Last Revision June ’09

Over the years I’ve often been asked how to start guitar making so I’ve added this page containing my personal approach to this question.

There are many types of guitar that can be made so in general terms the techniques used to construct them are very similar.

If you’ve got this far on my site then I make the assumption that you are interested in making so try to keep that interest going, I believe students with a curiosity for their subject can learn heaps without much effort. Be patient, it will take its time.

Guitar making involves, I might even say demands, a manual dexterity, measuring facility and what I’d call 3D understanding. Getting these skills together need not be done solely through guitar making. Making models and Kits, small projects e.g. a simple jewelry box, will all be skill builders.

A more subtle concept to appreciate in a contemporary world is that guitar making is not always easy and requires both patience and staying power as results are often far from instant.

Begin to think about accurate measuring with quality instruments and very sharp tools.

I subscribe to 2 magazines these being Fine Woodworking and the other being the Mag for the Guild of American Luthiers. FW does great articles on sharpening, use of hand tools, general woodworking, finishing and the like all very useful stuff. The Guild does all sorts of stuff relating to guitar making.

Get some books, I was initially inspired by a copy of Irving Sloane's Making a Classical Guitar, I though Campiano and Natelson's book (forgotten title!!!!) something along the lines of:-  Guitar Making Technique and Tradition was pretty good. Dan Erlewine’s books on Repair work is good. Martin Koch does a good one on making electric guitars. You might try Abe Books for reasonably priced sources.

Subscribe to the email news letter from Stew Mac. There are of course many sites on the net to visit that give good photo essays on making. Those resources  are very extensive.

Keep a notebook which contains your notes, jottings and sketches which, over time, build into a very useful self generated resource. When I say sketches I’m not talking Leonardo Da Vinci, just lines that convey some sort of 3D image which only you need to understand.

Get some tools (try to get the best you can- I go to Boot Fairs) . There are slightly different tooling requirements for electrics and acoustic guitars, soldering irons spring to mind, so do some research. Get a poor quality guitar and see how you can improve on it, make a new nut and saddle, when that's done sell it on. Maybe get an electric guitar kit and build that.

A stable place to work is useful and a work bench ideal. However it is not always possible to have a permanent bench so a board for protection placed on a table would be a beginning and a workmate a definite improvement. Some form of vise needs to be thought about, I have several Zyliss’ that are pretty good, not quite solid as a bench vise but pretty good. Unlike a bench vise the Zyliss can be screwed to the bench edge.

Bear in mind that there is a sequence of construction, this order of fabricating the guitar parts and assembly is often governed by what tools, experience and workshop you have. So that sequence may need to be adapted to suit your circumstances.

It all feeds the learning and understanding. Do not be afraid of not getting it spot on to begin with. Those things come with time.