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 Post subject: Guitalele
PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 8:58 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:52 pm
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First name: Rahoul
Last Name: waghmare
City: pune
State: maharashtra
Zip/Postal Code: 411044
Country: india
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Hello friends
i hope all of you are doing fine
one of my friend want me to build guitalele with steel strings for him.
i tried to find on internet but not found.
may i know where i will get.
and what is the length and width of the body.
Also i have autocad plans for classical guitar so if i dont find the plan on internet
to what scale should i print the plan to get the dimensions of guitalele
Thanks in advance


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 10:03 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:20 am
Posts: 5968
The guitalele sounds like it is a terz or quint guitar by another name. I seen it described as a baritone body with a six string neck. That might be a good starting point for your design.


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:52 pm 
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Cocobolo
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Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:38 am
Posts: 195
I've built a few like what you are describing, but they are 6 string. I called them soprano's, and they have a 17" scale lengh. Any smaller, and they would not be playable for an adult. If you have autocad, just scale down your design until the scale length is 17", with the exception of the neck and bridge. leave the nut full width, as if it were a dread, and scale the bridge up a bit to keep a large enough footprint to stay glued down. Also, you will tune it up to at least A, and preferably B, if it will take it, to get proper string tension.

If you have a paper plan, you could even use a photocopier to reduce it. Somewhere between 33% - 45% should get you in the range for a17" scale length.

Soprano Guitar - McGillivray Guitars: http://youtu.be/Ov0d1VjpDhg


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 7:59 am 
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First name: Rahoul
Last Name: waghmare
City: pune
State: maharashtra
Zip/Postal Code: 411044
Country: india
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Hello friends thanks for ur advice
can i know what will be thickness of the top?
and the dimensions of the bracings


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:53 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:04 am
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First name: Peter
Last Name: Fenske
City: Leeds
State: Yorkshire
Country: Uk
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I made a 3/4 size guitar for the challenge last year, which is sort of like a guitalele but slightly bigger. It's tuned up 4 semitones compared to a standard guitar. I can't remember offhand what the scale length was. You can see it here viewtopic.php?f=10134&t=38819
I think I did the top about 2mm thick but it was piranna pine which is less stiff than spruce. It has got quite belly on it now after a year. I braced it fairly lightly with a normal x brace and 3 fan braces instead of tone bars. It also had carbon butress braces though, so that would have made it a bit stiffer.
If you are interested I can send you the autocad plans I drew for it.

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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 6:24 pm 
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Cocobolo
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aqualibguitars wrote:
Hello friends thanks for ur advice
can i know what will be thickness of the top?
and the dimensions of the bracings


.100 for the top should get you close, and keep the braces .250 wide for a good glueing surface, but take the height down by half or a little more, from a "full" sized guitar. This will get you a sturdy enough first one, but you will have to refine from there as you learn. Can't really give precise numbers without knowing your building materials.


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:48 am 
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First name: Rahoul
Last Name: waghmare
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State: maharashtra
Zip/Postal Code: 411044
Country: india
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
i will be using sitka spruce top.


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:50 am 
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Koa
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Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 4:01 pm
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Location: UK
I use just 3 small fan braces for a Guitatlele size model. Near 2 mm thick on the soundboard. It's a very small model with the Bridge itself providing a lot of stiffness. It's very easy to over build such an instrument, unless you want a more typical Ukulele type tone. In which case a stiffer top might be better.


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:18 am 
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Here's one I made for my wife (the lead singer in our trio).
Body is the same size as a Martin Tiple though not as deep. Scale also the same as the tiple (17"+?).
Made for steel strings with an "X" brace and pin bridge. Tuning is two and a half steps up (5 frets) and strung Nashville style.
Attachment:
allshewrote2012-112.jpg


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 8:54 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:52 pm
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First name: Rahoul
Last Name: waghmare
City: pune
State: maharashtra
Zip/Postal Code: 411044
Country: india
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Thanks sir for ur advice
if we tune 4 semitones higher . the strings wont break?


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:12 am 
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Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:04 am
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First name: Peter
Last Name: Fenske
City: Leeds
State: Yorkshire
Country: Uk
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
aqualibguitars wrote:
Thanks sir for ur advice
if we tune 4 semitones higher . the strings wont break?

No because the scale is shorter. Imagine putting a capo on a normal guitar - the tension stays more or less the same, but the pitch rises. It's the same with this, only instead of using a capo, you just move the nut and the whole end of the neck closer to the body.

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars


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 Post subject: Re: Guitalele
PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:22 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:52 pm
Posts: 204
First name: Rahoul
Last Name: waghmare
City: pune
State: maharashtra
Zip/Postal Code: 411044
Country: india
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
thnks sir.
i was afraid of breaking it


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