thinking about building a guitar

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mottallica

Posts: 177
Joined: Mar. 25 2012
From: Israel

thinking about building a guitar

hey i know i wasn't here for a long while - loads of reason and not enough time to talk about it.
i was thinking about building a guitar.
any recommended resources? book/sites etc. i can use to guide me through it?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 17 2013 23:18:17

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to mottallica)

Mottie,

Try to go to one of the classes like the one Stephen Hill offers in Granada, or research that avenue if you can afford it. In my opinion, by the time you buy all the stuff you need you could take a trip, build the guitar at a workshop and pay the same as you would figuring it out on your own. You would get a better experience and better guitar first try.

If you have to save for a while it would be worth it.
S.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 5:44:43

Blair Russell

Posts: 51
Joined: Sep. 6 2012
From: Bristol

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to mottallica)

I did Stephen Hill's course 3 years ago and highly recommend it. I've built 21 guitars since then. If you only want to build one guitar, I'd say do his course. If you want to build more then one, do his course but take lots and lots of notes.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 9:10:35

mottallica

Posts: 177
Joined: Mar. 25 2012
From: Israel

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to Blair Russell)

quote:

Stephen Hill.......

the idea of learning form someone is best of course but in israel we have very few luthiers.
i reached some of them a while back trying to be an apprentice in order to learn well and thorough. the problem is non of them really likes teaching.the only good one who teaches is boaz elkayam and he's course is super expensive.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 15:59:13

ralexander

Posts: 797
Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to mottallica)

I've thought about this over the years as well, as I'm sure many of us have. It's on my "bucket list" to build at least one. Certainly no small feat, especially if you intend to pursue a career. There is a TON of info right here on the Foro to get you started, you just have to search for it. In fact, the reason I don't post here a lot is because most of my time is spent reading in the archives!! I really appreciate all the time and effort our resident experts have put into their posts over the years - very generous indeed. If you can't afford to study directly with a luthier, I think you're gonna have to be a really motivated self-starter kinda guy willing to put in the hours and make lots of potentially expensive mistakes

I've been reading through the Cumpiano book "Guitarmaking" and it has a lot of great info, although not specific to flamenco guitar:

http://www.amazon.com/Guitarmaking-Tradition-Technology-Construction-Steel-String/dp/0811806405

Another one I've seen mentioned a lot is the Bogdanovich book/DVDs found at http://www.jsbguitars.com

And the book "Making Master Guitars" by Roy Courtnall, which I've not read but have seen mentioned a few times.

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Ryan

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 16:33:05

Morante

Posts: 2179
Joined: Nov. 21 2010

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to mottallica)

Hola

You cannot make a guitar without a small workshop, a proper bench and adequate tools. My friend Rafael made mediocre guitars for a while, then attended a course with Romanillos, which changed his life.

A course, however mediocre, changes your perspective and you leave with new friends and some idea of how to work. A fast track, highly recommended.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 16:55:39

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: thinking about building a guitar (in reply to Morante)

quote:

You cannot make a guitar without a small workshop, a proper bench and adequate tools. My friend Rafael made mediocre guitars for a while, then attended a course with Romanillos, which changed his life.

If you are clever you can make a guitar with virtually a few hand tools and few quick tools and jiggy things you can make, but to know how to do that you have to have made a few guitars first.

You can cut the rosette circle with popsicle stick, an exacto knife and a nail by making it into cutting compass. Then you need one good medium sized plane, a hand saw or two, a few clamps etc.

But most important, you can begin the guitar with five things:

Paper, pencil, T-Square, ruler, compass....

throw in a pair scissors, and some heavy paper for making a pattern of the plantilla from another guitar, and pocket calculator to figure out the fret positions.

A flat surface to work on and some music to listen to and you can begin drawing of the guitar. Do it over and over in advance of cutting the wood and you'll learn all kinds of things you don't learn when you buy a set of predrawn plans.

Take a guitar you like, put small light bulb in side the sound hole and illuminate it to trace the braces. Trace them on onion skin or tissue paper.

You can have all kinds of fun before you even buy the wood.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 18 2013 20:36:40