is somebody out there with either an original body, or the desire to reproduce one.

George

[Ned Knepp]

George, how does neck adjustment effect intonation?

 

[Ned Knepp]

BTW, I haven't looked at one in person; How does McPherson deal with their flat top and cantilevered extension?