Official Luthiers Forum!

Todd I have had the book for a long time.The only problem that I noticed was the IMHO complicated neck/angle joint involved the use of dowels .To me it seemed like overkill.

I've had it a long time, too. I haven't built directly from it, but it certainly made me realize that guitar building was achievable for a hobbyist. I gleaned a LOT of information from the section on D'Aquisto's archtop building sequence, and I did put that information into practice years later. I also built a classical based, in part, on his Classical Guitar Construction book.
Ernie's comment on the neck joint in the steel string book is interesting, and from today's perspective I agree with him. However, at the time the prospect of cutting a sliding dovetail joint seemed very daunting to me. Sloane showed an alternative that seemed logical and practical to me at the time. I think Sloane's great contribution in those days was to demystify the whole guitar making process for people like me who had no access to teachers and courses, no internet and very few other sources of information. He showed us all that we COULD do it.

Patrick

Irving Sloane's book was one of the first books I purchased on Guitar Building. At the time there wasn't a lot out there. It certainly helped increase my interest in building and gave me a good understanding of guitar construction. However I felt the instructions to be somewhat minimalist and waited and waited (10 plus years) until the Cumpiano / Natelson book came out and used it as my guide for my first build.

Hi Todd,
Is that Sloane steel string (illustrated on the dust jacket of the book) yours?

I own the rosewood classical which he built to illustrate the Classic Guitar Construction book.
Not a great guitar, but nice and I think historic in it's own way as it launched a whole (my) generation of guitar makers.

As far as the Steel String book is concerned, I was already well into building by the time it came out so it didn't have too much effect on my methods at the time.
The book that really taught me more was the repair book with all those great pics taken at the Martin factory.

The only books I have are the 2 Sloane books.
The neck joint looks interesting,
but I'd rather do a bolt on or a dovetail.
He shows different bracing patterns.
I like the way he shows how to make your own tools in those books.
He's always dressed nicely in the photos,
and there is a great shot of JIMMY pounding
a chisel into a neck joint, page 112.
He don't need no stinkin' routers.
I think with a fair amount of woodworking skills, and "S.S.Construction" book
by Sloane, one could build a good guitar.

I read that book 25 years before I knew I would actually build a guitar. I bought it and a couple of others when I started building. While I didn't follow it step by step, Sloane's book certainly influenced the evolution of my methods. I consider it a great book that certainly made the idea of personally building a guitar look possible. It contributed to my success.

Todd: Have owned the book since about the time D.R.Young put out his book and not sure which was the first published. The Young book for me was the go to book at the time until Campiano came along. The Sloane book was lacking in detail and if you built to his plan I think you would end up over built. About the only thing I tried was his neck joint and that worked in fashion similar to a dovetail. The neck joint was one area that Young fell down on by the way as he epoxied the neck to body with a butt joint. Only used that on one guitar. Held up as far as I know,not sure where the guitar is now.At the time Sloane was one of the better books because there were so few on S.S. construction,but quite a few on classical.Don't have the book here with me to thumb through and arouse old feelings but will do so tomorrow.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

To David LaPlante:
David, I think it's extremely cool to know where that guitar is today. I agree it must be of some historic significance, because it got so many of us convinced that we could actually do this thing--at a time when there was precious little information out there.

Patrick

Totally agree with Patrick...David that is priceless. Though I sort of prefer the guitar in black and white....
And, I agree with the comment(s) that Sloane's book helped spark creative thought about alternative methods.
I built five guitars using his neck attachment system, and thought all was well.
Until one came back with a busted neck. Getting that thing off intact was out of the question.
Just sawed it loose from the body, left the tenon buried in the head block, and after fashioning a new neck, bored through the block for the new-fangled bolt on neck.
Worked beautifully, but that doweled tenon joint is asking for trouble down the line. At least on steel strings.
But like sooo many others, I feel utterly indebted to Sloane.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

For Patrick and Steve, a few more shots in (sorry) color........(BTW, notice this guitar is actually braced a la the Bouchet illustration)
The other thing I want to say about Irving Sloane is that more than just showing us how to build the guitar, he made us <want> to be involved with what looked like a wonderfully aesthetic endeavor due to his beautiful graphic design and photography.

Similar experience here. I had been looking for guitar building information for several years. Then one day I was in the bookstore and looked up on the top shelf and saw Irving's new book. This was a near religious experience for me (cue angelic choir chord). I carefully carried the book home and read through it twice in the subsequent 48 hours.

I still have the first guitar that I built with the book and it was definitely over-built. But it was a start.

Wow David LaPlante that's so cool you got that guitar. How did you ever acquire that one?

I built my first guitar about 20 years ago from Sloans book. Same bracing pattern. As others have said, at the time that neck joint was okay but by todays standards no way. In fact in hind sight I'd rather have just done a dove tail. I had to reset the neck on that guitar and I had to saw it right off and convert to a bolt on. But I still have that guitar hanging in my shop today. She's all beat up and still sounds good. The other thing is that the build in that book is a true flat top. Not that there is anything wrong with that and in fact I may be going back in that direction since the last two true flat tops I've built have been wonderful guitars.

I also built my first classical to the specs in his book. It's ok, not great, but it was my first classical guitar too and when I started I had zero woodworking skills and even less patience!

I think Irving Sloane is a bit of a roll model to all of us hobbyist luthiers some of who have probably gone on to professional.

Sloane's Classical book is certainly the book that peaked my interest in construction, nearly 30 years ago. I also have the guitar repair book. I guess I've read the classical book several times, just to keep my interest alive, before I actually started building. I think his graphics and his writing skills were his strengths. His books read like books, not like instruction manuals.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I found his classical book at the local public library and borrowed it.
Then I found it on Amazon (hard cover) at $13 and bought it. Used but in great condition.

I have no real experience, but I like the book a lot.
I am not very comfortable with his neck joint design, but I guess one can use this book and make some changes at the joining of the sides into the neck.

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Music Is Forever

Todd: Looked at the Sloane book today and realized just how comprehensive it was in a general over all way rather then a details way for building a guitar. My first cam clamps were made from his plans and I still use elastic bands to glue tops and backs to the rims. I forgot I had gotten this and some other ideas from Mr. Sloane. Shame on me.....!! Also found another Sloane book..."Making Musical Instruments". Covers banjo,snare drum,dulcimer,tambourine,hardanger fiddle,and dolmetsch recorder.Much more generalized then the guitar book but he does show some processes........interesting. I also noticed Somogyi's neck joint but don't think he introduces the wedging effect that Sloane does. But sure looks like Ervin may have been guided by Irving.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

David, thanks for those added photos.
Those pictures are helping me relive a magical time.
I'm still amazed you've got the guitar. Like having a celebrity around the house.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Hey David LaPlante I looked at my Sloan Classical Guitar book last night and the pics in this book are of a figured maple guitar. Were there different edditions of the book with different pictures?

Sloane built a maple <and> a rosewood guitar to illustrate his "Classic Guitar Construction" book, mine is the rosewood one.