Soundport Quilted Honduran Mahogany/Appalachian Spruce OM
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 2:19 pm
There really isn't much to show off here, but I thought I'd throw it in for people to see. I've not seen any soundports on the forum.
This is the Quilted Honduran mahogany/Appalachian red spruce OM that I finished last month. While at the Elkins, WV guitar show, I met a Luthier who puts soundports into all of his guitars, so he was able to demonstrate how they sound. They not only enhance the player's sound, they enhance the sound from all angles. The sound is richer and more rounded, compared to when the port is closed off.
I decided to put a port into this guitar. Of course, it's much easier to put a port into a guitar during construction, but it wasn't difficult to add one retroactively. My concern was making sure that the veneer that I glued inside, stayed absolutely flat as the glue dried. Since traditional clamping was out, I used magnets to hold the veneer in place. I covered it in magnets.
I decided on a simple ellipse, 2" long x 1" wide. I placed it in the upper bout, past the appex toward the waist. It seemed a logical place for a player to hear the guitar. I used my inlay tool to cut the hole, then my files and sandpaper, finishing with shellac.
I want to put a soundport with a sliding door that will open and close on my next guitar.
The guitar sounds great!
This is the Quilted Honduran mahogany/Appalachian red spruce OM that I finished last month. While at the Elkins, WV guitar show, I met a Luthier who puts soundports into all of his guitars, so he was able to demonstrate how they sound. They not only enhance the player's sound, they enhance the sound from all angles. The sound is richer and more rounded, compared to when the port is closed off.
I decided to put a port into this guitar. Of course, it's much easier to put a port into a guitar during construction, but it wasn't difficult to add one retroactively. My concern was making sure that the veneer that I glued inside, stayed absolutely flat as the glue dried. Since traditional clamping was out, I used magnets to hold the veneer in place. I covered it in magnets.
I decided on a simple ellipse, 2" long x 1" wide. I placed it in the upper bout, past the appex toward the waist. It seemed a logical place for a player to hear the guitar. I used my inlay tool to cut the hole, then my files and sandpaper, finishing with shellac.
I want to put a soundport with a sliding door that will open and close on my next guitar.
The guitar sounds great!