Acoustic guitar kit recommendation

[MaineGeezer]

Correction: I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, "a pretty great builder.," though I do appreciate the thought.
I think my big advantage was that I had a real luthier show me how to do it.

[Stray Feathers]

What a great list of dos and don'ts you have summed up! I know I have been guilty on most or all counts at some point myself (I'm still a new builder), and would have been more careful from the start if your advice had been so easily available.

As far as tools go, I love good tools, and do buy things to make the work easier (to make it more like fun than work, actually). But I buy used as much as I can, most of the time except for specialty items like nut files etc. And I also think if you invest in good tools, there will always be someone like you who will be happy to buy them used from you when you are finished building. Go to any flea market and the tools you see most of the time are cheap ones that never hold their value because they didn't work very well in the first place.

And Maine Geezer, it's good to see your thoughts here; you underestimate the benefit of the experience you have shared with this forum. Bruce W.

[koolimy]

Correction: I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, "a pretty great builder.," though I do appreciate the thought.
I think my big advantage was that I had a real luthier show me how to do it.

Well I have seen and heard your OM build which looked and sounded great, so I think you count as a pretty great builder ;) No matter what, it's good to hear such words of encouragement from an experienced builder like you.

What a great list of dos and don'ts you have summed up! I know I have been guilty on most or all counts at some point myself (I'm still a new builder), and would have been more careful from the start if your advice had been so easily available.

As far as tools go, I love good tools, and do buy things to make the work easier (to make it more like fun than work, actually). But I buy used as much as I can, most of the time except for specialty items like nut files etc. And I also think if you invest in good tools, there will always be someone like you who will be happy to buy them used from you when you are finished building. Go to any flea market and the tools you see most of the time are cheap ones that never hold their value because they didn't work very well in the first place.

And Maine Geezer, it's good to see your thoughts here; you underestimate the benefit of the experience you have shared with this forum. Bruce W.

Thanks for the kind words! I'm mostly just putting down my thoughts for myself (and other beginners) in the future so that I hopefully don't make the same mistakes. As a beginner, it is encouraging to hear that you and Mr. Maine Geezer, who have both made killer guitars, have also struggled with similar issues. Maybe it is a bit of a rite of passage, that we'll make tons of mistakes and (some of us will) make bad guitars. Nonetheless, as long as we try to learn from our mistakes and try to be more careful each iteration we'll probably end up in better places than where we started out. Some will get to great guitars faster, while some of us will get there slower.

I believe now that the less experienced builder needs better tools. It seems like often, good tools are the right tool for the job and make tasks so much easier. Of course, if one doesn't have the right tools one can often find a creative way to solve the task at hand with tools one has at hand. Further, finding creative solutions to problems is a big part of woodworking. However, that is probably the domain of a more experienced builder. A beginner is already overwhelmed with just going through the steps, so having the right tools that can help you go through the steps as easily as possible seems important in building up the beginner's confidence. I kind of wised up and spent the money to get a set of nut files in the later stages of my build. I didn't necessarily cut my nut very well LOL but it decreased my stress and gave me the confidence that I can cut a nut.

[John Reid]

I’m enjoying this post. As an inexperienced builder that hasn’t done much woodworking, I’ve had to make a lot of decisions on what tools to buy and what jigs to make. I’ve hesitated at times to spend so much money for some things, like nut files, because I sort of don’t feel worthy yet. Also, it is clear that one can spend a fortune and buy a tool for every single step. So, I’m trying to sort out what I really need, and what I can make that will work well enough.

It seems like every step in the build I have to stand back, read, watch videos, build a jig, buy a tool, then proceed. It’s taking me a loooong time, but I am very much enjoying it all.

This forum has helped a lot, along with John’s videos.

A couple examples: I got the clear message from these sources that it was worth it, so, I did end up buying a good set of nut files. Haven’t used them yet. I thought I was going to buy a fret wire bender, but, then, after watching YouTube videos, I ended making one in a couple hours for a few bucks. That was fun!

One tool mentioned in this post is a guitar cradle. I decided to make one early on figuring I’d need it when routing the binding/purfling channels. Boy, am I glad I made it! I use it all the time to hold the guitar for various reasons. But I’ve also learned that it is a safe place to keep the guitar while I’m doing other things. It is reasonably protected overall, especially the top, which I keep face-down.

[koolimy]

I’m enjoying this post. As an inexperienced builder that hasn’t done much woodworking, I’ve had to make a lot of decisions on what tools to buy and what jigs to make. I’ve hesitated at times to spend so much money for some things, like nut files, because I sort of don’t feel worthy yet. Also, it is clear that one can spend a fortune and buy a tool for every single step. So, I’m trying to sort out what I really need, and what I can make that will work well enough.

It seems like every step in the build I have to stand back, read, watch videos, build a jig, buy a tool, then proceed. It’s taking me a loooong time, but I am very much enjoying it all.

This forum has helped a lot, along with John’s videos.

A couple examples: I got the clear message from these sources that it was worth it, so, I did end up buying a good set of nut files. Haven’t used them yet. I thought I was going to buy a fret wire bender, but, then, after watching YouTube videos, I ended making one in a couple hours for a few bucks. That was fun!

One tool mentioned in this post is a guitar cradle. I decided to make one early on figuring I’d need it when routing the binding/purfling channels. Boy, am I glad I made it! I use it all the time to hold the guitar for various reasons. But I’ve also learned that it is a safe place to keep the guitar while I’m doing other things. It is reasonably protected overall, especially the top, which I keep face-down.

Thanks for your reply! It is interesting how everyone is different. I guess that reflects a lot of the advice provided in the earlier parts of this thread. You don't know what you don't know so you need to just build the guitar and see what you like and dislike, what you need and don't need, and make and fix your mistakes along the way. Everybody's path is probably different.

My biggest regret is not having something to hold the guitar while I was building it. I think it made everything so much more difficult. Having your guitar slipping and sliding when you want to make accurate and delicate cuts is NOT a good experience, LOL.

[MaineGeezer]

One thing I've noticed -- Stewart-Mcdonald seems to make a tool or fixture for every conceivable use...whether it's necessary or not. While a lot of them may be convenient, I wouldn't call them necessary.

[carld05]

I don't know if you have them but jread is selling some books describing guitar building down below. The Bill Cory books I highly recommend for many reasons and he has a section on homemade tools (including a great way to hold the guitar body while working the sides and edges). Get them. They'll help a lot on the next kit we know you'll do.

Carl

[ruby@magpage.com]

I came to guitar building after 50 years of building boats, houses and furniture. I had the basic skills to work wood and there were still plenty of mysteries until about #2-1/2 or #3. That said, I admire anyone who can make a guitar with no previous woodworking skill. As a luthier told me - "it's just 50 steps, none of which you have done before"

[MaineGeezer]

Yeah -- I've done carpentry all my life, and as a hobby built things in my home machine shop for 30+ years before starting on my first guitar. There would be something to do, and I would think I knew what needed to be done, but I would discover that what I assumed about the way to do it was NOT the way it ought to be done.

[koolimy]

One thing I've noticed -- Stewart-Mcdonald seems to make a tool or fixture for every conceivable use...whether it's necessary or not. While a lot of them may be convenient, I wouldn't call them necessary.

I definitely don't advise someone to go and buy all the StewMac tools, unless they are rich! I think it is more about a mindset of accepting that this will be a pretty expensive hobby and not trying to take shortcuts at every turn. Experienced builders can probably use their ingenuity and creativity to save money and make things easier for themselves, I can't.

I don't know if you have them but jread is selling some books describing guitar building down below. The Bill Cory books I highly recommend for many reasons and he has a section on homemade tools (including a great way to hold the guitar body while working the sides and edges). Get them. They'll help a lot on the next kit we know you'll do.

Carl

I followed your advice and bought the books from Mr. Read! I should have had them before I built my first guitar but oh well. I can't say I will build a second guitar, mainly due to finances, but the pull is very strong LOL.

I came to guitar building after 50 years of building boats, houses and furniture. I had the basic skills to work wood and there were still plenty of mysteries until about #2-1/2 or #3. That said, I admire anyone who can make a guitar with no previous woodworking skill. As a luthier told me - "it's just 50 steps, none of which you have done before"

One thing I gained as a result of this journey was a huge amount of respect for people who can make well built guitars. I remember you sent me pictures of your J-185, which got me started on my journey. I can now understand that it's a significant achievement to be able to build a guitar of that quality.