Guitar Repairs and Mods, Steve Bloom, Cuban Tres Conversion, Taylor Baby Guitar
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- Опубликовано: 30 май 2016
- Steve Bloom shows how he converts a Taylor Baby Acoustic Guitar to a Cuban Tres (Tres Cubano).
The basic steps are as follows:
1. Fill in the bridge holes with wooden bridge pins.
2. Trim, Glue, and sand smooth the pins.
3. Fill the nut slots and cut new slots for the string pairs.
4. Drill 4 new holes in the bridge, in the correct places.
5. Adjust action at the saddle, make a new one if necessary.
6. Put on new strings. Enjoy!
If you'd like to find out more about my Guitar Repairs, please visit the repairs page of my website at:
bloomworks.com/GuitarRepairsNe...
Also, you can see lots more guitar repair pictures at:
/ bloomworksnyc
and
/ bloomworksnyc 
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Beautiful work, sound and above all TALENTO!!! Very KIckass!!!!!!
Nice man!
They are my fav's for converting. I've done two Baby Taylor's and a GS Mini. Although I do prefer to add a trapeze style tailpiece instead of the extra pins in the bridge.
Nice stuff!!!
Cheers.
Cool. I did 5 of these between Dec and Feb. They were all friends of each other, and they all play on Broadway. Crazy!
How do you add a trapeze tailpiece to this kind of bridge? Fill in the holes, and then drill straight through like a classical bridge?
A GS Mini worked too. Maybe a Full sized Guitar turned into a Cuban Tres might sound very, very loud due to its large body.
Side note you've switched out that Tailpiece to a pinned bridge.
Excelente trabajo. Para mí la conversión más limpia dejando un nuevo instrumento de gran calidad.
Mucha gracia, Senor!
It's a really nice pickup they use
You can also tune it GBE (like the 1st 3 strings on a standard Guitar) by tuning the 2nd pair of Strings down a Half Step so that you wouldn't have to transpose or think about playing in another Key.
The thing for me is that I spent so many years learning G-C-E tuning that now G-B-E feels funny to me! I have a client who brought me a Tres last week tuned to G-B-E, and the E strings are not an octave. That's the modern thing to do!!
@@bloomworks1 Yes Unison E Strings & actually the TC100 Strings have that
@@bloomworks1 GBE Tuning is the same as the 1st 3 strings of a Guitar & it could be great for "Song Covers". GCE would be like the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th strings of a Guitar w/ a Capo on Fret #5, where as GBE is the 1st 3 strings of a Guitar (w/o the Capo) so it saves me the trouble of having to transpose.
@@bloomworks1 Pancho Amat uses the GBE Tuning w/ Unison E Strings
There should be a built in tuner for easier tuning when you string it up.
What's the height of the strings at 12-fret for the low-to-mid action? Do you use the same as the 6-string guitar? Which string gauge do you prefer to ease the play at the octave string pairs (G and E)?
Height of the strings at the 12th fret, same as almost all guitars, 2/32".
String Gauges: E: .011/.023 (Silk & Steel) or .022 Bronze
C: .014 plain for both
G: .011/.023 (Silk & Steel) or .022 Bronze
Enjoy!!
Bloomworks
I was hoping you reattached the pickup because the pickup allows for more versatility.
Well...I re-attached the pickup because there was no way to use anything else. And it's a good pickup.
@@bloomworks Yep so it's an Acoustic-Electric Cuban Tres, you can use FX Peals too.
@@bloomworks A really good pickup.
You can use D'addario EJ41 Extra Light Gauge 12 String Acoustic Guitar Strings (Gauges 8/21, 13/13, 26/9)
My apologies, but I prefer: E: 11/23, C: 14/14, G: 11/23
For me the 8 gauge is too light.
@@bloomworks1 Actually the 8 gauge would work better on a longer scale length like 25.5 inches if you ever convert a full sized Guitar into a super Jumbo Cuban Tres. The 8 gauge also minimizes the tension to keep the string from breaking.
@@bloomworks1 I prefer 8/21, 13/13/, 26/9 because I have a 25.5 inch scale Super Cuban Tres & lighter gauge strings work better on a longer scale, remember? The use of those strings allowed me to successfully convert a Full Sized Guitar into a Super Jumbo Cuban Tres.
@@bloomworks1 Lighter gauge strings are less likely to break & I use those because mine is a 25.5 inch scale. Why not try converting a full sized Guitar into a Super Big Cuban Tres & use the gauges from the EJ41 string set that I listed above?
@@bloomworks1 Lighter gauge strings are generally easier to play & they work better on a longer scale length. So if you did use those gauges for the cuban tres setup, I would suggest using a 25.5 inch scale.
I am converting a takamine, cutaway. Could use some do’s and don’t’s filling and drilling new bridge pin holes. And tools used.
Hello ErosRoy. So, the first advice I can give you is that you are much better off converting a short-scale guitar, like a 3/4 size. If you convert a full size, you won't be able to tune the high G string without it breaking.
Taylor Baby guitars are the best, but you have to add a small piece of ebony to the bridge, by the 6th string hole.
For filling the holes, I buy plain ebony or rosewood bridge pins, put one in the bridge, reach under and turn it while holding a pencil, so you know where to cut off the bottom of the pin. On top, I slice off the knob of the pin. I use a small luthier's vise and a jeweler's saw. Then I glue in the 4 middle bridge pins with tite-bond, then sand smooth on top. 80 grit, then 120, 330, 600, something like that. Don't fill in the two E-string holes because you will use them for the Tres. For re-drilling, I drill a small hole first, then get it close to what I need, then use a reamer. The spacing of the pairs should be 3mm between the 2 strings, at the nut and the bridge. Hope that helps!
@@bloomworks Hi and Happy New Year. Thank you, now at least I have a plan and guidance to move forward . Thanks Eros Roy. PS: That explains why Willy Vega uses a capo on his full size guitar conversion. Thanks again for your knowledge sharing!
@@bloomworks Actually having said that there are 4/4 Size 12 string guitars w/ a 25.5 inch scale & the high g is a .008 to keep the tension down.
@@RockStarOscarStern634 I still believe that a small guitar makes a better Tres. I've converted a large number of instruments, and the best are 3/4 size guitars.
@@bloomworks Some musicians have converted full sized guitars into super big cuban treses (they used a 12 string guitar high g string which is an 8 gauge to keep the tension down) because they want a big punchy sound.
Bloomworks
Magma Cuban Tres strings (Model TC100) would've worked better
I never heard of those strings! Thanks! I'll check them out!
@@bloomworks give them a go and see what they sound like. They're inexpensive and I think they sound lovely. These strings are silver plated copper and have ball ends (like any standard guitar strings) so that shouldn't be an issue.
Nice video and very helpful. What tuning do you use in the video
2nd String: E, like the first string of a guitar.
1rst String: E one octave higher.
(The octave higher string is the outer string, next to the edge of the fingerboard.)
3rd and 4th strings: C in unison, one half-step higher than the B string of a guitar.
5th String: G, same as the third guitar string
6th String: G, one octave higher.
Hope that helps!
@@bloomworks Thanks!!!
@@bloomworks Actually the Octave E String is an octave below the High. E because the E5 String isn't yet available.
@@bloomworks It can also be tuned G, B, E like Pancho Amat if you as a Guitarist want to pick up the Tres and play it. With GBE Tuning I'd suggest the 1'st song is Lean on Me arranged by Roger Emerson (use SATB Score and ShowTrax CD full performance track from JW Pepper:www.jwpepper.com/10083963.item) cause its composer Bill Withers sadly died.
Yes, that's right. A lot of modern Tres players do tune it to G, B, E. I decided a long time ago to use G, C, E, just for myself.
With the price of the guitar you get a real tres