Body shape and surface area measurements??

[Edward]

Argh ...I knew where this was on the old site, and now can't for the life of me find it on Taylor's new site ...ugh!

Anyone have that handy little chart on all the body shapes and the surface area of each body style's top?  Thanks! 

Edward

[gdeleo]

Edward, this is the only thing I could find.  http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/shapes  I assume you may have seen this as well.  You can put your cursor on each of the body shapes and a window will pop up with the dimensions.

[michaelw]

Argh ...I knew where this was on the old site, and now can't for the life of me find it on Taylor's new site ...ugh!

Anyone have that handy little chart on all the body shapes and the surface area of each body style's top?  Thanks! 

Edward

hi Edward,
i don't recall seeing any specs in terms of the surface area (in square inches)
i found this, but i think it provides the same info that's on the current site
http://taylorguitars.us/guitars/features/shapes/

i remember seeing outlines that compared the older silhouettes of the
the grand concert, dreadnought & jumbo when they were designed &
i think they showed superimposed red & green lines, but i can't locate
the link right now & i can't seem to recall there being surface area specs

will have to check back later ... sorry

[cjd-player]

Edward, I know exactly what you are talking about. 
They listed the top surface area for each body size.
I believe I have the chart at home. 
I will look tonight after work.

[Herb Hunter]

Soundboard Area


Grand Concert:.......223 sq in
Grand Auditorium:....243.5 sq in
Grand Symphony:......247.25 sq in
Dreadnought:.........252.5 sq in
Jumbo:...............267.4 sq in

[Edward]

Yes, Herb ...I knew you'd have it since you had posted it numerous times before on AGF.  Thanks, sir ...appreciate that!
(ok, that's it, I'm saving this tidbit )

On a sidenote, I have to express a bit of dismay with the new website: it may look pretty, but I'm not convinced it's arranged any better than their old one. Thank you all, gents. 

Edward

[Steve]

Just a question: In what way is this type of information important, or is it just for curiosity's sake?

[Herb Hunter]

Just a question: In what way is this type of information important, or is it just for curiosity's sake?

All else being equal, the greater the surface the greater the volume potential. I find the data useful for comparative purposes. For example, the soundboard area information illustrates how much closer the grand auditorium is to a dreadnought than it is to a grand concert guitar and how much bigger the jumbo is than a dreadnought.

[Steve]

For example, the soundboard area information illustrates how much closer the grand auditorium is to a dreadnought than it is to a grand concert guitar and how much bigger the jumbo is than a dreadnought.

Yeah, but can't you tell that by looking at them?

[DennisG]

For example, the soundboard area information illustrates how much closer the grand auditorium is to a dreadnought than it is to a grand concert guitar and how much bigger the jumbo is than a dreadnought.

Yeah, but can't you tell that by looking at them?

Apparently, not everyone can, especially when the guitars aren't right in front of you, as might be the case when buying from an online dealer.

[Satsuki]

Dennis, Steve does have a point you were rough on him. I thought Steve had several good points .
I wondered why the OP wanted the info myself. When it is obvious which is bigger in the photos.

[Steve]

Anyone looking at pictures of the guitars can tell which ones are bigger and which ones are smaller.

I guess the information about "surface area" is nice, interesting information to have, but it doesn't mean a lot. Ask yourself: How many times have you purchased a guitar and inquired about the surface area measurements of tops on different guitars?

I'm gonna' guess that'd be a big "None"...

[michaelw]

i'm guessing that the info would be for the non-cutaway models &
as the grand symphony is listed, that it is for the current (06-later)
design, as the DN, GC & JM have been redesigned in the past -
the DN in 97 & GC & JM in 00, to bring aesthetics 'in-line with the GA

seeing that the surface area of the top will differ slightly with the
different types of purfling, i was curious if the measurements were
taken from a finished guitar (300 series, 900 series or other), or
if they were taken from the tops before finishing (just laser-cut),
but, then again, i doubt that it would make much  of a difference, overall

i would think that, possibly  more than the area of the top, the bracing &
the shape of the top (contour of the upper/lower bout & waist) would
contribute more to the characteristics of the guitar's overall tone -
that is, if one were to take a jumbo body, trimmed the perimeter equally
until the surface area matched a dreadnought & then a grand symphony,
i imagine the 2 smaller guitars would sound a good bit different than
if one were to take a dreadnought top dimensions & change the overall
size to where it matched the area of a grand symphony or of a jumbo

just in terms of area, i'm wondering how close the pre 97 square shoulder
dreadnoughts are, compared to the current jumbo & grand symphony 

i was wondering if there are specs for other models as well -
these are just an approximation (somewhat calculated guess),
but i doubt i'm even close, especially with the big baby

baby                    189.25 sq in
big baby              236.75 sq in
GS Mini               216.25 sq in

this a good thread & i'm glad you asked the posted the question, Edward

searching the internet looking for these specs (i didn't find them),
i came across a site that i probably wouldn't have found otherwise -
http://hajos-kontrapunkte.blogspot.com/2011/09/b-e-richardson-acoustical-development.html

some pretty interesting stuff there also, imho

[Herb Hunter]

For example, the soundboard area information illustrates how much closer the grand auditorium is to a dreadnought than it is to a grand concert guitar and how much bigger the jumbo is than a dreadnought.

Yeah, but can't you tell that by looking at them?

Not to a meaningful degree, especially when there are differences in waist proportion. I could make some assumptions but I'd rather deal with facts.

[ctkarslake]

I wondered about the early DN size compared to the redesigned DN as well, since I have one of each.  The redesigned DN appears to be a good bit smaller now than it was back in the day but it's probably minimal.  I'm guessing <10 sq. inches difference.

Can you imagine the equation(s) used to find the area of such a funky, rounded shape as the top of a guitar?