Complete beginner at building and playing

Questions and answers for beginners. If you have a question, so do most other people.
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nevesn
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:11 am

Complete beginner at building and playing

Post by nevesn »

Hey everyone,

First off i want to apologize if my questions have already come up on the forum and if they are a bit silly. This is all very new to me. I have done some basic wood work and i play a little bit of guitar but nowhere near being called a guitar player.

Now that thats out, I am looking to build my own guitar but really wanted a cutaway style like the Taylor 214ce or the PRS Angelus. Are there kits out there already cut to these styles?

Another question i have is, I want to make an inlay design on the neck and possibly a wood burning design on the back of the guitars body. I know this is quite the ask, not easy specially for a first timer but im not in a rush to finish the guitar and am thinking of getting extra wood for some practice rounds before hand. Has anyone attempted this and know of any good manuals, tutorials etc i can refer to?

thanks in advance!
tippie53
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Location: Hegins, Pa
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Re: Complete beginner at building and playing

Post by tippie53 »

I know some people are into burning art so check out you tube pearl is also a great way to add bling
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Complete beginner at building and playing

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Hi. I did pearl inlay pretty much from day one. I bought the inlay precut, and practiced on scrap wood until I felt ready to inlay the guitars. It came out pretty good.

We're here to help you. No question is silly, except the one left unasked. So, please ask away!
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
robinsonb5
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:01 pm

Re: Complete beginner at building and playing

Post by robinsonb5 »

I recently put together one of the really cheap kits with pre-made body and neck, and had a buddy of mine do a wood-burning design on the front - I'll dig out a picture when I have them to hand. It turned out really nicely - I'm pleased with it. I was concerned that the black from the scorching might bleed or run when I applied finish (shellac in my case) but in practice it wasn't a problem.

(Just in case you don't already know, if you're going to be cutting either mother of pearl or abalone make sure you have good a dust extraction setup - you *really* don't want the dust from either of those in your lungs.)
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Complete beginner at building and playing

Post by MaineGeezer »

A cutaway complicates the build process. If you plan to bend the sides yourself, I'd encourage you to choose a side/back wood that is easy to bend. Or get John to bend them for you. Then it's his problem <grin>. I'm not sure if John has cutaway kits, but he might create one for you. (n.b "John" = John Hall,host this forum = Blues Creek guitars = all-around nice guy.)

A cutaway also slightly complicates the neck to body joint. It's certainly all do-able, but be aware that choosing a cutaway has ramifications.

I'm a dud when it comes to inlaying and wood burning, so I can't help you there. I used "Zip- Flex" for bling on my first guitar. It's nice stuff. It's from these folks: https://www.advancedshelltech.com/
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
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