Official Luthiers Forum!

Ok, I'm full of questions today, and I cant work in the shop until its
rehumidified, so idle hands and all... Just interested in how and why all of
you got into this. Were you a woodworker looking for something
different? Guitar player who wondered how they were made? I know Ken
Smith was a bass player who realized he wasnt all that good, so he
started building them instead. Personally I was a bass player, who started
playing electric guitar, who started playing acoustic. When I started
buying better and better acoustics I realized it was getting expensive real
quick. I needed a new hobby after the band dispanded and I'm an
engineer, so here I am.

I thought that building guitars would give me more opportunity to clean things.........

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Ann Arbor Guitars

I wanted to meet girls.

[QUOTE=Hesh] I thought that building guitars would give me more
opportunity to clean things.........
[/QUOTE]

I found that since I started, the general cleanliness of my house has gone
downhill. Too much time in the shop and those dishs just dont seem to
crawl into the dishwasher by themselves. They may eventually.

I had a little woodworking background, started playing guitatr when I was about 45, and in a few years realized that if I switched to building them I wouldn't have to practice anymore (or, wouldn't have the time at any rate).

Heh, I like playing, but nobody else wants to hear me do it.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

As a 16 year old I wanted a good guitar but didn't have the money for one.....then I saw an article by Ajay Hand in Popular Science magazine entitled "You Can Make a Quality Guitar for $20"............ that was it.................................

I was also a bass player that messed around with building basses many years ago. I have played guitar for many years but never really considered myself a guitar player. A year ago I discovered the OLF and every since I have been hooked. I think being a musician, woodworker, and engineer has been a good reason why I enjoy all this stuff. It seems like such a great balance between art and science.

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Brad
Avon, OH

I never planned on making any money, and so far, everything is going according to plan!

Always had an interest but a deer slug to the gut and six months off work gave me the time. Police officer not a bank robber for those who are confused . But i'm all better now and i officially have the bug. I'm still a cop (detective) to pay the bills but love the new hobby.    

[QUOTE=DP LaPlante] As a 16 year old I wanted a good guitar but didn't have the money for one.....then I saw an article by Ajay Hand in Popular Science magazine entitled "You Can Make a Quality Guitar for $20"............ that was it.................................[/QUOTE]

DP, well, did you?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

...yes!!

I started in a strange way. 3 years ago I never had picked up a guitar in my
life or did any woodworking. It was the holidays and I was listening to my
brother in law play his Martin D-28. I thought wow!!!!   I wish I knew how to
play a guitar?    He talked me into buying an acoustic and take the plunge for
some lessons. Well I bought a Taylor Big Baby and started lessons in Jan of
2005.   A few months later I was in a guitar shop and really liked the high
end guitars and wondered if I could build one. I bought a kit and the rest is
history. I am building guitars 21 and 22 know and have never looked back.

Ironically #22 is for my nephew....the son of the man that started it all. It is
a gift. It will be an SJ flamed Walnut with a lutz top.    

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

The Money, the money the great big bags full of money.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To spend....

I had a couple of room mates in university who played guitar really well and I
thought, "how hard can it be?" I started playing, discovered it takes a lot of
practice....and I'm not as talented in real life as I am in my head, so I
thought I'd try building them.   The two things I enjoy most (other than my
wife of course )are wood working and playing guitar.

I spend my time away from work playing and trying to build. I have the
intention and ambition to get good enough by the time I retire to sell my
guitars. It's still at least 15 years away, so I'm going to enjoy honing my
skills until I've had enough at work and decide to pull the pin.

Jamie

I've always been facinated with the guitar, but never really picked one up until about 3 years ago when I started practicing at my cousin's house.

Then I went up to Michigan with My girlfriend who loves to read and we stopped in at the local Borders Book store. While she was spending a long time looking through all the books I stumbled on guitar books (How to play guitar and such). Well, in with those books were a couple of books on building your own acoustic guitar. Me being the type of person that likes to make things as opposed to buying them, I thought "I can do that", so I bought the book.

A month or so later, I started buying the videos, then the tools, then the wood, then more tools, etc. And I have completed my 1st guitar in September of last year and am now started on #2.

I never would have thought that a quick trip to the book store would have changed my life like this. I used to have money to spend before this hobby. But seriously, I love every bit of it and look forward to learning more and improving my skills as time goes on.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

17 years left to serve on an 18 year prison term, and the warden said, woodshop duty or kitchen duty?

Still can't cook worth a dang.....

I started playing after my son graduated to electric from a cheap classical.  I got interested in construction then.  That was back in the late '70's.  I finally decided I couldn't procrastinate any more.  I had to go ahead and bite the bullet.  27 years is a long time to put something off.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

A few years ago I took my parents to Hawaii and saw a local playing his ukulele after work. He was a large man with fingers the size of Italian sausages but he played and sang beautifully. The picture that I could never get out of my mind was he just looked like he was having so much fun. I thought maybe a non musician like me could play a ukulele so I bought one. Through research I found David Hurd’s site and eventually the OLF. I didn’t even know what the word Luthier meant. With my Wife’s support I took my 7th grade woodshop experience and attended the Hana Lima I’a ukulele building school in Hawaii. I learned a great deal and ended up with a good looking and good sounding ukulele. My next project was a guitar for my father that I am almost finished with. Between what I have learned and the wonderful members here at the OLF I will soon be able to complete a gift that will be irreplaceable. I gave it to my Father at Christmas with the neck k in the dovetail and the fret board and bridge in place with 2 way tape. He couldn’t believe it and was really moved. My parents are gone until May so I can complete the build and have time to put a finish on it.

I have not found any hidden musical talent and now realize that I have no musical abilities. That’s ok because I still enjoy playing poorly and singing even worse with my ukuleles. More importantly, I have taken poor woodworking skills and have made a couple of really nice instruments with just a little effort and with help from my school and the members here. I think that the most important lesson that I have learned is that building isn’t perfect. Mistakes can be made and most of the time these can be corrected. Knowing that mistakes happen really boosts the confidence of a person who starts with few building skills.

The most striking moment is when you let a musician you respect play the instrument you built. They of course are being polite and take the instrument and are ready to tell you how nice it is regardless of what they think. Then you see the shock on their face when they strike the first notes and are truly surprised by the sweet sound. Then with wonderment they ask “you built this?” and you answer yes I built it myself from a pile of wood.

Hmm, I'm a bit too wordy again.

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

As a former engineer turned chiropractor, I needed a way to satisfy my left brain thought process so I started woodworking. Having played guitar since my childhood, building was a natural transition from making jewelry boxes,chess boards and kitchen cabinets.

Vince

I don't now why, but as a kid I was always facinated by the guitar--I would stare at the guitars in the Sears catalog--the big one. My parents finally bought me a guitar, calssical and set me up with some lessaons at age 10 or so. The instructor made Hitler seem like a boy scout, so I quit. 30 years later my sone turned 7 and wanted to play guitar. I bought him a Baby Taylor set him up with lessons after interviewing several instrucors and ghe's never looked back. I started playing and taking lessons too and we are having a great time.
I am the kind of person that thinks I can make something better. I started with pistol grips for single action cowboy guns, becayse I could not find what I liked, and the quality was poor. So I started making them myself and soon had requests from all over the country, and made it into several books and magazines. I already had the shop and tools prior to guitars, and figured I would try to build an acoustic, because the wiring in an electric intimidated me. Several acoustics later, and I'm ready for that electric.
Most importantly, its the perfect way for me to have fun with my kids!

That's cool. Glad you have that pic. Do you still have the guitar?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

I first thought about it in the early 90s.  When looking for a new guitar, I came across an add for Martin Guitar Kits.  I had recently taken a woodworking course as well.  At the time I decided to buy rather than build.

Then a few years ago I saw "Handmade Music" and decided why not. 

My first was an economy build that I pieced together from economy parts off ebay. Not one that I would want to show off and It now needs some re-work.  Now, I am now trying to complete an LMI kit, but need better weather so I can use the garage.

Neat nick

As a young boy and teen I grew up helping in my Grandfathers cabinet shop. I played in a few bands in high school and into college. After college I played, I guess you would say Semi-pro in a regional sense. I played the bar and club scene till I got married and settled in to my engineering career. As a 40-45 year old adult I supplemented my income by building jewelry boxes and small furnishings and sold them at craft shows and fairs. I continued to play some venues as a middle aged adult till CTS really made that impractical but of course I continued to play for my own enjoyment as well as did basic repair, fret work and set-up for local musicians.

I had always wanted to build a Martin kit and in my late 40's did so. That lead to my dream guitar from scratch then to building for a couple musician friends and eventually to commission building.

But your question is "Why did I start?"

Because I fell in love with the craft.