Best Book for a New Builder?

[Pearl B]

Hi,

Im thinking of trying to build a guitar. A cutaway steel string. Regular size Dreadnaught. Possibly make it electric too.

Ive seen a few books and am wondering which one would be the best for a newbie.

Tia

[charles Tauber]

What tools do you have access to? Machinery? Just hand tools? What previous woodworking experience/knowledge do you have?

Different books describe different approaches, some more geared towards hand tools, less previous experience with tools and simpler jigs and/or fixtures. Others are geared more towards the use of power tools/machinery, lots of jigs and fixtures.

[Pearl B]

No tools. Not a lot of woodworking experience.

I will definitely be geared towards hand held tools. I have a few power tools.
Drills, sanders.

Im still pondering what I can use for cutting out the soundboard, and back, and the soundhole.

Ive got a dremel. Ive got simple things like that, and will be looking for things I can put together as opposed to having expensive tools/machinery.

[charles Tauber]

Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology is an older book, but for many years arguably the best. Now, a bit dated, but largely aimed towards hand tools.

http://www.cumpiano.com/Home/Book/te...ch%20Polishing

A relatively new set of books is by Gore and Gilet, Contemporary Acoustic Guitar Design and Build, in two volumes. Expensive, but possibly the best two books on guitar design and construction that have been written so far.

My suggestion is to start simple: lose the cutaway and the electronics. You'll have more than enough challenge without the added complexity of cutaways and electronics.

[Pearl B]

Thank you,

That was the one I was leaning towards. There was a guy that built one in his kitchen and wrote a blog about it. That was the book he used and what gave me the inspiration to maybe give this a go!

http://acousticguitarbuild.blogspot.com/

[jeff crisp]

What ever book you end up with you can use it as starting place to search YouTube, forums and the net in general to find some of the many different approaches to each step. You may find an approach that with be a good fit for you skills, existing tools and budget. Just be careful to not stray to far from the order of the steps laid out in the book. While the order of these steps can often change from builder to builder they will have learned how to accommodate these changes.

Jeff.

[Pearl B]

Thanks Jeff,

Thats the approach Im using!

Ive been watching all kinds of youtube vids. I just found this one series tonight. Its a 29 vid/part series. So far one of the better ones Ive found.

Its Guitar Making with Steve Dickie, this is part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfH-Q...C760C2FC3B051C

[jeff crisp]

Have a look at Robbie O'brien's Tips Du Jour.

[Pearl B]

Thanks, Will give it a look!

[stuw]

Loved both the Steve Dickie, and the Robbie Obrians videos, Have them bookmarked, and look at them often.

No ideas about books, Charles will lead you in the right direction, but several great luthiers I've met while building my first guitar have all recomended the Cumpiano book, It's on my xmas wish list now.

Best of luck in your first build.

[arie]

I would suggest Cumpiano & Nattleson's book. the only issues i see with it though is that the bracing dimensions for the steel string guitar are pretty stout, and the tech is a bit old. (substitute a radius dish instead of the sanding beam method for example) other then that it's a very good book. my first in fact. geared toward someone with little in the way of experience and tooling. with it you can build a safe, conservative, classical or steel string successfully.


btw i've got a ton of guitar building books. the ones i keep going back to are these two:

http://www.amazon.com/Responsive-Gui.../dp/0982320736

expensive and not necessarily for beginners, never the less it doesn't hurt to expose one's self to as much knowledge as possible.

[arie]

Originally Posted by Pearl B

Im still pondering what I can use for cutting out the soundboard, and back, and the soundhole.

Ive got a dremel. Ive got simple things like that, and will be looking for things I can put together as opposed to having expensive tools/machinery.

some low tech ideas-
soundboard:
electric jig saw -24t metal cutting blade, or a coping saw.

back:
same

soundhole:
popsicle stick n' xacto blade method, a soundhole cutter, or dremel's circle cutting attachment. very likely you'll also be using your chosen method to cut the rosette channel(s) as well.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by arie

btw i've got a ton of guitar building books. the ones i keep going back to are these two:

http://www.amazon.com/Responsive-Gui.../dp/0982320736

expensive and not necessarily for beginners,

In my opinion, Somogyi's books are a good scholarly work. However, they are way down the list, for me, as a practical how-to book, particularly for the cost. In my opinion, a beginner would be better off with a more practical, less expensive book, and use the savings towards tools.

[Pearl B]

Thank you everyone,

If I stick with this I will probably get some other books. Im doing this for a couple of different reasons.

1st,To see if I can! and it looks like fun.

2nd,I might be happier in the long run with a built to my own specifications guitar.

3rd,To learn how to adjust the nut, saddle, strings.

I probably will use the dremel with other attachments to do all/most of the cutting. Ive got a table saw and a circular saw. I woulndt mind having a jigsaw for general purposes anyways. Ive got a mobile that needs a lot of repair. So while I havent done any wood working along the lines of building a guitar, I think I have enough general skills that I can.

I got some good ideas from the Steve Dickie vids too.
Im sure I will probably get some from Robbie Obriens as well.

[dekutree64]

Originally Posted by Pearl B

I will definitely be geared towards hand held tools. I have a few power tools.
Drills, sanders.

Im still pondering what I can use for cutting out the soundboard, and back, and the soundhole.

I also build almost entirely with hand tools. Lots of fun

I used to cut out plates with a coping saw, but it tends to splinter the wood so you have to cut oversize quite a bit, and then it's a lot of work trimming later. Nowadays I use this fret saw (much different than a fret slot saw!) from Lee Valley, with spiral blades which can cut in any direction. Kind of hard to control, the cut usually ends up all squiggly. But the splinters are smaller, so you can still get closer to the line than a coping saw.

That saw frame can also take regular jeweler's saw blades, so it doubles as an inlay cutting saw. I have a regular jeweler's saw frame too, which I use most of the time. But when cutting from larger stock (headplate blanks sold by luthier suppliers are a good source for inlay material), the deep throat is useful.

If you plan to do much inlay work, get the StewMac router base for your dremel. I also use that for soundhole cutting, with the circle cutter attachment that it screws to. Or you can make your own out of a couple popsicle sticks.

When working with redwood or western red cedar, I sometimes just find a cup or other cylindrical object around the house that's the diameter hole I want, score around it with x-acto knife, and then deepen the score by hand until I get all the way through. Good for soundholes that are smaller than the dremel attachment can do. Spruce is a little hard to cut through by knife though.

As for books, I like the Cumpiano & Natelson one mentioned above.