Twelve String Semi Hollow

[correl]

After having seen several other semi hollow's built at home, I want to do it a bit differently. Ive seen several people just putting a big cavity through the entire guitar and putting a top on it then a cover on the back. It just seems brutish to me to just take a full chunk of the guitar out. Im looking to route a cavity through the front of the guitar, then place a top over it and then put a sound hole in? Will this work or is my idea completely unfeasible.

Ive been looking at bridges and Im thinking of ordering a gotoh 12 string, is there an easier one to install, as this one seems somewhat complicated. If not is this a decent bridge, Forgive me if I ask too many questions. Ive never even played an electric twelve string. I plan on using a H-S-H combination and a 6 way strat style switch to get some decent combinations. Ill use an individual tone knob for each pickup and 2 volume knobs.

Any feedback is appreciated, especially if the idea just plain wont work

[thegarehanman]

A semi hollow being "brutish" is a bit harsh. Have you any idea the labor it takes to arch the front and back of a jazz box on both the outside and inside? Let's not deminish the work of others; saying things like that will get you verbally raped...eventually.

As far as the soundhole goes, i wouldn't go with a acoustic guitar soundhole. That's what it sounds like when you describe it. Also, the way you explain it, it sounds like you're going to have 3 tone knobs, 2 volume knobs, and a 6 way switch(strats have 5 ways). Don't you think that's a bit excessive? Think of it this way, when you're playing with any guitar, how often do you change the settings? I play a lot of gigs. I ALWAYS have both humbucker signals feeding with the volume and tone at 10, and I never need to change it. My effects cover any other sounds I need. Occasionally I'll use a coil tap.

I suggest you do some thorough searching of the forum. That will answer most of you queries. And I don't mean to burst your bubble, but you haven't really reinvented the wheel as you might have thought.

I appologize if what I say is hard to swallow; I'm a blunt fellow.

And another note: check the string spacing on that gotoh bridge, you may need to look for some particularly wide pickups.

[Mickguard]

Im looking to route a cavity through the front of the guitar, then place a top over it and then put a sound hole in? Will this work or is my idea completely unfeasible. 

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Godin's Radiator is built that way --they use a huge pickguard to cover the front cavity.

They don't have a sound hole, but there's no reason why not --you mean an f-hole type opening on the side right?

Of course, if it's an electric, the f-holes are just there for lookin' pretty.

Your other option of course is to route out the back of the guitar only.

The 'monoframe' construction you're talking about makes for a different kind of guitar, closer to an archtop, semi-hollow --what you're really talking about is building more of a 'thinline' type guitar.

[GregP]

How many guitars have you built so far? If this is your first, I wouldn't do a 12-string. Not because they're particularly more difficult (the only differences in difficulty are fairly easily surmountable compared to the project as a whole, I would think) but because an electric 12-string (and IMO even an acoustic 12-string) only has limited appeal. If you want a 'player', make a 6-string.

Greg

[thegarehanman]

Or....

drumroll please...

make a double neck thinline!

[unclej]

your idea will work just fine..i posted this a few days ago but i'm building a tele thin-line as we speak where i just routed the chambers into a thick piece of walnut then put a zebra wood top on it with a sound hole. just look for a tutorial on making a regular semi-hollow body but don't cut all the way through the back..done deal..

good luck