What's a volute?

[Darin Raffety]

I know, I'm an idiot but what the heck is a volute? I have seen ES-175's
advertised as non-volute? Something about Gibson's lack of quality in the
70's (which had a volute - whatever that is) makes non-volute better? Is it
somekind of fancy woodwork? Anybody got a picture of a volute? Is it legal
to post one on the internet? This should be an easy one, but thanks in
advance...

Darin

[Jim Kroger]

In article <SNzd6.125801$Y23.7...@typhoon.kc.rr.com>, "Darin Raffety"
<draf...@kc.rr.com> wrote:

Where the back of the neck turns into the back of the headstock is a
smooth transition like

__________________
------------------
neck headstock

unless you have a volute, which looks like

_________________
-------v---------
neck headstock

It is like a little pointy protrusion around the neck at the junction that
adds material in that area thus strengthens that spot, which is prone to
breaking.

Jim

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[Mark Guest]

Hi Darin,

When we're talking guitars, a volute is a hump (no, not that kind) on the
back of the neck where the neck meets the headstock. They're designed to
strengthen the area in question. Here's a copy of a reply to the same
question that I posted in the rec.music.makers.builders group:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Mark, the volute was an attempt by Gibson to strengthen the peghead/neck
area of their one piece bandsawn necks. It didn't work very well for that
purpose, but on the other hand it didn't hurt either. My advice to you is
if the guitar sounds and plays the way you like, and you can get it at a
good price, snap it up quick, before the market catches up! ;-)

--
Ron Long
Links to Guitar Builders and Repairers at:
http://home.rochester.rr.com/ronelong/makers.htm

"Darin Raffety" <draf...@kc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:SNzd6.125801$Y23.7...@typhoon.kc.rr.com...

[Mark Kleinhaut]

In article <minorseventhSPAMBLOCK-
30010109...@tritone.csbmb.princeton.edu>,

I had never heard of a volute either. Thanks.
----------------------------------------------------------
Mark Kleinhaut
Follow URL's for info and soundclips about:
my debut album "Amphora"
www.invisiblemusicrecords.com/Resources/Amphora.html
my newest album "Secrets of Three"
www.invisiblemusicrecords.com/Resources/SO3.html
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[Steve Modica]

I had an'83 les paul that didn't have a volute, and a buddy of mine had
a les paul that did (older than mine). At the time, we called that a
"heel". I'd never heard of volute until now.

Steve

--
Steve Modica
"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, hit him with a fish and
he leaves you alone" - me

[Mark Guest]

Here's a link to a picture of a volute:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html#specs

--
Mark Guest
JazzerWB at JahWho dot com

"Darin Raffety" <draf...@kc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:SNzd6.125801$Y23.7...@typhoon.kc.rr.com...

[Mark Guest]

[Thomas F Brown]

That would make a good SAT question:

The schvengel is to the sackbut as the volute is to the ---.

[Mike Ellenberger]

According to the American Heritage Dictionary

vo-lute (võ-lát2) n.
1. A spiral, scroll-like ornament such as that used on an Ionic capital.
2.a. A spiral formation, such as one of the whorls of a gastropod shell.
b. Any of various marine gastropod mollusks of the family Volutidae,
having a spiral, often colorfully marked shell. —vo0lut2ed (-lá2t*d) adj.

This is a stretch at best unless there is yet another definition.

Mike

--

Mike Ellenberger
Listen to some soundclips at
http://home.att.net/~grumpmeister/MikesJazzPage.html

[Joey Goldstein]

Mike Ellenberger wrote:
>
> According to the American Heritage Dictionary
>
> vo-lute (võ-lát2) n.
> 1. A spiral, scroll-like ornament such as that used on an Ionic capital.
> 2.a. A spiral formation, such as one of the whorls of a gastropod shell.
> b. Any of various marine gastropod mollusks of the family Volutidae,
> having a spiral, often colorfully marked shell. —vo0lut2ed (-lá2t*d) adj.
>
> This is a stretch at best unless there is yet another definition.

Sounds more like a viloin family headstock than the bump near the
backside of the nut on an 80's Gibson neck.

--
Regards:
Joey Goldstein
Guitarist/Jazz Recording Artist/Teacher
Home Page: http://webhome.idirect.com/~joegold
Email: <joegold AT idirect DOT com>

[JTG1]

If the volute strengthens the neck/headstock area, then wouldn't it be
better to volute than not?

jon

Jim Kroger <minorseven...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:minorseventhSPAMBLO...@tritone.csbmb.princeton.edu...

[Joey Goldstein]

JTG1 wrote:
>
> If the volute strengthens the neck/headstock area, then wouldn't it be
> better to volute than not?

I don't like the way they feel. They make certain chords in 1st position
hard to play.

[Joe Finn]

Joey Goldstein wrote:

>
> I don't like the way they feel. They make certain chords in 1st position
> hard to play.
>

I had a Martin with one. It was awkward to play but after a while I got used
to it.
...joe

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[Winston Castro]

On Wed, 31 Jan 2001 03:31:22 GMT, "JTG1" <jtgr...@rochester.rr.com>
wrote:

>If the volute strengthens the neck/headstock area, then wouldn't it be
>better to volute than not?
>
>jon
>
>
>

It feels funky when hitting a first position open E chord. On the
hand, jazzers never play those...

Martin accoustics frequently have volutes on them.

It's a nobule of extra wood, often triangular in shape, on the back of
the headstock, transitioning up from the back of the neck.