How to make a Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions

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Assuming one is using one of the isomorphic all-3rds tuning, a [[The Kite Guitar|Kite Guitar]] with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. A slightly longer scale, say 27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. 12-edo 7- and 8-string guitars often have longer scales anyway, good if you're converting one.

Best to replace the entire fretboard, rather than removing the frets and putting new frets in the old fretboard. The 41-edo 5th is 702.5¢, so two frets will be only 2.5¢ away from the old ones, two will be 5¢ away, etc. So the old and new fret slots overlap, making conversion difficult.

Best to replace the entire fretboard, rather than removing the frets and putting new frets in the old fretboard. The 41-edo 5th is 702.5¢, so two frets will be only 2.5¢ away from the old ones, two will be 5¢ away, etc. So the old and new fret slots overlap, making conversion difficult. The following table shows the distance from the old fret to the new fret for close pairs. One could just use the old slots (or even the old frets) and accept a few cents error. But in certain keys a 5¢ error will make the 5/4 that's already 6¢ flat a full 11¢ flat.

{| class="wikitable"

|+distance between fret slots (center to center, scale = 25.5")

!old fret

|7

|10

|14

|17

|20

|21

|-

!new fret

|12

|17

|24

|29

|34

|36

|-

!cents

|2.5¢

| -5¢

|5¢

| -2.5¢

| -10¢

|7.5¢

|-

!distance

|0.024"

| -0.040"

|0.032"

| -0.013"

| -0.045"

|0.032"

|}

Removing the entire fretboard also has the advantage that you can get a pre-slotted computer-cut fretboard fairly cheaply (roughly $75-100) that has extremely accurate slot placement.

One way to get an 8-string acoustic is to convert a 12-string guitar. The neck will be sufficiently strong and there will be enough tuners. There's fewer strings but more courses, so the new fretboard may need to be wider than the old one. The fretboard overhang can be filled with bondo to create a nice-feeling neck. Another possibility is to convert a 6-string classical nylon-string to 7 or 8 strings. The fingerboard is wide enough that it may suffice as is. The tension is low enough that an extra string or two won't break the guitar. The 3 holes on each side of the headstock that the tuner pegs go through can be filled and 4 new holes drilled.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 Assuming one is using one of the isomorphic all-3rds tuning, a [[The Kite Guitar|Kite Guitar]] with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. A slightly longer scale, say 27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. 12-edo 7- and 8-string guitars often have longer scales anyway, good if you're converting one.
-Best to replace the entire fretboard, rather than removing the frets and putting new frets in the old fretboard. The 41-edo 5th is 702.5¢, so two frets will be only 2.5¢ away from the old ones, two will be 5¢ away, etc. So the old and new fret slots overlap, making conversion difficult.
+Best to replace the entire fretboard, rather than removing the frets and putting new frets in the old fretboard. The 41-edo 5th is 702.5¢, so two frets will be only 2.5¢ away from the old ones, two will be 5¢ away, etc. So the old and new fret slots overlap, making conversion difficult. The following table shows the distance from the old fret to the new fret for close pairs. One could just use the old slots (or even the old frets) and accept a few cents error. But in certain keys a 5¢ error will make the 5/4 that's already 6¢ flat a full 11¢ flat.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+distance between fret slots (center to center, scale = 25.5")
+!old fret
+|7
+|10
+|14
+|17
+|20
+|21
+|-
+!new fret
+|12
+|17
+|24
+|29
+|34
+|36
+|-
+!cents
+|2.5¢
+| -5¢
+|5¢
+| -2.5¢
+| -10¢
+|7.5¢
+|-
+!distance
+|0.024"
+| -0.040"
+|0.032"
+| -0.013"
+| -0.045"
+|0.032"
+|}
+Removing the entire fretboard also has the advantage that you can get a pre-slotted computer-cut fretboard fairly cheaply (roughly $75-100) that has extremely accurate slot placement.
 One way to get an 8-string acoustic is to convert a 12-string guitar. The neck will be sufficiently strong and there will be enough tuners. There's fewer strings but more courses, so the new fretboard may need to be wider than the old one. The fretboard overhang can be filled with bondo to create a nice-feeling neck. Another possibility is to convert a 6-string classical nylon-string to 7 or 8 strings. The fingerboard is wide enough that it may suffice as is. The tension is low enough that an extra string or two won't break the guitar. The 3 holes on each side of the headstock that the tuner pegs go through can be filled and 4 new holes drilled.