Questions: Typical Instrument Dimensions

by R.M. Mottola

Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015



Jacob Tarnowski from cyberspace asks:

I am a CAD drafter. I found the object library in the computer program I am using is sadly deficient in musical instruments, and so I was wondering if you could let me know who to contact to get some typical instrument dimensions for guitars (acoustic and electric), mandolins, violins, and so on. Are there books you’d recommend, or any manufacturers who may be willing to provide such information?


R.M. Mottola of Newton, Massachusetts responds:

The short answer is, unfortunately, that there is no short answer. To my knowledge there is no comprehensive source for dimensional info. Which of the many sources to go to would depend on just how accurate you need to get. There are a smattering of sources for CAD models, but these vary in level of detail, accuracy, and file format.