Two years ago, classic guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux visited my city and had an incredible concert and master class. Jason is a Grammy winning artist. His guitar had a double top, and it was perhaps the loudest guitar I have ever heard. I played a small passage on it (he offered) and it is incredible, robust, a great instrument.
I wonder if such aesthetics would emote the truly sweet, beautiful sound of our concept of how a good lite should sound. Ed Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 25, 2020, at 6:21 PM, John Mardinly <[email protected]> wrote: > > I have heard the terminology ‘composite top' and 'sandwich top' in > addition to ‘double top', and they all refer to similar construction, > although the earliest ‘double top' guitars used a layer of a hexagonal > synthetic material called Nomex in between the two paper thin layers on > wood. > > A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E. > Classical Guitarist/Lutenist > > On Mar 25, 2020, at 9:56 AM, Joachim Lüdtke <[1][email protected]> > wrote: > > Dear David, dear list, > I was a bit puzzled at first because I know the term double top, but > only pointing to instruments like e.g. Marcard guitars with a second, > 'interior' soundboard. What you describe is what I think is usually > called a sandwiched soundboard. Is my terminology too limited or do I > use it too strictly? > A few weeks ago, before the darn Corona guy rode into town, there were > guitar days here in the Hochschule für Kunst und Musik in Bremen, and > there were young builders showing their recently finished guitars, and > one of the guitar teachers of the Hochschule playing a few measures on > each of them. Most sounded excellent, and I am ashamed to say that I > couldn't make much difference between the majority of the sounds, > neither did I ask for prices … > Best from the Hanseatics > Joachim > -----Original-Nachricht----- > Betreff: [LUTE] Re: Double Top > Datum: 2020-03-25T17:44:36+0100 > Von: "David Smith" <[2][email protected]> > An: "Tristan von Neumann" <[3][email protected]>, > "[4][email protected]" <[5][email protected]> > That cost is what a master builder charges for classical guitars - > 10k-20k is pretty normal. The cost of doing a double top is really not > that high. The materials are not expensive and vacuum is used for a lot > of other things in the shop. I use it for attaching bridges and holding > instruments while French polishing. The Dammann price is based on his > reputation and not on it being a double top. You should be able to find > good quality double tops starting around 3-4k. > As to using it on a lute, you have to like the sound of it because it > is clearly not historical. I, personally, do not like the sound of > double tops that much. They sacrifice character for volume, imho. But, > if you are trying to fill a concert hall without a microphone then > there are already a lot of sacrifices being made and the double top is > just one more. For a more intimate setting I think it is overkill. The > bracing from Trevor Gore (Falcate system - > [6]https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__goreguitars.com > .au_main_page-5Finnovation-5Fsummary-5Ffalcate-5Fbracing.html&d=DwIFaQ& > c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvx > MmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=ftBiwVy6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=hl > 0F5qUAGqTuToEdzrjzuTjZ3Rl4kFVBRh16ZCVLBts&e= ) is more interesting. It > makes for a very even sound throughout the instrument and provides more > volume as well. Would I use it on a lute. Not likely. > Anyway, some random thoughts. > David > -----Original Message----- > From: [7][email protected] > <[8][email protected]> On Behalf Of Tristan von > Neumann > Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 9:18 AM > To: [9][email protected] > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Double Top > For that money, I'd buy a Lute consort... > I don't see any advantage... > On 25.03.20 11:40, Jurgen Frenz wrote: > > I read about the process to make such an instrument - from memory > the two slices are glued together under vacuum, to me it sounds like > quite a costly process. The guitars made by the inventor of this > technology Matthias Dammann cost 15 000 € a pop. > Jürgne > ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ > On Wednesday, March 25, 2020 2:04 AM, Mark Probert > <[10][email protected]> wrote: > > John wrote: > > Question is, has this been tried on a lute? Are there any luthiers > interested in trying? > > Interesting technology. As applied to a lute? Not so sure. > I suspect someone will but most won't as there is not really any > advantage and much disadvantage (the lamination process for > starters, > workin with nomex or similar, etc.). > The problem this construction "fixes" is loudness. While there may > be > occassions when a lute is too soft, making up for it with an overly > stiff soundboard would, I suspect, take away much of what makes a > lute sound the way it does. > Consider the following article for more > [11]https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.guitars > alon.com_blog_-3Fp-3D1467&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_ > 2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=ftBiwVy > 6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=yrLjgm1jpe8Pk-Xcuhj76e-HcnTDD > AuAbyvOQzJWmg0&e= > Kind regards > .. mark. > To get on or off this list see list information at > [12]https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cs.dartm > outh.edu_-7Ewbc_lute-2Dadmin_index.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQus > p9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBR > t90E&m=ftBiwVy6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=2KTO6J5goEJB6SN > NcJHlGKQ9qD-qAb81_VjYWrsKV84&e= > > > > References > > 1. mailto:[email protected] > 2. mailto:[email protected] > 3. mailto:[email protected] > 4. mailto:[email protected] > 5. mailto:[email protected] > 6. > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__goreguitars.com.au_main_page-5Finnovation-5Fsummary-5Ffalcate-5Fbracing.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=ftBiwVy6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=hl0F5qUAGqTuToEdzrjzuTjZ3Rl4kFVBRh16ZCVLBts&e= > 7. mailto:[email protected] > 8. mailto:[email protected] > 9. mailto:[email protected] > 10. mailto:[email protected] > 11. > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.guitarsalon.com_blog_-3Fp-3D1467&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=ftBiwVy6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=yrLjgm1jpe8Pk-Xcuhj76e-HcnTDDAuAbyvOQzJWmg0&e= > 12. > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cs.dartmouth.edu_-7Ewbc_lute-2Dadmin_index.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=ftBiwVy6my8Jghtq9GSLqxpeyK73pixj5LSQEZHAiYQ&s=2KTO6J5goEJB6SNNcJHlGKQ9qD-qAb81_VjYWrsKV84&e= >
