Getting started, is a kit a waste of time?

[JParrilla]

So... I have really been interested in having a go at building guitars/ukes/lutes etc. I have a fairly extensive wood shop, but no instrument specific tools. Im wondering, do you think starting with a uke kit from StewMac is too low level for someone with quite a bit of wood working experience? Or will it give me a good introduction to building that I can apply to a scratch build?

I was looking at this: https://www.stewmac.com/kits-and-pro...lele-kits.html

Its just so affordable and has everything you need. So for an intermediately skilled woodworking/metalworking guy, with 0 instrument building experience.. would this be a good way to get into this? Or should I head more into the deep end? Obviously this kit is not going to give me a high quality instrument.. but I would honestly just build it and give it away to a friend or something... I would just want the build experience.

[BradHall]

My first foray into instrument building was a dreadnaught kit. I’m also a very experienced woodworker. The neck was mostly carved. The plates were already thickness sanded. The sides were also. That left a lot of hand work for me and was a great introduction into what it takes to build guitars. It actually came out pretty good and sounds and plays like a mid range guitar. It gave me the basics to scratch build my next seven. I don’t think the uke kit does much in that area.
And even when you finish building your instrument, doing a decent finish is a whole new set of skills that I still find very challenging. The good part is playing a guitar you built. It’s well worth the effort. Enjoy the journey.

[JParrilla]

Originally Posted by BradHall

My first foray into instrument building was a dreadnaught kit. I’m also a very experienced woodworker. The neck was mostly carved. The plates were already thickness sanded. The sides were also. That left a lot of hand work for me and was a great introduction into what it takes to build guitars. It actually came out pretty good and sounds and plays like a mid range guitar. It gave me the basics to scratch build my next seven. I don’t think the uke kit does much in that area.
And even when you finish building your instrument, doing a decent finish is a whole new set of skills that I still find very challenging. The good part is playing a guitar you built. It’s well worth the effort. Enjoy the journey.

Thanks! so when you said the Uke kit doesnt do much in that area.. are you saying that it wont really give me the opportunity to get alot of hand work and finishing practice? Is that because it really has all of that done already? If so, can you recommend a kit that would maybe do less hand holding?

[BradHall]

The kit I built was the KMG one, no longer available. LMI looks like a good one and you can choose the level of completion you want. I know Stewmac sells kits also. I’ve never seen one but might be worth looking into. I believe Blues Creek has a kit also. Have heard good things about them. Everyone will be different in what they feel comfortable doing. I really enjoyed making a hot pipe and bending the sides. Carving braces also. Binding can be intimidating the first time. There’s lots of information on various methods on this forum. Pick one that fits your skill level and budget. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake or two....you will, but that is how you learn and get better the next time. Start collecting clamps now ;-)

[phavriluk]

If a guitar is what's wanted, I can't see a ukulele being more than a waste of time, effort, and resources. It'll never grow up.

[JParrilla]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

If a guitar is what's wanted, I can't see a ukulele being more than a waste of time, effort, and resources. It'll never grow up.

Yeah I guess I thought it would be sort of a smaller, scaled down version of a guitar to dip my toes so to speak. But may not really make sense

[BradHall]

I helped a friend build his first and only, a Stewmac uke kit. Really more of an assembly of parts than a build. Not much translates to guitar building other than being a wooden instrument.

[H165]

A guitar kit, coupled with a good tutorial (Stewmac sells a DVD set) will provide tons of guitar build information, and enough info to easily build a scratch uke.

My first build was a semi-kit (parts from Martin) built using Stew-Mac's tutorial (on videotape, way back then).

[JParrilla]

Originally Posted by H165

A guitar kit, coupled with a good tutorial (Stewmac sells a DVD set) will provide tons of guitar build information, and enough info to easily build a scratch uke.

My first build was a semi-kit (parts from Martin) built using Stew-Mac's tutorial (on videotape, way back then).

Thanks so much, good to know. Ill check it out. I guess I need to figure out how complete I want it to be. Seems like there are various levels of completion.. for kits containing really just a bunch of wood... to kits with bent sides, etc... all the way up to pretty much lego style builds

[kmanuele]

Concur with others. Get a dreadnaught (or 000/OM) kit. There are enough unique aspects to guitars and guitar building that even experienced woodworkers will learn a lot --- and avoid some of the mistakes you might (will) make if building your first from scratch.

The kits are not toys. You can get a decent guitar from them.

The StewMac kits are essentially ready to assemble, while LMII has a wide range of options -- a bit overwhelming IMO.

I did a StewMac dreadnaught kit several years ago as my first. Glad I did.

You will be addicted afterward :-)

[mirwa]

I would actually recommend the other way.

If your getting one on one tutoring then a dreadnought build is best.

If your learning at your own pace, a uke kit is a great start.

It allows you to make a musical instrument without too much complication it also gives you the confidence to tackle an acoustic build on the next one. Do not underestimate the value of self confidence.

Get the uke kit, work out who your going to gift it tooand then go for it

Steve

[redir]

I personally think that kits are not a good way to go. If you want to learn something then you need to jump right in and screw it up, make mistakes, fix them, and move on. I used to have reservations about this argument that comes up every so often and I would point out how I built my first guitar by scratch blah blah blah but then at the same time I have been very interested in building an amplifier for an electric guitar too and there are 'kits' available for those as well and that sounds like a great place to start for anyone who wants to get into building amps.

Well I just built an amp from a kit. It's a freakin' great sounding amp and I love it and I had very few problems building it but what did I learn? Almost absolutely nothing. I simply put the thing together following the recipe and out comes an amp. I still have no idea why there are such and such caps and resisters here and such and such caps and resisters there and so on.

Point being if you want to build a model airplane then a kit is probably a good idea. If you want to learn how to build a guitar then go to the lumber yard and by some wood and start making mistakes.

My 2 cents.

[BEJ]

A kit is one way to go vs from scratch. You need a good plan/book if you go the scratch build route. The are a lot of good diy books with plans out there you just have to check them out and find one that you can follow.

I did this and found out the biggest thing you have to watch out for is getting off in left field. You come to sites like this and others and see all the great builds and see great tips on how to do things or how a problem was solved. This can sometimes get one side tracked and maybe veer off a perfectly good plan. Sometimes hard to stay on track.

Starting out you don't know what to do and this is where you need a guide/plan, something to follow not redo/improve. One shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel when they haven't even made 1 wheel.

Maybe beginners get how to do something confused with what to do, we don't really know enough to know what to do starting out. But we do need to find out how to do the what for ourselves, and find ways we can get the results needed.

I love this site and a few others but sometimes you come here and see a fantastic build and think WTH am I even trying this maybe I should go build bird houses or something simple. Of course most of the time you're seeing these guys best work not their starting out stuff so you let the feeling past and soldier on.

Bruce,

[redir]

Originally Posted by BEJ

A kit is one way to go vs from scratch. You need a good plan/book if you go the scratch build route. The are a lot of good diy books with plans out there you just have to check them out and find one that you can follow.

I did this and found out the biggest thing you have to watch out for is getting off in left field. You come to sites like this and others and see all the great builds and see great tips on how to do things or how a problem was solved. This can sometimes get one side tracked and maybe veer off a perfectly good plan. Sometimes hard to stay on track.

Starting out you don't know what to do and this is where you need a guide/plan, something to follow not redo/improve. One shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel when they haven't even made 1 wheel.

Maybe beginners get how to do something confused with what to do, we don't really know enough to know what to do starting out. But we do need to find out how to do the what for ourselves, and find ways we can get the results needed.

I love this site and a few others but sometimes you come here and see a fantastic build and think WTH am I even trying this maybe I should go build bird houses or something simple. Of course most of the time you're seeing these guys best work not their starting out stuff so you let the feeling past and soldier on.

Bruce,

Very good point. I've built 70 some instruments now and when I look in the custom shop section of this site I wonder why I don't just give up! It's that imposter syndrome except that it's true

And sticking to a plan is paramount and very good advice.

Coming up next for me is building my first arch top so I got Benedetto's book and I'm going to stick to it step by step and see how it comes out. After that I can start to apply my own building techniques.

[phavriluk]

I think this discussion has rushed to the endgame without considering the intervening steps between thinking about building a guitar and playing it.

And I'm going to add to the cacophony: I suggest OP start by making one piece at a time. He has woodworking tools, and those tools make neck blocks, heel blocks, and bracing. That's a good start and an eye-opening education in how much a lumber markup can exist if the word 'guitar' is mentioned. OP can join tops. OP can join backs, install backstrips, make center-seam supports. None of these tasks are guitar-oriented, but basic woodshop skills. OP can cut soundholes and rout rosette channels if he wants to put a trim router in an easily-made circle cutter (see Chris Paulick's video and take notes) that is easily and inexpensively made. OP can make a mold for assembling the rim. Bent rims and matching backs can be bought from suppliers which obviates the need for benders and side molds. Bindings can be bought pre-bent, too. The only guitar-specific tool I've mentioned so far is the circle cutter and twenty bucks builds that. Let's get off the whole-meal-in-one-bite discussion and look at parts individually. That will demystify the process a whole lot. Make the first piece and you're a guitar builder.