LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

A Tale of Two Guitars

7K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  fatandy2003 
#1 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
 

Attachments

See less See more
10
#2 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
I'm planning my first guitar build too. I also recently got the Cumpiano book. Are you planning to use a mould for shaping sides or follow the Cumpiano method more closely?
 

Attachments

#3 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
My hard won 2 cents. Don't second guess the dimensions of tops, backs, braces etc., build exactly to the PRINTED dimension and you will produce a very nice tone and volume instrument. These plans are usually slightly over built to avoid complaints of guitar failure. It is very easy to make a baseball bat neck or non responsive tops and backs by not trusting the plans. If you can, build them one at a time because you will learn much on the first one.

Good luck and have fun! There is nothing quite like stringing up and playing your first instrument. I kept stopping and looking and saying… WOW!

Helpful luthier forums

http://www.anzlf.com/index.php

http://luthiersforum.com/
 

Attachments

#4 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
Matt, I have built an inside mold and will post it in the next blog in the series (tonight if I have time). I am trying to glean the most efficient and practical techniques from a bunch of sources; the mold seemed to be one of those "practical techniques."

Bill, Thanks for your input. I have read through a number of your stringed instrument blogs (more like stalked you because I didn't really have any comments to add). I have already been tempted to modify the shape of the lower bout from the plans, so I am glad to hear you say NOT to. My dad and I are starting at different parts of the guitars (the neck for me and the body for him), so I am hoping that will help us learn our lessons. This activity is as much about being able to spend time together as it is about building guitars…

Cheers, Andy
 

Attachments

#5 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
I used to love playing around with lutherie. I haven't touched any of it for years and seeing this blog made me pull out the tub of stuff I had stored away. I had three guitars in the works. I had one made from Myrtlewood that was getting close to gluing up and then a bug crawled out and left a hole in the face which took the wind out of my sales so I quit. I wasn't sure if it could be saved. Maybe I will get back at it sometime.

Wood Natural material Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


Wood Wood stain Hardwood Table Circle


Brown Wood Table Floor Flooring


Thanks for your blog, it inspired me to pull that stuff out and maybe I will do something with it. I really like your use of the sapwood, that is going to look beautiful.
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
Brian,

That myrtlewood has a sweet burl-like quality. I hope you decide to finish the guitar. I am sure it will be a phenomenal instrument.
 

Attachments

#7 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
I will be following along with your blog and who knows, I might just have to get that stuff out and do something with it. It will be hard to find time to do it, right now I am incredibly busy with everything else going on. Of course by everything else I mean woodworking, woodworking and woodworking! ;) poor me. Don't you feel sorry for me?
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Introduction

Here goes my first blog ever.

My dad is a huge guitar enthusiast, and I have always been fascinated with the beauty of these instruments and the complexity of their construction. So, we have been tossing around the idea of building a guitar together for over a year now. This last Christmas, we finally decided to take the leap. We bought Solomon and Cumpiano's book Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar.

Wood Art Line Font Pattern


We bought 2 sitka spruce tops at Stewart-McDonald (www.stewmac.com), 2 sets of walnut backs and sides from www.superiortonewoods.com (pictured below), and plans for a Taylor Grand Auditorium guitar from Georgia Luthier Supply (also pictured below).

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Floor


Wood Rectangle Tints and shades Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Wire Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Font Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


I am not sure how long it will take us, but our goal is to have 2 completed guitars by this time next year. I am going to TRY and blog the entire process, but I promise nothing. I usually think about taking pictures as I am walking out of the shop for the night. Enjoy the blog series and please feel free to make comments. Since this will be the first guitar build for both of us, any recommendations will be accepted warmly.

Thanks for reading,

Andy
Bill, Thanks for your input. I have read through a number of your stringed instrument blogs (more like stalked you because I didn t really have any comments to add). I have already been tempted to modify the shape of the lower bout from the plans, so I am glad to hear you say NOT to. My dad and I are starting at different parts of the guitars (the neck for me and the body for him), so I am hoping that will help us learn our lessons. This activity is as much about being able to spend time together as it is about building guitars…

Cheers, Andy

- fatandy2003
[/QUOTE]

Andy, I was referring to component thicknesses and widths …. tops, backs and braces. My next flat top is going to be slightly under built just to push it and find the limit. This is where a bolt on neck pays it's way, it can be salvaged. I dovetail my bolt on necks so I also have a real mechanical joint.
 

Attachments

#9 ·
Some Jigs and a Neck Glue-Up

Still wrapping our heads around starting this project, we decided to make a few jigs that will be useful during the build. Unfortunately, we did not take any progress pictures (something I need to get better at during this project). We started off with a simple workboard. The book said to line the outside perimeter with cork, but the plans are for flat board. I think we will add the cork later to help with the curvature of the soundboard and back.

Musical instrument Wood Natural material Hardwood Wood stain


Table Furniture Wood Desk Writing desk


We also build an inside form which will be essential in keeping the sides bent and assembling the box. We traced a template for one half of the soundboard onto a piece of cardboard and then transposed it onto a piece of 3/4" MDF. We rough cut the shape with a jigsaw (no bandsaw in the shop) and then approached the line with a spokeshave, a curved file and sandpaper. Once we were satisfied with the shape, we traced a copy onto another MDF piece and 12 copies onto 1/2" plywood. We roughed them each out, secured them to the MDF and used a template router bit to make every piece an exact replica of the 1st. We then sandwiched the MDF pieces by 6 plywood pieces. I added a hinge and my own spring closure to finish the form.

Auto part Wood Metal Font Circle


Metal Natural material Wood Composite material


While we were working on the jigs, we decided it was time to glue-up the neck blanks. This being our first builds, we decided not to buy expensive neck blanks. I had some maple and walnut laying around the shop, so we sandwiched up 3 pieces of 3/4" maple and 2 pieces of 3/8" walnut into neck blanks. We will see if it works…

Wood Flooring Engineering Machine Space


Thanks for reading,

Andy
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Some Jigs and a Neck Glue-Up

Still wrapping our heads around starting this project, we decided to make a few jigs that will be useful during the build. Unfortunately, we did not take any progress pictures (something I need to get better at during this project). We started off with a simple workboard. The book said to line the outside perimeter with cork, but the plans are for flat board. I think we will add the cork later to help with the curvature of the soundboard and back.

Musical instrument Wood Natural material Hardwood Wood stain


Table Furniture Wood Desk Writing desk


We also build an inside form which will be essential in keeping the sides bent and assembling the box. We traced a template for one half of the soundboard onto a piece of cardboard and then transposed it onto a piece of 3/4" MDF. We rough cut the shape with a jigsaw (no bandsaw in the shop) and then approached the line with a spokeshave, a curved file and sandpaper. Once we were satisfied with the shape, we traced a copy onto another MDF piece and 12 copies onto 1/2" plywood. We roughed them each out, secured them to the MDF and used a template router bit to make every piece an exact replica of the 1st. We then sandwiched the MDF pieces by 6 plywood pieces. I added a hinge and my own spring closure to finish the form.

Auto part Wood Metal Font Circle


Metal Natural material Wood Composite material


While we were working on the jigs, we decided it was time to glue-up the neck blanks. This being our first builds, we decided not to buy expensive neck blanks. I had some maple and walnut laying around the shop, so we sandwiched up 3 pieces of 3/4" maple and 2 pieces of 3/8" walnut into neck blanks. We will see if it works…

Wood Flooring Engineering Machine Space


Thanks for reading,

Andy
I like the bench extension.
 

Attachments

#11 ·
Scarf Joint and Heel Block

Started off by trimming up the neck blank and planning it square.

**Just a note here: I couldn't find anywhere that definitively instructed on the width of the neck blank. At the guitar joint, the neck is 2-1/8" wide and at the nut it is 1-3/4". But, since the headstock is made from the same blank, most are 3" wide due to the widest part of the headstock. So we went with a 3" wide blank (however, my headstock will taper the opposite way as normal, so I could have glued up a thinner blank).

Wood Wood stain Safety glove Engineering Hardwood


Then cut the scarf joint 7" down from the end of the blank at 15° using a Veritas crosscut carcass saw (sorry, no pictures of this).

Turned the headstock portion upsidedown and clamped it up on top of the neck.

Wood Outdoor furniture Wood stain Hardwood Plank


Then planed the two pieces flat and squared up.

Wood Engineering Gas Tool Machine


I love maple and walnut laminated shavings…

Wood Terrestrial animal Scaled reptile Soil Insect


Once the scarf joint was flat and square on both the headstock and neck, the headstock needed to be planed down to ½" thick (neck blank was a little over ¾"). Using some cauls, we clamped up the headstock to the neck.

Wood Electrical wiring Engineering Flooring Metalworking hand tool


Wood Cosmetics Spice Satellite phone Tool


We are doing all the work in my shop, so if I get ambitious, I will go down and work ahead a little which seems to help me figure out the techniques and apply them to my dad's guitar. This was the case with the neck. Once the scarf joint was dry, I worked on the heel block. I began with measuring the nut width (3/16") from the edge of the headstock. Then I measured down 14.08" from the nut line to mark where the neck will contact the body. Then another 1" down for the tenon. This left about 19" of neck blank to make the heel block. Cut 4 x's 4" sections and 1 x's 3" block. Alternating the blocks' grain directions, I stet them up even with the end of the tenon mark and glued them up.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Engineering


Wood Table Rectangle Flooring Gas


And here is the progress on my neck in my bench vise.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Gas Auto part


As always, thanks for reading!

Cheers,
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Truss Rod Channel and Tenon

Alright, it's been a while since I posted. Here is the neck after the scarf joint and heel block have been glued up and then cleaned up with a block plane. Everything needs to be squared up at this point in order to get a good (clean) routed channel for the truss rod.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Gas Auto part


I didn't take a picture while routing the channel, well, because you all know how a router table works… and I was a little busy keeping my fingers away from the spinning bit. But, basically, you mark the center of the neck blank, then set up your router table to take an equal amount of material from each side of center. It is best to choose a bit that is big enough for the truss rod to fit snugly into the channel without binding. I did not have to right sized bit, so I used a smaller bit and flipped the neck from side to side, taking off about 1/8" inch per pass.

Next, the tenon had to be cut. My table saw is good for rough cuts, but I was too worried about messing my blank up at this point, so I used a Veritas handsaw. I find I can cut more accurately with much less clean up.

Cutting the shoulder

Wood Floor Flooring Gas Water


IMG_1309
Wood Handheld power drill Gas Drill Tool


And the tenon.

Wood Flooring Floor Wall Wood stain


You notice that I cut slightly angled in toward the tenon on the shoulder. That is so that the area that I will have to match to the sides later is smaller. The key is to cross your baseline at the point where it intersects the anticipated fretboard (you can see the 2 pencil lines of you look close at the above photo).

Quick picture with the truss rod in.

Wood Machine tool Hardwood Machine Lumber


And then time to clean up the tenon. The shoulder…

Wood Office ruler Floor Wood stain Flooring


And the tenon…

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Office ruler Varnish


Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Andy
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Truss Rod Channel and Tenon

Alright, it's been a while since I posted. Here is the neck after the scarf joint and heel block have been glued up and then cleaned up with a block plane. Everything needs to be squared up at this point in order to get a good (clean) routed channel for the truss rod.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Gas Auto part


I didn't take a picture while routing the channel, well, because you all know how a router table works… and I was a little busy keeping my fingers away from the spinning bit. But, basically, you mark the center of the neck blank, then set up your router table to take an equal amount of material from each side of center. It is best to choose a bit that is big enough for the truss rod to fit snugly into the channel without binding. I did not have to right sized bit, so I used a smaller bit and flipped the neck from side to side, taking off about 1/8" inch per pass.

Next, the tenon had to be cut. My table saw is good for rough cuts, but I was too worried about messing my blank up at this point, so I used a Veritas handsaw. I find I can cut more accurately with much less clean up.

Cutting the shoulder

Wood Floor Flooring Gas Water


IMG_1309
Wood Handheld power drill Gas Drill Tool


And the tenon.

Wood Flooring Floor Wall Wood stain


You notice that I cut slightly angled in toward the tenon on the shoulder. That is so that the area that I will have to match to the sides later is smaller. The key is to cross your baseline at the point where it intersects the anticipated fretboard (you can see the 2 pencil lines of you look close at the above photo).

Quick picture with the truss rod in.

Wood Machine tool Hardwood Machine Lumber


And then time to clean up the tenon. The shoulder…

Wood Office ruler Floor Wood stain Flooring


And the tenon…

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Office ruler Varnish


Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Andy
Looking good, I like the wood combo. So you went with a bolt in approach and a martin style (U) truss rod, nice ;) Nice progress. Hey where is your vise handle?
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top