New Build Sideport Advice

[turnertj]

Morning All...

I'm a complete newbie here, so please be easy. After years of building questinoable projects--things I gave away as christmas presents to people I didn't like!--I decided (like all great craftsmen before me) to blame the problem on my tools. So I had John Hall over at BluesCreek Guitar hook me up--and my credit card (it's all worth it--as long as the wife doesn't find out)...and I'm off to build my first real scratch guitar.

I finally decided to talk myself out of anything totally radical, but as a good friend of mine pointed out, why make something that's exactly like what I could buy. So I have to make my first one at least a LITTLE bit different. My plan is a Taylor-style 12-series, with a 12-fret slotted head. But I'm very intrigued by the whole side port thing. I was leaning on doing a guitar with only a large side port, but I have since calmed my enthusiasm and have dedided just to put in a simple smaller sideport.

What's the best method anyone has found to install one? The few things I've seen all appear to be post bending with a router. And I'm feeling very confident of such a technique after practicing when putting my new guitar shop in my garage, by putting plenty of holes in the dry wall for the electrical boxes! I did see a YouTube video about using a hammer to install the sideport...but that seems like overkill.

Any advise is much appreciated.

Thanks!

Tj

[tippie53]

I have seen this done a number of ways. Holes saws work to start and you can use a dremel drum sander attachement to finalize the shapes .

[turnertj]

Thanks John...

I'll try that. I'm a bit away from worrying about it. I'm assuming you're talking about post bending the sides?

And I forgot to e-mail and let you know all the tools arrived. They look great. I'm excited to do a real build with real tools. I may have questions about them here and there, but overall they look quality!

Tj

[tippie53]

we are here to help . Email me any time

[Ken Hundley]

Hole saws scare the hell out of me. Lost the end of a thumb to one. Grew back, but I still dont have feeling in it. I thought the hole saw would tear too much grain. I use a dremel with a sanding bit and grind it out.

[Ken Hundley]

I cut it after the top and back are on, though it might make more sense to do it after binding....but I drill a fairly large hole in the middle of my location, and dremel sand it near the line from there. I hand sand and file afterwards. I would like to figure out how to NEATLY bind the inside edges. I have built up layers of veneer, and it looks ok, but not happy with it so far.

[turnertj]

Thanks Ken...

I poked around your site, and your guitars look amazing. How do you find the side-port only sound is? Do you change the bracing much...I would think that would be one advantage.

My first inclination was to do a guitar without a soundhole, just a large soundport, but I'm a little chicken if it will come out okay, and I'm not sure how to change the bracing to really take advantage.

Thanks,

Tj

[Tony_in_NYC]

Nice port Rick!

[turnertj]

Very nice guys, thanks for all the responses.

How does everyone like the side-ports, are they worth it?

I asked Ken this, but I'll throw it out more generally, has anyone made a guiate with only a sideport (i.e. no soundhole)? How did it sound? Did you change the bracing to take advantage of the no soundhole?

Thanks,

Tj

[Ken Hundley]

Gorgeous, Rick!

TJ, I changed everything on these two guitars but the outside shape. Laminated braces, altered bracing pattern, sond hole....hard to say what affects the sound of the guitars....I am toying with the idea of going back to standard braces with the so und hole moved, and see if the sound is as unique as the others. The guitar almost sounds as if it is in stereo....closest I can come to describing it. I mean it sounds like a guitar, and a good one to my ears, but there's a major difference thats hard to pin. The bass is almost breathy at the lower end, and the trebles are crisp and clear. Not a ton of midrange, but not lacking it either. And these are OM bodied guitars too. I can't wait to finish a Jumbo I started ( Inknow, Kevin, I know.....recently cut the binding ledges, but have too many projects at the same time to manage them effectivley) to compare characteristics.




This one has been finished, has the neck on, bridge glued, but this one has been damaged numerous times over the last two years, squirrels, storms, and my clumsiness....I think I am up to 13 different cracks. I am refinishing the headstock, and not happy with it, but I am probably a couple weeks from stringing it up...going on vacation all next week, or it would be sooner.



One thing about sound-ports only....make them big enough to get your hand inside....there are times you just need too...like clamping the bridge, even with Ken's bridge setting tool....cutting slots in the bridge pin holes....helps to have a hand inside, various other operations too, like boltin on the neck. I suppose this would be a good design to do a dovetail on, but I just haven't since my first. The Curly Mango hole is too small...I have to literally shift my knuckles around to get my hand in, which is painfull. Every time I pull my hand out, it swells in irritation just a little, making it more difficult to get in again. The other sound port on the cutaway is not large enough to pass in a stubby screwdriver, though it was on the padauk. Little things like this make a difference.