Any One Build Guitars?
- Thread starter chruler
- Start date
MBfreak
MEMBER EMERITUS
Building an electric or acoustic guitar has been a dream for me for a long time.
I am afraid my woodworking skills are not enough. But I sure would love to try!
Building an valve/tube amp is no prob for me, and would really like to build an even mediocre guitar.
Any good books on the subject?
Ola
I am afraid my woodworking skills are not enough. But I sure would love to try!
Building an valve/tube amp is no prob for me, and would really like to build an even mediocre guitar.
Any good books on the subject?
Ola
Stooge
Well-known member
thats some amazing work your doing! luthiers have always held alot of respect in my mind, i can not even fathom the amount of patience you would need to be able to hand build an acoustic guitar from scratch....but i also dont have much patience with wood working so that could be a big part of it.
BassProCamaro97
Well-known member
I build electrics. I haven't taken on the acoustic yet. Yours looks to be shaping up nicely!
I've built electrics... not to the extent of making my own neck, I have cut out bodies from scratch and on my router table I could surely do most operations. My dad built an acoustic guitar when I was little.
Only one I still have is my ******* Telecaster, Swamp Ash Body from a blank (Slab is EASY) This one is Nitro Lacquer finished, I was going to do Butterscotch Blonde but liked the natural look better.
Only one I still have is my ******* Telecaster, Swamp Ash Body from a blank (Slab is EASY) This one is Nitro Lacquer finished, I was going to do Butterscotch Blonde but liked the natural look better.
Nice! Good to see some fellow enthusiasts!
Here's the latest progress on mine.
I have slotted and glued the fingerboard to neck and set it up for the shot.
Here I am centering the area where the peghead tapers to the neck. Tricky business.
I'm hoping to have it strung up in another 3 weeks or so. Can't wait!
Here's the latest progress on mine.
I have slotted and glued the fingerboard to neck and set it up for the shot.
Here I am centering the area where the peghead tapers to the neck. Tricky business.
I'm hoping to have it strung up in another 3 weeks or so. Can't wait!
JonBoehman
Well-known member
I love that damned ruler!
knuckleduster271
Banned
Never built one but been thinking about doing a cigar box sometime.
Jon, that ruler is actually a nice little 6" center finding ruler that works great for small jobs like this. Most center finding rulers are quite a bit bigger.
knuckleduster, cigar box guitars rule! I haven't built one yet but I really want to. Fun little project!
knuckleduster, cigar box guitars rule! I haven't built one yet but I really want to. Fun little project!
If you haven't already, you might want to check out Frank Ford's site at frets.com. He is a luthier that got into machining so that he could make tools, jigs, etc. The website hasn't been updated in a while but it's a great resource for both luthiers and machinists. LOTS of projects and shop tips.
malibu101
Well-known member
JonBoehman
Well-known member
I am interested in building an archtop acoustic but haven't gotten the time or nerve to do it yet.
metalhead140
Well-known member
Assembled, modified, rebuilt, and repaired a few electrics. I want to make one from scratch one day, but I have a lot of "one day" projects! Nice work on the acoustic! How did you decide on your bracing layout for the soundboard?
The bracing layout is directly from a Martin OM guitar. The difference is, my bracing is much lighter and specifically tuned to the top and sides. I could have taken it down more than I did, but then stability starts to play a role.
Typically, acoustic guitars are manufactured with very robust bracing because the manufacturers know they will be left in hot cars, or outside on cold nights and that keeping it in a humidity controlled environment is not a common thing. So, rather than pay out huge warranty claims, they make the guitars more robust at the expense of the sound.
It's truly fascination to see what happens to the sound as the bracing is shaped.
Give it a try! You can buy a Martin kit and make a beautiful guitar.
malibu101
Well-known member
Martin Guitar in Nazareth PA is about 1/2 hour away from me.
I've toured the factory. VERY neat stuff even though I don't know how to play any instruments.
Since you're really into this you should take a ride south sometime to see their place and museum.
I don't think you'd be disappointed.
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Count me in on the cigar box build. I have only custom painted electrics, candies, pearls and an Eddie Van Halen copy years ago.
metalhead140
Well-known member
Yes, the bracing has a big impact on the sound. I may not have built any guitars from scratch, but I have attended several presentations by local luthiers, it's one of the big things shaping the tone of an acoustic. Very cool, great work. 
The bracing is of course extremely important. I was struggling with this one and reached a point where it seemed that any further shaping on the braces was not having a significant effect on the frequencies. So, I sanded the top a little thinner all the way around the edge making the lows and mids much more pronounced. It's a cedar top on mahogany sides so, I'm not going to get my hopes up too high on this one. It'll sound good though.
The most exciting part of this build is what I'm calling the "corduroy bridge."
I'm going to take a standard rosewood bridge and slot it in the same direction as the cedar wood grain on the sound board. It is my hope that the bridge will become a little more flexible across the body while maintaining it's rigidity down the length. The point is , to reduce the damping effect gluing the bridge down has on the sound.
I'll post photos as I make progress.
The most exciting part of this build is what I'm calling the "corduroy bridge."
I'm going to take a standard rosewood bridge and slot it in the same direction as the cedar wood grain on the sound board. It is my hope that the bridge will become a little more flexible across the body while maintaining it's rigidity down the length. The point is , to reduce the damping effect gluing the bridge down has on the sound.
I'll post photos as I make progress.
Notgrownup
Well-known member
That is nice Chruler. I like that....
kelpaso1
MEMBER EMERITUS
metalhead140
Well-known member
Made any more progress? I decided to embark on a set neck kit build as the final stepping stone before I start on a scratch built electric. Damn nice spalted maple cap over mahogany body and neck. Probably be a while before I get much time on it, but I did a mock assembly to get an idea of what to do and what will need extra work and time in fitting.
That spalted maple guitar looks great!
Made some more progress this past weekend.
Here's a shot after I finished shaping the neck. I'm sure the Martin Guitar purists are gagging at the sight of a Gibson style volute but hey, I really don't want the peghead to snap off if this thing ever falls over!
Here's a shot with the frets in. I have leveled them and now doing a little spit and polish.
Made some more progress this past weekend.
Here's a shot after I finished shaping the neck. I'm sure the Martin Guitar purists are gagging at the sight of a Gibson style volute but hey, I really don't want the peghead to snap off if this thing ever falls over!
Here's a shot with the frets in. I have leveled them and now doing a little spit and polish.
metalhead140
Well-known member
Nice work on the neck! Great looking veneer on the headstock, what type of timber is that?
j p smith
Well-known member
The neck and body are mahogany. The soundboard is cedar, and the fingerboard is rosewood.
I added a rosewood veneer to the peghead, and added a darker mahogany stripe to the center of it just to dress it up a little. Can't wait to play it!
Absolutely beautiful carving! Have always wished I could do that!
Allgonquin
Well-known member
You guys are pros. Here is a cigar box guitar I made on a whim last winter. 3 string, fretless. Pegs came from ebay. Neck is walnut scrap I had lying around. It came out well, if I do say so. I went to my local cigar store and they had a zillion cigar boxes to choose from which they sold very cheap. Bought several different sizes to experiment with. Next one will be fretted, 4 string, I think.
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gwunsch
Well-known member
I'll need to take some picture, but 8 or 9 years ago I built a dreadnaught style acoustic. Fun project, turned out great. It was modeled after a Martin with standard x bracing. I still want to build an archtop or carvetop someday.
Made any more progress? I decided to embark on a set neck kit build as the final stepping stone before I start on a scratch built electric. Damn nice spalted maple cap over mahogany body and neck. Probably be a while before I get much time on it, but I did a mock assembly to get an idea of what to do and what will need extra work and time in fitting.
Who's Kit is that?
I'd be glad to post a recording once I'm done with the guitar.
My playing leans more towards classic rock, but here's an example of some clean blues.
I played the guitar track in this video, LOL!
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