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Topic: Baffle in a Spider bridge guitar? |
Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 25 Jan 2024 8:21 am |
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| I got the body of my guitar done, and ready to set it up. I used a soundpost design, but I am not convinced the baffle is worth my time. Has anyone experimented with these? Snake oil???? I guess is is supposed to smooth out the bass or something. I found a lot of people who said they took it out. It is another place to introduce unwanted rattles vibrations etc, so I am leaning against it. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 25 Jan 2024 8:30 am
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The popular baffled/scooped guitars by Beard, Scheerhorn, Meredith and a host of newer builders were designed to be such from the ground up.
I'd venture to say that amongst the "players" in my genre they are the vast majority of new builds although certain "open body" designs are also quite popular.
All of the guitars that I can think of are all "large body" examples, think Scheerhorn L, Beard E bodies or similar.
I own guitars of various designs.
My "go to" is a baffled guitar. Huge bottom end.
Lots of other factors to consider, of course.
YMMV
hp
- Full disclosure, I was "beardbizguy" for Beard Guitars for a bunch of years and lived through the development of several baffled models.
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 25 Jan 2024 9:24 am
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Good interview here with Tim Scheerhorn on his thought process on his builds and evolution of his L body and how important the baffle is…..and other cool stuff
https://squareneckjournal.com/2015/02/19/a-conversation-with-tim-scheerhorn/
I own a Tim-built maple L body. The bass and midrange is amazing (as is the presence).
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2024 10:41 am
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Has anyone done any comparisons with and without? I am not about to question the likes Scheerhorn or Beard. Scheerhorn does mention that not everyone can hear the effect of the baffle, which makes me think the effect is subtle at best.
from the article
"And then evolutionary design tipped it forward to the parabolic baffle that I use today. Non baffle guitars have a certain overtone that not everybody hears. But that overtone is annoying to me. It’s like an oscilloscope – (makes whooshing sounds) – that’s out of sync."
My guitar is a compromise because it is a box design with legs, so any effect of the baffle will have to be discovered by experimentation. Right now, I have bigger concerns, so I think I will leave it out as one other thing I won't have to worry about. |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2024 10:58 am
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| Tim Toberer wrote: |
| Has anyone done any comparisons with and without?. |
Well, it sounds like Howard has. He used to work for Beard, still helps out at trade shows, and I’m assuming he has tried all the Beard guitars with and without baffles. And probably a lot of other brands.
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 26 Jan 2024 11:50 am
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Yep..
I recall when the Odyssey was developed. There were 2 identical spruce/walnut guitars built. One without the Beard baffle and one with.
it became obvious that the baffled guitar was dramatically different and became the standard for that model going forward.
In the Beard lineup, the earliest baffled models were the Mike Auldridge Signature and the Jerry Douglas Signature families, both wildly popular with contemporary stylists.
Yes, I do own soundwell guitars as well. Very different animals. I've also played hundreds of "open body" designed guitars, notably the Beard "E" model. Also the newer "Trailhead" family.
All terrific. All different.
For years I played every guitar that the shop delivered and every repair, before & after. Approx 3,000 guitars.
It was quite the education.
Good luck with your build.
h |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2024 1:45 pm
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| Howard Parker wrote: |
Yep..
I recall when the Odyssey was developed. There were 2 identical spruce/walnut guitars built. One without the Beard baffle and one with.
it became obvious that the baffled guitar was dramatically different and became the standard for that model going forward.
In the Beard lineup, the earliest baffled models were the Mike Auldridge Signature and the Jerry Douglas Signature families, both wildly popular with contemporary stylists.
Yes, I do own soundwell guitars as well. Very different animals. I've also played hundreds of "open body" designed guitars, notably the Beard "E" model. Also the newer "Trailhead" family.
All terrific. All different.
For years I played every guitar that the shop delivered and every repair, before & after. Approx 3,000 guitars.
It was quite the education.
Good luck with your build.
h |
Thanks Howard! You have such valuable, rare insight into things of this nature.
For my guitar I am going to leave it in the worth experimenting with category. I have built enough instruments to know that when it comes down to the troubleshooting phase, minimal is better. Fewer parts equals fewer things to cause problems  Here is an example of why I am leary. I just added a pick guard with a floating pickup to my archtop. Within a few months it developed a rattle. I ended up narrowing it to the wire inside the guitar which is an easy fix. I can only imagine once I get this thing built, eventually adding pedals, finally it will settle down in tune, which for my last guitar took a few months. That damn baffle would surely start rattling!
Would still love to hear from anyone else. Really just trying to generate more discussion. |
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