Inside of guitar body

[rllink]

I've looked inside of mine before. It is the airplane mechanic in me, I have to get out the inspection mirrors and inspect for anything loose or cracked. I've never really pondered the construction though. I've always assumed there was a reason that they don't finish the inside and just accepted that. What Sadie-f said makes sense to me though.

[RussellHawaii]

While you’re looking inside, if you have an inspection mirror, look for the luthier’s signature, funny comments, and date on the underside of the top. I have found such personal touches in several guitars. Sometimes the assistant signs them here, and some builders sign them as proof of authenticity. It can’t be easy to fake this after the fact!
I saw such in a book about a luthier, and looked inside the same builder’s guitar and sure enough, date and signature!

[Dave Hicks]

Well, I looked into the sound hole of a Gibson Generation G-00 and saw a splinter sticking out of a brace, so apparently anything goes. My 1998 Taylor is filling up with tone balls and dust puppies.

D.H.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by RussellHawaii

While you’re looking inside, if you have an inspection mirror, look for the luthier’s signature, funny comments, and date on the underside of the top. I have found such personal touches in several guitars. Sometimes the assistant signs them here, and some builders sign them as proof of authenticity. It can’t be easy to fake this after the fact!
I saw such in a book about a luthier, and looked inside the same builder’s guitar and sure enough, date and signature!

Then there's the famous Joan Baez "what was written inside her guitar" story...

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by TBman

Here's the inside of my new Pellerin SJ CW

You could almost frame that and hang it on your wall .

[RussellHawaii]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Then there's the famous Joan Baez "what was written inside her guitar" story...

Waiting for the story, please?

[Henning]

Just to confirm that I´ve read your posts and of course to show the magnificent inside.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by RussellHawaii

Waiting for the story, please?

If it’s the story I’m thinking about, at some point in the mid-1960’s Joan Baez had her guitar worked on at the Martin factory. Then thirty years later she brought it back for some more work, when it was discovered that during its previous factory stay someone had written in her guitar:

“It’s too bad that you are a Communist.”


whm

[RussellHawaii]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

If it’s the story I’m thinking about, at some point in the mid-1960’s Joan Baez had her guitar worked on at the Martin factory. Then thirty years later she brought it back for some more work, when it was discovered that during its previous factory stay someone had written in her guitar:



“It’s too bad that you are a Communist.”





whm

Thank you. I’m glad she thrived despite that!
I once saw Joan Baez perform on the steps of San Francisco city hall (or similar building) at a demonstration, circa 1978. There was no PA or microphone at all! She sang with (I assume) that little Martin of hers and her very powerful voice, unamplified, carried across a crowd of thousands. That’s real acoustic power!
I never saw anyone else do this successfully.

[Diamond Dave]

The degree of care taken on the inside of the guitar can vary and really doesn’t matter as long as the braces are constructed and glued properly, etc. Better builders will usually finish the inside very neatly because that’s how they roll. They do everything well, even the stuff you won’t see.

But rough-carved braces and glue squeeze-out that wasn’t cleaned up can still make for a great-sounding guitar.

[printer2]

How can you talk about the interior of a guitar without any pictures! A Torres 150 year old guitar.



I guess they were not as picky 150 years ago. On the interior being finished. The humidity is only retarded by the finish, the moisture still migrates in and out. Some think it is part of the 'opening up' process. As said, the finished interior may make repairs harder. Shellac (the real stuff) is an exception. The mating surfaces need to be finished so they can be glued together, the rest is just cosmetics.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

If it’s the story I’m thinking about, at some point in the mid-1960’s Joan Baez had her guitar worked on at the Martin factory. Then thirty years later she brought it back for some more work, when it was discovered that during its previous factory stay someone had written in her guitar:

“It’s too bad that you are a Communist.”


whm

Story goes that when Joan was finally made aware of this it gave her a bit of a laugh. Martin printed the sentiment on a label and stuck it inside the 0-45JB

[tadol]

When you look at the interior of a 150yr old guitar, you aren’t necessarily seeing the product that left the original luthiers bench. You could very easily be seeing 150yrs of far lesser woodworkers trying to repair problems created by players who did who-knows-what to the instrument.

But the main thing to look for in the interior is smooth, flat surfaces - those will have less surface area than rough, irregular surfaces, so they should be easier to join accurately, take and make glue joints more strongly, and are less likely to hold onto dust and contaminants that can attract moisture or cause faster break-down of glue or finishes. It’s not critical, and some builders take it to an extreme, creating very little additional benefit for a great deal more effort (cost). Glue squeeze out, in small qtys, was considered evidence that the joints weren’t glue starved - too much was sloppy work (possibly hiding bad joinery), no squeeze-out meant that the joint was possibly under-glued. Honestly, it’s the same criteria for almost all fine-woodworking - that aspect of luthiery is the easiest to achieve, yet offers no guarrantee of a good instrument -

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by printer2

How can you talk about the interior of a guitar without any pictures! A Torres 150 year old guitar.


I guess they were not as picky 150 years ago. On the interior being finished. The humidity is only retarded by the finish, the moisture still migrates in and out. Some think it is part of the 'opening up' process. As said, the finished interior may make repairs harder. Shellac (the real stuff) is an exception. The mating surfaces need to be finished so they can be glued together, the rest is just cosmetics.

My 1920 Gibson L3 has a shellac spirit varnish finish. Not on the innards though.

[Wellington]

My Guild and Yamaha are very neat and tidy inside as far as I have looked, all the Godin's look like they were cut with an extremely dull saw blade, splinters everywhere, nothing smooth. Luckily I don't care about that aspect.