It makes all the noise.
Acoustic guitars are made up of several components and each one has a special purpose. There is the body, neck, tuning machines, fretboard and strings. The body is the one that fascinates me the most. Its job is to create a voice for the guitar and project that voice to the audience.
Breedlove provided me some awesome images of the Companion acoustic guitar body. The body is constructed of several components using tonewoods like Myrtlewood, East Indian Rosewood or Sinker Redwood. Each tonewood provides a different tone to the guitar. So, what are the components that make of the body? Let’s find out.
The basic components include the top, sides, front and back. The sides are curved and formed using steam, heat and a press with tooling in the shape of the guitar body. Two side pieces are formed to make one guitar body. There are also two wooden blocks that fasten both sides together, a heel or neck block and a rear or tail block. The heel block provides a solid attachment point for the neck.
The top and bottom of the guitar body need to be attached to the sides however, the sides don’t provide enough surface area for gluing, so kerfing is added. Kerfing or kerf lining is nothing more than a thin piece of wood with partial saw cuts in it to make it flexible and easy to follow the curve of the guitar body. Kerfing is glued to the inside of the side pieces and flush with the top and bottom.
Before attaching the top and bottom to the guitar body, scalloped bracing needs to be installed for added strength. Breedlove undoubtedly has the most sophisticated and most scientific approach of any guitar manufacturer for testing and calibration of the guitar top. They modify the bracing shape and thickness during testing until they hit a certain resonate frequency, making the tone consistent and predictable.
The top and bottom are now glued onto the sides. Of course, there are a lot more steps to completing the guitar body, but this provides us the primary shape and function. Everything else including sanding and finishing simply brings out the beauty of the guitar. Building a guitar is an amazing process and would be a fun DIY project someday. Have an awesome day.