Thinline Mockingbird

[Hughes]

Ok, i have been looking at them mockingbird thinline guitars and i think that would be a cool thing to make. i was thinking of making the body out of pine, chambering it out, and sticking some nice maple top and back.

Now for the questions.

1. wheres the best part to chamber it.

2. what are the little holes on the top piece

3. how do the pickups work on the thing/where are they

4. how do i mount the preamp/equalizer on the side.

(go here to take a look at it, i can never get the images to post on here)

http://www.guitar.com.au/guitars/acoustic/...mockingbird.jpe

[jnewman]

1. That's not a "chambered" guitar... it's built like an acoustic with a back, a top, and bent sides and is, I assume, fully hollow. If you just want a semihollowbody mockingbird, the easiest thing to do is basically draw lines parallel to the neck that'll contain any magnetic pickups you want to use and the bridge mount and then chamber around the outside of that.

2. Those would be soundholes like on most acoustic guitars - it's an odd placement, but Ovations sometimes have weirder ones.

3. That doesn't actually have a traditional pickup, it has what I assume to be an under-saddle or under-bridge transducer, which is a common way of getting a cable out on an acoustic guitar. Go to B-Band's website and read up.

4. On an acoustic (like that guitar) it's easy - you cut a hole for it and screw or glue it in. On a semihollowbody, it'd be a lot harder.

Edited June 28, 2005 by jnewman

[Hughes]

nm about that heres what i found on the bc rich website

SPECIFICATIONS

Laminated Maple Flamed Top

Special Tone-Chamber Design

Korina Body

Maple Neck

Classic-style Headstock

Rosewood Fingerboard

Single-Ply Body Binding

24 Frets

25.5" Scale Length

Dot Inlays

Rosewood Bridge

Sealed Diecast B.C. Rich Tuners

3 Band Active EQ /Preamp

Chrome Hardware

Edited June 28, 2005 by Hughes

[westhemann]

it's still an acoustic/electric

chambered is different

[Hughes]

well is there any reason my way wont work?

[westhemann]

well is there any reason my way wont work?

←

not that i know of,as long as you don't expect it to sound like an acoustic.

but pine is not a good choice...imo

try spruce i think.(don't know anything about spruce...but it is commonly used on acoustics and pine,which i do know about,is a REALLY horrible,crappy wood for guitars,and the price is the same as many better woods)

[Hughes]

only reason i chose pine is because at the shop we have tons of it and if im putting a top and back on anyways after i didnt think it would be a big deal.

would i still be able to use those onboard preamps and the hidden pickup? and if i stuck those holes in the top wing area would it be louder then an average guitar without an amp?

[westhemann]

i don't know...i think if you dream it,you should build it...then you will know

[Hughes]

yeah, i was thinking about it all last night, i hate when i come up with these ideas when i try to sleep. also making a thinline seems alot cheaper then making a solid body since i tried a bass, decided i want to make a guitar instead, now got this semi finished bass that i dont want to spend anymore money on.

[westhemann]

forgive me...but it sounds like you are too flaky to be at this.i for one don't want to waste my time on your whim...sorry

[Hughes]

huh? would you mind explaining my "flakiness" and "whim" because if you dont want to help me out i really could care less, maybe some kinder person would glady give me some tips, next time keep it to your self

Edited June 28, 2005 by Hughes

[westhemann]

maybe i sounded a bit harsh...but you JUST said you started on a bass,then stopped because you wanted to jump on this guitar and now you don't wish to finish the bass...and this really sounds like just a "fad" for you.i just want to save my time for serious stuff,i guess.

no offense...i just know WAAY too many people like that...and this really sounds similar.especially at the beginning stages of guitar building,you need to see a project through for the learning experience

unless you totally destroyed the first one...in which case you should start it over and see it through before jumping on the next whim.

this is about advice...not just coddling.

and that is my advice.finish your first project...it will cut down on mistakes the second go round and you will waste less wood that way...since you so badly want to use pine it sounds like you don't have much wood to waste.

maybe i am just in a funny mood...but that's the way i see it.

again...no offense.just stating my points...feel free to mount a rebuttal if you wish and tell me why ii am wrong.it's all good

[Hughes]

hah well i guess i should of pointed out the reasons why i never finished my bass is because i did screw up, especially on the neck pocket, and it was horrribly out of scale, some jerk knocked it over and messed up the long wing up, i really couldnt afford the parts for it because my plans backfired and would of ended up paying for brand new parts.

and because i really never needed a bass, but needed a guitar.

so i thought id clear that with you that i didnt quit the other one to start this one

[westhemann]

well..i still say build what you are dreaming about...and see this one through

[Hughes]

thanks man, sorry if i made it seem like it was a fad

[jnewman]

A couple things - it might be SLIGHTLY louder than a normal solidbody guitar if you build it as a semihollowbody - but the reason an acoustic is loud without an amp is because of the fact that there's a very thin top that has nothing under it in the middle - the whole top vibrates with the strings, acting just like a speaker. That won't really happen with a chambered design because the top's too thick and is attached too many places.

Second, it WON'T be any less expensive than building a solid-body guitar - you have to buy all the same parts (plus some extras) and do even more work.

Third, you can use an undersaddle pickup on any guitar that has an acoustic-style bridge, or you can get piezo pickups for assorted electric bridges - but it WON'T sound like an electric and it won't sound entirely like an acoustic either. Expect to pay at LEAST $100 for a piezo/transducer system with a preamp.

[Hughes]

how about if instead of just chambering, i make the shape of the body. except rout everything out except a small amount so its still there and is quite solid you know just instead of bending the sides then would it sound like an acoustic? also there aer some preamp systems that are $40 canadian. so would this work?

[Mickguard]

how about if instead of just chambering, i make the shape of the body. except rout everything out except a small amount so its still there and is quite solid you know just instead of bending the sides then would it sound like an acoustic?

←

This is what a lot of makers are doing, see the Samick Royales for an example-- they call it a 'monoframe' construction. Then they slap on the back and front.

Another alternative. Take your main slab of body wood. Cut to shape. Route out the inside the way you want it (maybe leave more for the neck pocket and a center column for strength. Then slap on a back (or front).

Just don't expect the guitar to sound like an acoustic.

But that is what I started off doing with my Convertible

Eventually I went with the monoframe because I wanted the guitar to be thicker and my frame wasn't deep enough.

I can say this though --it is NOT easier building this way. It's a little cheaper, since you can use scrap wood (though why pine? there's plenty of other cheap wood around) and don't need thick pieces. But the real cost of the guitar comes in the hardware anyway.

Also, as I mentioned elsewhere, this guitar sounds nothing like an acoustic. It is pretty loud unplugged though, which has its uses.

[Doeringer]

Yep, I would stay away from pine too. If you want a cheaper wood try poplar, still would not be my first choice of wood but it has decent sound qualities. That way you don't invest too much cash while learning your skills.

[ansil]

you know fender used some sugar pine on some of the first broadcasters. theres a guy who makes strat replacement bodys in north georgia from a template [some guy online selling templates he made off of a 57 strat] that are amazing sounding and they are out of sugar pine. he also did a lespaul, sounds killer but too light.

[Hughes]

yeah i heard about those, also the first Fender Esquires were pine but they switched pretty quick

[Hughes]

sorry about bringing back the dead but an idea came to mind and i didnt think making a new thread was a good idea...

ok we went over how it wont sound as loud as an acoustic because the wood for the top/back would be to thick...so what if i bought a acoustic back/top such as this http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bodies,_necks,..._Back_Sets.html

then how would it sound?

Hughes