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Starting my Martin Jumbo kit made of Rosewood back and sides.

This is my first guitar, so pointers are very welcome. I am already a skilled woodworker, but would love hints and tips as I move forward. My goal is to build three: one for me and one for each of my sons. All three of us play, some better than others.

Jim

Good job on the gobar deck. I made my first one too, although it didn't look as nice as yours.

John Hall has a huge number of videos on YouTube, which will walk you through your build. One discusses screwing in your neck block, through your mold, to keep it true.

https://youtu.be/FcM3GErOI_A

You are already off to a better start. When I glued the braces on the top for my rosewood jumbo I had the wrong radius dish <blush>.

My secret to success is.......well I don't have one. But for me, I have learned to go slow and plan out my actions. I seem to make fewer mistakes that way. Then, when you do make a mistake I share it on this forum and the helpful folks here always seem to have a solution.

I am very methodical in my work and also precise. I hope both of these characteristics help. I have also tried hard to do a dry fit.

Doing a dry run is the key to success. You're smart to do this. I still do it, especially when doing something that I don't do every day. So many problems can be avoided this way.

I’m carving the back braces now. Trying to get a more lively top.

I’m very cautious about carving off too much. What do you think?

I got a little brazen and carved the main X braces a bit. I was just not getting a responsive sound when I was tapping the top. After a little carving, I think it taps a lot better ... it’s a little more responsive.

your shaping looks clean and well proportioned

So I think I made my first mistake. My neck block hits my upper bout brace (see photo). Should I just cut it out so the neck block rest against the top? When I say cut it out, I mean just the part where the neck brace should rest on the top ... not all of the bout brace.