I had just finished my first electric guitar build at home and was between projects when Mark announced his Acoustic Guitar on-line course. With some fear and trepidation I enrolled and ordered his kit of parts in June 2016.
I will show how we got from these assorted bits of wood...
...to this...
I ordered a sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides and fingerboard and a mahogany neck.
I finally finished this guitar in November 2018. It has had a long ingestion partly because Mark was still developing the course and partly because I got distracted with some other builds part way through the process. It doesn't have to take this long.
This instrument far exceeds my expectation - I'm thrilled with it!
Although not as refined (I made mistakes etc) as a high end instrument it's ringing, strident tone and playability gives an expensive guitar a good run for it's money. And, joy of joys, it's totally in tune at the twelfth.
I will document some of the steps involved later in this post.
This looks amazing Herb, I’m getting more and more tempted with the acoustic build I must say. I look forward to seeing some more pictures of this build.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
It's mostly a very different thing to an electric build. Much more chisel work - feels more "analogue". Need some odd things like an inner tube from a lorry, half a dozen "Klemsia" clamps and access to a side bender. I made my clamps - need to make them again as I used wood that splits too easily and I'm thinking of another acoustic in the springtime. Too bally cold in my garage over the winter plus the cold and damp quickly effect the thin top, back and sides plates. Next time I'll try an OOO model - Gibson scale length and join at the twelfth using different woods. Definitely recommend jumping in there... very rewarding (or, I suppose, disappointing if it all implodes - hehe many nightmares along the way).
You’ve given me something to aspire to Herb, thank you for sharing.
I don’t have a lot of disposable income at the moment but it’s something for me to look into deeper and start making some clamps maybe, whatever makes it cheaper.
I think you’ve done a really good job with this guitar and it leaves me wondering what it sounds like.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
Identifying an sorting out all the shrapnel each with their own special name...
A scary route for the rosette.
Each brace has it's place, needs trimming, gluing and carving. Some have to have a curve to make the "flat top" guitar not have a flat top...
Now the Back...
Reinforce the join...
All the back braces must be curved - the back has move of a belly than the front...
Owning up: at this stage I stopped the build and left the braced front and back in the garage during the winter. The front survived but the cold and the damp caused the back to bow the wrong way - concave rather than convex. I had to carve off the braces, make a new set and glue those in place. Thankfully this has worked fine.
The sides need to be bent and prepared for gluing to the front
The neck block prepared and captive nuts inserted to ultimately receive the neck bolts and the final carving of the X braces completed.
Back to the neck...
finalise the head and the heel, install the dots and the frets
Let's make the bridge now...
I know this is from an old post. I've just been surfing through the forums. This guitar came out beautiful. Very well done. I'm getting excited to start my first build. I've started making some more cam clamps and going to make all the suggested jigs and stuff. Hopefully my guitar will come out as nice as yours. 🙂
I have a Bailey acoustic kit waiting to be built.
My workbench is in a small room in the garage - I needed to rearrange the room to get the build board in - also I added a ceiling, secondary glazing and an oil filled radiator. The room now stays at around 55°F so is usable at this time of year.
Will be making templates and the acoustic build board soon.
Measure once........
Measure again.........
Sod it - make tea!
Kind words, thank you. I'm quietly proud of it - never thought I could accomplish it. It's a real tribute to Mark's teaching abilities and patience.
It hasn't capsized yet.
I'm lucky to own a Martin and this creation is a good contrast to it. It's louder and more strident.
It took a long time to make cos Mark was still recording the course while I was building. I made mistakes like not looking after the plates through the winter as you will see above.
Good luck to you - I'm sure you will create an heirloom!
