Voicing the classical guitar top
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- In this Video I show you my way of voicing the spruce top of a classical guitar. This is the most important step in guitar making. There are many myths about it, but it is basically a structural way of working to the right vibrations and tone. But it takes experience to know exactly what you are doing.
Hope this helps a bit.
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Bravo and thank you! I have not yet found a video detailing the reason WHY as well as it's corresponding WHAT so precisely. What a peaceful inspiration!
The soundboard is the most complicated process of building the guitar. I failed at it before and didn't know why. This lesson is the best of its kind on the internet.
that's very nice to hear Kevin. I hope it helps you to build a great sounding guitar!
It is really important that people understand how much care goes into making a great sounding guitar. When I make my first guitar I will use the Ad Van Kuijk method. Thanks for sharing.
Ands down the most in-depth tutorial about voicing I’ve ever watched thank you for passing your skill “ Maestro”
@Jesse Mustafa gtfo bot, ive been seeing you everywhere. It's a trojan virus y'all, careful.
You are a real LUTHIER! **The best explained tutorial I've ever seen; thank you MASTER for the time 🙋
Thank you David; too much honeur for me!
This is just awesome!!!! What is the desired note you are searching for when you tap? Or does it vary?
Guitar builders are not talking about numbers on youtube. You did it, thanks for sharing.
I''m always sharing numbers and measurements.Don't share anything if you don't want to tell the reason .
Thank you very much for your video.. I have made 5 classical guitars so far. They came out pretty good. But when it comes to voicing the top, I have to admit that I have been shooting in the dark until I watch your video. Great teaching, at least I am sort of learning how to voice the top. All the books and literatures from the internet could not lighten my little brain until now. I would like to express my appreciation for doing this video. You are the best around. Thanks again.
I'm glad you learned something from my way of working. Thanks a lot!
Thank you so much for your videos. They’ve helped me tremendously. I built a pretty guitar before I came across you. I’m hoping my next guitar will be pretty and great sounding. Cheers from NYC
thank you ozwolfe. I Hope you make a great sounding guitar and stay healthy in NYC. Greetings from the Netherlands!
Amazing video about the top and how to give the tones. Thank you so much!
Hi. I just wanted to say thank you very much for your videos. I just made my first guitar and followed your method for voicing the soundboard. I have a wonderful sounding guitar. I am so pleased. Thank you for sharing your valuable experience.
thank you Geoff! I'm glad your guitar turned out so well. Keep on making them!
You're excellent luthier. Very easy to unstander. Thank you
Congratulations¡¡ You really voice the sounboard in a good way. Thank you¡ It is a great contribution for the community of Luthieres and beginners.
Lots of people wish to be luthiers. Many say they are luthiers. This guy IS a LUTHIER. But I would be willing to bet I couldn’t possibly afford a guitar made by him. Lotto money.
Fascinating I love this ❤
This is amazing. I've watched close to a hundred different instrument construction videos for acoustic instruments, and NOBODY breaks down the construction of the top like this. Thank you so very much, my approach will be entirely different now.
Dear Ad
Thanks you so much for your wonderful and very helpful videos!
Your calmness and sureness comes forth so clearly.
thank you Catherine. It means a lot to me to get support from people like you.
Hello Ad, It is great fun to see how you have come to this point in guitar building! Some interesting points in how you're getting further and further, especially by making the top thinner towards the edges. I had a cheap factory guitar but with a solid top.
That instrument didn't had an interesting sound but by thinning the top just at the lower bout edges from the outside made a
hughe difference and then the right way of voicing a top proves to be of the utmost importance! That my top was too stiff was obvious but what I was experimenting was merely a lot of luck also as I only can listen between the "shaving" probes.
Good luck and maybe you want to visit the Boom international guitar and violin building presentation evening also on
wednessday the 21th of june..... Just get in touch!
Hi Noud, Nice to hear again from you. I have always handled my tops that way; thickest in the bridge area and thinner near the edges. I would love to go to that presentation but I must work (giving lessons till 10 pm.). Hope to see you soon, all the best!
Love the love for guitarmaking, and this is also a great ASMR video btw!
Hello Ad,
I learned a lot in your video. At 13:30 the tone drop to G and the vibrating for almost 2 seconds. Then you primarely listening to the length of the vibrations.
So as your experience, how many seconds it vibrates is the maximum to achieve before over the boundery point ?
My objective is around F - F#. Thank you very much.
THANK VERY MUCH FORE SHERING TUNING INFORMATION.
As a machinist, I understand about taking off a little too much and scraping it.
Why do we use thin timber and add bracing. Could we not just start with a thicker timber and have less or thinner bracing?
Seeing this vid as an ASMR vid. Nice!
Wow..being able to connect the tapping on a piece of wood to a tone is really something extrardinairy. Must have taken many years of experience.. Would almost take my cheap yamaha classical apart, tap it..shave it..and put it back together.
Thank you for the lesson!
Excellent video. Thanks a lot
What thickness of top do you aim for with spruce and cedar ? Thanks.
I learned a lot Thanks
Great work 👏 and thx for the information and sharing your experiences in guitar making.
I just to ask you about targeting the right note when you removing some material from the braces first was the tone on B and you drop it to E or F# so what will happen if you keep it higher note like A or B ?
The lower tone its mean more vibration of the soundboard ?
And in general what is the right tone should be in classical guitar to tune the soundboard ? For both spruce top and cedar top ?
Sorry too many questions 😅
Luthiers should also make voiced strings because they are the biggest contributor to the sound
Okay, a bit of a weird question... but... Does anyone know where I can buy that sweater?
Thanks Ad, I like to watch a Luthier at work.
I just wanted to add that when building with hyde glue, that you can replace the brace, and start over again in the event of an overcompensation
Good job
Very Cool 😎
Thank you for providing me with information about the great skill that you have! Do you sell any of the classical guitars? I am located in France.
What size finger planes do you use? Are they flat or curved bottoms? Standard blade or with teeth? Love your build series!
13:38 What is the specific reason of always sliding into the note from below instead of just playing the note?
no reason!
So, do luthiers discard tops they have cut too much? No. They choose some middle position and don't risk it.
Why not go to tapered, 3mm, rounded braces to start with?
because every top has a different stiffness and the braces must be exactly right for that top. In a factory they will use your method but a luthier can make all the things that the top needs to vibrate the best.
Thank you Ad. You are very thorough in your visual and descriptions.
Thank you Logan; that's nice to hear!
ما هو نوع الخشب المستخدم في صناعة هذا الجيتار ؟
I noticed that there was still material to be trimmed off to complete the final shape of the top. Won't this affect the sound further?
every step will affect the tone and sustain of the guitar. By voicing I asteblished the Helm-note of the top, and that won't change much by assembling the guitar. But assembling the guitar, finesanding the top, French-polishing; it all affects the sound and the sustain of the instrument. That's what makes it so difficult to predict how an instrument will sound when it's ready.
Never Talk, you are full of beans. He said, "trimming, assembly, and french polishing affect the top." Anyone with any understanding would know the most significant affects are going to be caused by changing the weight and dimensions of the top, and fastening it to the body of the guitar. Pay attention, you might actually learn something.
Van Kuijk, how thick are the harmonic bars, do you wear on the top? Thank you very much
they are 7 mm wide and 17 mm high. I don't understand what you mean with "wear on the top".
Would you mind telling me the size of the finger plane you are using on the fans?
it measures 40 by 16 mm; it's called a violinmakers plane.
Yes it’s a little cutie for sure. It looks a an Ibex plane and they make them in various sizes with different blade widths. Would you recommend 8, 12, or 18mm blade for this job? It sounds like yours is about 12mm?
@@crabolsky the size doesn't matter that much. I have Ibex planes 2,8 and 4,5 cm length. The blades are 1 and 1,8 cm . The plane I use on the video has a 12 mm blade indeed. Good luck!
Thanks sir
thank you
Gosh I'm so sorry. I'm 4 min in and you are shaving braces equally. It seems that compensation should be done between the low and high strings. I build solid body so I actually have no idea. I know that classical strings are an entirely different animal. Is the tension the same across the bridge? Are all strings equal in amplitude as well?
Thanks! I read something like this about Stradivarius violins.
Do this "true" note around f#-g# is true for any guitar? Classical? Western? Baritone? Bass? Electric?
I only know it works for classical guitars and flamenco guitars.
Ad van Kuijk that's okay then. Keep up masterpiece work!
Thanks a lot for that vid. I've been willing to see that operation performed & explained for a long time. And now I know that ist is not without reason that my Japanese Asturias guitar has a natural resonance in F#) Hartelijk bedankt !
How will the resonance change when one applies strain to the top from installing strings?
The strings don't effect the structure and weight of the top; so they cannot change the natural resonance of the top I guess. The bridge is more important and will change the behavior of the top.
Maybe, its probably a small factor. I was thinking about it because the strings resonance is dependent on the tension applied to them as we know, and the strings are ofcourse ancored to the top, so there will be a tension applied behind the bridge and compression at the front.
"The boundary between excellent and ruined is very small."
Now there's a life lesson for you.
and only life time experience can make you stop at exactly the right moment
works for luthiers and juggling tight-rope unicyclists!
White wood. White shirt. White hair.
White skin
i see you don't use the bridge support under the fan braces.. is it right?
In this model i Don't, but my other models do have a bridge support!
+Ad van Kuijk what are the plus/minus of that in term of strenght/sound ratio? thank you
After the finish is on will your tap tone raise again?
not really; the french polish is so thin it doesn't add any weight
What kind of things can you do for less sustain ?
@@advankuijk Prove it or get out!
Never talk, the "proof" is that people pay significant amounts of money for his guitars. That suggests that his theory of instrument construction has support in the marketplace for high-end instruments. Your snide comments suggest that you disagree, but they don't actually say what YOU think about these topics. So stay home and strum your $50 chinese guitar. Because your comments make it seem that is exactly the instrument for you.
Pssshhhh
Battila bene, mi raccomando...anzi attaccaci elettrodi e guardala al computer😂
a whant to know,why f#-G-G#?
it's a very difficult story; maybe this video will explain it to you:
th-cam.com/video/Ajn0TmhvwCU/w-d-xo.html
Wached, loved. Great video.
That's the way to lower the soundboard frequency step by step. The only problem is that the whole frequency will change again after closing the box and it's very hard to determine beforehand at what frequency it will respond afterwards.
Its all baloney homey in other words 😛😛
I did it some times and the top still were tuned at the same note after closing the box. The reason of this happen is, I think, that, what is important is the note that start in the bridge area to the rest of the soundboard, not the opposite. Sorry my rusty English....
@@RoneiRamos There is a main top resonance and that is unique for the whole soundboard. When i close the guitar it always changes slightly.
It’s is good to record its frequency and measure again during different stages to give you guide of how it changes as you progress, that way you have help for the next build, and the next one…
thank you
Awesome!! A true craftsman I never realized the time that goes into building a quality instrument I now know why they aren't cheap it also explains why one martin guitar sounds better than another they are factory guitars that are not voiced and if you find one you like you just got lucky!
you,re absolutely right about factory guitars. Even for a luthier it is difficult to reach the same level every time.
Dear Ad, I play this guitar for 12 months now, I play it almost every day. It proved to be a stable instrument. Expressive, colourful, well-balanced, with its very own 'soul': sweet and lovable but high-tempered where needed. Always beautiful and singing in all registers with great resonance and sustain. Every day I love it more and more.
Thank you a thousand times!
Thank you Madeleine, it was a pleasure to read and I am glad you love the guitar !
This is, by far, the most helpful and well done video on this subject.
Thank you for the information and demonstration. Sending warmest greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA 🇺🇸
This is Spinal Tap. There’s a fine line between clever and stupid. Just turn it up to “11”.
Thank you so much for the details! I'm restoring an old guitar (the first time) to understand how it all works, and your video is the only one to break it down to the details and explain everything - it helps very much :)
listen at 0:09 and then click ahead to 19:59 ... you can hear some change from how the top started... pretty neat stuff!
This is the most informative video I've sen on voicing. Thank you so much.
It contains no useful information.
Thanks for sharing your skills... Fascinating...
Maestro!!!!!! You are a Maestroooo!!!!
Hi Ad. So you tunned the top around F#…?
Lovely, simply lovely!!!!
Excellent demonstration of your methodology. I see the value of recording all the steps of the procedure, and its value in evaluating the effects of various decisions made along the way. Thanks for this great video.
Thank you Gary; keeping notes of what you do is indeed a very important thing.
Hello, why do you tune the guitar at this note?
Need to vacuum, but great video.
thank you very much for the video my friend. helped me a lot. and after you stick (glue)the top on the instrument body, do you sand the top again looking for a specific note(tune)? thanks here from Brazil
At which note the acoustic guitar top should be tunned help me sir ... And when we glue it to sites and give oil finish does the note wil change..
glueing and finishing will affect the tone indeed. I tune my tops between F and G#.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks fot posting. I'm always learning something else, always.
thanks Ricardo
A real gift, this. Thanks so much Pi Ad! and cheers from the northern Thai mountains.
Dear van Kuijk, thanks for sharing such a precious video. Everything in it is very learning. I don't build instruments, but I think it's an amazing art. Could you clarify a doubt I had when I saw your video? The top was tuned in F #, but after assembling the entire guitar can he change the tone? Sorry for the way to write English, it's not my language. Keep sharing all this great knowledge! Hugs.
If you're wondering about the equivalent process for a steel-string guitar, th-cam.com/video/Ei5-DkVTrEE/w-d-xo.html . With a much higher strength requirement, a steel-string acoustic guitar is a quite different instrument, but the processes are very similar. Dana Bourgeois is a master.
Another great instructional video, thank you.
Which plane are you using for shaping the braces?
thank you for a brilliant insight to your craft. But when do you decide you have "gone too far, and the top is ruined" . Will it never be of any use, what exactly is 'ruined'.
the spruce has its sound for the best I look for that resonance, sometimes the best sounds have come from poor quality as it was being sold, yet with age and dryness, it improved to be grade a.
I like the idea of using go no go guage blocks.
Yes, and you can make them to a standard length to give you the desired taper (3cm, 4cm.)
LOOKS LIKE FUN, TAKE YEARS TO GET THESE SKILLS.BUT IN THE END YOU MAKE A1 QUALITY INSTRUMENT. TO BE ENJOY OVER MANY YEARS, BY EVERYONE.
Such a great knowledge about the art of luthierie, that's what make diference between a true instrument and art and some piece of wood else made in large scale
Thank you very much for your teachings! Appreciate for you sharing your experience, sir!
Nice tutorial! Thank you, Sir, you are a wonderful luthier and a great teacher, too!👍❤️
Please you can show us your solera for full size classical guitar?a review..
This is the best luthier video on TH-cam... period ! Exclamation point!
So so useful 👍😍 so what note should be tuned on the back?
I feel the need for pointy felt shoes and a clay pipe.
Thanks for sharing your kowledge
Ik denk dat dit de meest gedownloade joetjoeber is voor alle gitaarbouwers. Bedankt Ad, fantastisch werk! But ... If you say it's a G, then I hear a B. What you tell doesn't correspond with what I hear. I know, when listening to taptones, you can hear several notes together and, depending on the spot you hold it, or knock it, it's all different. So ... what are you really listening to? Or is it just some magical mistery?
thank you Euh Dink. I guess thr youtube sound is too bad to really hear the real tone. That will explain why you hear a differend tone than I do in my workshop. There is nothing magical about it really.
In my own guitar building, I come back again and again to your videos. Your video (and Luthier) work is very elegant, confident and informative. I sometimes I come back months later and watch as I have gained an additional bit of experience that enabled me to really understand. Thank you for sharing your master craftsmanship - it is more valuable and enduring than we can tell you. Interesting that you didn't stop when you reached the point when the tone dropped and changed no more? You were probably pushing the limits when you were younger too...….. yah?
Thanks for your comment and good luck with your own guitars!
Thanks for sharing !, just subscribed !. About to start attempting to make my first guitar,
I'm using plans for a Manuel Reyes flamenco guitar as a guide (I like to play flamenco). Thanks again (I wonder if you'll voice the fundamental tone of the top to a higher pitch for a flamenco guitar)
I work the same way for a flamenco guitar. Good luck with your first guitar!
ok, making a very stupid noob question but, why don´t you use a digital tuner to know exactly which tone the top is vibrating at?
don´t get me wrong i am amazed by your skills, you have what some would call an absolute hearing
loved the video, the craft, skill and explanations
excellent, thank you
A digital tuner can't hear the tone, because the vibrations are to weak. I've tried several tuners but it doesn't work. The signal is not strong enough. Not a stupid question at all as you see! Thanks for your positive feedback!