Official Luthiers Forum!

Having watched Taylor Guitars,
Factory Friday video on bracing, I was intrigued to see that on their top shelf guitars, 700 series and up, they route the underside of the top near the outer edge.

I would imagine that this is done to relieve the top, some what how a lot of luthiers thin or feather the outer edge to achieve a more responsive top.

Is anyone here doing similar and what are your feelings on the process. I have setup this poll to find out just how popular this technique is among you all.

If you do relieve your tops, please let us know how thin do YOU go? Do you have a different method for different woods or do you change your method to suit a tops properties, IE; stiffness rather than work to species.

Thanks for your input folks.

Cheers

Kim

Be careful, Taylor has a patent on that process.

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

I'm not answering the poll, because I don't have enough guitars under my belt to know quite what I do, but I taper the lower bout plate thickness, thinner around the edges, to 'loosen' the plate. It's a gradual thing.

I said I taper out about 2 inches, but its done when I am levelling out the binding, not prior to braing or anything - you tend to sand there a bit more than in the centre of the top as you are getting things level I find.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

[QUOTE=Scott Thompson] Be careful, Taylor has a patent on that process. [/QUOTE]

A patent on using a router

Grant

[QUOTE=Grant Goltz] [QUOTE=Scott Thompson] Be careful, Taylor has a patent on that process. [/QUOTE]

A patent on using a router

Grant [/QUOTE]

Yep. Taylor Relief Cut, U.S. Patent #6,759,581.

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

I will only taper the top if I feel the top is still to stiff or is too tight sounding. Normally I don't have to do this as I try to get it right beforehand.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com