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Very Discouraged First Timer
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Author:  Luke [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:06 am ]
Post subject:  Very Discouraged First Timer
I'm getting very frustrated with this guitar building stuff....i guess I didnt know what I was getting into. At times I'm discouraged and wanna just abandon it and at other times I'm gung-ho and can only think about how good that first guitar will feel in my hands.

Anyways I decided to start a blog about what I'm doing, instead of making a new post everytime I hit a snag in my road, I'll just vent there.

It will also be a great way to journal my mistakes and triumphs.

http://lukesguitarbuilding.blogspot.com/

...The road is long.
Author:  Gtrman13 [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Keep pushing through! I'm amidst my first build also. I just finish my first coat of lacquer a few minutes ago. So I'm nearing the end now. I don't know how far along you are, but when I bolted the neck on to check the fit before I began the finishing process, it was a pretty great feeling holding my instrument in my hands. I've also been tracking my progress on a blog, and it's been a great thing for me. It helps me track my own process and maybe helps me remember some small mistakes that I made along the way. I'm sure it'll help me during my next build. I don't post on this site too often, but I'm a very frequent browser and everyone here has been a constant source of inspiration for me. Anyway, there's always plenty of help around here for you. Don't get too hung up on mistakes. Just make note of them and you'll know how to do these things better in the future. I always learn much more from my failures than I do from my successes. Cheers, and don't give up!
Author:  Wes Paul [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Oh man so many times I wanted to smash the first one on the floor or just simply start over but I knew once it was complete
I would want to build another and then another. I pushed thru it just as you say enjoying it sometimes and hating it others.
Each step came with another mistake that I had to figure out how to fix. My thought was why start over only to get to the same point and make more mistakes on the steps I haven't learned. Though it is far from perfect turns out it plays and sounds better than I ever expected. It is one of my favorite guitars I have ever had and I am so glad I didnt abandon it. After the first each one gets better and better and I hardly wait to finnish the one I am working on so I can start the next!

Its all worth it ;)

I would love to see some pictures!
Author:  oli-lgw [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Don't loose it, everyone had to start somewhere. If you really want to build guitars, you have to accept the frustrations and errors that awaits you on the journey, so to speak. You should read this, it is an article by William Cumpiano called "The Pedagogue's Lament" which I found really helped in accepting all the learning process: http://instrumentmakers.net/LLcom/home/pedagog.html

Hope it helps in some way. [:Y:]
Author:  senunkan [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Hi Luke,

Dont be discouraged, I had my fair share of mistakes during my 3 years of guitar building.
Each time I encounterd a mistake, I will post a question here and the great community here will offer great advice on how to remedy it.
I feel that it's exactly the remedying of all these mistake that actually improves our skills much.

Now I am at the finishing stages of my 1st build (which sound great to my ears - luckily for me).
I discovered that my woodworking skills keeps improving each time I worked on it.
Just be patient and keep building and eventually you will eventually get there.

Sen
Author:  Bobc [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Hi Luke. How about a new back side set thickness sanded to give you a fresh start?
PM me your name and address and we will get something on it's way to you no charge. I think you'll feel
much better if you don't have to look at that back. Hand planning hardwood is not an easy
task for someone starting out. Super sharp blade is required. I suggest practice on scrap pieces
to home your skills. I'm sure some of the guys will give you some pointers on hand planning.
Like Todd said keep posting here. Best way to get help.
Author:  Hesh [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Good on ya Uncle Bob!!! [:Y:]
Author:  bluescreek [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Have Bob send them to me at Blues Creek Guitars and I will bend them and set the body geometry for you . Don't get down on yourself , we are here to help .
Author:  Lillian F-W [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
bliss I love this place.
Author:  WudWerkr [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
dont scrap anything , what you have may be fixable from a pros point of view . have any pics ?
Author:  bluescreek [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
If you send me your stuff and it is repairable , I can fix it ,and better yet I can do a video on it so first timers can learn from what happened to you. Let me know if you are interested . Bob Cef is a great guy and we known each other longer than we want to admit to , but if you see a pic of us , you can see we are , lets say experienced LOL
john
Author:  Michael.N. [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
It's just part of the learning curve. You just have to accept that you are going to 'hit the wall' from time to time. If it's any comfort I have just had to excavate a rosette of diamond/lozenge bone pieces because the oil that I used in the French Polishing process seeped into the bone. causing it to appear blotchy. I haven't made a huge number of instruments (around 50) but I've never inlayed bone before. It just seems that there is always something lurking to trip you up.
Dust yourself down and fight back. It will get finished.
Author:  Dennis Leahy [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Bobc wrote:
Hi Luke. How about a new back side set thickness sanded to give you a fresh start?
PM me your name and address and we will get something on it's way to you no charge.


bluescreek wrote:
Have Bob send them to me at Blues Creek Guitars and I will bend them and set the body geometry for you .


Bob and John, what a wonderful gesture. You guys sure have big hearts.

Luke, the road is long. And bumpy. And it forks. And you may take the "wrong" fork. But if you keep driving, you will get there.

If the journey that you are taking MUST include hand planing parts, then you MUST stop and learn to sharpen hand planer blades to a nearly surgical sharpness, learn to recognize when the blade has begun to dull, and re-sharpen again. And again. I am not one of those people who needs to EVER hand plane wood, and I feel just fine in my journey. I love "abrasive planing" (i.e. "sanding".) When the guitar is all done and you are deep in a dance with your muses, you will not be thinking about planing or sanding.

If your wood is truly unsalvageable, then mentally allocate it to a learning experience and try to find ways to use it up in bits and pieces on other guitars - and accept Bob's generous offer. I'm a bit less inclined to immediately recommend that you have John bend your sides, if you feel that you can do that part yourself (using the sides that Bob has expertly thickness by sanding to a proper bending thickness.) But if you feel that you will not suceed with the bending, then by all means take John up on his generous offer too.

Dennis
Author:  Jon L. Nixon [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
I built an Irish harp once and had a terrible time. It came out looking good though, and when people asked about it, I would tell them that it was basically "just a series of mistakes glued together". They would laugh, and think I was kidding......
Author:  Corky Long [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Bob, John,

Your generosity is a perfect example of what makes this "place" feel so much like home to me. Thanks for making luthiery not only a lot of fun, but also a community that values generosity and mutual help.

Luke, I feel your pain, man. Number one for me was definitely an odyssey - with many frustrations along the way. (the neck still has a long diagonal filled "scar" where the router went right through the neck blank) And I experienced lots of chipout when trying to hand plane the back and sides. Dennis is right, a surgically sharp plane blade is absolutely necessary. On the bright side, the scary sharp system makes getting an incredibly sharp edge much easier.

Like Dennis, I no longer plane my back and sides to thickness - my $160 10/20 Jet thickness sander is the best investment I ever made on that front.

Regardless, if you keep on with it, you WILL finish this guitar, and the feeling you will get when putting on those strings and hearing the first notes come out of an instrument that you made with your hands will be unlike anything you've ever experienced. I guarantee it.

One suggestion - if you haven't already, get some good DVDs on these processes - I don't have them but I've heard great things about John Mayes set. Also, Robbie O'Brien's, John Hall's and others on this forum have made youtubes on everything from bending to inlay. I find them to be invaluable, since many of these processes are not intuitive to me.

We're here to help - Good luck!
Author:  George L [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Most everyone has been where you are now. Don't be too hard on yourself. My first turned out okay and people that don't know any better think it is amazing. I do know better, so it has become a kind of practice dummy for me. I'll probably be resetting the neck this spring or summer. Once I stopped judging myself and embraced my mistakes as learning experiences I started having a lot more fun.
Author:  Darryl Young [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
This is a SUPER place.....very nice of Bob and John!

This will be a big help Luke, hang in there.
Author:  Luke [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Wow, all of you are amazing. I guess all I have to do is just grind away at this point.

To John and Bob, your generosity is above and beyond what is to be expected. I'm gonna post up some pictures and PM you guys when I have more than a couple minutes a little later.

(PS: You'll have to excuse my pics when they come, I'm currently without a camera and my 2 megapixel phone cam will have to do, for now.)
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
I love this thread and I am reminded why I like to do business with Bob and John.

Luke, go slow and don't start any step before you can visualize what you will be doing and the end result. I can't tell you, though my wife probably could, how many times I read the relevant chapter of the Cumpiano book before I did anything on my first guitar. I still refer to it.

Every step of building can be done in a number of ways - all legit. Ask here before you try something that you are unsure about. For example, hand planing hardwoods can be a serious challenge, even for the hard core woodworker with very specialized equipment. Doing your research (and asking around) first is the best way that you will find a method/process that suits your abilities and shop equipment.

Good luck.
Author:  Bailey [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
What great gestures of help from all. I have an extra top I can send if needed.
Kent Bailey
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
"And Bob's your Uncle!" comes alive again at OLF. [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]

Don't be discouraged, Luke. Stuff happens. We've all had set backs that make us assess our situations. Having OLF as a support can only help, so keep posting your failures, and don't forget your successes, as I'm sure there will be plenty of them, if you keep at it.
Author:  peterm [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Don't give up. It can be hard at times, just take a step back and ask for help.
My first one ended up in the trash...
Author:  Luke [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Some pics
Attachment:
IMG_0445.JPG


Truss rod slot after trying to manually deepen it with a chisel.

Attachment:
IMG_0437.JPG


Fraken-neck

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IMG_0443.JPG


Tenon that still needs to be squared

Attachment:
IMG_0441.JPG


Roughed out heel

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IMG_0429.JPG


Plane with the grain....not so good. Picture doesnt do much justice to what it was, this is after about 15 minutes of some hardcore sanding.

Attachment:
IMG_0434.JPG


The top....not so bad
Author:  WudWerkr [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
I cant tell by pic only without dimensions , however it does look as though the truss rod slot could easly be cleaned up with straight edge clamps and a small router. The back , if its still thick enough "from the pics" is probably salvagable . I would say from the comments you have had so far , a little support from olf friends and u will be back n track. [:Y:] [:Y:] [:Y:]


My first truss rod slot looked like was cut by an angry beaver on steroids , or hesh , not sure which !! laughing6-hehe JUST KIDDING HESH !! seriously my first looked worse than that .
Author:  Rene [ Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Very Discouraged First Timer
Wow,
Is this a great place to be part of! You guys are so kind to help out Luke, I'm proud to be a member here. I just want to say I'm always encouraged here also to persevere while I plod along with # 1!
René
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