11 string guitar build started :)

[Adam]

A 1:1 scale model:


Specs:
30" scale length
81mm nut
117mm at 41st fret
41 frets
Using the tallest and slimmest fretwire available so that the upper most frets are playable
Tuning- G#0 C#1 F#1 B1 E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4 A4
Using Garry Goodmans high A string for the 30" scale
The last note being D8(2 keys past the last key on the piano) ang G#0 being the key before the first key on a piano(A0)
7-1/2 octave range
BKP Black Dog custom 11 string pickup
Controls: Volume for magnetic pickups, volume for Midi, switch for guitar/both/midi, and a switch for up/down for the midi bank.
Neutrik locking jack, and a 13 pin jack for midi cable
Dunlop straplocks
Custom Oakland Axe Factory 11 string toploading bridge with graphtech saddles
6 saddles(E-e) will be their piezo saddles for MIDI
Graphtech Hexaphonic Midi preamp
2 Graphtech nut blanks glued together
Sperzel tuners - 4 bass tuners on left side and 7 guitar tuners on right
1-3/4" swamp ash body with a 1/4" quilted maple top, just bought this:

bolt on purple heart maple laminate with 2 beefy martin style bass truss rods:

and two 18" carbon fiber rods.

Slightly flamed maple fretboard with unique black dot inlay pattern:


The finish and tuner layout will look something like this:


Some Progress pics(emphasis on progress ) :


ALOT of sanding is still needed I just did this quick with the bandsaw.

Thanks for looking

[hufschmid]

Thats going to be awesome, looking farward to see the result and a video of you playing it

[caughtinamosh]

Normally speaking, I loathe using the word "innovative," but I really think it can be used fairly here. Very impressive, and very imaginative.

[Scarpie]

wow adam, you brave soul. i would definately love to play that ....ing thing when it's done. i personally could make great use of the extended low range. congrats on the idea being original. however i would brace yourself for some heat/criticism. but i think it'll be a very innovative machine.

[caughtinamosh]

+1

Here, I'll go first . You might find that the high notes (and on this instrument, they really will be high) sound rather cold and piercing. I find this to be the case on ordinary, 25.5" instruments (using Gary Goodman strings), and a 30" scale will only exacerbate this.

[Tom Drinkwater]

That guitar is going to be freaking awesome!!! The only problem I see is that the rest of us will have major guitar envy and look at our pitiful guitars in disgust.

[vontetzianos]

Looks very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing it when it's completed.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by caughtinamosh

+1

Here, I'll go first . You might find that the high notes (and on this instrument, they really will be high) sound rather cold and piercing. I find this to be the case on ordinary, 25.5" instruments (using Gary Goodman strings), and a 30" scale will only exacerbate this.

I know this to be true but it is the only way to have that many frets with somewhat decent spacing. I'm hoping that the BKP Black Dog will warm it up a bit. Since my tuning is so low, I couldn't have many warm sounding woods, the only piece of wood in the whole instrument that will have a bit of warmth, is the swamp ash.

Thanks for all the comments

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Tom Drinkwater

That guitar is going to be freaking awesome!!! The only problem I see is that the rest of us will have major guitar envy and look at our pitiful guitars in disgust.

Thanks Tom

[Spondus]

I'm scared :|

[Æxitosus]

niceee. I can't wait to see a video of you playing it.

You...are gonna post a video of you playing it...right?

[Tommy Van Dyke]

so... freaking... awesome...

[7deadlysins666]

I would seriously go with fanned frets for that. That way you've got the 30" scale for the low strings, but not so much on the high strings. Lookin good though!

[Apophis]

wow, it's going to be awesome instrument you will beat my 10 string

good luck and update soon

[ShadyDavey]

Can't wait to see it finished - epic project

[Adam]

Originally Posted by 7deadlysins666

I would seriously go with fanned frets for that. That way you've got the 30" scale for the low strings, but not so much on the high strings. Lookin good though!

Read my previous posts.

Originally Posted by Æxitosus

niceee. I can't wait to see a video of you playing it.

You...are gonna post a video of you playing it...right?

Of course

[leftyguitarjoe]

Two outputs might be good for this.

maybe the bottom 6 have an output and the top 5 have a separate output.

[Andrew_B]

hahaha
this is gonna be sweet as.....
body looks pretty nice...
cant wait to see the pup...


only thing is that headstock is fugly

because i said that .. i will give you a tip to help you make these 41 frets a reality....

a little trick that iv seen people do is fret the neck from the 1st fret to about the 15th fret with large fretwire,
then fret the rest with banjo fretwire (thats a 24 fret neck though)
the banjo wire (or any smaller fretwire for that matter) isnt as tall as the large fretwire so you have two fret levels which can be good...
it will make sure theres no buzz on the lower frets...
(some people do it on regular guitars... they call its a drop off which they do during fret leveling)
im not sure how well the drop off works for tapping though....
only one way to find out

oh and those martin style truss rods are a bitch

have fun...

[Tommy Van Dyke]

Originally Posted by Apophis

wow, it's going to be awesome instrument you will beat my 10 string

good luck and update soon

you gotta get yourself a 12 if you want to retain your status of being overlord of ss.org

I'd be really curious to see how those 10 & 10+ necks felt though, I just can't imagine people having big enough hands to comfortably play those things conventionally (but eight finger tapping looks and sounds so cool I'd be willing to give one a whirl)

[Apophis]

but to do that I have to combine such huge and short scales cause going higher is impossible at that scale and lower I have to use something about .160-180 to go lower than Adam plans to go I think Adam will have max we can even dream of - if we still thinking about guitar, not bass, cause there we have to beat Yves Carbonne and Garry Goodman .


and playing that instruments it's way easier than most people think

[caughtinamosh]

sevenstring.org - "Constantly pushing boundaries."

As much as I hate cliches, this one is very applicable to this forum. Builds like these make me question whether the boundary between guitar and harp actually exists.

[Tommy Van Dyke]

Originally Posted by Apophis

but to do that I have to combine such huge and short scales cause going higher is impossible at that scale and lower I have to use something about .160-180 to go lower than Adam plans to go I think Adam will have max we can even dream of - if we still thinking about guitar, not bass, cause there we have to beat Yves Carbonne and Garry Goodman .


and playing that instruments it's way easier than most people think

yeah I imagine you'd need a fan fret design, something like a 34 to 30 and thats totally bass territory, ah well maybe garry will get those high d string working one day for 25.5 scale and hopefully longer

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by caughtinamosh

sevenstring.org - "Constantly pushing boundaries."

As much as I hate cliches, this one is very applicable to this forum. Builds like these make me question whether the boundary between guitar and harp actually exists.

Full-size pedal harps (the kind used in an orchestra) have 46 or 47 strings, from C-1 or D-1 to G-7

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

hahaha
this is gonna be sweet as.....
body looks pretty nice...
cant wait to see the pup...


only thing is that headstock is fugly

because i said that .. i will give you a tip to help you make these 41 frets a reality....

a little trick that iv seen people do is fret the neck from the 1st fret to about the 15th fret with large fretwire,
then fret the rest with banjo fretwire (thats a 24 fret neck though)
the banjo wire (or any smaller fretwire for that matter) isnt as tall as the large fretwire so you have two fret levels which can be good...
it will make sure theres no buzz on the lower frets...
(some people do it on regular guitars... they call its a drop off which they do during fret leveling)
im not sure how well the drop off works for tapping though....
only one way to find out

oh and those martin style truss rods are a bitch

have fun...

I modeled the headstock after a violin scroll, since this instrument will be used mostly for classical music, and I have a hard time tring to play Bach on a metal guitar
I'm using a fretwire thats not very wide but fairly tall similar to banjo wire but taller, so I will use the same fretwire thoughout 1-41. Thanks for the tips though Please elaborate on the martin truss rods, I've never used them before, so if there's something I should know, please tell me

[Durero]

That's exciting Adam, hope the build goes really well