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MF: What are the benefits/disadvantages of a
bolt-on neck? A radius top? Radius fingerboard?
Mark Dalton: "The benefits of a bolt on
neck are serviceability. The butt joint we use provides
better wood to wood solid contact than other types of
joints. A radius top will boost the mid-range, which
makes the guitar cut better when played in a group.
This design also cuts down on the wolf tone when using
a microphone."
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Huss & Dalton OO-SP
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Tim Nelson: "Regarding bolt on necks, all
sorts of things have been said regarding the pros and
cons of different neck joints. Huss and Dalton, along
with many other high end builders, recognize the bolt
on neck as a design improvement. We are building heirloom
instruments for our customers. What we are building
will be around a very long time. It just makes sense
to make a guitar that the neck can easily be removed
for future restoration. Frank Ford had some great things
to say on this topic in Acoustic Guitar magazine. You
can read his thoughts on thoughts on the topic here.
[Regarding radius tops,] we use two different build
styles here at Huss & Dalton. On one style, which
we call our standard models, we cut a 25' radius into
the brace wood. This same 25' radius is sanded around
the entire perimeter of the top of the guitars sides
before the top is glued on. The other style, our traditional
series, features the same 25' radius cut into the bracing
but the top of the sides are left flat.
We use a radius in the fretboard to improve playability."
MF: What strings do you recommend for your
guitars? What guage? Why?
Tim Nelson: "We string all of our guitars
with D'Addario EXP strings. We try to use the gauges
most players will prefer depending on the style of guitar
we are shipping. We use medium gauge on our large body
models and light gauge on the smaller body models. We
use D'Addario medium gauge banjo strings on all our
banjos."
MF: Do you have an over-all philosophy of building
that defines your decisions and building choices?
Mark Dalton: "Our build philosophy is
just to try to continue to improve, and build the best
guitars and banjos that we can build. As far as building
choices, we are ever in search of efficient methods
to make improvements to what we build. We also try to
make our system easier to understand so that new employees
don't have as huge of a learning curve."
MF: What plans do you have for the future?
Mark Dalton: "We are adding new technology
to the shop in the form of our first CNC machine, which
will make more accurate parts and help us move boldly
into the future."
Note: The opinions expressed by Jeff, Mark, and Tim
are not necessarily those of Music Folk and should not
imply Music Folk's endorsement of one product over another.
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