Multiscale Guitars - what's it all about?

Recently I've been making a few acoustic guitars. Some have been custom orders and some to have at the workshop for sale.
But until now I haven't made a multiscale guitar. I've been interested in multiscale guitars for a while but have never played one. I find the idea of them very appealing so I just had to try one out.

 As you can see the frets, nut and bridge are not parallel.
The idea behind it is so much more than a gimmick - there's a lot of sense in it.
It's all about scale length - the distance between nut and bridge.
Scale length plays a huge part in the tone of the guitar. To put it in electric guitar terms - ever wondered why a Strat and a Les Paul sound and feel so different? One of the main factors is scale length.

 A Strat has a longer scale length than a Les Paul (25.5 inch to 24.75inch). To tune a longer string to the same pitch it needs to be tighter. So a Strat has more string tension than a Les Paul for the same gauge strings in the same tuning.
 The result is, the bass strings of a Strat have a lovely chime where as the Les Paul bass strings can be a bit woolly (especially when tuned down).
 But the more taught treble strings of a Strat can be a bit pingy where as the Les Paul treble strings really sing.
 So it makes sense to build guitars with a combination of scales. PRS use a 25 inch scale length to try and get the best from both. But that doesn't solve the problem, it just compromises on both bass and treble.
I decided to build this guitar with a 25.625 bass string and a 24.75 treble with the scales converging at 12th fret.

 It's not a new idea - not at all, it's been around since the 16th century.

The guitar is constructed slightly differently to allow for the different scales. I've off set the internal braces and bridge plate.

 I carved the braces to free up the bass side and help the treble project.

The body is of Australian Blackwood,Cedar top and Mahogany neck with a traditional tapered dovetail neck/body joint. The headstock has been modified to accommodate the angled nut.

I use the traditional tapered dovetail neck/body joint.

And does it work? Well, ... yes.

I'm delighted with the result. The bass is clear, the treble is punchy but warm, there's a well balanced mid range.
 Having each strings at its ideal tension means it intonates superbly. - I'm chuffed.

From a players perspective - how does it feel? I imagined it would take a bit of getting used to, but not so. The biggest surprise has been how easy and natural it is to play.
 So far a few people have played it and they've all found it feels natural.
Dylan Kay (http://www.aucklandguitarschool.co.nz/) popped in the other day and he loved it.

This guitar is residing at my workshop (until someone buys it) - pop in for a play. And of course if you'd like a custom made guitar... (especially a multiscale)
 Cheers
    Glyn

 ………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am no longer repairing guitars - since covid 19 I now work full time making pickups

www.mrglynspickups.com

Guitar Tuners

Guitar tuners are a fantastic tool. There are lots of them out there, these are just the ones I use.

For a handy (and surprisingly accurate), go anywhere tuner I use the PitchLab (free) app on my phone. Microphones on phones are great at filtering out unwanted background noise and this tuner is simple to use and has a great display (as well as other stuff you don't need). I find I use it all the time - tuning a ukulele at home, a guitar at a mate's house, wondering what pitch the chickens squawk at...

On stage I use the old faithful Boss TU-2. It's robust, the lights are bright, it's accurate enough and doesn't flicker about or give false readings. It's hard to fault the TU-2 for live use.

Boss TU-2

My workshop tuner, however, needs to be the best I can get. My own pitch hearing is pretty average but some of my customers are very sensitive to pitch.
 My workshop tuner needs to be better than my most sensitive customer. So I use the Peterson Strobosoft.
 I have a computer under the workbench solely dedicated to running the tuner. I run all the cables under the workbench so there's less in the way.
 It's a fantastic system, a bit much for the most players but in my situation it is unbeatable. You can get Peterson tuners in NZ from www.heywiremusic.com

 I just plug a short cable into the edge of the bench - the switch gives me tuner/amp/both. This minimises the amount of wire to get tangled.


Cheers
     Glyn


 ………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am no longer repairing guitars - since covid 19 I now work full time making pickups

www.mrglynspickups.com

Custom Acoustic Guitar

My friend and long time customer Shannon Coulomb (www.facebook.com/sematics) popped into the workshop late last year. He's a great player with a fantastic ear so I was keen to get his opinion on one of my handbuilt guitars.
This was the one he played:

It has a Carpathian (European) Spruce top, Australian Blackwood back and sides and Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and bridge. I use bone nut and saddle and stainless steel frets.
 I inlay a Piwakawaka (fan tail) in the headstock, otherwise I like to keep it simple.

Carpathian Spruce has a lovely balanced tone with sensitive, strong treble, a chimey bass and just enough mids.
 Australian Blackwood (NZ grown in this case) has similar characteristics to Rosewood.

The materials used are only part of the story, design and construction methods are equally important. You can't buy a guitar purely on the 'spec' of its component parts. That's fine for buying a phone or computer but a guitar made of the best timber but poorly built will not be a good guitar.  The skill, knowledge and experience of the maker are the most important factors.

 I like to build my guitars light - that way they react quickly and sound lively and full - I want them to "fly".

Shannon seemed to rather like the guitar, he was back a few weeks later for another go.

Then in August he was back again, he'd been around all the Auckland shops trying out guitars and couldn't find just what he wanted. So he commissioned me to make him a guitar just like the one he'd tried only with a tiny wee bit more bass.
 So to achieve this I've decided to make his guitar's body slightly deeper across the lower bout.

 Here are a few pictures of the construction process. I haven't finished his guitar yet, but some 'bare bones' pics might be of interest.


 Here are the two bookmatched halves of the back getting glued together with the centre strip.

I mainly bend the sides in my heater side bending machine then finish them off free hand with a bending iron.

The box is coming together.

I've inlaid a very traditional herringbone rosette.

All the braces are jointed together. Most guitars I see have the braces just butted up to each other or even just close. I cut all joints to fit snugly - even the bridge plate. This is much stronger and means the top and braces can be built lighter.

On this guitar I'm using a traditional 'X' brace configuration. All braces are quarter sawn spruce.

 The advantage of a handmade guitar over a factory, mass produced one is in the bracing. I 'tune' the top to match the properties of its components as well as what the customer requires. This is the really fun part - shaving the braces with thumb plane and chisel until its 'right'.
It's a shame all the clever stuff is tucked away inside.

 The neck is mahogany. Here's the heel very roughly shaped - there's a still a long way to go.

If you're interested in a guitar I always have examples of my work at the workshop.

Cheers
     Glyn


 ………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am no longer repairing guitars - since covid 19 I now work full time making pickups

www.mrglynspickups.com

New Workshop

I have moved workshop - but I'm just next door to the old one.
The new place is still down the alley between the buildings at the top of Khyber Pass Road.

But now I'm at the end of the driveway.
Walk 10 paces past the old workshop and there it is - my fancy new place.

 I've got a bit more space, fantastic natural light and it's quieter. I've been able to design this workshop specifically for my needs. I have a store room with racking to keep guitars safe and a main work area. It's got a great creative feel to it.
 Here are some pics:
 

Hope to see you soon

 Glyn



 ………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am no longer repairing guitars - since covid 19 I now work full time making pickups

www.mrglynspickups.com