# Question about chambered bodies.



## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

I'm building a chambered body right now.. Before it was glued, I just tried tapping my knuckles on the top cap (while it was over the body bottom), and it gave the guitar more of a hollow clunky sound. After I started gluing, I tried it again, and I guess because sound can't escape from the wood so well, it gets a more solid chunkier sound when you tap it.

As this guitar will only have one high output bridge humbucker, the rest of the cap below the strings is wasted space, so I was thinking of routing out a few slits on the top, so the guitar would be louder when unplugged, so it could potentially be played acoustically, but what kind of effect would that have on the sound going into the pickup?


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## Telenator II (Jul 20, 2009)

I wish there were a simple answer to your question. In my years of building I have noticed that any wood removed from the "center line" of the guitar has the biggest effect on the tone. Personally, I never remove wood from the center line of the guitar. Even my Thinline and Rickenbacker builds do not get the typical pocket routed out behind the bridge. To my ear, routing wood from the center line of the guitar has an adverse effect on the way it projects when amplified.


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## ajcoholic (Feb 5, 2006)

I have to also say, with my limited experience (that being said I have made a half dozen chambered / semi hollow electrics) it is a trial and error thing.

I really like the tone of a chambered body, and a solid top. For instance I have made a few Telecasters where I sawed off 3/16" off the top, chambered the body and reglued the top back on. It definitely changes the tone.

WIth sound holes, the acoustic volume is louder but I dont know if it changes the amplified tone that much (vs no sound holes) because I think the chambering is the main factor.

AJC


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## chopthebass (Jul 30, 2009)

Telenator II said:


> Personally, I never remove wood from the center line of the guitar. Even my Thinline and Rickenbacker builds do not get the typical pocket routed out behind the bridge. To my ear, routing wood from the center line of the guitar has an adverse effect on the way it projects when amplified.



Exactly right. I attended an evening with Sheldon Dingwall and he does exactly that on his basses. Also he has been experimenting using different woods for each body wing, and I mean combining woods. I'm trying to remember the combination he used, and I think he had walnut on the low E side alder on the top strings. He is convinced this gives a more robust sound to the low notes. The only downside is that you have to paint the body as the grains won't match. Getting back to your chambered body build - although I have never done one I agree that is likely to be trial and error. How thin is the top cap? Is a thinner cap going to add more tone?


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## YJMUJRSRV (Jul 17, 2007)

gone fishing


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## Hypno Toad (Aug 1, 2009)

I did some removal of the centerline underneath the pickups. I left it solid under the bridge. I assume the area around the bridge will have the biggest effect on tone, because that's where the strings are putting pressure on the body when they vibrate. If the area underneath was hollow, it would probably reduce the sustain.

The area underneath the pickups is chambered. I'm putting in a very loud, open, clear sounding pickup in the bridge, so I hollowed the body out to get a more dampened tone, to avoid some shrill overtones I might get.

This guitar is really quite an experiment. The back is made of basswood (with a padauk center), and the fairly thick cap is padauk. From what I've heard, basswood gives a softer sound, and from experience, padauk has a very bold, almost powerful sound, with a strong midrange. I was hoping to get the best of both worlds, though the padauk will have at least a good 60-70% influence over the tone of the body, I think. I mostly got the basswood as a filler wood, so I could lighten the weight of the guitar substantially..


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## Telenator II (Jul 20, 2009)

So how's the project coming along? Photos?


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