New to the Forum

[jb291]

Greetings to all,

I'm new to the forum and just wanted to thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I have built a number of solid body electrics but I would now like to build an acoustic. I have several questions regarding the building process. I picked up the Cumpiano book and plan on reading through the entire book prior to beginning the build. It contains a great deal of knowledge, but it could use more illustration. The current questions I have are these: I was contemplating using macassar ebony for the back and sides. Is this wood more difficult to bend then mahogany or rosewood? I also notice that many builders utilize a bolt on system along with a tenon to join the neck and body. From what I have seen, the system utilizes two bolts that are installed up through the body and into the neck. Where can I purchase these bolts and fittings? Any suggestions would be greatly appriciated. Thanks

[mhammond]

Hi,
You can get the large headed 1/4-20 bolts and threaded inserts at HD. They work just fine but are not the super quality parts. You need to epoxy the die cast inserts into the end grain of the neck. You can buy the brass threaded inserts and allen bolts at LMII but they are very expensive. Look under "not wood", "neck parts".
Good Luck,
Mikey

[Kitchen Guitars]

Hi, Welcome!
Yep Cumpiano's book is a bit dry. But it is the Bible of building. Alex Willis's book is packed with pictures. No where near the details of Cumpiano's but a great read to get you into the "flow" of the build.
There are 5 million different paths to follow to the end of the build. No one way is right. If anyone preaches thier way as the only way, run lol.
Follow my first build. Its a pile of dead ends and lessons for a newbie on the way
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=157945
The guitar turned out great. Even though I went through 3 sets of bracing, built it backwards, had to peal off the bridge plate 2 times, the router got away from me a few times so I had to come up with some creative inlay......
Starting out with macassar ebony would be a major mistake. That is unless you are having those parts prepped and bent by LMI or Blues Creek. You want to start with wood that bends friendly to the user. Ebony bending is more of an art than a science! Gluing Ebony can be a major challenge. It is very oily, prep is everything.
Cheap, straight grained Mahogany is great for a first build. Some folks never leave Mahogany. My latest build I am completing is local Sycamore. It is stunning to look at, easy to work. I have been told I may be disappointed with the tone. But I figure I am a newbie shoot for pretty. Not figured Mahogany. That goes into the tough build category. Bolt on systems are available from Luthier supply> I buy mine at Ace Hardware for cheap.
Good luck!

[mmapags]

+1 on Kitchen's comments regarding Macassar. In Cumpiano's book he'll say early on for beginner's to start with tried and true woods and develop you skills. Advice well followed. My first is EIR. Not too difficult. Stright grianed mahogany is even easier. That would be my recomendation for a 1st.

[thebolo]

Hey,

I just finished a guitar using Cumpianos process. This is what I would suggest for a bolt on neck.
http://www.cumpiano.com/Home/Article...headblock.html

This particular bolt system works really well, and is fairly easy to make. If you need some more reference material I would suggest Jonathan Kinkeads book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/063...ef=oss_product

Its a pretty good. A lot of people complain about him displaying his name a lot in the book, but it didnt bother me.

Good luck with the build. A couple of suggestions I would give you.

DO NOT get in a hurry. Think everything through before you do it. Also, when you are almost done, if you are anything like me, you are going to want to play the guitar so bad you can taste it. Just be patient, because the final steps in the building process are some of the most critical.

Good Luck

[jb291]

Thanks for your responses and reccomendations.