Official Luthiers Forum!

Some really interesting and fascinating stories here. Thanks a lot for contributing guys.

Seems for a lot of people it starts off as a part time hobby, and then you just get hooked.

I might as well add my story since I started this. I'm 30 next year, and have worked the traditional 9 to 5 job since I left university. Got bored and decided to go travelling around the world for a bit. This really opened up my eyes to what I want in life and what I really enjoy, namely music. I've loved it since I could walk and talk. I'm dreading going back to the boring drone of a 9 to 5 job so I want to at least try and make a go of my own business, before I regret it for ever.

Challenging times ahead though, especially in these economic times. Seems to be best to get a reasonable job to pay the bills, and then build guitars as a hobby. As much as I can dream of being the next PRS, I realise the chances are not good.

(Anyway, thanks for the stories guys. I'm fascinated about your work)

Anth

My Father, and Grandfather were building contractors......carpenters, cabinetmakers ect, so I come from generations of woodworkers. My Great Grandfather (on my Mothers side) was the town blacksmith. Back then, in small towns in the Southern US the "town blacksmith" done pretty much everything. Along with shoeing horses, and other "official" blacksmith stuff he built Violins, Cellos, and even a few double basses. He also built furnature and repaired autos and trucks too. I've got quite a bit of tonewood that he had. He died in 1957, 7 years before I was born. I started playing guitar when I was 8. When I was 12 I started taking lessons from a local musician/guitar builder. My Great Grandfather had taught him a bunch about instrument building. I paid for my guitar lessons by working in his shop. He built mainly classicals, but also built a few steel strings, as well as a few Violins. I built my first electric (a Tele style electric with a b bender) when I was 15, and my first acoustic when I was 17. For 25 years I supplemented my income by doing repairs for a few local music stores. In 2005 I started building again. I've pretty much stopped doing repairs, and outside finishing work. I build 6 to 10 acoustics a year.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

I've played for 45 years and a woodworker for almost as long. It took until I was 60 to decide that maybe I could build one. Now...I have family members that roll their eyes every Xmas season hoping its not going to be another Xmas guitar under the tree.
I still haven't been able to match the sound of 2 classicals I once purchased and currently play.....But now at least have one fan fret build that I'm partial to playing.

Not many Xmas's left for me and relatives may start using them for fire starter.

Also...Addicted.

Kent

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Wood Creations by Kent A. Bailey
EXCELLENCE IN SCULPTURE, CARVING, LUTHIER, ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK AND DESIGN

http://www.kabart.com

I don't know if I'd call myself a builder just yet. I've built(assembled) a few electrics from parts, but have only built one from scratch. I'm working on my second scratch build.
As to what made me begin, I've been a guitar player for over twenty years. But even before that, i grew up listening to my father and brothers playing guitar and singing together pretty much every night. The guitar has always been beautiful to me. I've always had a fascination for them.
As a player, I started learning to work on them because I couldn't afford to always send them to a tech when they had a problem. I've been doing set ups, simple electronics and simple repair work on mine and other peoples guitars for about 14 years now.
I've wanted to build them almost before i could even play them. It's only recently that I realized I had accumulated enough knowledge to do so. In fact, my first scratch build I started at least 15 years ago, but realized I didn't know how to do it, so I set it aside until I did. Now I can't seem to stop. And when I'm not building, I'm dreaming about my next one. Or the one after that. Or the one after....well, you get the idea.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

About two years ago I was in the market for a new Classical Guitar. I have played classical and steel string since I was a kid.
In doing the research on tonewoods I stumbled upon this site.
After I bought the spruce-top Ramirez, I went back to OLF and after tons of reading decided "I can do this"
So I bought a Serviced Kit from LMI and a couple of the popular building books and I was hooked!
I am now on #9 and #10 and loving every minute of it.
I have equipped my sons and relatives that play already and I.....just....can't....stop.....

Hi James!

My name's Mitch and I too am an alcoholic.

I was probably alot like you. I took a course in Red Wing Technical college and learned quite a bit. I have learned probably just as much hanging around here. I think most people make there living repairing instruments or some other sort of day job. As for now I am unemployed. Have sold 2 instruments, and spend any extra money I have on wood, tools, etc....Be warned it is addicting and an expensive hobby. Not many people can make a living at it. On a possitive note. It is very rewarding to string up a freshly built guitar and hear what you have just created. Then you start thinking about the next...And the next..And the next.

Started playing at 7, changing strings side stage soon after; my Grandpa had a country dance band, my mom and aunt sang back up.

Building: I was 13. 8th Grade basketball didn't start until the 9th Graders got off the court. So everyday I went to the music store across the street before practice started. After a couple of weeks I started asking if I could change the strings of my favorite guitars. After a 3 weeks I started adjusting the action and intonation on everything in the store. By then they had realized they weren't getting rid of me so they added taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, and dusting the pianos. 1st Strat body at 14, complete replacement neck and body (for the store) at 15. End of Senior year in HS I did all the repairs and sold all the Combo stuff.

College, Booked bands, taught lessons, ran sound in clubs and teched gear for bands and tour teched for summer tours. Studied with Fingerstyle. Performed and toured as a performer after college.

Started shop 2003. Sold the first 6 guitars sight unseen and it's been off to the races since. I currently Teach Building classes, I tech and tour with bands, I build and show at shows, and I write for the Fretboard Journal... All Guitars All the Time.

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Todd Lunneborg
http://www.tlguitars.com/
http://www.fretboardjournal.com/

I'm an academic by trade, and have been teaching ocean-related fluid mechanics for the last 27 years. I came to woodworking and guitar playing at a late age. I got very serious about woodworking about 15 years ago as part of a process of spending a lot more time with my Dad (who enjoyed it immensely), repairing a lot of distance that evolved over the years since we never saw eye to eye on anything, even though we were amazingly similar people. (No politics here, so I won't go there). At the same time, I finally got serious about playing guitar, which I had toyed with when young but had never taken to heart. The two processes converged pretty rapidly. Now, given the choice, I'd rather have a chisel in my hand than practice scales, so now I build. Further, I build classical guitars as a result of responding to the first people who asked for practice instruments. This has been a particularly interesting voyage, since at the time I started I had no clue about classical guitars, and to this day have no idea how to play one. This is particularly difficult since I have no way to test my own instruments.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I had a thing for RC planes, spent all my weekends with the local RC group.

I've been building furniture for about 10 years. First baby came along and figured the "expensive RC planes" needed to go, and replaced them with building my first guitar...



I'm nowhere near any kind of contributing member, so I leach. I give myself a C- on my first, building #2 now...