Making a 'Floating Top' Guitar (Full Build)

[@eugeneross6624]

9:31 I think 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' is my new favorite euphemism. Beautiful guitar, incredible woodworking, metalworking, and luthiering; bravo to you.

[@ExcaliburPaladin]

I am speechless... Not only top notch luthiery but precise metal graving to make custom parts... You are pioneer man.

[@ziggylayneable]

This is extremely unique,& a very satisfying feet of engineering,technical skill,& the mind of a musician all mashed into one.You are extremely talented person. I've been a tech/luthier for 30 years and you're beyond me.

[@aleebrokenback5909]

how would you recommend getting into the field as a highschooler? are there like summer internships or sum?

[@edadpops1709]

Bravo man ,so outside the the norm , gives us small builders the freedom to do what we want.

[@DarkValorWolf]

that's sure is one unique sound, amazing

[@markorajcevic1170]

I am dreaming about guitar building,I am looking for the guitar inovations,I have watched so,so many videos about that. My friend,with no doubt this is the most inovative guitar build I ever watched.You are the best.Serious.You ideas are amazing.

[@misinformationwithrandy]

Tensioning the top with cabling, or whatever, really creates some interesting tuning opportunities. This is stellar design and execution. Thanks for sharing!

[@aniquinstark4347]

That or somehow making a stretched leather top like a banjo

[@chillipasley2603]

i feel like the unique sound the guitar makes is touching me internally

[@brendanadamson9408]

that guitar solo at 20 mins in is so so so f@#$ing good, a slice of heaven. keep up the amazing inovations my dude

[@OzziePete1]

To me, and I don't mean this disrespectfully, the guitar's construction is like a cross between a banjo and a dobro. Very intelligent build!

[@dennisneo1608]

It's nice to see people pushing the boundaries.

[@andrewrollinson7739]

Here's another thing I thought I knew but learned I know little. Thank you!!

[@dfn808]

I spend way too much time on here watching really talented people do their thing. Awesome!

[@Gorbyrev]

What a brave build. I hope Ken Parker gets to see this. You have his flair for innovation.

[@kenparkerarchtoppery9440]

Just saw it!! Cool!!

[@Gorbyrev]

@@kenparkerarchtoppery9440 My '95 Antique Gold Deluxe and my '98 Nitefly are two of my most prized possessions. They have given me countless hours of creative pleasure. Thank you so much for your vision, courage and craftsmanship.

[@danytoob]

Absolute technical artistry. Stunning

[@sexypigeonlover4631]

holy crap the sound is unbelievable you sir must produce and sell these right now

[@andrewvitale7128]

I can look at this over and over the tallent you show is extraordinary! And look forward to seeing your future projects..

[@MattWinkler1]

Neat idea, so satisfying to watch craftsmanship of this caliber

[@stellingbanjodude]

I see qualities of a banjo, flat top and arch top guitar. I appreciate the design and skill required to make something like this, I really like the interior lattice work.

[@skookum-rjb]

Remarkable gutsy build. I like the design elements of this, and you are correct, this is a little over built. Your craftsmanship is outstanding. (You might focus on using a little less glue though.... ;-) This is a terrific platform to experiment with top stiffness, top bracing, and top fixation to the sides. Like I say, I admire your courage. Obviously a labour of love.

[@SmokeandLights]

Beautiful work. Also, at 19:27, I can't believe I never thought of that trick for tracing a contour! brilliant!

[@fongy200]

What a fantastic concept, and masterfully built. Thanks for sharing.

[@edwilliams9914]

It was wonderful watching you do the build. Beautiful workmanship and a pleasure to see. The floating top has one precedent that I know of, done successfully for the same reasons you mention in terms of fuller sound. Classical guitar composer, teacher, and player Abel Carlevaro from Uruguay developed a classical guitar along (at least supericially) similar lines. Carlevaro was internationally famous, always playing with the guitar he designed (as did many of his students). He patented the design and had luthiers in Madrid, Manuel Contreras, build it. I've heard interviews with people who play it and they love it. Maestro Carlevaro unfortunately left us in 2012 but he had many followers around the world and I'd bet a luthier as skilled as you are would find them very willing to talk to you about his theories on why he went rimless. Maybe they were for completely different reasons you did, but maybe similar, and no doubt the discussion would be interesting to all of you. Good luck, and again BEAUTIFUL guitar you built! Here's Carlevaro himself playing 'Evocacion' one of his absolutely wonderful five "Preludios Americanos" -- beautiful modern pieces that are as much of an absolute pleasure to play as they are to hear. You can see his rimless guitar and man, can you hear it ROAR when he wants it to! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIa6coVsnNqGjq8 Here's his beautiful 'Scherzino'. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYLRaWCdlJmboNk A bit more on him and his guitar from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Carlevaro

[@samdavies1752]

The top offers alot of opportunity for tuning the sound with gauge and tension

[@denishooper2618]

no words !!! thx for sharing this hypnotic build

[@stevemacbr]

Multi-skilled engineer, craftsman, designer & talented player. - A lot of prep-work went into coming up with this intricate HYBRID - Guanjo - half guitar / banjo - Muito bem feito. Parabéns. .

[@harrisonandrew]

Fascinating. I love the process and the end result is stunning. Fabulous job.

[@watahyahknow]

verry impressive quality of build and proof of concept , seems loud for an avoustic so maibe youre ontoo sumting here you could use the ball ends of the guitarstrings under the top and clamp the string with two set screws intoo the tension rig i think that would make installing eazier and cleaner pull the string through pull the string tight and set the setscrews tension and cut the end of the strings , you could put the setscrew on the back or side of the block and not have them visable when mounted it might allso look better if you could mount those tensioners inside the body maibe have a wooden edge along the top where the strings feed through and intoo the tensioners , might mean slits in the side to be able to feed the strings in and reach the setscrews for the strings but the guitar whont look like a clunky tom with that metal on the side of it , you can probably use hexhead bolts sunk flush intoo the backboard of the guitar to tension , would look smoother and wil hardly be visable sumting else you might be able to try is have the strings holding the top on fan out from a central point in the tail of the guitar and have the tensioners in a tight row there , my idea with this is that the strings will drone at certain frequencies , might sound like a danelectro sitar though kzbin.inforD-G2obehJw , might need to experiment using different thicknesses strings and tension to make it sound anywhere apealing

[@LucaRossoDeVita]

I never saw a build like this. Very impressive and the sound is really good, very jazzy.

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

This looks and sounds AMAZING.

[@rauschguitars]

Love the concept! Also excellent job on the bracing to avoid "Rapid unscheduled disassembly" 😂

[@oh_finks]

found the KSP player.

[@jhedges8301]

Your videos and work are so precise with the intense sound tracks so when you hit the Thor cut I died. That's some good editing. lol

[@CranmerGuitars]

Hah! I'm glad someone finally noticed! The editing took forever

[@katzuzip]

Wow! That's a really ingenious and extraordinarily guitar concept!! 100 of 100. God bless you!

[@katzuzip]

PD: Your luthier skills are outstanding!

[@tchiksguitars]

I thoroughly enjoyed your scientific explanations using ms paint !

[@gerrie7407]

absolutely stunning

[@Seadogstudio]

I just realized that this sound like it could be a good gypsy jazz guitar.

[@Dandelion-32]

This is really great camera and editing work too 🙂

[@marunih.guitars775]

I think it sounds great! Thanks for sharing all those working and design details!

[@diarmaidok]

Beautiful guitar! Sounds sweet and like it has plenty of volume too. You might be interested in some of William L Lange designs. He was a brilliant banjo designer in New York in the 1920's and owned Paramount and Orpheum banjo companies. He did all kinds of interesting inventions within banjos and a couple of interesting double bodied guitar designs [Paramount Style L guitar I think they are called] I have one of his banjos in Essex UK if you want to have a look at it..the later models [not like mine] had an interesting neck adjustment system which allow it to be adjusted in several directions. Some of his patents are still searchable on google patents, though his name is often mis spelled.

[@joebryant8500]

So many great British luthiers out there, I find another one every day.

[@g2D1]

damn, the beauty of the mind! Brilliance does not require explanation, it just is!

[@Daantjer]

Definately do this again with a closer fit of the soundboard towards the sides. Feel like the "soundhole" area is a little much, too much of the air can escape at once. But what a great, unique and potentially useful idea!

[@CranmerGuitars]

Might be a good idea. I'd just need to make a new top for it

[@Daantjer]

​@@CranmerGuitars How convenient :)

[@nmnmnm9509]

Beautiful tone, I really want to see bass version, You must continue to make this kind of guitar as your brand because this new design works well and sounds beautifully.

[@normbarrows]

Paul Reed Smith describes acoustic guitars as "a guitar with a sound cabinet attached". Banjos (drum head), resonators/dobros (speaker type cones), and your design all lead towards some sort of a speaker cab with a speaker driven not by magnet and coil, but by attaching the bridge of a guitar to it. but in the end, piezos or metal strings and magnetic pickups don't require the complex "sound cabinet" construction of acoustics, hollow bodies, and semi-hollow bodies. an EQ pedal at the front of the pedal chain can largely compensate for any minor tonal differences due to body construction and pickup type. building in a piezo beats mic'ing an acoustic and having to deal with feedback. Its also cheaper parts. So... building a body that works like a speaker cab only really matters for playing 100% unplugged - no mics - no nothing. So if you're ever going to use a mic or amp, you can just use a solid body and an EQ pedal. And the body no longer needs to be a "sound cabinet" shape. it just needs to hold the guitar together (IE connect the neck to the tailpiece), and place the neck where you want it (ergonomics). Places for controls and a jack help too .

[@chingletree5397]

Mr Cranmer you are a nutcase or a genius or maybe both at once. This is an incredible innovation. As always your workmanship is stunning, but the inventiveness in this case is brilliant. Nice one.

[@zdcyclops1lickley190]

A nice experiment in guitar construction. The result is a nice sounding guitar and knowledge about how construction affects the sound of the instrument. Seems like a lot of work for little change.

[@GoGetFletch]

Hey Isaac - it's not the prettiest looking guitar but I've got to admire your passion for innovation. Keep up the good work.

[@gerthalberg9735]

That's a seriously BIG voice on that instrument

[@geoffkeeler5106]

Love this! Brilliant idea, and a bit like my electric upright bass I'm making. It's so good to see experimental stuff, more power to you sir!

[@SoIstDassAlso]

amazing looking build!

[@Alisaleh55]

Your work really stands out. Great vid man.

[@stevepethel6843]

You have amazing ideas skills patience creativity...

[@symonf1966]

Thank you Isaac for the inspiration to do what I should actually be doing. My workshop still isn't finished but it is getting there slowly.

[@TheFoulCorsair]

A beautiful tone

[@michaelanthony1537]

Lots of guys video guitar builds and lots are great...but this...this is a GAZILLION thumbs up. WOW!

[@larrycortner6321]

It was a very interesting and captivating to watch , trying to figure out where this build was going .Good job ! You proved there is many ways to build a guitar .

[@maxdivine]

Amazing job and an absolute pleasure to watch! Next step: An armrest attached to the body to truly let the top vibrate freely :-)

[@aniquinstark4347]

That is absolutely incredible. Super unique tone as well. The sound reminds me of a steel string Spanish classical mixed with a biscuit cone resonator.

[@cheapskate8656]

Fantastic. Well done

[@InvaliDidea123]

Ingenious! Would love to test play it! Well done Sir!

[@markgordon4368]

Insanely clever and skilled, genius

[@chrisk3754]

That is a wonderful work of art-thank you for the demo. Just when I think I have seen it all!

[@johnmorgan9617]

Stunning - Can't say any more.

[@robertowen1956]

Basically, a very complicated wooden resonator. It sounds wonderful.

[@pradhumchettri1503]

Great work.. ❤❤ Love from INDIA... ✌

[@mvgiacomello]

Absolutely insane.

[@marciopatriciobranco7611]

Incredible, this is an art, congratulations ...

[@PJ-hn4cg]

Truly remarkable ... a bit metallic but overall rich and bright tone.

[@paolob8288]

Your video just blew my mind. What an interesting build and how It sounds! Your crafting skills make me envious but, most of all... The hammer of Thor. Man, nothing makes me more envious than that.😂

[@phillipbingham487]

that's pretty nifty.. dd you ever hear of a Persian tar ? they are a fantastic ancient instrument and i have found inspiration watching a tar being manufactured by hand..you can find videos here on you-tube featuring a tar being made and also played

[@noordermaatstudios1551]

Wonderfull video,great job,thanks.The force must be with you.

[@johnp6269]

That's incredible, I have never seen anything like this. Bad to the bone!!!!

[@MrJoeydano]

Wow! That’s an incredible amount of Work and a very unbelievable sound , Nice creation very Kool !!!’👍

[@S-T-E-V-E]

Great experiment! Fascinating!

[@YoureNowOnTV]

Thank you 😀👍🙏 You're an inspiring fellow and I really enjoy your sense of humour and passion to explore !

[@gtrboy77]

Dude, that is insane. And you sir, are insane as well. Nice job!

[@Metalinl0ve]

i cannot tell if you're a genius, a mad scientist or just crazy... Maybe a little of everything. That guitar is insane!!

[@cheeseheadfiddle]

Curious as to your use of aliphatic glue rather than hide glue. Remarkable work!!

[@robmarmaduke]

That is definitely unique

[@Dovey14]

It's a great design. a Pioneer!

[@redbed1604]

Dang, that thing is gonna be heavy!

[@user-fe8ms9ht7j]

Now this is epic

[@WimBlock]

Great design beneeth the SRV tune!

[@davefoster6156]

Wow. That was a huge undertaking. I don't know what the purpose of all that internal bracing was for...I'm guessing as a way for the top gussets to not implode the guitar? Quite a bit of steel in the neck joint as well. But in the end the thing sounded stunning! Btw, that has to be the biggest bridge on any guitar ever! With all that engineering work, my question to you is...was it worth it? Seeing as how you are the sole person to undertake this contraption, you are the only one who can answer that. All in all, it did sound very nice, so congratulations on your guitar.

[@byroncrump4390]

Beautifully done, To attach the top under tension perhaps drum skin style hardware might be worth a look, lots of different methods from brand to brand too. As luthier to the god’s we mortals salute your hammer of Thor "Mjölner" retrieval system. You are most worthy to wield it.

[@paulwomack5866]

You just invented the banjo!

[@sergiodamian2147]

Tremendo proyecto de ingenieria! felicidades

[@multi.instrumentalist]

Awesome! I recommend you check out the Justin Johnson video on the Smoothtalker guitar - it’s got a similar thing happening, but with the bridge.

[@Richard-zs4nd]

Impressive work, what an original idea : ) ... somebody knows the music during the final assembly at 23'22" ??

[@Burnin-U]

Take all my money! That's a beautiful guitar

[@slaww666]

Holy shit, this is gold!

[@gr6914]

sounds great. a little arm rest on the top of the bottom shoulder would probably help bass response.

[@akakakakakak3084]

You reminds me my broken guitar still sounds like a guitar with big holes on the top👍

[@BucketofGuts646]

"the guitar is an air pump" "the guitar is basically a drum" Cranmer: *makes guitar drum*

[@jpjay1584]

will you make more of these and if yes, what would you change?

[@badscrew4023]

Oh no, I was thinking about trying something like that but you've already made it real. I guess I'm not the first inventor :D

[@fabiobarbati6029]

Funny and captivating video, brillantly edited. Good soundtrack. But most of all: unique building project and top level craftmanship. I generally don't like technical experiment on acoustic guitars. But here tradition and innovation seem to match most elegantly and making full sense.

[@realitystudioscustomshop]

wow, this is something else! gorgeous build, great vid!!

[@Septemfluous]

Rapid, unscheduled disassembly... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Love it!

[@murielledarte8017]

Magnifique son, trop belle

[@HashtaGuitars]

what a beautiful creation :) LOVE IT!