How to get started in guitar making

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eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

How to get started in guitar making

I'm curious about how does someone get started in guitar making ?

- What's the minimal set of tools one would need ?
- Should one practice first with cheap woods, or attempt a simple design with proper woods to begin with ?
- Are there any wood working skills that you recommend developing before giving it a try ?
- Etc.

In case you wonder, the reason I'm asking these "strange" questions, is since because I love wood working, but don't have enough time for too much of it at the moment. This means that I wouldn't dream of trying to accomplish something as difficult as building a guitar. However, hopefully in the future (when the kids are older), I'll have time to give it a shot

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 16 2014 13:05:55

RobJe

Posts: 731
Joined: Dec. 16 2006

[Deleted]

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at Nov. 16 2014 13:15:09

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 16 2014 13:13:29

bernd

Posts: 680
Joined: Feb. 15 2004

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

I´m interested, too.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 16 2014 14:09:20

johnnefastis

Posts: 631
Joined: Jan. 10 2012

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

Pretty sure there are some good threads on this already.
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=70141&appid=&p=&mpage=1&key=build%2Cguitar&tmode=&smode=&s=#70172

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 16 2014 14:10:59

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

Ever hear about the guitarmaker who won the lottery?

He kept making guitars until the million dollars ran out.

______

Guitarmaking, like bravely tail leaping up a fish ladder right into the poorhouse.

______

Guitarmaking, when becoming an alcoholic it not enough trauma to selfishly foist on your family.

______

Guitarmaking, like the drug addict who can't stop: I just want to make myself a guitar because I can't afford an expensive one. Thirty years later he's still trying to make himself a guitar because he has to sell every one to make rent.

___________

How to do you get a guitar Maker off your front porch?

Pay him for delivering the pizza, then punch him as hard as you can in the stomach before he begins talking about guitarmaking for 30 minutes without stopping.

____________
Why did Jesus perform the miracle of the loaves and fishes?

Because all the guitar makers in the audience thought it was a GAL convention and they forgot to pack a lunch.

_______________

Why did Noah really build the ark?

To keep the guitarmaking tribes from buying all the cedars.
______________

What is the Book of Revelations about?

The end times of the world brought about by the wars in which blood runs thigh deep in the streets because some guitar makers use radius dishes and some do not.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 16 2014 23:30:49

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

quote:

Guitarmaking, when becoming an alcoholic it not enough trauma to selfishly foist on your family.

Laughed out loud at that one, so true...

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 17 2014 1:01:04

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to johnnefastis)

quote:

Pretty sure there are some good threads on this already

After reading that thread, I guess I'll start with buying a book

Thanks !

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 17 2014 5:49:03

bernd

Posts: 680
Joined: Feb. 15 2004

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

Here is an online guitar making course for a flamenca by Richard Heeres from the Netherlands. I reviewed a fantastic negra for a German guitar magazine.

The course starts with this video. I think there are more than 20 videos to follow step by step.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 17 2014 10:23:55

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to bernd)

I would never have guessed that such an online course existed !

Thanks a lot

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 17 2014 11:13:05

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to bernd)

quote:

Here is an online guitar making course for a flamenca by Richard Heeres

What an amazing video course !
I was mesmerized and couldn't stop watching

Two things that I'm missing in that course though, are inlaying a rosette, and french polish.

Can you recommend any good instructional videos on those subjects ?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 7:21:04

bernd

Posts: 680
Joined: Feb. 15 2004

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

I agree. I couldn´t stop whatching, too :-)

Regarding french polish Richard said that he has someone doing it for him and something like that it would be an own series of videos.

What I really more miss is the fact that it is not shown how to adjust the height of the frets. This is an essencial important part in guitar making.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 8:25:23

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to bernd)

I found these videos about french polish:

Grain filling:

French polish (2 parts):

He really explains things there, including how to prepare the "rubber" used in the polishing. I don't understand a thing about these things so I have no idea if the videos are actually good, but they did seem good to me (very instructive).

I'm still on the lookout for good videos on how to inlay rosettes.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 10:04:48

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

quote:

I'm still on the lookout for good videos on how to inlay rosettes.

With the help of Foro member Juan the Bomb, I made three videos that show how to make rosettes. I have a YouTube channel - see my signature below- search for Rosette Making in my channel. you'll see them. I explain how to make a nice basic rosette with concentric lines and a simple tile element. I'm happy to answer and questions about it.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 11:36:21

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

quote:

I made three videos that show how to make rosettes

Thanks for that !
I actually watched your videos on youtube prior to posting, really cool, thanks.

I'm still missing something though. In your videos you construct rosettes that are made out of concentric strips (some of which you replace later with other elements).
I'm still curious though, as to how are the mosaic like rosettes are constructed.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 13:42:07

mqbernardo

Posts: 47
Joined: Mar. 26 2012

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

nice videos, thanks for the links! i wish i found them earlier, would´ve been a lot of help two years ago...

for both rosette and French Polish (amongst other stuff), and if you´re willing to pay a bit, Robbie O´brien has tutorial videos available on his site.

For french polish there´s the Michael Thames youtube channel, even if it´s a very personal way of doing it. youtube videos from Brian Howard and Peter Oberg could also be useful, if memory serves me. Don Williams, while not being a guitar maker, is a french polish expert that also shares some wisdom via the tube - nice videos.
Then there´s the Milburn tutorial, i suspect that most of the internet-thaught amateur builders started with these. sorry, long link as i forgot how to do the funky /URL thing: http://www.google.pt/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.ning.com%2Ffiles%2FfBYtwDmBUnDWf0sjTN8aZ7yQRhFYxNmpqZRsrDGLjGOtxW3Dg-7kHFIzPIT04SrI350qBJ3vUmdlkRs0tBbJfhiX7FNzTiQo%2FHowToFrenchPolishClassicalGuitars.docx&ei=HZtrVIeGNJCAygSw54LoAg&usg=AFQjCNE0PC0ICgu9sWQuZTjKw72ei3qObQ&sig2=tgJGDwmTiNJEcnKiZgp0uw&bvm=bv.79908130,d.d2s

these are just stuff i grabbed along the way. lots of different way to do this.
all the best,
Miguel.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 18:18:28

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

quote:

I'm still missing something though. In your videos you construct rosettes that are made out of concentric strips (some of which you replace later with other elements).
I'm still curious though, as to how are the mosaic like rosettes are constructed.

I have a photo essay with videos that explains tile making, but l've never posted it to the Foro. I'll put it together.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2014 23:54:42

timoteo

Posts: 219
Joined: Jun. 22 2012
From: Seattle, USA

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

quote:

I have a photo essay with videos that explains tile making, but l've never posted it to the Foro. I'll put it together.

You mean this? You posted it over the summer.
http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=262758&p=1&tmode=1&smode=1

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 5:04:17

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

Oh, thanks, I forgot I did that. Been kind of stressed out.

Well I hope that helps.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 11:05:26

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

quote:

Well I hope that helps.

Exactly what I was hoping for !
Thanks a lot !

tomoteo, thanks for posting the links

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 17:51:07

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

There's one thing I'm missing though.

You begin by showing colored wood stripes that you're going to use to create the tiles.
However, the tiles are created by gluing together stripes of different dimension (i.e. the profile of which has the same depth and height).

How do you get to that point ?
Do you split the initial stripes into narrower stripes, until the depth and height are the same ?
If so, what tools do you use to do that ?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 18:17:57

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

Hi eitanfar,
I made my own little tutorial on rosette making a couple years ago, pretty similar to Stephen's method but here you go:

https://andyculpepperguitars.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/rosette-making-part-i/
https://andyculpepperguitars.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/rosette-making-part-ii/
https://andyculpepperguitars.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/rosette-making-part-iii/

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 22:42:15

estebanana

Posts: 9352
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

You use a ruler and an exacto knife to slice the veneer into 2mm wide strips. Then you glue those together into long bands of strips which correspond to each layer in the tile. Refer to your graphed out chart or map of the tile.

Then you draw them through a purfling sizer very carefully until the strips are 0.20 of less in thickness. The resulting ribbons of strips can be sandwiched together to make the tile loaf.

If you are serious you should get ahold of the GAL publication reissues that have articles by Eugene Clark from 2002 and 2003 and later around 2004-5 by Greg Byers. The articles by Clark tell you how to do it in detail. The Byers artcle give ideas for more advanced executions of themes and asymmetrical designs.

And you're welcome for doing this. You're super lucky today there are people willing to give information. It does not help me to help you, but it makes me more generous. And seldom does any newbie return the favor later.

Here is a video which gives the answer. Sorry I can't afford a better camera, welcome to guitar making.

Here's one more:

Here's another one which shows how to keep adjusting the compass of the router to make different sized circles, which comes in handy if you want to do the rosette in three stages. You rout a channel for the tiles, put them in. Then rout a channel on each side of the tiles and lay in the lines. It's more stable to do it that way, but I still use the "filler line method" most of the times. But if you want to use big tiles, over 14 lines wide of tall inlaying them first and then routing the channels on each side helps make a nice circular channel for the lines because it clips the corners off the tiles.

Tiles under 12 lines wide @ 0.20 can be used as they are without tapering them. or you can taper them a bit. Tiles under 9 lines wide don't need any tapering.

If you don't understand any of this it will make sense after you start working.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2014 23:14:40

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks a lot for sharing !

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2014 5:14:21

eitanfar

Posts: 68
Joined: Oct. 16 2014

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

Thanks a lot, that's exactly what I was missing !

quote:

And you're welcome for doing this. You're super lucky today there are people willing to give information. It does not help me to help you, but it makes me more generous. And seldom does any newbie return the favor later.

I am grateful for the information, and I realize that it can save me a lot of time that I would otherwise have spent figuring this stuff up on my own (assuming that I could).

I have no intentions of becoming a guitar builder, the reason I'm so interested is because I'm really into wood working, and the concept of building a guitar (given than I play one myself ...) is extremely appealing to me. I would love nothing more than to play a guitar I built myself.

Regarding newbies sharing info back, I can only assume that that's part of the process, the seasoned professionals pass knowledge to the newbies, which pass it on when they become experienced.
I assume that even though you're not getting any useful information from newbies, you probably got useful information from the masters of the trade when you where a newbie yourself, right ? Sounds like an equilibrium to me

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2014 5:21:58

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to eitanfar)

All people I know who started making instruments also stopped playing them. Especially if you don't have plenty of time. But also the mechanical work takes it's toll on hands and fingers, especially finger nails.

Maybe you are at a point where your playing doesn't develop as fast or as good as you wished for, and that's often the point where people try to evade the friction or frustration and start something new, maybe something closely linked with what one was doing before ...

At least it's worth to think about one's motives and decide in clarity. If you still find, that's what you want to do, than it's fine, of course, but maybe you need just to change your musical strategies ...

Just a humble thought ...

best wishes
Robert

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Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2014 15:03:53

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: How to get started in guitar making (in reply to estebanana)

Stephen, this is the finest guitar sound I've ever heard you create. It remains me of a good Santos.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2014 15:04:32