King Billy on a dread?

[James Mc]

Hi All
I'm planning my next couple of builds and one that I'm considering is a dreaded Dreadnought - Blackwood with a King Billy top.

I love the sound of the little guitar (about Martin 00 Size) I built for my lady with the messy King Billy top, but it is about as far as I'd want to go in terms of sustain. I left the top a bit thick (from 3.1 to 3.4mm) and the bracing a bit heavy thinking that I could always take them down a bit later, which is much easier than making them thicker. Once it was strung I was glad I'd been so conservative, because I didn't end up touching it. I used a standard X brace pattern but trimmed down the bottom finger brace so small and thin that it may as well not be there.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice on bracing and top thickness for King Billy on a Dread?

Cheers
James

P.S. I made a little sound file of an acoustic fender, New Martin Dread and the little one I made (recorded with a mic at the soundhole same settings). I was going to post it but buggered if I can figure out how.

[Bob Connor]

I personally wouldn't do it James.

It's simply not stiff enough plus most of what we get nowadays is not split from the round but sawn from the slab so most pieces have runout, further weakening the board.

You can leave it thicker but you'lll end up with a fairly thunky sounding instrument.

I have to do an OM with a King Billy top soon and I think that will be marginal

King Billy also won't give you the bottom end sound associated with a dread so I'd be keeping it for a nice little parlour guitar.

[James Mc]

Thanks Bob
That's pretty much what I was worried about and the set I have has a good bit of runout. I think I'll save it for a nylon string or lap harp. I want to use native timbers on this build so I'll see if I can find a nice quartered bit of Australian red cedar for the top.

cheers
James

[sebastiaan56]

For a classsical Bob?

[Bob Connor]

I think it would be better on a classical due to less string tension.

[Rick Turner]

Tasmanian wooden boat builder and guitar troubador Ned Trewartha is building some wonderful tenor ukuleles with King Billy tops. His first had myrtle back and sides, and the second is some Tassie oak, aka mountain ash, aka swamp gum, aka whatever else you call blue gum, aka...well you know! In uke sizes, what Ned has is just drop dead beautiful. So the deal with him now is that you can get a nice tenor uke for about $10,000.00...and he'll throw in a beautiful boat to sweeten the deal. Ned is a fine folkie performer, too; many of you may have seen him perform.

[xray]

hi all, im glad this came up because ive lived and learnt from it. If you were to overbrace the guitar it would lose all of its musical voice and is pointless, so stick with everyones suggestion unless you would like a guitar to start of looking great and turn into the bride from hell. (see photos)