Acoustic Building Book

[SMellmo]

I'm thinking about building my first acoustic guitar. I do not have all the knowledge to feel confident starting my first build.

Do you have any lutherie book recommandation?

[WezV]

lots of good ones for acoustics;

Cumpiano & Natelson - 'Guitarmaking:Tradition & Technology' is a very thick and thorough book that takes you through building a steel string and classical but its not exactly the most interesting one to read!!

Irving Sloane - 'steel string guitar construction' is a good basic one

Johnathan Kinkade - 'Build your own acoustic guitars' is a new one with lots of colour pics but isnt as thorough as the other two

[Mattia]

Cumpiano and Natelson to get your head wrapped around the construction techniques, then the MIMF.com library to learn new and/or better ways of doing certain things (like, y'know, building with a mold, using radius dishes and bolt-on necks. For example). For me, the book is what allowed me to fully understand and integrate the information presented on the web.

[jaycee]

For me, the book is what allowed me to fully understand and integrate the information presented on the web.

I must agree with Mat theres nothing quite like a book even with the vast amount of info on the net.

You can pick it up , put it down whenever you want, and cumpiano's book is exellent.

Check out your local library to see if they have any mine had cumpiano's which I was very suprised at

[GoodWood]

Depending on your requirements, you could do what I wished I had done first, use a crap guitar and put a good top on it. Its cheaper to get in this way, and it will teach you alot. You'll have to take off the fretboard, and will take off the top and see why it sounds the way it does, and it will be WAY quicker. Its about 150-200 hrs for your first guitar if you dont have to redo everything as I had to.)

I may do this for my "second guitar." (top and back)

You could get your decent Sitka top and bracewood for about $50.00 if your lucky and its good stock, Thickness sanding it, $20.00. (Rosette tools? You can use a chisel and xacto blade, or make a dohicky up, unless you have a dremel, then you need to get the router/circle cutter, so thats $100.00 right there.)

So basicly to redo a flat top could be around $100.00 or less, and then you can see if you get the "bug".

I would give one really big big clue if you decide to go from scratch. Make a 'fox bender mold FIRST, get it to bend the sides to where they will fit together, and then make the negative mold from that. Then youll have a perfect fit and no nonsense/ days weeks wasted working the kinks out.

There ya go, 3 quarter sawn sets for $25.00 Cant beat that.

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Sets-Quartersawn-Sit...1QQcmdZViewItem

Edited August 7, 2007 by GoodWood

[Mattia]

Rosette: just drill holes in your router base and rotate it around a center pin. As many as you need. Make a spare base for said purpose if you don't want to mess of the factory one. Alternately, y'know, buy one of the replacement bases easily found on the web (routerbits.com, f'r instance)

[GoodWood]

Rosette: just drill holes in your router base and rotate it around a center pin. As many as you need. Make a spare base for said purpose if you don't want to mess of the factory one. Alternately, y'know, buy one of the replacement bases easily found on the web (routerbits.com, f'r instance)

How do you make it adjustable? There was a fordom home made posted a while back, but it wanst adjustable.

I was using my fancy 'downdraft' spriral bit, Stewi mac certified, and I still got a little tear out.

[Mattia]

Rosette: just drill holes in your router base and rotate it around a center pin. As many as you need. Make a spare base for said purpose if you don't want to mess of the factory one. Alternately, y'know, buy one of the replacement bases easily found on the web (routerbits.com, f'r instance)

How do you make it adjustable? There was a fordom home made posted a while back, but it wanst adjustable.

I was using my fancy 'downdraft' spriral bit, Stewi mac certified, and I still got a little tear out.

You adjust by drilling another hole, a little closer or a little further away from the router bit (ie different radius). It's simpler than it sounds.

Alternately, roll your own adjustable circle cutter:

http://www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Preci...outer_Base.html

As for routing in spruce, I tend to shellac the top first (around the rosette area), toughens up the top layer of fibers that little bit more.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Mattia

[GoodWood]

Yea, thats a nice base, kinda like the Dremel bases. What I need is to jig up a micro adjustable depth thingi on the dremel.

Second top looks alot nicer than the first, like a real guitar top! Standard Martin style fake whalebone Rosette.

[MP63]

For me, it was Irving Sloane's Steel String Guitar Construction.

Simple and tailored for the person who may not want to invest the thousands that many here have.