Guitar to tres conversion
A few weeks ago, a month actually, I was asked to convert a 3/4 size guitar into a tres. ( Google Cuban tres guitar) I have worked on several of these instruments installing pickups and putting them back together. Many of them are modified guitars, converted with varying degrees of success. Some are made to be a tres, again with varying degrees of sucess.
The Ebase 3/4 size guitar which features a cutaway and pickup is a well-made $150 guitar, and as it turns out is an ideal candidate for the conversion to a Tres. I was able to fill 4 of the bridge pin holes (leaving the two outside holes intact) with ebony bridge pins cutting and trimming them flush after the glue dried. I then reconfigured the bridge pin holes, one forward and one back to accommodate the tight string spacing necessary for double courses ( like a 12 string guitar ) .
To layout the nut correctly I had to establish where the 2 outside nut slots would be. Measuring to the center of the nut positioned the middle course of strings. A new saddle was required, the original being compensated in a way that was no benefit to a tres. After this, clean up and stringing were all that was needed to be done to complete the conversion.
John
