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From: Ross
Remote Name: 76.101.10.136
Date: 18 Apr 2007
Time: 08:20:59 -0400
Luthier’s Weblog 4/18/07 The robot luthier has decided upon a guitar body shape approximately 20” long and 16 ½” wide at the widest point. He has incorporated a deep round (Venetian) cutaway that is scooped even with the end of the fingerboard at it’s deepest point. He has brought the curve of the upper bout inward toward the neck block, truncating the size of the upper part of the body. From it’s narrowest point on the bass side, it curves downward to a point some 4” south of the end of the fingerboard, where it bells outward away from the bridge. On the treble side, the waist begins just south of the convex of the cutaway, again in order to maximize comfortable distance from the bridge. The curvature described is sharper than that of the bass side, resulting in a rather asymmetrical shape. The builder chortles, thinking himself no slave to the strictures of dreary convention. His sturdy working-class sensibility prizes function over form. He brings the lower bout’s sides together in a whimsical point at the endblock, a clever innovation designed to prevent purchase by ignorant would-be owners who usually eschew secure stands or hangers and lean their instruments carelessly against nearby furniture. The top’s sound port is located in the area described by the convex of the cutaway and is approximately 4 ¾ square inches in area (contrasted with an area of nearly 12 square inches on a more conventionally styled instrument). The side port is placed on the slope of the upper bass side rib, so as to direct a portion of air movement toward the player. It is approximately 5 1/3 square inches in area. Because the robot luthier has extensive experience in loudspeaker construction, he feels that most conventional guitars are “over ported”. In addition, he feels that the two smaller ports will take advantage of a venturi effect that must move air more quickly and efficiently than the single larger port. The builder stands back and admires his design, secure in the notion that his planning will soon bear fruit. Er, music. Ross Teigen 9:22 am