Looking for plans Gretsch or Bennedetto

[Jehle]

Well, the Flying V project is going to come to a close soon, so I've got to think about my next project in the queue. I'd like to build a Jazz hollow body of some sort.

My first thought is one of the Bennedetto guitars like those ol' Bob writes about in his book. I am, however, starting to think more along the lines of a Gretsch Tennessean, complete with Filtertrons and a Bigsby wiggle stick. I suppose I may just have velvet memories of those big orange guitars because my first guitar teacher played one and I thought it was so cool to play. I must build one!

I have searched on this forum, on guitarbuild.com, and on google and have not found any sort of drawing or plan for a Tennessean. Does anyone have access to one that they could photo or measure, or outline on a few pieces of paper? What scale length, and does it have a zero fret are two main questions.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Myka Guitars]

No kidding. I am doing some fretwork on a Gretsch guitar right now. It is the Brian Setzer model, like this but without the dice.

I can answer your two questions; it is a 24.625" scale length and no it does not have a zero fret, it is gibson style.

I will make some of the basic measurements and see what pictures I can send to you. PM me with your address and email and I'll send this out this week.

[Jehle]

I did some searching on www.gretschguitars.com and found two that are really close. The Setzer models are very close to these so I would appreciate the help!

Tiger Stripe Nashville Model

The dreaded ORANGE guitar with the more familiar control layout

The guitar that I remember was something between these two. The fret markers of the first with the controls of the second. And that Orange paint. *squint*

[erikbojerik]

I'm also partway through a Benedetto archtop...I was quite surprised at the lack of plans in his book. You might try the MIMF, I know they have at least one set of archtop plans for sale.

[guitar_ed]

LMII has plans for an archtop available.

Guitar Ed

[jay5]

Cool, I', slowly piecing together the parts to build a semi-hollow in a Nashville Jr. shape. http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.p...=&cat2=&q=&st=1 I plan on building it like PRS does there archtops with a hollowed out solid body, leaving material under the bridge. I am not ready to attack a full on archtop. I have a mahogany body that I am going to hollow out as soon as I get the time to make up my template. I also have the mahogany neck blank rough cut. Still need to get my top wood and hardware. We'll see how it goes.

[Jehle]

Cool, I', slowly piecing together the parts to build a semi-hollow in a Nashville Jr. shape. http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.p...=&cat2=&q=&st=1 I plan on building it like PRS does there archtops with a hollowed out solid body, leaving material under the bridge. I am not ready to attack a full on archtop. I have a mahogany body that I am going to hollow out as soon as I get the time to make up my template. I also have the mahogany neck blank rough cut. Still need to get my top wood and hardware. We'll see how it goes.

Well, I've never built a hollow body either, but I've gotta try. I never thought I could build a neck, but I did. In fact, I basically followed the plan (or steps more like) from the Bennedetto book. I don't think I'll be able to follow the curves and all exactly like Bob does. It looks like the Gretsch bodies are less "bubbley".

I have some scrap 2 x 12 in the shed that I keep eyeing. It'll probably become a practice top or back. No clue what it is, probably pine. It may become a guitar, but this stuff is even pressure treated. I could leave it outside in the rain for 10 years and it would still be okay.

[ikke_998]

I found this!!

http://www.mimf.com/

maybe it helps they sell plans!

[Jehle]

I found this!!

http://www.mimf.com/

maybe it helps they sell plans!

And given the fact that I built the V from a small one page printout, I could probably scale this up using the same method. Seems like I found this same picture a year or so ago. I'm loosing my memory.

[soapbarstrat]

And what if you want a bridge pickup ? That X-bracing won't allow it.

[ikke_998]

here you go:: this might be a bit better

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/P...htop_Plans.html

I got it from this site wich gave the link that stewmac actually had the plans of a real benedetto:

http://www.tollway.com/archtop/started/plans.htm

This is the site, it has got the one of the best guitar tutorials I've ever seen!!

and this one has straight bracing!! so you can install any pickup combination you want!

hope this helps

[Jehle]

Good observation on that X brace and the bridge pickup. The Bennedetto book gives guides on how to do either the straight or the X brace patterns. I'll jot that note down in the book that I should avoid the X brace for the pickups.

[did291]

check this pages

http://www.gretschguitars.com/terada/

http://www.gretschguitars.com/scans/

image a worth a lot in there

[jay5]

I remember Myka doing a parallel brace as he used a bridge humbucker. That thread is full ofgreat info. I learn somthing new everytime I read it. It is a great source for archtop/semihollow info.

[did291]

I am now learning about and building a hollow body like a rick 360 ,but eventualy,next years, i want to buid a archtop like a 6120 gretsch. So i am pilling up a lot of info ,I still like to learn why a classic archtop is made of spure for the top and a gretsch is maple.

[erikbojerik]

Spruce is light and strong; maple is heavy and strong. You want the vibrations of the strings to drive the bridge up & down, which in turn will drive the top. You could use maple or spruce, but maple would need to be carved a bit thinner and would sound very bright. I think maple would not move as much air as a spruce top, which would mean that you would lose bass response.

Classic archtops have spruce tops and maple sides/back. The carving of the back is a bit different than the carving of the top, as the back is supposed to vibrate as a singel unit (being thin around the edges).