guitar building questions?

[kirtley2013]

ive had a few questions regarding guitar building so I need to ask them before I start building!
what is the radius
at what angle does the neck need to be set back for the strings to clear the frets
does the back have to be arched? (or the front?)to prevent cracking
can I bend sides without a genuine iron?
does a flat top guitar that incorporates a tailpiece really have a completely flat top or is it arched?
would a guitar with a tailpiece use ladder bracing?
as you can tell, I haven't made a guitar yet and I don't know any luthiers so I don't know a lot about this stuff!
thanks!

[WaddyT]

What you really need to do is get yourself a book on the type of guitar you are interested in building. Your questions are too complicated too answer without knowing what it is you want to build. Many of them actually have more than one answer.

[ZekeM]

Listen to this ^^^ that's the best advice you could ask for at this point in your planning

[gitnoob]

Building a traditional guitar is hard. Consider starting with something more primitive, like a cigar box guitar.

[printer2]

Seems like my build has a few similarities to your questions so even though it was not a traditional acoustic I'll give it a shot.

Originally Posted by kirtley2013

ive had a few questions regarding guitar building so I need to ask them before I start building!
what is the radius

Depends on what you like. One person likes one radius another likes a different curve, same with the back of the neck, same with the width. I have a Telecaster that I wanted to get close to so I built it the same width. I have heard clasicals are more flat, in the 20 inch radius range, flat tops are less, electrics from 12 to 7.5 inch.

at what angle does the neck need to be set back for the strings to clear the frets

This depends on the bridge you will be using, the physical size of your neck, body, a lot more going on than can be answered given the information given. The best thing to do is get a large sheet of paper and lay out your guitar in full size along the side axis.

does the back have to be arched? (or the front?)to prevent cracking
can I bend sides without a genuine iron?

No but the pressure from the stings will bow the top in a bit if made flat. (ask me how I know ) The curve does give a bit more strength. Worth the extra effort but I doubt it would have made my first six string any better.

To bend the sides you need a heated pipe roughly the right size. Some use iron water pip and heat it up with a torch.

does a flat top guitar that incorporates a tailpiece really have a completely flat top or is it arched?

See above.

would a guitar with a tailpiece use ladder bracing?

Any bracing that you want. The type of bracing is more important as fare as what you want it to sound like.

as you can tell, I haven't made a guitar yet and I don't know any luthiers so I don't know a lot about this stuff!
thanks!

The cigar box idea is good, cheap and easy way to get your feet wet with little cost. I used cheap wood and a different body construction than you are considering for my build but it still sounds like a guitar. I would advise to make a throwaway for your first build. Just slap it together without too much concern with making mistakes of trying to finish it to store bought standards. Don't take too long on it just learn the methods of construction. It will give you confidence for your second build and hopefully catch many first time mistakes.

Warts and all, how I built mine.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...ack-build.html

The challenge build section is a wealth of information,

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tdpri-bui...enge-archives/

And a number of builders show what can be made with simpler building methods, Scatter Lee, is one of them. While solid bodies, the building of necks and other little tricks may help you.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2009-tdpr...ttesquire.html


Jump in with both feet and have fun.

[stuw]

My suggestion is go to Youtube, type in "how to build an acoustic guitar" in the search area, then watch the hundreds of how to videos that will show up.

When you say "tail piece" I automatically think of a arch top hollow body, or a mandolin.

Radius describes both the arch or curve of the fretboard on the guitar, and the arch in the top and backs of a guitar.

example: I'm building a replica of a 1967 Gibson LGO. (not exactly to original specs) the fret board has a 12' radius, so I also have to match that with the saddle in the bridge.
This guitar has a 15' back radius, and a 25' top radius. To get the desired radius in either the top or back, you need some kind of form (radius dish) that when you install your braces (carved to match the intended radius) it will push down under pressure and remain in that shape untill the glue dries etc.

There are several ways to bend sides, some use the "pipe" method, others use a form with a silicon heat blanket that when the sides are misted, wraped up in tin foil, and slowly bent with even pressure at around 350 degrees, then clamped will take and hold the shape of your guitar. Again youtube has alot of videos showing both methods.

Like others have said, building a guitar isn't all that easy. I would be willing to venture that I had well over 2 months invested just building tools, templates, jigs and forms before I was actually able to start the construction phase.

[Jackknifegypsy]

......that requires precision in millimeters, that uses a variety of custom parts, you must make and buy, and consumes about a thousand hours of your time then my humble suggestion is for you to buy a kit and assemble one first.

If that goes very well then you might build your own. Might.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by stuw

My suggestion is go to Youtube,

I"m fond of Robert O'Brien's videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/OBrienGuitars?feature=watch

I think they are well produced and provide very good information. (I wish this kind of stuff was around when I was first learning.)

[WaddyT]

I agree, Robbie's videos are very good. He also has an on-line course you can sign up for that takes you through a whole build. One for classical and one for steel string I believe. I did the classical one and found it very informative, though I already had established methods I was using before watching. He has lots of little tips and tricks, however, that are very useful. The course isn't cheap, cheap, but worth the price, IMO.

[kirtley2013]

thanks guys
ive already made a cigar box guitar and I made a guitar to mess around with and learn some basics, I knew even less then than I did now
I might buy a good book/dvd on guitar building explaining some basics and the more complex parts of guitar building (any suggestions?)
ok, so the radius is the arching of the front back and neck, how is this measured?

[printer2]

Originally Posted by kirtley2013

thanks guys
ive already made a cigar box guitar and I made a guitar to mess around with and learn some basics, I knew even less then than I did now
I might buy a good book/dvd on guitar building explaining some basics and the more complex parts of guitar building (any suggestions?)
ok, so the radius is the arching of the front back and neck, how is this measured?

Put a straightedge across the arc and measure the distance the ends bend down from the center.


While I like books I think you have a great resource right in front of you. This is a great site with lot of good builds showing how others have done it. The youtube vids the others have mentioned are also great way to learn, I second the Robert O'Brien ones.