Official Luthiers Forum!

OK - sing out if you've used composites of any kind in repairs or builds.
This could be anything from carbon fiber to phenolic or even masonite.

I have laminated carbon fiber into neck joints during builds, and as reinforcement in neck repairs.
I've sandwiched kevlar into peghead repairs.
I've used phenolic in a variety of repairs.
I've used masonite to make new parts for some bodies (ala Danelectro).

I would say any of the guitars in which I've employed these materials benefitted from the use of those materials as applied. They served their purpose well without impacting the form or function of the instrument in a negative fashion. All were an improvement, with varying degrees.

Your stories?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

No one?
Taboo?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Not taboo to me... but after twenty years of working with composites I'm tired of it. I just want to make things out of wood.

Truth be told, there are a number of ways composites could be used in an acoustical structure that didn't compromise the acoustic qualities of the instrument. Kerfing, bracing, neck strength, neck to headstock transition.....lots of potential improvements come to mind. But a thorough analysis of the acoustic properties of wood would be required before any substitute of composite can occur for the main acoustical components of a guitar (I'm talking acoustic guitars now).

Personally, I've played composite acoustic guitars....and they sound like crap. There are guys that know composites and think they'll make acoustic instruments but without going down a very long, arduous analytical path that qualifies and controls vibration throughout the various structures, these attempts to build guitars are simply composite adventures...and they produce bad instruments. Less so with electrics but I haven't played a composite electric neck yet that I liked.

I've made laminated necks that included layers of uni-directional carbon fiber. One can use a carbon truss rod but if the whole neck is laminated with layers of carbon, then machined, that's a much more efficient use of the uni-direction carbon. Sure....they are stiffer than an all wood laminated neck but I can make a good, servicable neck out of pure wood and I'd rather do that than work with carbon for that slight improvement. It's really hard on cutting tools.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Every guitar I make is a composite guitar, mostly cellulose fibers combined with a lignin resin system

Seriously though, I've used composites in more than likely all of my builds in one form or another, from nomex double tops, braces of nomex and carbon fiber, laminated braces, and of course neck reinforcent. Somethings are a no-brainer for me like neck reinforcment, but I think saying it's always an improvement is wishfull thinking.

As long the gold standard for sound is a wood guitar, that's the sound you need and composites won't always give it to you. If it did an Ovation, Rainsong or maybe a smallman would be the gold standard, and they're not. Even double tops don't appeal to everyone.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com