Members ddbtdd Posted April 2, 2006 Members Posted April 2, 2006 Greetings everyone!Here is a question more for the luthier.What makes a guitar a flat top guitar?The obvious might be that a guitar might have a "flat top" as opposed to an arch top.Is there there something different (like the type of bracing) between some acoustic guitars that have flat tops as opposed other guitar called "flat tops"?Thanx for letting me post!
Members Danocoustic Posted April 2, 2006 Members Posted April 2, 2006 Originally posted by ddbtdd Greetings everyone! Here is a question more for the luthier. What makes a guitar a flat top guitar? The obvious might be that a guitar might have a "flat top" as opposed to an arch top. Is there there something different (like the type of bracing) between some acoustic guitars that have flat tops as opposed other guitar called "flat tops"? Thanx for letting me post! Who let this guy post? Hey, I'm just kiddin'---welcome.What other types of guitars are there that are called "flattops" besides non-archtops? Are you perhaps referring to flat-topped electric solidbodies (which have no body bracing at all)?Not really sure what you're asking.
Members knockwood Posted April 2, 2006 Members Posted April 2, 2006 There are some flat tops that are kind of radiused. I don't carry much info in my head on specifics, but I believe Huss & Dalton's standard line of gits have slightly radiused tops, as opposed to their Traditional line. Many guitars in the Godin line also have "compound curve" tops, but I don't know exactly what kind of construction they're alluding to.
Members Whalebot Posted April 2, 2006 Members Posted April 2, 2006 Most acoustics are referred to as "Flat Top" guitars. Then there are Classical guitars which have nylon strings, then you got your Resonators and your archtop acoustics. Flat top is sort of a generic name for an acoustic dread, OM, 000, 00, 0 Jumbo etc.
Members solitaire Posted April 2, 2006 Members Posted April 2, 2006 To make a long story short: any guitar that doesn't have a top, where the arch of which is designed to carry the full load of the strings without additional support of braces is a flat top, beit a parlour or a super jumbo. Braces = flat top.
Members Freeman Keller Posted April 3, 2006 Members Posted April 3, 2006 Actually, steel string "flat top" guitars have a very slight radius - it is about 28 feet, if I recall. If you lay a straightedge across it you can see this. A classical is truely flat on top. Here are some pictures of the bracing in different models of Martins Martin bracing The top of a guitar is kind of an engineering marvel - it has to vibrate freely, yet withstand around 200 pounds of tension at the bridge without blowing apart. Then we ask for it to be beautiful and put up with our picks and jewelry and humidity fluctuations and all our other abuse. Show a little respect to the humble flat top guitar.
Members bjorn-fjord Posted April 3, 2006 Members Posted April 3, 2006 Every steel string that is not an arch-top is a flat-top. Except resophonics. OK, any steel string without a tail-piece is a flat top. Except maccaferris, they're actually somewhere in between.
Members solitaire Posted April 3, 2006 Members Posted April 3, 2006 Originally posted by bjorn-fjord Every steel string that is not an arch-top is a flat-top. Except resophonics. OK, any steel string without a tail-piece is a flat top. Except maccaferris, they're actually somewhere in between. I'm not sure I can agree with your policework there, bj
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted April 3, 2006 Members Posted April 3, 2006 Originally posted by Freeman Keller Actually, steel string "flat top" guitars have a very slight radius - it is about 28 feet, if I recall. If you lay a straightedge across it you can see this. A classical is truely flat on top. Here are some pictures of the bracing in different models of Martins Martin bracing The top of a guitar is kind of an engineering marvel - it has to vibrate freely, yet withstand around 200 pounds of tension at the bridge without blowing apart. Then we ask for it to be beautiful and put up with our picks and jewelry and humidity fluctuations and all our other abuse. Show a little respect to the humble flat top guitar. Indeed! To further answer one of ddbtdd's questions, basically flat-top guitars are usually X-braced, but a few are double-X-braced, fan-braced (like a nylon-strung classical or flamenco guitar) or ladder braced (primarily older budget models like American Harmony, Kay and Regals).
Members bjorn-fjord Posted April 3, 2006 Members Posted April 3, 2006 Originally posted by solitaire I'm not sure I can agree with your policework there, bj
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