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#1
04-17-2023, 11:34 AM
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Difficulty of building an OM for an Amateur
Thinking of building a Martin OM kit.
How difficult/expensive is going to be to make your own acoustic? I have minimal tools: 1 japanese double sided saw, 1 half-inch chisel, a drill, two clamps, and some sandpaper. 
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#2
04-17-2023, 02:39 PM
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You might get better answers over on some of the kit guitar forums. My guess is you should budget at least $300 over the cost of what ever kit you are buying for additional tools and supplies.
You can make a lot of your own tools and jigs to save on cost too. Difficulty? That totally depends. have you ever sharpened a chisel before? Have you ever made a bird house out of wood? Can you rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time? Even if you are a cabinet maker by trade you still might find makeing a guitar difficult. On the other hand you could be an airline pilot and find making a guitar simple. Building a guitar is not terribly complicated, building a good one is still something that even master builders strive for. Sometimes ya get lucky too. If you buy the kit and follow the plan and instructions and don't deviate and or make up your own thing for example, chances are you will come out with a reasonably decent sounding, and hopefully playing, guitar.
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#3
04-17-2023, 02:59 PM
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oh, an OM hmmm
I am in the middle of a first build and it's an OM. While I am not building from a kit and that's most likely easier, you still would be making bending and body molds, and even with building your own jigs and using tools at hand, there are some things that are worth paying for even if you use them once.
If you have the vision to do it and some patience and time it should come out great. You also have this and other forums to get info from. There are tons of posts from times past on the AGF alone and more good ideas than I can process!!
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#4
04-17-2023, 05:27 PM
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__________________
Fred
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#5
04-17-2023, 05:44 PM
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My thoughts- you’re gonna have a steep learning curve. One of your biggest hurdles is going to be routing the binding/ purfling channels. You’re either gonna have to spend a considerable amount on tools to do this, that you might never use again, or you are going to have to do it by hand which requires special tools, too, and you won’t have any scraps or saws or drills to use to make jigs or trial pieces and believe me you are going to need them. You might have 2 clamps but they probably aren’t even the right clamps to glue the bridge on.
If you don’t have a workshop or space to leave the project out and accessible that is another problem. I’m not saying you can’t do it but it might be harder and more expensive and take longer than you think. And I didn’t even mention finishing (as in applying a finish) the guitar and setting it up.
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#6
04-17-2023, 06:20 PM
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I built the StewMac OM kit and it turned out great. But (more importantly) I really enjoyed the process. And that's sort of the key with stuff like this - if you think you'll enjoy doing the build for it's own sake then you're on the right track. Probably wouldn't recommend it if just getting a cheap guitar is the objective. It's addictive, I've done three kits now and am currently planning a fourth.
And don't be scared off by all the 'need a fortune in tools' biz - if you're handy you can either make specialty tools or find ways to do what you need with existing gear. But it's going to take effort, and if you find stuff like that to be torture and always want this special tool or other prepare to open your wallet. StewMac has gadgets for every imaginable task, most of which only make sense to buy if you're 'in the biz' and planning to recoup your investment via a production run.
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#7
04-17-2023, 09:53 PM
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a thought
I think that there is no way to make an economic argument involving a kit guitar. The experience of the build and the satisfaction of playing something you made are incalculable - - - and non-transferable. It ain't a way to get a guitar better than a storebought guitar for the same cash outlay.
I'd assembled a kit as a learning exercise and brought it to a dealer in Michigan that every one of us would recognize to put on consignment. They refused to do the consignment for me, the stated reason being they had no way in their eyes to price it. Good for me that I wasn't entertaining any hopes of getting any return from the project, it was done for the experience. And the friend I gave it to loves it.
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#8
04-19-2023, 12:50 PM
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Quote:
I build from scratch, mostly from rough cut lumber, and spend $75 -$200 on materials but I have a lot of tools collected over the years and a shop big enough to build 2 or 3 at once and spend more time. If I were to build from a kit, this one looks like good value at $599. https://www.lmii.com/discounted-read...y-to-ship.html Binding and purfling can be cut with a cheap trim router and a flush bit with the right size bearing. I buy sets like these and swap the bearings. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09124JSWQ/...v_lig_dp_it_im Most of the tools you will need can be bought from Amazon or aliexpress for a lot less than the big luthier houses. Good luck on your journey
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#9
04-19-2023, 02:07 PM
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I was in your position not so far ago, and I just finished my second guitar from a kit this winter.
From a beginner's perspective, I would say it is way more doable than you would think, but at the same time way more difficult than you would anticipate. There are lots of resources on kit guitar building (I like Blues Creek Guitars youtube channel) and the process is not as esoteric as you might think. I think anybody who has time, will, and money will be able to build a kit guitar. I have 0 qualities you would think you need for building guitars. I am impulsive, lack attention to detail, lack proper space, lack proper tools, lack something to hold the guitar while it's being built, lack patience, and in general lack hand eye coordination and dexterity. But I've built 2 guitars, and 1 of them is ugly but a decent guitar playability and sound wise. At the same time, you'll be agonizing over so many different issues that pop up out of nowhere. Wood is a living material and it can twist and turn. Things like grain orientation matter when using a chisel or plane. Sometimes out of sheer stupidity you'll make a mistake and have to fix it. I don't know how long I've agonized over getting the neck plane flat. A ton of time will be spent fixing mistakes that you have made. There might be moments where you want to just use the guitar as firewood for grilling steaks. Cutting the binding channels can and will shorten your lifespan. Cost wise, I started from 0 and I think I spent around $1,500 for my first kit. The cost of the kit was only something like $700, while tools, molds, etc., ate up the remaining costs. And I am very barebones and inadequate in terms of tools. Getting to a decent setup will probably increase the total costs to almost $2,000. It is definitely not economical to build the guitar yourself if your only goal is to have a good guitar. And if you're like me, your first guitar might turn out to be crap. Nonetheless, I hope you dive into kit building! It is one of the most rewarding tasks I have ever undertaken in my life. There's a ton of frustration and agony but at the same time there is so much joy, peace, and reward for building your own guitar. If you build one, you'll not be able to stop at just 1 guitar. You'll want to try different body shapes, different woods, different scale lengths, etc. It is that addicting.
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#10
04-23-2023, 12:52 PM
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I'm in the process of building my third acoustic in about 14 years so I'm not really a pro either. My third is a 000 which is basically an OM with a shorter 24.9" scale (OM's are typically 25.4" though some brands like Larrivee have a 25.5" scale.) Here's my impressions going in cold since my second build was started about a decade ago:
- kits come with all the fine work done (including having the underside of the braces arched to create a radius for the back and top,) but you will still have to figure out where to put the bracing and the bridge so that it plays in tune and is structurally sound. Hopefully they at least sent some plans with measurements and angles for you to go by. - I recommend having a good metal rule at least 36" long, a good T-square and an adjustable metal protractor to help you determine angle. These are all really helpful in setting the neck angle which is crucial. - you can never have too many clamps. Whenever I go to Harbor Freight I buy at least 2 F clamps of varying lengths. I found relatively inexpensive cam clamps from Rockler. You need at least 4. A dozen is a good number to have, including several with deep throats so you can clamp the middle of the braces down. C clamps are also useful for when it comes time to glue down the bridge. - keep some small pieces of scrap wood and cork on hand to act as cauls. The cork will help prevent marring the wood if you overtighten your clamps.
__________________
(2006) Larrivee OM-03R, (2009) Martin D-16GT, (1998) Fender Am Std Ash Stratocaster, (2013) McKnight McUke, (1989) Kramer Striker ST600, a couple of DIY builds (2013, 2023)
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#11
05-03-2023, 10:19 AM
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I've built two stewmac kits (OM size) and a uke. I've also done a couple of electrics. It's hard to do these and enjoy the process without spending some money on nice tools.
You'll need a decent router (but you can make do with a Dremel). You'll need a nice sharp chisel, fret hammer, fret/wire cutters, a couple of files, some good sharp drill bits, lots of sandpaper, lots of clamps. Also having a bunch of scrap 2*4 is really helpful for making cauls. Finally I would strongly suggest trying TruOil as your finish. It's easy and forgiving and can create quite a nice look. This should be enough to build a kit. I've taken the leap to start building from scratch (just a pile of wood from a luthier supply) and my tool needs have increased - I think I've bought the following... A couple of planes - a short one and a longer one. Sharpening blocks Digital calipers Fret slot files Small files Coping saws Various pliers A home made go-bar deck Radius discs and sandpaper More clamps Saddle gluing jig Rasp/heavy file Long ruler / straight edge Small right angle ruler Fret height gauge Radius sanding block Band saw Drum sander Router Binding jig for the router Fret slotting jig Neck joint jig (thinking about this one)
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#12
05-03-2023, 10:36 AM
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Quote:
I agree that Tru Oil is a great finish for a beginner. I keep going back to it. You have a lot of tools, you could look at doing scratch builds from rough cut lumber bought at better wood stores and save a lot of $ over luthier houses.
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