tone problems

[joe bogle]

I recently built a guitar from mk 35 gibson n.o.s. parts.The instrument looks good, plays very well and has great volume. the only problem is the brightness of the tone, so high that it nearly seems unatural. I don't know much about tone tapping so I didn't check that. I was wondering if maybe the sound board was too thick. The soundboard was marked "Pitch" with a pencil. Could this have suggested that the tone of the wood was off somewhat? any suggestions will be appreciated. Many, Many thanks for the frets site!!

[Ronnie Nichols]

Contrary to what I'd always assumed, thinner wood and bracing generally produces more bass tone. I'd guess the "pitch" marking probably referred to a pitch pocket in the grain. I think this usually detracts from the looks of a sound board and this may have been what determined that this top was destined for a kit. I've noticed that the kits I've seen have generally not been thinned as much as I'd want. They can still produce a fine instrument, but I'd prefer to do my own thinning. You may be able to take some wood off the top braces (scallop) and enhance the sound.
Ronnie Nichols

[joe bogle]

thanks for the contact and the info. Ronnie. Are there any proceedures to thin or scallop the braces other than taking the soundboard off. Maybe sanding? thanks joe.

[Ronnie Nichols]

The braces can be scalloped through the sound hole. It takes some time and practice but it can be done. I have some long crooked chisels that I made just for scalloping top braces. They allow you to work from the outside of the sound hole. You'll need some mirrors inside to see what you are doing and working with the mirror takes some getting used to. I also have a small video camera that I can mount inside the guitar and see what I'm doing on a TV monitor in real time. As my skills developed, I've grown to like to use a small finger plane for most of this task. These days, after removing the initial amount of wood with a plane, I like to use 80 grit sandpaper to smooth everything. One thing that it took me a while to figure out is that it is easier to work on the top braces with a finger plane if you place the guitar on its side. This gives you an easier angle to reach inside. It is not easy and it can be tough on your arms, but it can be done. If you like a large sound hole guitar, this might be a good opportunity to enlarge it. It makes it a little easier to reach inside and you may be surprised how much the volume increases with the larger sound hole. If you choose to work on the braces with sandpaper, I'd recommend that you use the coarsest paper that you can get your hands on. If you try to use fine sandpaper it will take you forever to remove enough wood to make any difference. I hope your repair goes well.
Ronnie Nichols

[joe bogle]

I have sanded the braces the braces some what, also sanded the sound board thinner. the tone is getting a litter deeper but still not exactly whit I'm hoping for.guess I'll just keep sanding and setting up and see what happens.
many thanks for the help.

[Russell Vance]

Dear Joe,
At the risk of being dismissed as a shonk and mindfull of the excellent information being offered regarding structural adjustments to bracing I can suggest some 'get you out of trouble fixes' that may help alleviate the icepick in the ear tone you appear to have.

Firstly,if you are using bone for your nut and saddle: try replacing them with Graphtech "black" string saver nut and bridge units (alternatively, 'Corian' nut and saddle materail) - these are used in the industry and in my experience tend to moderate the brightness down range. They are not tone killers but do have an effect of rounding out/softening the sound a bit. They are a relatively cheap and easy option that may help. Secondly, try using a coated, long life string such as Elixer which definitely take the edge of the tone giving , in the words of the manufacturer "a played in tone". Thirdly and probably contentiously, use wooden bridge pins rather than plastic. Use all three of these options together and you should at least get a feel for whether its a viable option for this particular guitar.

I apologise for the 'suck eggs' if you have already been down this path but these are things that come to mind that I have actually done and heard and hopefully they may be of assistance. Rusty.