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Hello,

I'm a semi-retired guy in Stillwater, Minnesota and I've been a guitar player since 1990.

I have just begun working on a StewMac ukulele kit (baritone). Assuming all goes well, I am building this in preparation for an acoustic guitar kit.

I excelled in woodworking classes when I was in high school, but that was 35+ years ago. I have always been "handy" and i am definitely meticulous and patient... I'm hoping that all this will pay off.

I glued on the front and back braces yesterday using titebond. It went well, but the StewMac braces didn't quite match the pattern - especially the angle of the cross-brace. I used it as-is without trying to redo the angle of the intersection; hopefully the fact that I am now about 4mm off the plan at the end of the x-braces will not be a problem. Also, apparently, StewMac only has one bridgeplate bace for their 4 different sized uke kits. For the baritone, this meant that this brace was really small. So I made my own brace there at the correct size. The only appropriate wood I had on hand was basswood, so (for better or worse) that will have to be okay.

I am thinking this ukulele kit will take me about 2 1/2 weeks and then I can start thinking about a guitar kit. I'll probably do a small bodied guitar since I do not already have one. I'm thinking Martin 000 or a Gibson L-00. Unless there is a practical reason that the Martin is better, I'll probably do the Gibson as i am a "Gibson guy."

I have already read a lot of posts in this forum and I'm sure it will be a very helpful resource.

-John

Hello John, and welcome to the forum. I hope it isn’t too cold up there! You’re going to enjoy reading all the wonderful information here and getting great answers from the very knowledgeable and experienced members. Everyone is happy to help. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of ukulele construction, but many here do and perhaps can help ya. Welcome aboard!

A warm welcome from north of the border! You'll find lots of support and advice here. And while I have not built from kits, I will say a good word about John Hall of Blues Creek Guitars, a major supporter of this forum. He has provided custom kits to many forum members. If you're undecided, he might even fix you up with a Mibson or a Gartin! And a word about your x-brace issue: It is possible to assemble the brace incorrectly so you get a wider or narrower angle. If you have not assembled the body you still have time to unglue the brace and redo it. Bruce W.

I can start thinking about a guitar kit. I'll probably do a small bodied guitar since I do not already have one. I'm thinking Martin 000 or a Gibson L-00. Unless there is a practical reason that the Martin is better, I'll probably do the Gibson as i am a "Gibson guy."

Be sure to contact John Hall at BluesCreekGuitars. He currently has a variety Gibson L00 kits on his site. He can also custom configure a kit for you. His support is outstanding.