Official Luthiers Forum!

As a newbie, I have purchased books by Willis and then Kinkead as refer to them often, but am wondering if the 100-200 dollar books are worth investing in for me. I have read a lot from Greven, Cumpiano, and some others, on the web, but the Gore books and Somogyi books are out there tempting me.

The Gore/Gilet set are very much worth it. I have not seen the Somogyi books so can't comment on them.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Same here, +1 for the Gore/Gilet books.
Can seem hard going for non-maths addicts, but it's not really as ends of chapters explains in an "everyday" way. Most of the maths are proofs, and the useful bits even I managed to write into spreadsheets.
Also includes 4 plans...

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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.

I recommend as a new comer to build a few guitars using either of the books you have and then make a decision on the more expensive books. If you decide to keep building go for the Gore books as generally these are the best out there followed by the Somogyi. Both sets are good but each take a different path in teaching. Gore provides the more direct path. Good luck in your new adventure.
Tom

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

I forgot to mention that I built an acoustic guitar with a local luthier , and now I 'm on my first solo build. Hope to be finished with it by April for the Showcase in St Louis.

I found the Somogyi books most useful for learning how to think about my own building. The Gore/Gilet books are good at showing how to build guitars in their style.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I think this is an astute distinction that is often overlooked.

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George :-)

Good reading:

The Qualities of Craftsmanship by Kent Carlos Everett

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

The Gore/Gilet books are great if you like actually knowing facts.

Yep, some good thoughts in a little book. I got to spend a day with Kent a few years ago. Nice guy, makes killer guitars, and I learned a lot from him.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Frankly, I would suggest books that are more "generic" as to different ways of building rather than those that take you down some particular path, suggesting that it is better. There are a multitude of ways to approach this craft and, from what I have seen, they all lead to decent guitars.

I see a lot of positive comments for the G/G books. I have not read them, and from what I see, I have no interest in doing so. Might be wrong, but it seems like building "by the numbers/formulae". I have no desire to change what I see as an art into a numerical procedure. Just my opinion FWIW

Grant

I learned via Cumpiano/Natelson's book. Very practical and in depth with history of the craft included in the intro of each step. I did not adhere strictly to each method and technique. for instance his pinned neck mortise. Cumpiano himself now uses a bolt-on instead. This book is good for a novice with little wood working experience, as well as someone who may have years of experience an wants to dive into guitar building. BTW by the end of the year Cumpiano will have a revised and updated version ready.

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"It is easier to fool a man, than it is to convince him that he has been fooled"
Mark Twain

Cumpiano remains my favorite. I get a lot out of both the Somogyi and Gore books, too.

I think that a lot can be learned about the craft in general by learning how to build a specific guitar. So, I would not discount the texts that teach how to build a particular guitar. If you are just starting out, that level of specificity is needed. From the experience of building a few to someone else's design, you can venture into making your own guitars and actually know, in detail, how to do the discrete tasks.

Well said.

I really really value the thorough approach presented in Gore / Gillet.

Fantastic books.

Personally, I like the first Somogyi volume for understanding how the guitar works, and Gore's second volume for how to put one together.

Steve

I have yet to read any of the books and not be impressed. So in that regard you are safe. While not my style of building (I'm more like Grant), the Gore/Gilet material is very good and Trevor even pops on here and answers questions.

Consider broadening your horizon, too. Cabinetmakers Notebook is a must read (from Krenov) for thinking with wood.

Andy

I can bring those books to St. Louis and let you check them out if you want.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Chris

Buy and read what ever you can afford --- you are likely to learn something.

Doing is by far the best teacher. And repetitive "doing" is a great way to hone skills --- $.02

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/