Floating Top Guitar, very interesting.

[soliver]

This was posted on YT about 3 months ago, but I haven't seen anyone share it here.

Its about 25 ish minutes long but very interesting to watch.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAJmQWK41WY

I was impressed by his skill with a wide variety of materials.

[Jim Garber]

Interesting... very interesting concept:


For years now I've been obsessed with the relationship between the soundboard and the rest of the guitar. Most makers agree that the perimeter of the guitar top should be slightly thinner than the centre, allowing the top to vibrate more freely. This guitar build takes that idea to the next level by completely removing the perimeter, allowing the top to "float!" The resulting parlour sized instrument took me by surprise in terms of its loud volume, incredible sustain and natural reverb.

[catmandu2]

Hammered dulcimers are basically of two types: fixed- and floating-top. My dulcimers are both floating-tops. I've had many fixed-top models and I vastly prefer the sound of the floating-top construction - provides for much greater resonance.

[Richard500]

If you think of a loudspeaker cone as a floating edge connection between a small vibration and room air, the dynamics of a floating edge guitar has some similarity. That is, the large area serves as an impedance transformer for the bridge motion, and very likely adds much less coloration to the sound. Of course, there are other differences related to a backing cavity (the body) and sound holes, but I’d still think it’s a loudspeaker’s cousin.
(I didn’t have time to view the video)

[Ranger Bob]

Fascinating. Thanks Spencer

[HonketyHank]

One thing I wonder about but I might be completely off base: At the end of the video he is playing and it looks like he is plugged in. I don't know how to judge sound that has been processed through an amp and whatever else. Heck, my hearing is pretty lousy in any case. But if what I was hearing on the video was amplified, I would have liked to have heard it unamplified. If it wasn't amplified, it sounded like it actually was, which I guess would be a plus. But what do I know? I guess I just have to say that he made a very interesting and probably very expensive guitar and if that is true, what has been learned that can be used to improve on what we think of as a "guitar"?

I did enjoy watching. Thanks for posting it. PS - I readily admit that despite my interest, I don't know nothin about no guitars.

[soliver]

I kinda had the same thought, Hank... I'd like to hear it unplugged to hear the "real" tone ... I mostly found the concept and build process very interesting.

From the front it looks pretty cool, but if you look at it from the back end from the POV at the end of the video, the neck sits really high and the bridge is very tall and skinny, it looks like there is likely 2 to 3 inches between the strings and the top.... from that angle, its very odd looking and I wonder if that creates any difficulty in playing it.

[JeffLearman]

The video says it's 90% acoustic 10% pickup.

[slimt]

Its different. Neat video too.