Tap Tuning

[phylum]

Anyone know who does the Tap Tuning over at Heritage

[MartyGrass]

Aaron Cowles.

 

He's been a luthier since the 60's. He tap tuned my Johnny Smith.

 

Here's his link. http://www.aaronsmusicservice.com/

 

Now I get to show off his ultimate archtop. You can tell his attention to detail. Someday I'll take better pics.

 

 

Note how he carves the neck to get higher fret access.

 

[tulk1]

My Heritage Mandolin is an Aaron Cowles creation.

[DetroitBlues]

Ok, this is new to me, what exactly is Tap Tuning?

[MartyGrass]

Tap tuning relates to building hollowbody instruments- guitars, mandolins, violins, cellos, etc.

 

The luthier hand carves the tops, backs and sides for optimal resonance. The piece of wood is tapped by finger, shaved, tapped again, shaved, and on and on. The thickness is not necesarily uniform or consistent across the piece of wood when completed. Rather, the thickness varies depending on what the best acoustic dimensions are.

 

Wood selection is important so that the pieces complement each other.

 

Lastly, the bracing is modified to enhance tone.

 

Tap tuning is labor intense and requires a good ear and a lot of experience.

 

Aaron Cowles did this for Gibson a very long time. He now does it for Heritage if you custom order it. There are few people in the world with his level of skill.

 

Here's an article on it. http://www.pantheonguitars.com/voicing.htm

[phylum]

Thanks for the response. I recently purchased a Heritage sweet 16 non cutaway made to the exact specs of the first Loar L-5. 24 3/4 scale neck and all acoustic. Tap Tuned top and back. Never heard such response and amazing tone before.

[DetroitBlues]

Never heard of that! Incredible to think someone actually does all that by ear.

[FredZepp]

I do have one that is tap tuned....

 

 

That is an interesting note about how Alan carves the neck for upper access on that Unity archtop. That guitar is amazing..

I must say that the Centurion has a very large heal on the neck...

[Spectrum13]

Thanks for the response. I recently purchased a Heritage sweet 16 non cutaway made to the exact specs of the first Loar L-5. 24 3/4 scale neck and all acoustic. Tap Tuned top and back. Never heard such response and amazing tone before.

 

 

 

Can we see a photo?

 

 

 

 

 

Please!!!

[Spectrum13]

Thanks for the response. I recently purchased a Heritage sweet 16 non cutaway made to the exact specs of the first Loar L-5. 24 3/4 scale neck and all acoustic. Tap Tuned top and back. Never heard such response and amazing tone before.

 

 

 

Can we see a photo?

 

 

 

 

 

Please!!!

[FredZepp]

I recently purchased a Heritage sweet 16 non cutaway, made to the exact specs of the first Loar L-5. 24 3/4 scale neck and all acoustic. Tap Tuned top and back. Never heard such response and amazing tone before.

 

That does sound very interesting...... +1 on pics request.

[MartyGrass]

I do have one that is tap tuned....

 

 

 

Fred, is the Centurian precariously balanced on a table? Are you trying to cause chest pain or something?

[FredZepp]

Fred, is the Centurion precariously balanced on a table? Are you trying to cause chest pain or something?

That is the true test... if an archtop can balance on a tabletop...

 

It is a stand on a coffee table... removed immediately after some photos. It does make one feel anxious while it is up there...

[MartyGrass]

That is the true test... if an archtop can balance on a tabletop...

 

It is a stand on a coffee table... removed immediately after some photos. It does make one feel anxious while it is up there...

 

 

It reminds me of this video on courage.

 

 

 

[FredZepp]

Ha... that was a crazy video... I had to watch the whole thing.

[Gitfiddler]

Question: How would one know if their archtop was tap tuned?

I realize that some tap tuned archtops generate more feedback due to the thinness of the top, thus creating more vibration. Other than looking at how thin the top carve is, tapping on the top with my bad ear close to it, how can I tell?

 

Heritage does not put 'Tap Tuned' on the label. The retailer would include it on the invoice however, since there is an upcharge for it.

 

I recently helped a buddy of mine sell a tap tuned Golden Eagle. The original invoice confirmed it. That GE did not sound as sweet as my own, to my ears. I always wondered if my old '93 had that magic touch done by the builders on Parsons St. It does feedback more than other archtops I've played, but that could be due to other factors.

[MartyGrass]

Question: How would one know if their archtop was tap tuned?

I realize that some tap tuned archtops generate more feedback due to the thinness of the top, thus creating more vibration. Other than looking at how thin the top carve is, tapping on the top with my bad ear close to it, how can I tell?

 

Heritage does not put 'Tap Tuned' on the label. The retailer would include it on the invoice however, since there is an upcharge for it.

 

I recently helped a buddy of mine sell a tap tuned Golden Eagle. The original invoice confirmed it. That GE did not sound as sweet as my own, to my ears. I always wondered if my old '93 had that magic touch done by the builders on Parsons St. It does feedback more than other archtops I've played, but that could be due to other factors.

 

 

I don't think you can tell by a mirror. After carving, the wood is still buffed so it will look like all the rest. The bracing should also look the same.

 

The JS top is thinner than my two GEs. So that's a clue I suppose. But the dealer who bought it ordered it that way. Without a receipt I don't think you can tell.

 

Ren has an archtop that he said was not tap tuned but sounds as good as if it had been. So he bought it.

 

In the end it comes down to how it sounds I suppose. Some guitars sound muffled and stiff until they open up. Some don't ever open up.

 

Aaron Cowles explained the tone differences between my JS and the guitar he made as being due to different tone characteristics of the individual billets. Their specs are almost the same. Both were made of maple and ebony with floating pups. Both were tap tuned and similarly braced by him. They are also not much apart in age. It's the magic in the woods.

[MartyGrass]

I will add that many feel tap tuning is simply BS.

[NoNameBand]

Bachelor of Science, hmmm. No wonder it costs more. How many guitars have degrees (besides the peghead)?

[phylum]

Can we see a photo?

 

 

 

 

 

Please!!!

Yes of course. I will get some up later today or tomorrow. I'll through some pics of my other Heritage's in to

[phylum]

Aaron Cowles.

 

He's been a luthier since the 60's. He tap tuned my Johnny Smith.

 

Here's his link. http://www.aaronsmusicservice.com/

 

Now I get to show off his ultimate archtop. You can tell his attention to detail. Someday I'll take better pics.

 

 

Note how he carves the neck to get higher fret access.

 

That is one amazing looking guitar. I'm sure it sounds better than it looks. THanks for showing some pics

[phylum]

Well here she is. I removed the pickguard to leave the "F" hole uncovered. Funny story behind this one. A good friend of mine owns a guitar shop here. We were talking about 3 years ago about how cool it would be to have an archtop made by Heritage that would be a kind of tribute to the first L-5's made by Loyd Loar. 16" non-cutaway all acoustic etc...We felt that having it made by Heritage would be really special due to the fact that it was where Loar originally made the first L-5. Well what I didn't know was that he went and called them up the next day and placed the order! I did not have the funds to purchase it so he kept it in his collection for the last couple of years as his own. Finally after selling my Heritage Patriot amp and a G&L ASAT Deluxe, I was ready and well here it is. A superb sounding and playing piece of art.

[MartyGrass]

That's very nice and in a comfortable size.

[FredZepp]

That is an EXTRA SWEET "Sweet 16" Custom there, phylum.

 

That one radiates tone...

[phylum]

Thanks for the nice comments guys! I'll get some pics of my Golden Eagle up soon, and my 157 Black Beauty with Gold Bigsby. I thought I had a nice little collection going until I checked out some of the Amazing guitars owned by some of you guys. Great to see such a diverse group of Heritage's. Glad I found this site. Still need to explore it some more.