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Thread: The Dixie gtr
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15th August 2019, 10:13 PM #1Senior Member
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The Dixie gtr
I saw this recently, and the design has merit, I reckon
YouTube
so someone more experienced and I are going to attempt making one,
but I cant seem to find any information for building.
This is hardly surprising, I guess,
but has anyone here seen mention of others attempting to build one of these,
or know of any kind of plans ,
or even heard of these guitars?
or am I just right out on the end of this branch on my own ? . . lolLast edited by Slapfest; 15th August 2019 at 10:14 PM. Reason: spelling
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15th August 2019 10:13 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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1st September 2019, 11:41 PM #2Senior Member
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ok,
so either everyone is familiar with this, . . but knows nothing , (that doesn't work)
or nobody bothered to look at the LINK above that takes you to an explanation of this design.
Because I find it really hard to believe no one had anything to say about it.
I think everyone here should have a brief look at this design
which relieves the guitar top from distorting due to string pull
and, I believe , is a variation on an old theme
but still, revolutionary.
check it out
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2nd September 2019, 07:55 AM #3GOLD MEMBER
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Look up lattice guitar construction, lots of people do it. I don’t build guitar only ukuleles but even ukuleles have been constructed this way.
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2nd September 2019, 11:14 AM #4Senior Member
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REALLY?
A lot of people make lattice guitars with a steel tube running the ENTIRE LENGTH of the guitar,
and use that, to set the fine adjust of the neck-ro-body angle, (not the relief)
seeing as there is no heel Block?
Ok then . . .
I can see I shouldnt have bothered you guys
back to sleep. . . lol
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2nd September 2019, 03:53 PM #5GOLD MEMBER
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Ok, now I have finished my twelve hour day I will respond in a different way and hopefully you will have the patience and tact that most of us on here afford each other. And yes I probably would have been better going back to bed when I responded but that’s life. You won’t always get a fast response here, it’s a sub forum and there are not to many instrument builders here, be patient.
The lattice bracing is not new, nor is using carbon fibre as reinforcements on bracing. Banjos use a common rod from headstock to tail piece and have done for a great many years. Something I see (with a vey novice eye) with gluing that rod down at the tailstock is that it is having the same effect on locking the neck angle as setting a traditional neck joint does, either a Spanish heal or a dovetail or bolt on. At some point in the instruments life it will require a neck reset, it’s an instrument made of timber and it will move though out it’s life. Most luthiers close the box up prior to setting the neck so the body stays in shape, and becomes rigid, you would be amazed at how much movement can happen and how much the body will deform with the back off and trying to set the neck (I have made this mistake when building ukuleles)
I do not in any way call myself a luthier, this sub forum is probably not the best place to find the answers you seek.
You could try the anzlf.com but you may want to consider how you go about talking to people on there as you may become unwelcome very quickly.
How many acoustic guitars have you built? What is your experience with building instruments from scratch?
Cheers Cal
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2nd September 2019, 05:31 PM #6GOLD MEMBER
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The Dixie gtr
Thinking more about this design, it is also going to load up the soundboard to some extent, the portion of the neck that extends into the body appears to be glued directly to the soundboard. Setting a neck angle precisely in the build process doesn’t load up the soundboard in any way, nor does it load up the sides of the guitar or where the heal meets the sides. Adding the solid bar to gain fine adjustments is going to put load on all of these points, twisting the sides to gain the adjustment needed and also bellying the soundboard under the fretboard, it’s hard to know if the maker then sands or fills the soundboard to fit the fretboard but it appears that he has already installed the fretboard, which would most certainly put a bow in the fretboard, then they would have to rely on leveling the frets past the body joint to get all of the frets playable.
For most builders I have researched, the bridge is the second last thing that they set the height for. Once the body is complete (other than Spanish heal) the neck is set then the bridge is glued in place, fine adjustment in height can be made to the bridge prior to glueing. Then the saddle and nut heights are adjusted to set string height.
I guess each to their own though and it is just an uninformed opinion.
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2nd September 2019, 06:07 PM #7Senior Member
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I'm just a musician, but the lady that championed the design worked for most of her life repairing guitars at Gruhn's in the US (THE Vintage specialists)
and I have to presume that there is merit to the design, as she also mentions in another video
that Martin made some special guitars for a certain performer (I think) many years ago, that were a similar design .
The Luthier I have on side also thinks the idea is solid.
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2nd September 2019, 06:43 PM #8GOLD MEMBER
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Well nothing ventured nothing gained, go for it! Let us know how it turns out.
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4th March 2020, 01:14 PM #9
Interesting, but it does look way overbuilt to me. Greg Smallman invented the whole lattice bracing concept and it has been around since the '77 I believe. The other big bit of metal would just add weight. Adjustable necks have been well explored on both the MIMF and ANZLF. There are some very elegant light weight designs around. For voicing check out Shia de Jonge Guitars,
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