An actual "Guitar in F"!
- Thread starter Walter Broes
- Start date
That's pretty cool - talk about unique! The whole thing is really interesting, but I'm blown away by the 4 knobs on the pickguard!
walrus
walrus
Zelja
Senior Member
So its called a "Guitar in F" because the 20th fret on the 1st string, an A, is an F?
I note the different features of thicker body, shorter scale & pots on the pickguard but if you wanted a guitar to go up to F so you can mix it with the trumpets, couldn't you have just strung & tuned a normal guitar in a similar way?
I can see the point of a shorter scale if you are using a standard E string gauge & tuning up to A (to reduce tension) but I dunno, there seems to be a simpler solution than creating a totally new guitar to do it. Maybe the (now) high A would need to be too thin a string? :confused-new:
Super cool piece though - if I had money I would want it!!
I note the different features of thicker body, shorter scale & pots on the pickguard but if you wanted a guitar to go up to F so you can mix it with the trumpets, couldn't you have just strung & tuned a normal guitar in a similar way?
I can see the point of a shorter scale if you are using a standard E string gauge & tuning up to A (to reduce tension) but I dunno, there seems to be a simpler solution than creating a totally new guitar to do it. Maybe the (now) high A would need to be too thin a string? :confused-new:
Super cool piece though - if I had money I would want it!!
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Good question. I hope the lurking luthiers (that's a band name if I ever heard one), chime in: Would the fret spacing be the same for a "Guitar in F" as a conventional guitar?
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
If you tried to tune up a normal scale guitar that far, the strings, or the neck, would snap. You're tuning UP a 4th. Shorter scale is the only way to get there. With a 22-3/4" scale, it would be as if the fretboard started at the 2nd fret.
I also wondered about the "in F" label, but if you think of a regular guitar as being "in C", i.e. In concert pitch (although down an octave), then the Barnes, being tuned in the he shorter scale up a 4th to A, from E, leaves you a 4th higher than concert pitch, "in F."
I also wondered about the "in F" label, but if you think of a regular guitar as being "in C", i.e. In concert pitch (although down an octave), then the Barnes, being tuned in the he shorter scale up a 4th to A, from E, leaves you a 4th higher than concert pitch, "in F."
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Zelja
Senior Member
Understood if you use the same gauge strings in the same spots but why not put a normal 5th string on the 6th string, 4th on 5th, etc & then just get a 008 or 009 for the 1st string? Can't imagine tension being an issue doing that.
Man, I used to own a big Barnes in the '70s and I would love to own this guitar in F.
And no, I don't have any pics (around 25 yoa, I was too broke to have a camera or even a TV!) and I bought it to sell to my teacher who had been a student of George's and he no longer has it and 'that's all she wrote!'
And no, I don't have any pics (around 25 yoa, I was too broke to have a camera or even a TV!) and I bought it to sell to my teacher who had been a student of George's and he no longer has it and 'that's all she wrote!'
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That is really cool. Looks beautiful!
NEONMOONY
Member
Zelja said:
"Understood if you use the same gauge strings in the same spots but why not put a normal 5th string on the 6th string, 4th on 5th, etc & then just get a 008 or 009 for the 1st string? Can't imagine tension being an issue doing that. "
I tried that very thing. I wanted a guitar I could switch to and play "E" and "G" patterns in "A" and "C" without a capo on the 5th fret. I kept busting the 6th string when I was playing and decided it wasn't reliable enough to play live that way.
"Understood if you use the same gauge strings in the same spots but why not put a normal 5th string on the 6th string, 4th on 5th, etc & then just get a 008 or 009 for the 1st string? Can't imagine tension being an issue doing that. "
I tried that very thing. I wanted a guitar I could switch to and play "E" and "G" patterns in "A" and "C" without a capo on the 5th fret. I kept busting the 6th string when I was playing and decided it wasn't reliable enough to play live that way.
Unfortunately I'd need to need to sell off a few to buy this one.....because I'd love to be playing that little thing.
Sort of a "soprano" electric archtop and I'm imagining some very interesting musical places to go.
I had a Martin 5-15 terz guitar at one time that was made to be tuned up a minor third from standard.....quite nice....but this would be one very interesting stratospheric electric jazzer.
Ah well......nice to see anyway.
z
Sort of a "soprano" electric archtop and I'm imagining some very interesting musical places to go.
I had a Martin 5-15 terz guitar at one time that was made to be tuned up a minor third from standard.....quite nice....but this would be one very interesting stratospheric electric jazzer.
Ah well......nice to see anyway.
z
parker_knoll
Senior Member
echoing this. would love to get to grips with that for a bit for high frequency mando killing fun
Zelja
Senior Member
6th string or 1st string? The latter makes more sense to me. That was my only concern.
Might have to try this myself one day. Maybe use a lighter gauge than I normally do, tune GCFB-DG & then capo on the 2nd.
NEONMOONY
Member
Yep, you're right. 1st string.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Just happened to stumble across this while looking for something else, but man that neck is short!
Really stands out when you see him actually playing it:
OK I know that's huge but the ad copy is cool!
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Maybe he's really, really big!
On him it doesn't look much bigger than the Guild baritone ukulele!
walrus
walrus
parker_knoll
Senior Member
wow, never seen those floating hums before. Seems a side alley in terms of Guild's instrument development
parker_knoll
Senior Member
A nice comment on the above video:
"Alexandra Leh3 years ago
hi! i'm george barnes' daughter, and this is the only time i've heard another acousti-lectric...sounds terrific! i sold dad's prototype to a NYC collector in 2010...he's having it refurbished to include in live performances for the transmedia project i'm producing, the george barnes legacy collection. btw, according to carlo greco, the guild luthier who worked on the prototype, maybe only 10 of these were made...it was a very expensive guitar to produce."
"Alexandra Leh3 years ago
hi! i'm george barnes' daughter, and this is the only time i've heard another acousti-lectric...sounds terrific! i sold dad's prototype to a NYC collector in 2010...he's having it refurbished to include in live performances for the transmedia project i'm producing, the george barnes legacy collection. btw, according to carlo greco, the guild luthier who worked on the prototype, maybe only 10 of these were made...it was a very expensive guitar to produce."
hansmoust
Enlightened Member
You could read about it in 'The Guild Guitar Book - The Company and the Instruments, 1952-1977'.
Sincerely,
Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl
parker_knoll
Senior Member
sold out according to your website 