Greetings from California

[kjermstad]

Hi, I have been watching countless videos and reading on guitar building. I am very interested in starting to build dreadnoughts as a hobby. I have a 12x20 shed that I currently use for woodworking and tool storage that I would set up for guitar building. I have a cart saved at Blue Creek Guitars that includes a side bending machine, body mold, templates, radius disks, gobar system, etc. I am just hesitant to pull the trigger because of the upfront cost of acquiring the tools and want to be sure it's a lifelong endeavor. I have 4 young kids (maybe another in the near future) and I'm assuming grandkids in the future that I could build for. I love family heirlooms and that is what interests me most in guitar building. Thanks for adding me to the group!

[jread]

Hello and Welcome! Sounds like you have a fantastic plan and space for your shop. It's a tough call to invest all that money before you even get started, I know. All I can offer is that John at Blues Creek Guitars won't steer you wrong. His fixtures and templates are top notch and he offers quick, friendly advice and support. If you ever decide to bail on the project, I'd say you'd be able to recoup most of your money selling them on ebay or elsewhere but I get a feeling that won't happen, I can tell you are hooked already, just go with it!

Just my own opinion but I ditched my home made go-bar deck. It worked but was a pain in the rear. I was lucky and got a big collection of Klemsia clamps 2nd hand and use those for clamping my braces and closing the box. I doubt it would be cheaper than a nice go-deck to get this many new clamps to but I am really happy with the way these work. But that's just me, there are plenty of people out here using go-decks.

ps. Love that you have the idea to give them as heirlooms. I get a big charge out of giving them away too and that they can last decades or more and will only sound better over time if they are well kept.

[kjermstad]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement jread! I am pretty sure I will be addicted once I begin. I am lucky that my wife loves the idea, and encourages as much guitars and especially playing thereof in our house as possible.

Ps. is that a cutaway OM? That is the other style I would like to tool up for with and without cutaway.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. This a great place to look for help, see what others are doing and sharing your experience.
It sounds like you already have the heart to build and a great place to build. That's a good start!

I'd say this. Not because it's sort of the way I began 16 years ago (and joined this forum then) but consider starting slow only acquiring the tools and jigs you really need to build that first guitar. You may enjoy the process of using more hand tools or making things like your own mold. That sort of thing. If you have the funds and are pretty sure you'll keep on building, which you likely will then hey go ahead and get the big items right away and jump in.

I'm also in California here in Visalia. If your anywhere near I'd help you anyway I can to get started.
I've built 19 guitars and working on my 4th Violin. It gets in your blood. Just getting ready to start another Indian rosewood dred.

So welcome and please let us know how it's going. We like to follow along with the projects here.

Kevin

[kjermstad]

Thanks for the input, Kevin! I am quite a way north from you, but I appreciate your willingness to share knowledge. I'm not trying to shortcut the learning process, but I would like to avoid mistakes by learning from other's experiences. I know I don't need every specialty tool that a professional luthier uses but want the essentials that help with accuracy and repeatability such as molds and templates. I love using hand tools as I feel a better connection to the work. I will start with kits but would like to progress from there to bending my own sides and joining backs and soundboards. I have done some basic neck setting, inlays, and binding on semi-hollow guitar kits, but realize acoustics are exponentially more involved.

[rcnewcomb]

I would like to avoid mistakes by learning from other's experiences

That is what makes this forum so valuable. In addition to avoiding mistakes, people on the forum can help after you've made a mistake and need a plan to recover from it and move forward. John Hall has a great set of videos freely available on YouTube. He also posts some of his innovative repair processes on the forum.

FYI, I'm in San Jose, CA.

[MaineGeezer]

Realize that you don't need to buy everything all at once. You can pay somebody to bend the sides for instance (I think John offers that service) so you don't need a side bender immediately. You can buy pre-slotted fretboards.
My Go-Bar deck was between my benchtop and the basement ceiling. If you want a Zen experience, cut the binding channels by hand with a gramil, although that that is getting pretty hard core. I did it once just so I could say I've done it, but then I built a Fleishman-style binding machine. (After building it, I decided that John's price for one was a fantastic bargain.)
And you don''t need every gadget in the StewMac catalog.

A couple of really good planes and chisels, and a way to keep them wicked sharp, will help more than anything. (If you can't shave hair off your arm, it's not sharp enough.)

[jread]

Ps. is that a cutaway OM? That is the other style I would like to tool up for with and without cutaway.

Yes. This one came out really nice. I used the Blues Creek bending machine and form to get the cutaway. It was pretty easy with those tools. The tricky part is to size and place the neck block just right so the cutaway is flush with the fretboard and that the fretboard is centered. Come back and ask questions when you get there.

[BlindBo]

Welcome and I like your attitude! I started about 4 years ago and have loved every minute of this hobby. You can’t go wrong dealing with John at Blues Creek. He’s all about helping people get better at this hobby. Like you, one of my goals was to build for family and a few close friends. All 8 of my grand kids now have a guitar I’ve built. It’s been very satisfying.
As others have said, buying everything you need (or want)at once is a big purchase. Along those lines, not many of us end up with a fabulous first build. The learning curve is pretty steep. If I may make a suggestion, StewMac has a kit called a Body Build where the dred body is already completed and bound in a sort of D-18 style. You do all the neck work, finishing, etc. They come in laminated wood or solid wood for a slightly higher price. I’ve built several of them for friends and they are a great way to get your feet wet. They actually are not bad guitars once built and if it’s not up to your liking in wood or style, you can always donate it to “Guitars for Vets”. The nice thing is you get a good taste of the process for about $400 without a heavy tool investment. Just my 2 cents. Good luck on your journey and ask all the questions you have.
BlindBo

[JLT]

Hi, I have been watching countless videos and reading on guitar building. I am very interested in starting to build dreadnoughts as a hobby.

You don't say where in California you are... I'm in Sacramento and would be glad to offer you the use of my tools and advice. I still do all my side bending by hand, and buy my fretboards pre-slotted, so I don't have a lot of the higher-tech tools you're talking about. But I do have a thicknessing sander, which is really nice for doing soundboards, backs, and sides to your preference.

As for binding channels, I do a rough cut with the dremel and then finish them by hand.

I started with kits and built a few before building from scratch. IMO, it's a better way to go than investing a lot of money in tools right away. The real art of guitar making is in the bracing and thicknessing of the soundboard, and you don't need expensive tools for that.