Some of my Tornavoz guitars and other things

[Michael Thames]

Here are some photos of my guitars, lately I've been building them with a tornavoz, with some very good results. I recently completed one with a CF tornavoz and was hands down the best guitar I've ever made. Most all of my future guitars will feature this. I'm in the process of making a steel string guitar for Michael Chapdelaine, with this device..... it seems basses on most steel string guitars have a lot to be desired this might help some.

[Michael Thames]

Oh dear, I see I didn't upload the photos correctly........ help?

[Dave]

Oh dear, I see I didn't upload the photos correctly........ help?

Hi Michael

the images wont show as you have two lots of image tags e.g.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa3 ... 62ec.jpg[b][/img][/img][/b]

if you just use the img button and insert the link between the two tags it will work e.g.

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa3 ... 5a62ec.jpg

here's the link inside the

All the best
Dave

[Michael Thames]

Thanks Dave, I thought I did that, but Photobucket has different links for different purposes maybe I didn't insert the right link. I try it again.

[Michael Thames]

I'll try it agian.

[Michael Thames]

OK it worked! thanks Dave.


Brass tronavoz

Brass tornavoz



13 string Dresden guitar


One piece top




A maple brass tornavoz


CF tornavoz


Brazilian rosewood tornavoz


A one piece top from a well split billet


Dresden 13 string guitar tuned in D minor

[Nick]

Some impressive and pretty guitars there Michael, thanks for sharing. Are your Tornavoz made to exact Torres specifications or is it something (the height) you play around with or 'tune' to best match each guitar?
I've visited your site, by the way, and I love the tone of your Dresdens.

[Michael Thames]

Nick, thanks a lot, Just had a look at your website as well....... not to shabby I must say, I like your rosette ideas, I will be calling on your expertise in the near future.

[nnickusa]

nice work, all round. It's easy to see you're already good at this. I look forward to picking your brain as time goes on.....

[steve roberts]

Hi Michael
Some very impressive work stunning guitars.Look forward to seeing some more of your creations
Regards Steve

[EricDownunder]

Fantastic looking instruments, I was talking to the wife onle a couple of weeks ago about putting something in the sound hole like a tube, now I know what it's called a tornavoz! Could you elaborate and let us know what they do, for example do they increase volume or alter tone etc. I am very interested in this. Thanks again for posting the pics

[Tod Gilding]

Very Nice Work Impressive

Just another Tornavoz question ...Does the material it is made from have a bearing on the tone ?

[P Bill]

Welcome to the forum Michael. You've probably heard it all before.. ..Wow!

[Michael Thames]

Very Nice Work Impressive

Just another Tornavoz question ...Does the material it is made from have a bearing on the tone ?

Thanks Tod and Eric, Yes, the material the tornavoz is made from has a profound effect on the tone. I've made them from paper mache, brass, and Carbon fibre. My friend Gary Stewart who bought the first Tornavoz guitar I made, noticed a slight metallic ring in the tone, he then place a pencil with the eraser head in the soundhole and dampened the tornavoz and told me the metallic ringing disappeared.

The paper mache was the worse one, and I ended up just taking it out. I hear of people placing cardboard paper in the form of a tube inside the soundhole and measuring the hemholtz air mode then saying they now know everything there is to know about it's effect.

For me I would summarize it this way...... first, it lowers the air mode by about a whole step. Second, it stiffens the top around the sound hole to the point where one doesn't need a lower transverse brace, and third it imparts a pleasant metallic ring to the tone. Fourth, it eliminates most of the percussive hit or attack in the note. Fifth, as pointed out to me by David Schramm, the weight of the brass lower the top frequency.

The guitar should be designed around the use of the tornavoz by making it as light as possible. Retrofitting one in a standard modern guitar doesn't seem to have that much benefit.

Torres used these on his most famous guitars "La Leona" "La Suprema ..... Julian Arcas, Tarrega, Llobet, Pujol just to name a few, all played Torres guitars with a tornavoz. Tarrega's guitar was measured by Romanillios and had a consistent top thickness of 1 mm, the sides were typically 1 mm thick as well.

As we all know a guitar made this lightly usually has a sound of more air, than substance, but the tornavoz seems to completely eliminate the airy percussive hit.

I'm sure I'll think of more but that's it for now.

[Michael Thames]

Welcome to the forum Michael. You've probably heard it all before.. ..Wow!

Thanks Bill.

[Michael Thames]

Hi Michael
Some very impressive work stunning guitars.Look forward to seeing some more of your creations
Regards Steve

Thanks, Steve.

[Michael Thames]

BTW, I'm looking forward to picking all of your brains about steel string guitars, seems like a wealth of info here.

[jeffhigh]

Beautiful instruments Michael
Did you form the cf tornavoz yourself or is it manufactured tube?

[martintaylor]

So, when WOW just isn't enough, what can we use? Michael, your work is stunning. Any idea whether a Tornavoz would benefit an acoustic Bass? I have been asked to make one and I am looking at getting all the advice I can.

Again, WOW.

[Michael Thames]

Beautiful instruments Michael
Did you form the cf tornavoz yourself or is it manufactured tube?

Thanks jeff, yea the brass ones I made myself from brass sheets, and punched the design in the bottom along the lines of Torres, and dang, I feel real stupid I can't remember the gauge off hand. The CF tornavoz comes in 4 inch tubes which I cut to dimension of 3 inches deep which is just about the size of a Torres. I got them at Dragon plate.

Funny a customer sent me a CF tornavoz to put in his guitar...... I thought this will go over like a Led Zepplin, I made the guitar without alot of great expectations, and it turned out to be miles above anything I've ever made, and I don't say that lightly! The next day I left for India, and Thailand, droped his guitar off at UPS and jumped on the plane, got back a couple weeks ago and now am making all my guitars with CF tornavoz.

[Michael Thames]

So, when WOW just isn't enough, what can we use? Michael, your work is stunning. Any idea whether a Tornavoz would benefit an acoustic Bass? I have been asked to make one and I am looking at getting all the advice I can.

Again, WOW.

Thanks Martin! yes, the tornavoz does AMAZING thing to the bass! here is a video of a thirteen string guitar with a paper mache tornavoz, and the basses are really good if I do say so myself. Perhaps google tornavoz there was some really good info out there a few years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWW8G06K ... A&index=45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVZr_T8dnbU
here is Gary Stewart playing one

[Kamusur]

Well done and welcome Michael, love the 13 stringer. Hope you post some build photos of your next project they'd be much appreciated that's for sure even if it is a SS.

Steve

[Michael Thames]

Well done and welcome Michael, love the 13 stringer. Hope you post some build photos of your next project they'd be much appreciated that's for sure even if it is a SS.

Steve

Thanks Steve, OK, I've made a thread about that. Perhaps in the process it will be a good opportunity to learn as I go about the finer points of Steel string construction.