Belly Top

[brums]

Hi, everyone,

I've a question to experts Gibson owners,

 

How to determine the normal belly top on a guitar ?

which's normal belly value ?

 

I use .13/56 (EJ17) on my J45 recently, and I noticed that

the top had a pronunced belly near the bridge on the bass side of strings,

 

I worried and returned to .12/54 (EJ16)

I inspected into the sound hole (with a mirror)

but braces inside seem normally glued.

 

thanks to you and

excuse me for my bad language

I'm italian and Know english so and so

[Buc McMaster]

I don't think there is such a thing as "normal belly". All tops under string tension will move, some more than others, but I don't think there is anything described as normal. I put .013-.056 mediums on my J200 after years of using lights (.012-.054) and after 24 hours or so noticed substantial lifting of the top behind the bridge. Perhaps the lifting would cause no harm over time, perhaps it would eventually begin to belly the top in front of the bridge. I choose to believe the latter and took the mediums off the guitar, returning to light gauge as you did. Mediums produced more volume and sustain, no doubt, but the guitar sounds great with lights and I would rather not risk long term damage.

[Jayla]

I put .013-.056 mediums on my J200 after years of using lights (.012-.054) and after 24 hours or so noticed substantial lifting of the top behind the bridge. Perhaps the lifting would cause no harm over time' date=' perhaps it would eventually begin to belly the top in front of the bridge. I choose to believe the latter and took the mediums off the guitar, returning to light gauge as you did. Mediums produced more volume and sustain, no doubt, but the guitar sounds great with lights and I would rather not risk long term damage.[/quote']

 

 

Last fall I had my J-100 set up for and strung with mediums, but didn't notice any lifting. (Could be that it was there and that I simply didn't notice or know what to look for exactly.) I agree about the greater volume and sustain, but like you in the end I took the 13s off and put 12s back on just the other day.

 

It had come with and sounded great with 12s and the 13s were an experiment -- I just wanted to see what it would sound and play like. I admit that I also considered the possible long-term effects of using mediums, but finally changed back for playability reasons -- I've been playing a lot of fingerstyle lately and the mediums were not ideal for that.

[brums]

i would like to see some photo of "regular" belly top.........

is that possible ??