Official Luthiers Forum!

I am working on my first guitar and I find it very rewarding. I am an experienced woodworker and have been an RPT in the Piano Technicians Guild for 30 years, but this is my first attempt at building. I would never have been able to start this project early in my career without the wealth of information available now regarding guitar construction. I have finished the initial neck shaping and am presently gluing and preparing the plates for sizing. I look forward to my results. I enjoy seeing all the post and knowing I have a resource if needed.

I am in St. Louis, MO and would love to talk with other luthiers from the area. Any out there?

Welcome to the OLF, Ken. Looking forward to seeing your work!

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Hey Ken

Nice to see another St Louis guy.

Welcome to the OLF Ken.
Yes send pics when you can.

Mike

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Mike Collins

Welcome Ken! Good luck with the build and post some pics of your progress as you can.

Chuck

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"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

Hi Kenneth,
Welcome to the nightmare...lol . I feel comfortable in this world...anyway, I live near Carbondale, IL and there is also George Beckwith what lives close too. He is a builder of guitars and mountain dulcimers. He also has one of the largest shops I've ever seen. I know there is a feller on this forum what goes by the name of Wudwerker that lives fairly close to you too on the Illinois side.

Unfortunately I am stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia as a mobilized reservist and may be doing a year in Afghanistan when I REFRAD (Return From Active Duty) from here next May. Hope to meet you soon.

Hutch

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Thank you all for the kind welcome. I am planing the back today and fortunately I spent considerable time getting my smoothing plans in shape and sharpened. They were not too far off but a little effort goes a long way with hand planes. I was advised (in Natelson and Cumpiano's book) to tooth one of my plane irons. Since I had never done this to a plane blade (I break into a cold sweat when I think of intentionally nicking a blade), I decided to let my eye be my guide and so far so good. I am removing the wood down to my desired thickness without any major dips or gouges (yet). I am experienced with hand planes so my comfort level is high. Although the book prepares the top plate first, as this is my first build I choose to do my initial work on the bottom. I felt that mistakes there would be less psychologically traumatic.

Any suggestions from the hand tool folks about toothing a blade? Is it worth the anguish I must endure in the process. I also have a V-Drum sander that I am trying to find a place for in the plate preparations. I have some ideas for how it can be modified to work better as a thickness sander. The manufacturer's hype claims it can work this way, but I don't see it as accurate for the demands of guitar work without alterations. Anyone use the V-drum in your work? I would be interested to know the results.

I will stop because the number of questions I want to ask is growing out of control. I will add a few pictures.

I finally figured out the picture upload process. Here are some of my attempts

my first rosette. whew.... came out clean and without a hitch..

I think you're doing very well. I wouldn't tooth your plane blade. I'd instead
grind/hone a slight convex curve to the plane blade, changing it to a "scrub"
plane. Take a look at the Lee Valley description of a scrub plane:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=51871&cat=1,41182

Lots of the members here use mainly hand tools, either by choice or amount of
money they want/can invest in the work. You'll learn a lot more about the wood
that way, compared to using all power tools.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Lookin good!

Did you say you repaired pianos? If so that's a lot of experience there. Seems like you'd be an asset to this field.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

I have been a Registered Piano Technician in the PTG for over 30 years. I am not sure how much of an asset that might be. My passion has always been in rebuilding and restoration. Everything is just on a smaller scale with guitars. Great.... I go for small now, when my eyes keep wanting it bigger. So much for my timing in life...

Opps...... sorry already told you that. Looks like the ram is getting full. Time for an upgrade

Easy to get an Optivisor so you can see. Nice thing is guitar parts are easy to lift and move around

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Okay... so far so good..... knock on hardwood or spruce.... whatever it takes!

I am starting the top bracing this week. I must discipline myself not to rush. I can beginning to see a finished box in my mind and that can be dangerous for my impatient nature...

and getting out my 'Optivisor' for you Steve

A glue question. I am quite familiar with hot hide use as well as AR glues. Can hot hide glue be used to glue braces? I plan on using AR for this guitar's braces (because that is what Cumpiano's is using in his book and I will stay very close to the book for this build). I am curious what others think.

I think you'll find that Hot Hide Glue can be used very effectively for guitar bracing ,and many other gluing tasks in guitar making.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Welcome
Very nice start on your first!!!
HHG certainly can be used for every aspect of guitar building.

I was born, and raised in St. Louis. Went to Clayton High. Trained at Wash U and was on their faculty. I was just there last week since all of my family is there. Hibdon always has a nice sale the weekend after Thanksgiving. Head upstairs to see the guitar sets!!!!

Been in San Diego for years now but still a diehard Cardinal fan.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy,

My daughter is a fourth generation Cards fan. I was at my first game in 2nd grade sitting on the bleachers at Sportsman's Park.

Lafayette and UMSL. I retired from Parkay in 07 and have been teaching for MU while completing a PhD. My piano work and woodworking in general keep me sane (or so I think).

I am doing research now and building this guitar is my get away. My only problem, outside the issues of building the guitar, is wanting to work on it instead of my writing. It is a good practice in personal discipline.

That must make you very popular when the Cards are in town to play the Padres. LOL

Thanks for the compliment on my build. I will keep adding some pics as things progress.

Well, it has been weeks since I have added any pictures to this post of my first build. I have been making good progress and for the most part all has gone well. I find the process, being my first build, to have tedious moments as I attempt techniques for the first time. However, I find with patience and forethought the process has tremendous satisfaction that far out weight any fear and trembling. In short, I am having a blast! I am within hours of finally closing the box and beginning the binding work.

I can't wait... hey slow down...... patience remember.

Hey Kenneth, just remember,
you ain't buildin' a piano.

Looks like you are doing great. A lot better than my first!

By the way I am in Springfield, MO. Tom Bills is in STL though. He does some impressive work. Maybe he could be a mentor to you.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

Welcome to the OLF . yes I live close , im about 2 hrs outside st louis close to the indiana border on 64. Nice looking work so far . very impressive stop by the mando room when u have time "better known as the dark side" we have and beer !

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Thank, Alan for the reminder LOL.. Yes I can carry this one across the shop without a dolly.

I appreciate the comments Chris and Wud. I am enjoying the work but I must admit that with a first build there are moments of anxiety when i am trying a technique for the first time. I am sure the second one will be less so. Chris is Tom Bills on OLF? I can contact him here if he is. I am also chatting with a uk builder from St. Louis who is on OLF. We are both working a project and compare notes.

Wud, dang you mando guys are all alike. LOL Fun as heck to be around, but just a little crazy. Being a resonator player, I like to keep my eyes on the mandolin folks.

I am going to bore you with a couple pictures of the closed box.

I don't believe Tom Bills is on the OLF. But here is his website:

http://www.tbguitars.com/

He lists his phone number on his contact page.

_________________
ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com