Hi,
I make unusual hollow neck carbon guitars. We now have both steel-sting and nylon string models. For us carbon fiber is a means rather than an end which allows us to design the lightest and therefore most resonant small-body guitars in the world. The goal was to make pleasing acoustics that are for easy to travel with.
I expect heated feedback on account of the unconventional design but I assure you, the hollow neck, a 1mm top, body extension with off-center soundhole is how we get that big sound out of a small body. I personally hand assemble and set-up each and every one. We are based in San Francisco, drop me a line and you are welcome to stop by.
www.blackbirdguitar.com
I make unusual hollow neck carbon guitars. We now have both steel-sting and nylon string models. For us carbon fiber is a means rather than an end which allows us to design the lightest and therefore most resonant small-body guitars in the world. The goal was to make pleasing acoustics that are for easy to travel with.
I expect heated feedback on account of the unconventional design but I assure you, the hollow neck, a 1mm top, body extension with off-center soundhole is how we get that big sound out of a small body. I personally hand assemble and set-up each and every one. We are based in San Francisco, drop me a line and you are welcome to stop by.
www.blackbirdguitar.com
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Re: Blackbird Hollow Neck Acoustics
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 11:17 AMlooking forward to hearing more about these guitars....wish i had one..lol
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Re: Blackbird Hollow Neck Acoustics
Mon, May 5, 2008 - 4:35 PMYou make the top 0.039" thick~? That's thin.
I listened to the clips and wondered how you got any sustain & tonal clarity. I have had friends who tried carbon fiber and they stumbled over the epoxy. It's not terribly resonant stuff. Even tried a pre-preg and baked it on a clamshell. Same problem.
How much tweaking of the epoxy did you go through to get the resonance you needed?
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Blackbird's thin top
Wed, May 14, 2008 - 7:49 PMSo the top really is that thin (1mm).
You are right about the epoxy not having great resonance. The trick is to use as little as possible. We also use several layers of fabric with low epoxy content including uni-directional and bi-directional weaves. The uni-directional replicates wood (which is uni-directional as well) to achieve the right balance of stiffness, thinness, and weight. Bracing is also key. Carbon naturally has great tonal clarity and string separation.
The uni-body, hollow neck and head does wonders for sustain. Better to hear it in person- the door is always open at our shop in SF- just drop me a line. joe(at) blackbirdguitar(dot)com -
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Re: Blackbird's thin top
Thu, May 15, 2008 - 6:22 AMHmm I wonder if an epoxy chemist could take you further yet still.
I know that epoxies can be formulated to have various degrees of flex ( rubberiness). I had a formulation made that would remain elastic and flexible down to 70 Deg below Zero F. It took the Chemist all of two minutes to think of how to do it and another 5 minutes produce the epoxy I wanted. It amounted to a mere matter of mixing the correct ingredients. He didn't engineer an tailored polymer he just grabbed some cans and jars off his shelves mixed 'em and handed me two jars to mix in equal parts to get the epoxy.
Seems to me that you might be able to get an epoxy that would have more hardness than whatever you are using off the shelf. West Systems and others make epoxies that must remain resilient at a variety of temperatures and under rather strenuous and repeated flexural and torsional loading. This is because they sell a product that is intended to be used in boat and airplane construction. The wings of a plane and the hull of a boat must bend a great deal and return unharmed. This modulus of elasticity and hysterisis recovery is critical to structural integrity.
A guitar doesn't need that and might benefit substantially from a different formulation.
As to the visit. Thanks but I don't get to SF too often. I think it's been once in 55 years.
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