The Red Thread

Have thought a little about the inventions I found up to the last few years. Have realized that there is a red thread in all. The common thing is that the strings are allowed to vibrate more individually without being affected as much by what happens to the other strings compared to a normally constructed guitar.

A stable plate in soft spruce between the rounds with hard wood around the string stick dampens the cross-connection between the strings. Not as much of the vibration from one string is passed on and feedbacks the other strings via the stable plate. This increases the dynamics and separation. An entire stable plate in hard wood can be likened to a common resource that the strings have to "fight over", which flattens and porridge together the sound of a chord.

The composite stable leg is the prime example, the separate string poles can vibrate as the string itself wants, at least more so than with a solid stable leg. The composite stable leg also provides better dynamics and string separation, in addition, the sound of the guitar is colored by the wood between the leg posts. In the same way as the stable plate in hard wood, the usual solid stable leg is a common resource for all strings to "fight over".

The plugs to give the string ball a stable attachment first and foremost give more volume, sharper attack and treble (clarity), but they also help to separate the strings as each string gets its own plug.

The oversaddle intonation is the only new method I have begun to use that does not affect tone formation and string separation. But if you have tested a good intoned guitar you do not want to be without it!

Each of the three methods that provide better separation and dynamics (stable plate in spruce, composite stable legs, plugs) I have experimented and listened to individually without realizing that all three are basically based on the same principle, to separate the strings ! It's not just separation and dynamics that get better, the guitar feels more open and simply sounds good to sum it all up in one word.

Now you are eager to build a guitar where you go all the way and separate the stable and also the saddle, maybe also the stable plate. I do not think you can go too far and get too good string separation 🙂

2 Comments

  1. Interesting, as usual!
    But I have not yet reached the separated saddle - the sound from it is well leveled at half a meter neck. Time to build six separate necks and fretboards?

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