Guitar build with sympathetic strings

[JHumphrey]

Hi!

I have this really fun build going on that I thought I would share.

For a sarod player in Seattle, I am building a standard 6-string guitar with 14 additional strings.

3 additional strings are drone strings called chikari, tuned at the headstock and running parallel to the playing strings. Thus, there will be 9 tuning machines.

11 additional strings are arranged on a separate harp-like neck. These are plain, light-gauge steel strings tuned with pegs and tied to the main bridge.

Here is the box before assembly:


The back/side wood is grafted walnut- franquette and claro. You can see where the two different tree species grew together- the black swirling area left and right of the center.

[JHumphrey]

Before gluing up the box:
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The main neck blank:
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Two neck blocks:

[ZekeM]

sounds interesting but there seems to be a problem with your pictures hmmmmm id love to see it if you can get the pics up or at least a link to them

[JHumphrey]

Got the photos working!

Here is harp neck blanked out:



and the pocket to receive it:

[stearnguitars]

Very awesome! I'd love to hear that baby when it is finished.

[ZekeM]

Nice! Gonna be different for sure! Best of luck on finishing it up.

[JHumphrey]

truss rod channel routed:

headstock blank:

resolve carved:

[arie]

very nice and different!

how are you attaching the upper arm to the upper bout btw?

[JHumphrey]

Thanks!

Here is the back view:


and endgraft/bindings detail:

[ZekeM]

Hey nice end graft!!!

[JHumphrey]

Thanks!

Here is a rough fit of the sympathetic pegs:


and then ramping for each string in progress:


hopefully I can finish the neck up the next few days!

[ewh2]

Looks amazing.

One guitar I'd love to play.

To the OP have you seen any instruments that Paul Metzger plays? He plays a banjo and guitar with sympathetic strings which he added himself, to make his instruments sound more like a Sarod.

[JHumphrey]

Wow, I will have to check that out! A banjo with sympathetic would sound a lot like a sarod. Thanks for the suggestion.

Here's the final shots before going into neck finishing. Hopefully will be onto final assembly at some point next week. I am anxious to hear this one!

[JHumphrey]

Wow, the weather has been blustery around here!

gluing the neck:


the bridge:


sympathetic string exit holes:


gluing the bridge:

[murrmac123]

Interesting top bracing system you got going there , JH, and btw thanks for showing pics of it. Nothing pisses me off more than looking through a custom thread and the builder shows everything but the top bracing ..it's like ...Nooo, this is my secret recipe ...

Have you used this bracing pattern before ? It's kinda an amalgam of X brace meets classical ? I have no doubt it will sound great, but probably more Celtic than bluegrass, if that makes any sense ?