GoodWood

Oooops, no, I was talking about the Logo, wood on wood, or wood (headplate) with epoxy, ebony dust for filling in. I found this, for about $35.00 they will set you up with some niffty hand tools. I may make my own to just test it out. http://www.contenti.com/products/engraving...ls/270-303.html

I was looking through my Stewi Mac catalog,and saw they have some nice little hand tools for inlay. Anyone have any recommended cutters for doing it by hand. I have the dremel and will get the bits for it and all, but I love carving by hand etc...Ive been thinking about some linoleum cutters I may have packed away from college. Those were sharp and had fine points for detail cutting. Or mayb its time to just test out the dremel...

I have an older Craftsman 4" Planer that I use for braces, necks etc. Love it (cant see doing Luthieri without it- 1 hour by hand=10 minutes on planer), but the blades are a bit worn out one the one side that gets the most use. Ive seen a jig at craftsman for setting blades, but are there any tricks to this, or any good companies that do it? Thanks

Did anyone see John Cougar on that 'Scottish' Craig Fergeson guys late night show, (on CBS I think?) He had an old D-35? Wow, it sounded SOOOO good, but his new song lacked a little, sorry John, pop some meds and get pissed off again! Anyone know what it was?

Ok, I didnt want to get into a pissing war over tha fact that Im the worlds top acoustic guitar luvin freak, so I'll just say no one is above me on that!

Basicly, for 1 year, $30,000+ is absurd. Thats what harvard costs. a 4 year apprentship for violin is $40,000 for 4 years. It takes 4 years to learn to make a violin, but 1 year for a guitar? back/front dishes are ready made, dovtails take a few tries to get just right, not rocket science. Voicing front and backs would be worth $1000.00 workshop if you can get that. I tried to sell a no name custom guitar and got one offer $600.00 You have to market you stuff also, which is business 101. Do they have a marketing course for your instant $3000.00 guitars? You could probably find a working luthier to teach you for free, (free labor on your part) for a year. You would just need a secondary job to pay rent. Ok, thats $200 for me right there! Ill PM my addy I fully understand that I will have to blow you away, one way or the other, to get your $2000.00+ for one of my guitars,and expect it to take 2-3 years. BUT I have a marketing plan, (unproven as of yet). Im an artist woodcaver and I am going to push this stuff like no one, but I have already had 10+ 'new ' ideas about how to build the guitar, and ALL of them have been done by someone. Im also the worlds biggest acoustic guitar freak. Im up at the 99.999999999 level. Love the wood do I. I read about KINKEADS guitars the other day. People are blown away by his stuff. I was blown away reading what they said about his guitars. Now I want a friggin Kinked guitar. GRRRRRRr I can definetaly market this stuff, and MARKETING, the dirty word, is what it is about, Good or BAD, push it. Like TAYLOR, I just looked at a $4000.00 taylor guitar, and laughted. What kind of an idiot would buy this? "Oh, it has special walnut sides", god the sales bullshit was so thick youd think you were at a DAIRY. Nonsense, they were SELLING a $1000.00 guitar for a huge ass markup. There is where you maket is, take it away from martin and taylor. Youd be insane to buy the crap factory guitar when you could get a kinkead for about the same, but who has heard of KINKEAD? I knew nothing about custom builders until 8 months ago, and Im the worlds BIGGEST acoustic junkie. Lot I know. but from what Ive read about Kinkead, man, if your a tone freak, I had better do you right, and that will not come overnight or from a $32,000 a year school, unless you are building 3 a month and have a friggin good ear. For that price, I would BUY a Kinkead, and go find a luthier, and build em till you approach his stuff. Another $200.00 please!!!

IT may take a couple times to get it right. I blew my first couple. Plus you have to file the string sizes correctly.

The nut should be held on with just a spot of glue. Usually you can just tap it out. Be careful if you have a headstock veneer, clamp something to hold the edge veneer down where it contacts the nut. It should have no glue on that edge.

Have you ever tried to build one yourself? This is not rocket science. For what ever the school costs, it will still cost you $2000.00 in tools if you have none at all. I was looking at Luthier violin schools, 40,000 and choked pretty bad. Get some books and do one first, even a spruce or cedar one, with cheap lumber. See if its what you really want to do.

Id say its harder than mahogany from reading up on it. It should have more 'ping' BUT If you brace the guitar too heavy, you wont have a good base sound. I like my $500.00 for recording just fine, and I swear to god it really sounds great, until I try a good $1100.00 guitar, and then it sounds like crap. Ive tried 600. 'ply' martin rosewoods that sound REAL good to my ear, not sure how they would record. Mahogany is the cheapest stuff about to do a test guitar with. But I know what its like to crave a set your looking at. You dont see Padouk, Bubinga much at the music stores. I looked at a "Special" Claro Walnut Taylor the other day, machine made braces and all, $4000.00 and laughed when I left the store. It sure as hell didnt sound like a $4000 guitar, its just sales pitch /markup and bullshit. Those guys are good with that. I am SOOOOO friggin glad i took the plunge, but I have to say the necks on those taylors make me sweat a bit. they are perfect. "special" claro walnut. It didnt even look that good. Ok sorry, heres a good description, sounds like a winner! http://www.sheppardguitars.com/bubinga.htm

Thanks Fryovanni, thats about what I got going, what do you use to stick the sandpaper to the plane? Is that 2 pieces of paper?

I got a "glue up" table saw blade from Eagle Hardware and unfortunately, it didnt work out my first cuts. It may have been that the boards are not flat all the way through or something, but it would be a dream to just run the dang things through a blade and glue them up. Im back to file, Plane, white pencil, and light. (light board comming up soon!) Anyone have easier ways to glue up backs and fronts? I think with a light table, they would go alot faster, have it set so one side centers on it, match, mark, plane a bit, until they mate. Ive also been looking at the 'level sander', I used a large old plane, like 22 " but they were op[en in the middle. This looks to be the easiest way, if you can get the sanding smooth along a long strait edge.

GROOVEY BABBBBYYYYYYY!!!

Oh, yea, Ive seen those at woodcraft, shelak flakes. I was just wondering if it would effect sound at all, I guess not. What type of alchohol do you use? Does Stewi mac have the flakes??, ive got an order comming up with them. thanks!!

Kinkead recomends using sanding sealer when you cut the rosette, but with downdraft spiral bits, Ive heard that its not needed. I was thinking for routing edges, even as I will use a hand blade concoction, if it might help with splits etc. Shellac is clear then? It seems to smell for a long time.The stuff I used was brown. They have 2 hour cure miniwax sanding sealer, but I never know what that means for quality.

I will be using a downdraft spiral bit to cut Rosette Channels, just wondering if its nessesary to use sanding sealer anyway, and WHAT KIND is "best"? I was thinking about using it when I do bindings also. Hopefully Ill be thickness sanding this week!! Few..... Thanks

Since the flow stalled as soon as I mentioned I might get swamped, and wasn't, I'll let you in on this if you want some. Shoot me a PM with sizes (acoustic or classical), grades (I or E), and any specific requirements (I'm assuming the order of importance is light, stiff, even grain). Just wondering, is there a sound difference between master grade and lower grade, or just cosmetic? Thanks

I picked through and found some quarter sawn cedar pieces at Lowes. Its for mold wood, but i was seriously considering building a first guitar with it to work out the kinks. Id say about 5% of any given woodpile *at lowes, is quarter sawn. Wether its acceptable building wood is another question, for a serious guitar. Id just like to see what its capable of. It has good tap tone! If your doing a throw away guitar, then go for it, if its a 'real' guitar, then spend 20 bucks for a top...IMO... Had it for over 2 months, and its still shrinking, but the first month was the worst. Strait as a board though!

Try Rescue Pearl (www.rescuepearl.com). Fair prices and good service. Definately better prices than stew mac Wear a GOOD dustmask/respirator when cutting pearl, or wood! Or you be sorry!

Im wondering if I can get by with a $100.00 drill press. They have 5.25 throats, rather than a 6" throat, which runs about double. Is there any big advantage to having the slightly larger press? I will cut soundholse with the router. Other than that, cheaper is better right now. Any serious luthier needs for a 6" throat? Thanks

No, the edge would be fancy cut, not just a roundover.

Id put a cool router fluted edge on it, but Im mainly acoustic......

I was also thinking about plain wire and sandpaper. Use some kind of clamp andcinch it tight, then sand away. Use calipers to get widths, tape, to expand it out. I bought a tapered reamer at my local Ace Hardware for about $15. Hi Marksound, does it work with guitar pins? Is it a 3 or 5 degree? Thanks

Awsome dave. Thanks. I found a 5 degree pin reamer on ebay for like $25.00, made in India, but everything is anyway, but he sold all of them. Are there basic 5 degree reamers out there that can substitute for a 50.00 bridge pin reamer? Thanks

I ended up cutting a small notches out with a bandsaw, then I used the Fordom tool and carved out a half moon. It was soft stuff, not sure its acrylic. I will now use a center nail and secure it with Friendly plastic. Ill do a pic when its done. Looks like it will work.