Comments on: Thoughts on crossover guitars

By: tyrone s millsaps

tyrone s millsaps — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:06:26 +0000

Yes,the intonation is incredible on the Ibanez 10N and not just for a cheapo but for any nylon string!Lots of tinkering I’m afraid though after re-radius but maybe not.I have discovered in my 55 playing years that as far as intonation goes there’s them that is and them that ain’t and not much one can with some gits intonation.The players touch can affect intonation as much as setting up with a meter!!

By: tyrone s millsaps

tyrone s millsaps — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:56:13 +0000

I’m radiusing my cheapo Ibanez 10N($299.00)nylon string to 14o radius!Can’t wait as this git is loud,not much character though(plywood top).Glad you mentioned arched back and more midrange as this puppy is loud even with low action!!Yes they should radius the fingerboards and put some neck angle on ‘em also(tradition dies hard.Thanx for great article! Ty Millsaps

By: John

John — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:48:51 +0000

Good article. I’ve been building guitars for 20 years now and I never heard of a cross over guitar (came here via google). Unknowingly I have built a few of them for jazz players who wanted something a bit closer to their arch top guitar specs. I just finished one for myself, a double top with 20deg radius arched fretboard and cut out. I love how the thing plays and I don’t think I will ever build a flat fret board again unless a customer demands it.

Now, if I was in marketing I’d try and come up with a better name than ‘cross over’

By: Kevin Bowhay

Kevin Bowhay — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:08:40 +0000

Hi,
I am realy pleased to have found this article.
About 12 months ago I purchased a steel string. I have had a classical for years. Although I have managed to play the classical I did find the 54mm width not necessarily that comfortable.
I also started making guitars and have been toying with a 48mm or 50mm neck for a classical as I have been having some problems with the neck when changing from my current nylon string to the steel string. Finding those nut sizes for nylon strings has not proved easy.
I also like the idea of the radius neck as it does have a better feel.
Great arlicle
Kevin

By: Sam Fleming

Sam Fleming — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:45:41 +0000

I called Thomas Humphrey in the mid 90′s, inquiring about his Milleniums but also to get some good general advice. I was impressed that he bothered to call me back, in Texas, and he talked with me for a long time. He was somewhat protective in his tone, almost like a big brother talking to a younger brother. I was considering a Maldonado cutaway. He was very concerned about the loss of tone, volume and clarity in the upper registers. I bought it anyway and never really got the fullness on the treble strings. However, a huge majority of cutaways are amplified and that problem is easily overcome with some adjustments of that nature. I think his concerns were well warranted in the unamplified arena. Players like Vicente Amigo and Paco de Lucia don’t use cutaways and maintain a very full tonal quality – playing traditionally. On the cutaway side Strunz and Farah have great tone with the cutaways but it’s obviously tweaked in a studio or gone over in sound check – on stage.
The rest of this article/blog is very insightful though. I appreciate your perspective. I would like to see some sonic experiments done with and w/o the cutaway on the same model guitar. I know it has been done. I just don’t know where to find it.

By: Shrikant Rao

Shrikant Rao — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:56:24 +0000

Hi,
Very happy to find this article.

Would be glad to see some notes on lower end models too – Ibanez for instance has the AEG10NE and a few others that fit your description almost to a T.

Trying to switch to nylon after several years of happy fingerstyle on steel strings, I was quite vexed to know that classical guitars are not supposed to have intonation compensation.

After browsing around a bit I get the feeling that cheaper brands have better intonation since they want to please the new enthusiast rather than be sticklers for tradition – while the fancy brands are selling cutaways that ought not to be touched anywhere close to the cut!
I am trying to ascertain if this is indeed true.

Any advice / discussion on your blog will be much appreciated.

thanks
Shrikant

By: Spider J.C. Bulyk

Spider J.C. Bulyk — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:05:03 +0000

Hi there,

This was a great post for me. I am a steel-string acoustic player, right hand finger style (although an occasional pick) and have several old (WW-II) Epiphone and (60′s & 70′s) Martin guitars. My current “classical” guitar is a new-ish James Goodall Grand Concert: wide neck, cutaway, Brazilian rosewood/spruce/koa – really beautiful.

I tried playing on a traditional nylon-string instrument, a copy of a Fleta made by Kenny Hill in CA. It was a stunning instrument but my fingers are short and the neck always filled me with dread. I ultimately gave it as a gift to my (longer fingered) son-in-law.

I have recently been thinking about going back to nylons in a crossover and have played a few by Fender and Yamaha. Fender was a flat fingerboard and the Yamaha left a lot to be desired. I’m still on a search path – they’re usually long for me, like 18-24 months. In the nylon, I would mostly be playing baroque lute transcriptions and some Brailian-style jazz.

After reading your blog I went to the Alhambra website. Which crossover do you have? Are you happy with that choice or would have changed it after some time with the guitar? There’s a dealer near me in New Haven, CT but I don’t know yet what he has in stock.

I would appreciate any insights you might be able to share with me. Thanks.

Spider

By: Zahari Zubir

Zahari Zubir — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:16:50 +0000

Hi there,
I was looking for a crossover nylon too, for ages.

I agree with all your criteria for a crossover except the nut width. I have shaved off the neck of my Alhambra 9P (crazy) to 48mm but regretted it because it’s a tad too narrow. Some of the string hit the inner side of the fingers. I believe 50mm would be perfect. So for there are none in the market that fits my specs. I’m seriously considering commissioning our local luthier for this.

You forgot about truss rod. What I did to the Alhambra: 1. Side dots 2. Radius fretboard, 20 in. 3. Truss rod 4. Nut width 48mm 5. Thinned neck.