Great point. How many times have you propped up your guitar and just kinda knew it would fall over, or the slightest touch from anyone would definitely send it crashing down? Kinda stressful keeping an eye on everyone as they’re all potential suspects. So is the damn wind when you’re outside. But this squared guitar will stand on its own pretty much anywhere.
That’s a great point . Personally I like them but think they would be more aesthetically pleasing if the corners had a small radius to soften them a little from the geometric sharpness . I do understand that this would make them much more difficult to build though .
When you play guitar the neck should be at an angle so the headstock is pointing somewhat upwards. These guitars are not good to play , but yeah, you can put them on the ground really good.😅
Granny had a very old circular (cylindrical) guitar. I loved to play on it. One day it broke, and instead to take it to the luthier, someone just threw it away. It was 30 years ago and I'm still angry.
Take comfort in the strong possibility that somebody else with dreams but no money found that guitar in the trash, fixed it up and found love. This is how I got my first guitar. Nore: It wasn't round so I know it wasn't yours 😉
I dig everything about this as a concept, especially the far, far simplified build but it would need at least an arm bevel/panel of some sort to be comfy to play.
I started out build cigar box guitars. Still make them. But I have made my own boxes for license plate guitars as well. I’ve made a few of my own box guitars as well as using wine box guitars. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve never made two the same. I’m up to about 65 guitars now. I’m always taking on a new themes and ideas. It’s a great hobby.
Hello Harold, Im Dan. I love your idea. I typed in rectangle guitats just to see if there was such an animal and there you were. Do you have a demo because I would love to hear what they sound like.
Wow the RU-vid algorithm actually suggested something really cool for once. I really want to get my hands on one of these. My old mans a luthier so I’ve been mucking around building my own guitars (mainly electric) as a hobby since I was a kid. Great video 👏 all really interesting points, I definitely feel like I’m just about to go down another RU-vid rabbit hole watching your videos I really want to hear how they compare so I may just have to steal your idea and have a crack at building one myself. I’ve got a bunch of spruce & mahogany boards laying around read to go Again Great video mate +1 subbed. And please feel free to “ramble on” about the pros & cons of square guitars that was all really interesting
I think you have created a very interesting guitar and all your points in creating a guitar are valid ones. There is no denying that from what I have heard, on the few videos on RU-vid, your guitars sounds great. And you are using materials that would otherwise not be able to be used. I can't wait to be able to purchase one so I can create my own videos and review your guitar.
Your explanation and showcase is fantastic! Totally makes sense acoustically and allows for any kind of decent new or found wood. (And looks rad. I think I’d dub this one thr “Knothole Special” 😂.
I've built several cigar box guitars and have wanted to try my hand a building a guitar from scratch. I think a box guitar is the way to start. Thanks for sharing!
@@boxwoodguitar3618 In my profile picture is my homemade electric guitar me and my grandpa built completely from scratch and yes it's covered in leather also inspired by Waylon Jennings telecaster and Luther Perkins flower design Fender Esquire
I could make some good use of that extra space too because I put a keyboard on the lower side to play while I thumb pick. I'm working on an acoustic version now where I'm combining a melodica and glockenspiel to install into the octave mandolin so this body shape would accommodate that well.
I think you are spot on. The overriding goal is to make the top and back resonate and be as active as possible. I was a bit cynical when I first saw these type of guitars but when you hear them it changes a lot of ideas. The only caveat is that the shape may not be the most ergonomic.
Thanks. The more you dig into the physics, the more you realize the typical hour glass shape is more aesthetic and ergonomic than it is functional. To your point, the ergonomics are different for sure. I'm used to them now so it feels totally natural. . .especially standing with a strap.
You can still bend thicker wood, just not as much. I build mountain dulcimers by soaking the wood for the sides and then clamping them into a former that I made, using C clamps. @@boxwoodguitar3618
@@boxwoodguitar3618 if anything its only ergonomics 99%, but with guitar it would be nice to have top shaved off like in electrics too. it would make pick hand more comfortable
I've had a box guitar made out of old library shelves for nearly 2 years now, been at every gig! Sounds gorgeous and isn't uncomfortable at all either Your guitars are awesome!
i made an electric rectangle guitar out of an almost uncut plank from home depot, and yes, it plays really well, (i obviously bought the neck) and its my main guitar now!
That body shape actually looks pretty cool, i was expecting this was a more cheap homemade style and a sorta one off thing, But you actually have a nice grain and its a proper guitar. Looks cool cheers for sharing!
you could put a snare wire in one and have an on/off for it then lay it on its side and use it as a cajon (hitiing the back of it) when required. You could call it a Guijon 😀you can thank me later for the idea.
Technically it already is a guijón. Peruvian cajones only put the snare wire for beginner cajonists to get an easy brighter sound, but its entirely possible to get it to sound good without the wire you just need the skill. Meanwhile flamenco cajones use the wire because thats how paco de lucia’s cajones were like
You’re right. Guitars are a physics system. Therefore by making them squared, you can still build a great guitar as long as you know how to build a guitar and take those factors such as the square shape into account. Also, it makes you stand out!
They are very cool, i like that it wont fall over easily when you set it down. The only issue i really see is that the shape doesnt fit to your thigh like the traditional shape so it seems like it might be less comfortable when sitting down. Im sure when standing you dont even notice the difference. I guess id have to play it to see if it bothers me or not. Over all i think its really neat and they look well made.
Have you ever considered attempting to make an acoustic Bass guitar? It seems like having corners like that would really allow the low end to resonate if you made the body large enough... Though I might be totally wrong as the length of low end frequencies tend to be massive and require a room to be heard or develop correctly.
Just found this channel. I love your idea. Who needs a thigh rest curve? Get a strap. More options for attaching an internal mic. too. I am now coveting one of these...
They look cool but I feel like it would be pretty uncomfortable to hold😅 the reason guitars are curved is to contour around your leg and your arm can wrap around easily without having to rest on the sharp edge. I’m sure they’re a lot easier to make like that though.
I like this sometimes I like to lay my hwad on my guitar when I'm playing. So it being a rectangle would actually help alot. And I'm not sure why I do that I just always have I like doing that.
You could make a diagonal cut for the arm rest. Like get rid of the top back corner. It will still be rigid but it would look way cooler and make it easier for the right arm. Go full cybertruck... Call it the cybertar
@@paulpennington-mv7rt You're not the only instrument maker around here, chummy. And you're simply not correct. I do hope you keep trying to steer my words for the sake of your own insecurity, it looks great on you. I don't have a lot of an opinion about his guitars, I'm seeing a 600-800 dollar one based on what I can see and hear right now, giving it huge marks for tone I know isn't standing up on its own from unit to unit and assuming the details are a little better than what I can see. With the drastic reduction in labor and fitting I know I could do it one-off for myself well under 250 depending on materials, but whatever. I'm not being negative about it, just having an informed opinion. I will however be negative about you. You punish people for making conversation to feed your own ego. You're somehow mad someone approached you without deference. You judge other people's intent without knowing them. I get whiffs of BPD, maybe just narcissism. I bet you're great to work with. I bet you're already typing a reply talking about how long this was.
I guess it sort of comes down to tone vs playability. The current design of acoustics is sort-of a happy medium between what's comfortable to play vs what is the most resonant. Great video!
What about about standing waves? They may produce some unwanted resonances in a box shape. You can suppress standing waves by adding inner walls, 45 degree rotated at corners, like inner bevelling. And you can leave gaps between top or back and these 45 deg walls to avoid volume decrease. As result instead of few strong resonances you would get several dispersed weaker resonances and this might sound better, less boxy, more rich.
That was my concern too. . . before I started making them. One would expect standing waves and harsh reflections to cause wolf notes or even cancelation. 156 guitars later, it hasn't been a problem. One thing to consider. . . when we think about room acoustics, we are only concerned with how the sound behaves inside the room because that is where we are listening. Parallel walls and 90 degree corners are definitely problematic in that context. With guitars, we want it to sound good OUTSIDE of those four walls. Beyond that way of thinking, I don't have a scientific explanation for why it's not an issue. If you've ever used an internal mic on an acoustic guitar, you know that even traditional guitars don't sound great inside the instrument. The full color and tone happens 12" away from the soundboard.
....it's also a lot easier.😂 By the way, not every instrument of the lute family has bent sides. The cittern often has carved sides. You just get a plank, cut out whatever shape you like, then cut the inside to follow the same curve. Glue the top and bottom on. You don't even need purfling.
I'd love to hear what it sounds like! I can imagine that it would have some very very distinct resonant peaks as there will be some pretty strong standing waves in a rectangle!! Is it useable as an instrument to play actual full range songs?
Your concern is very reasonable. A room with parallel walls will have standing waves and resonant frequencies. I think the danger is applying that idea to acoustic guitars. We're not looking to make instruments that sound good inside the "room" (if we continue the analogy). We want them to sound good well outside the "room". In my experience (156 guitars!), standing waves, resonant frequencies and wolf tones aren't an issue. I know it's counterintuitive but I record and perform with these guitars all the time. No issues.
Love the content, I think your boxwood guitars are awesome! Just out of curiosity, do you radius the tops or backs and if so, is it absolutely necessary for structural reasons?
boxwoodguitar what order do you build those in? Do you glue sides 1st or glue bottom to sides? Can you do a step by step video on build? I might try build square shaped 1 I build ukuleles from hinged boxes.
Every where I go it seems I’m finding wood that talks when I tap on it , and I can’t see myself bending sides… so I’m kind of inspired. Very cool guitars
I’d love to see a test of the top vibration to see if the extra real state is active. Also, the curvy shape is reminiscent of a human body, oddly cool. But I love this video and I’d love to try one of these beauties. I am curious as to how comfortable it is to hold one. The comfort vs sound quality is a real dilemma. Will o chose a better sounding guitar that’s uncomfortable to hold or a not so great sounding but more comfortable one???
It makes good sense, it's the same principle as a speaker cabinet, really wxcept without the air movement; a bigger resonating chamber should equal better projection and tone.
They look awesome! Just one question though, do you not get more specific standing waves that resonate only on specific tones and thus create an unequal tone response accross the tonal range? I would expect that round guitars are made this way to try and amplify more or less the whole tonal range equally, whilst with such defined and pronunced paralel walls at a very specific distance, I would expect this would amplify a much smaller and more specific range, yet cancel out specific resonances as well due to the standing waves? How do you get around that? All the best, MBY
You'd think standing waves would be an issue but, in my experience (161 box guitars), it hasn't been. A couple things to keep in mind. When we think of standing waves, we're typically thinking of how sound interacts with parallel walls INSIDE a confined space. With a guitar, we are only concerned with what it sounds like OUTSIDE that space. If you've ever used a pickup with an internal mic in a traditional acoustic guitar you know it still doesn't sound as good as a mic placed 8"-12" away from the body. All that to say the insides of guitars always sound funky. More importantly, the main interaction on a traditional guitar (or one of mine) is the interaction between the top and the back. People often refer to it as a sound pump. Traditional guitars taper in thickness from tail to the neck joint. There's also a slight radius to the back and most tops. I do the same thing on my guitars to add strength to those pieces and avoid having the two most important faces being parallel.
This was interesting, but you failed to mention either one of my first thoughts, as to the benefit of your rectangular design -- first of all the improved playing ergonomics, of being able to more easily rest the acoustic guitar on one knee, instead of it always tending to slide towards the waist curve shape... secondly, the HUGE gain in manufacturing and material efficiency (this is a Lean Manufacturer's dream -- you've added value, while also making the process far more efficient). I would be curious if the ergonomics can be further improved by making the bass side of the body thinner than the treble side, thereby imparting a slight angle to the soundboard/neck, and allowing the guitar to sit flat on the leg, instead of being angled to bear on one edge. Also, I find the idea of a rectangular 'semi-hollow body electric' guitar to be intriguing, for the same reasons (perhaps with F-holes for aesthetics, or simple straight line slits, if they work just as well). And how thin can you make these, before the sound is not so good? Two inches? An inch? Generally, in all things, it's best to get rid of unnecessary features, in favor of things that actually provide value/bang for the buck.
I tried to explain why I didn't want to make acoustic guitars to a non musician friend. This might have changed my mind. I'm not really an a acoustic player. But this seems like a fun project.
All good. Creative and innovative. As one who generally amplifies their acoustic, I have to have my comfort and the classical positioning. But hey, here's an idea... How about using this design on a thinner body rectangular acoustic that has some sort of extension to soften the right forearm (assuming you're right-handed) and an extension on the knee side to hold it in a classical position while sitting down? Now you get more acoustic tone that is lost but the ergonomics of an "akoostasonic."😊
I think the original reason for curves is that thinner wood can be used as the curved surface provides additional strength against stress from multiple directions. Same reason they put lots of curves in modern cars (much thinner panels). As far as tone is concerned IMO the top is the only part that really matters. The rectangle guitar should sound just fine. I would be interested in playing one. They look uncomfortable to play but I might be wrong.
Agreed. 100%. The comfort thing isn't a big issue for most people that try them. That said, in this current era of arm bevels and rib bevels they aren't going to be as comfortable as some.
Funny you should say that. . . I have a friend that's been asking for one for a while. It's on the list. It will look cool but the coffin shape will negate some of the things I like about the rectangle shape in terms of guitar structure and tone. But it will be fun to build.
@@boxwoodguitar3618 I would be very interested in watching the making of one! Maybe on the inside of the coffin guitar can be kept to a rectangle by adding some walls on the inside to give it that rectangle shape? But then what do I know, I don't build them. Your the expert! Looking forward to it!
boxwoodguitar if I paid you could you make me a kit with what I want to make square box shaped guitar? Dreadnaught Birch joined sound board and bottom and sides do you make the necks?
