Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi,

my main experience, not much indeed, has been on classical guitars. I would like to ask a pretty naive question on steel string guitars. They are called flat top guitars but I take for granteed that the top is actually domed. Luthier suppliers sell all kind of radius dishes, 25 or 30 for the top. Everybody seems to dome the top of acoustic guitars. Is there any of the reknown builders - taylor, collings, santa cruz, froggy bottom etc- who build the soundboard completely flat? Or that is not an option?
Thanks Enrico

I believe Larravee builds a flat top, and Olson as well (builds guitars for James Taylor and others).

Brent

Kevin Ryan I believe....

I took a look at Olson website, which points to Hoffman guitars. He clearly states that builds with a perfectly flat top. Good. For some reason, I was never totally convinced that doming was the best way. Yes I know it works for most builders but I could not get good results from doming.

Yep. I can confirm flat tops for both Jim Olson and Kevin Ryan, and Kevin said exactly the above when we were talking about it.

I see merits to doing it both ways. A flat top certainly makes a lot of construction processes simpler and cleaner, and keeps your neck angle down. I like that a pre-domed top is a bit closer to it's in-use form for the sake of plate tuning, but until I've done some research on that I can't say it actually matters. Most find it easier to make a domed top more mechanically stable, but Kevin and Jim aren't having any problems so it's possibly harder but by no means unreasonable to make stable flat tops.

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

There is also the cylinder option, Howard Klepper and Laurent Brondel I believe both used that method. In some ways harder as the braces need to be shaped in place, or at the proper angle. It gives the touch of the inevitable dome, but perhaps remains a bit more flexible than a dome.

_________________
http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

I believe Hoffman and Olsen taper the upper bout so the neck angle is probably still about the same. I know another prominent builder that builds flat but radius's the upper brace to create the neck angle.
I seem to recall reading that Roy McCalister builds flat when he has a commission to duplicate a vintage sound. I can't remember where I read that so it could be my imagination but....

Kent

Godin Guitars, makers of Sea Gull and other brands, uses a flat top and radiused, laminated UTB. Check 10:45 in video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXGV31hOYhs

_________________
Thank You and Best To All