How to make a Kite Guitar: Difference between revisions

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== General ~~Design Considerations~~ ==

== General design considerations ==

=== Converting an existing guitar vs. building a new one ===

Converting is far more affordable than building, and will be the focus of this section. If building, the only change is the location of the frets and the string gauges. The process for intonating the saddle points also differs.

=== Even-frets vs. odd-frets ===

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===6 strings vs. 7 strings vs. 8 strings===

Assuming one is not using an open tuning, a Kite guitar with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. Arguably a slightly longer scale, say 27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. Fortunately ~~12-equal~~ 7- and 8-string guitars often have longer scales anyway. But on the other hand, the Kite guitar's frets are not much tighter than a normal mandolin's, and some feel a longer scale isn't necessary.

Assuming one is not using an open tuning, a Kite guitar with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. Arguably a slightly longer scale, say 26.5-27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. Fortunately 7- and 8-string electric guitars often have longer scales anyway. But on the other hand, the Kite guitar's frets are not much tighter than a normal mandolin's, and some feel a longer scale isn't necessary.

While 7- and 8-string electric guitars are plentiful, acoustic ones are rarer. (See [[Extended range guitar]].) One way to get one 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 string spacing can be very tight. To avoid this, the new fretboard can 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. If not, again the new fretboard can be slightly wider. 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. Or a steel-string-style tuner or two can be added at the top of the headstock.

The tie block on the bridge will need to be replaced with one with more holes. The old one can be removed with a chisel, or ideally with a router mounted on a jig. Remove wood until the bottoms of the old string holes disappear. Make the new tie block with extra material on the bottom, drill the holes, then remove the extra wood until there is only a very thin wall between the string holes and the bottom. This wall will keep glue from getting into the string holes. Then glue the new tie block onto the bridge. It's important that the two faces to be glued are both perfectly flat, which is why a router is better than a chisel. To clamp it down from the inside of the guitar body, use 2 or 3 cam clamps. To clamp it down from the back of the guitar, first insert a temporary inner post or two that connects the front and back of the guitar body, being careful to avoid the interior bracing. Once it's glued on, reinforce it with short wood dowels. Drill 2 or 3 holes between the strings not quite all the way through the guitar top and glue in the dowel.

~~One way to get a 7 or 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~~.

Because both the nut and the tie block will be replaced, and because the new fretboard can be a little wider or narrower than the old one, one has total control over the string spacing.

===Nut width===

A crucial decision when there are 7 or 8 strings, as too wide a nut is hard on the wrist, but too narrow a nut makes fretting cleanly difficult. Nylon strings need a wider nut not only because the strings themselves are wider, but also because they vibrate more widely than steel strings and need more room. See ~~the Dimensions table here~~. See also [https://guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width/ guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width].

This is a crucial decision when there are 7 or 8 strings, as too wide a nut is hard on the wrist, but too narrow a nut makes fretting cleanly difficult. Nylon strings need a wider nut not only because the strings themselves are wider, but also because they vibrate more widely than steel strings and need more room. See [[Extended range guitar#Nut and saddle widths]]. See also [https://guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width/ guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width].

===Number of frets===

In any given key, the Kite guitar has multiple "rainbow zones" on the neck. Assuming the tonic falls in the "sweet spot" between the 4th and 11th fret, it takes about 28 frets to provide 2 zones in every key, but it takes the full 41 frets to provide 3 zones. This 3rd zone increases the range the lead guitarist has to solo in by a 5th or so. The highest frets are very tight, but still playable melodically. Chording is very difficult. Having a 41st fret makes intonating the guitar easier, see below. In general, if you can fit in 41 frets, do so.

There is a 'home zone" around the 14th fret that is the rainbow zone when the low open string is the tonic. There is a 2nd home zone around the 28th fret. To get a complete 2nd home zone, one needs about 32 frets. This should be the minimum number of frets even on an acoustic or classical without a cutaway. Fortunately this translates to 19 ~~12edo~~ frets, which almost all guitars have.

There is a 'home zone" around the 14th fret that is the rainbow zone when the low open string is the tonic. There is a 2nd home zone around the 28th fret. To get a complete 2nd home zone, one needs about 32 frets. This should be the minimum number of frets even on an acoustic or classical without a cutaway. Fortunately this translates to almost 19 conventional frets, which almost all guitars have.

The fret spacing is 1.7 times tighter than a 12-equal guitar. This chart compares it to the standard fret spacing. The spacing between the nut and the first fret is about the same as the space between the 12-equal 9th and 10th frets. Increasing the overall scale length will widen the spacing.

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==String Spacing==

~~The easiest way to get a~~ 7- or 8-~~string acoustic guitar is to convert~~ a 12-string ~~guitar~~. ~~This leads~~ to a ~~very tight string spacing~~. The spacing can be slightly improved as follows:

With 7 or 8 strings, it's important to avoid both a too-wide neck and a too-tight string spacing. Every millimeter counts. One can reduce neck width by minimizing the distance from the outer string to the edge of the fretboard. To do this, minimize the amount of rounding of the edge of the fretboard. And preserve as much usable fret length as possible by beveling the ends of the frets at a steeper angle and not over-rounding the corner of the fret where the top and the end meet.

The spacing can be slightly improved further as follows:

Conventional wisdom holds that there are two ways to space the strings: center-to-center (C2C) and edge-to-edge (E2E). For the right hand, E2E is better than C2C, because otherwise it's harder to fit one's finger between the thicker strings. E2E spacing ensures that the gap between strings is uniform, and each string is equally easy to pluck.

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[https://Thomastik-infeld.com Thomastik-infeld.com] sells kf110 string sets, which are low-tension steel strings that supposedly can be used on a classical guitar.

~~See also [[Extended range guitar]].~~

==Tables==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== General Design Considerations ==
+== General design considerations ==
+=== Converting an existing guitar vs. building a new one ===
+Converting is far more affordable than building, and will be the focus of this section. If building, the only change is the location of the frets and the string gauges. The process for intonating the saddle points also differs.
 === Even-frets vs. odd-frets ===
@@ Line 20: / Line 23: @@
 ===6 strings vs. 7 strings vs. 8 strings===
-Assuming one is not using an open tuning, a Kite guitar with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. Arguably a slightly longer scale, say 27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. Fortunately 12-equal 7- and 8-string guitars often have longer scales anyway. But on the other hand, the Kite guitar's frets are not much tighter than a normal mandolin's, and some feel a longer scale isn't necessary.
+Assuming one is not using an open tuning, a Kite guitar with 6 strings is a little limiting. 7 strings or even 8 is better. Arguably a slightly longer scale, say 26.5-27", is nice because it makes the frets less cramped. Fortunately 7- and 8-string electric guitars often have longer scales anyway. But on the other hand, the Kite guitar's frets are not much tighter than a normal mandolin's, and some feel a longer scale isn't necessary.
+While 7- and 8-string electric guitars are plentiful, acoustic ones are rarer. (See [[Extended range guitar]].) One way to get one 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 string spacing can be very tight. To avoid this, the new fretboard can 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. If not, again the new fretboard can be slightly wider. 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. Or a steel-string-style tuner or two can be added at the top of the headstock.
+The tie block on the bridge will need to be replaced with one with more holes. The old one can be removed with a chisel, or ideally with a router mounted on a jig. Remove wood until the bottoms of the old string holes disappear. Make the new tie block with extra material on the bottom, drill the holes, then remove the extra wood until there is only a very thin wall between the string holes and the bottom. This wall will keep glue from getting into the string holes. Then glue the new tie block onto the bridge. It's important that the two faces to be glued are both perfectly flat, which is why a router is better than a chisel. To clamp it down from the inside of the guitar body, use 2 or 3 cam clamps. To clamp it down from the back of the guitar, first insert a temporary inner post or two that connects the front and back of the guitar body, being careful to avoid the interior bracing. Once it's glued on, reinforce it with short wood dowels. Drill 2 or 3 holes between the strings not quite all the way through the guitar top and glue in the dowel.
-One way to get a 7 or 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.
+Because both the nut and the tie block will be replaced, and because the new fretboard can be a little wider or narrower than the old one, one has total control over the string spacing.
 ===Nut width===
-A crucial decision when there are 7 or 8 strings, as too wide a nut is hard on the wrist, but too narrow a nut makes fretting cleanly difficult. Nylon strings need a wider nut not only because the strings themselves are wider, but also because they vibrate more widely than steel strings and need more room. See the Dimensions table here. See also [https://guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width/ guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width].
+This is a crucial decision when there are 7 or 8 strings, as too wide a nut is hard on the wrist, but too narrow a nut makes fretting cleanly difficult. Nylon strings need a wider nut not only because the strings themselves are wider, but also because they vibrate more widely than steel strings and need more room. See [[Extended range guitar#Nut and saddle widths]]. See also [https://guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width/ guitarplayerhq.com/7-string-guitar-nut-width].
 ===Number of frets===
 In any given key, the Kite guitar has multiple "rainbow zones" on the neck. Assuming the tonic falls in the "sweet spot" between the 4th and 11th fret, it takes about 28 frets to provide 2 zones in every key, but it takes the full 41 frets to provide 3 zones. This 3rd zone increases the range the lead guitarist has to solo in by a 5th or so. The highest frets are very tight, but still playable melodically. Chording is very difficult. Having a 41st fret makes intonating the guitar easier, see below. In general, if you can fit in 41 frets, do so.
-There is a 'home zone" around the 14th fret that is the rainbow zone when the low open string is the tonic. There is a 2nd home zone around the 28th fret. To get a complete 2nd home zone, one needs about 32 frets. This should be the minimum number of frets even on an acoustic or classical without a cutaway. Fortunately this translates to 19 12edo frets, which almost all guitars have.
+There is a 'home zone" around the 14th fret that is the rainbow zone when the low open string is the tonic. There is a 2nd home zone around the 28th fret. To get a complete 2nd home zone, one needs about 32 frets. This should be the minimum number of frets even on an acoustic or classical without a cutaway. Fortunately this translates to almost 19 conventional frets, which almost all guitars have.
 The fret spacing is 1.7 times tighter than a 12-equal guitar. This chart compares it to the standard fret spacing. The spacing between the nut and the first fret is about the same as the space between the 12-equal 9th and 10th frets. Increasing the overall scale length will widen the spacing.
@@ Line 188: / Line 197: @@
 ==String Spacing==
-The easiest way to get a 7- or 8-string acoustic guitar is to convert a 12-string guitar. This leads to a very tight string spacing. The spacing can be slightly improved as follows:
+With 7 or 8 strings, it's important to avoid both a too-wide neck and a too-tight string spacing. Every millimeter counts. One can reduce neck width by minimizing the distance from the outer string to the edge of the fretboard. To do this, minimize the amount of rounding of the edge of the fretboard. And preserve as much usable fret length as possible by beveling the ends of the frets at a steeper angle and not over-rounding the corner of the fret where the top and the end meet.
+The spacing can be slightly improved further as follows:
 Conventional wisdom holds that there are two ways to space the strings: center-to-center (C2C) and edge-to-edge (E2E). For the right hand, E2E is better than C2C, because otherwise it's harder to fit one's finger between the thicker strings. E2E spacing ensures that the gap between strings is uniform, and each string is equally easy to pluck.
@@ Line 257: / Line 268: @@
 [https://Thomastik-infeld.com Thomastik-infeld.com] sells kf110 string sets, which are low-tension steel strings that supposedly can be used on a classical guitar.
-See also [[Extended range guitar]].
 ==Tables==