A few months back I posted some pics of an A12 to F5G conversion...carved scroll, regraduated top and back, triple bound, fern headstock inlay, burst, lacquered, polished. It looked great but sounded thin and average. I decided to really thin the back out to see if that would help. Then oops, I sanded through the back! O well, let's take a better look inside ( it will be easier to take more beef off the tone bars now too). I took what was left of the back off, and here's what I found. Look at the size of this neck block! It's enormous. In addition to it's weight and stiffness, it's taking up important space in the soundbox. What was Gibson thinking? Anyway, I carved the neck block way down, thinned the tone bars, carved a new back. Now it's a monster, maybe too loud. It sounds like it's plugged in. Anyway, I think this is why stock A12s essentially never sound good.
Bookmarks