Official Luthiers Forum!

Lack of money to buy a nice one was my motivation. Took a wander through the internet and saw all these people building their own guitars and thought that i could do that. Bought the Cumpiano book and started a top and left it on the wife's car. I did find it down the road but it had a couple of cracks and a chunk missing. Kinda lost interest.

Then i came accross David Scannell's (true north guiatrs) and thought his Ziricote/Lucky strike redwood guitar was the most gorgeous thing i laid eyes on. Found a few sound clips and was sold....

I posted a thread here looking for a lucky strike top and Hank Maul had one he was willing to let go... then I found some beautiful Ziricote sets from Hibdon Hardwoods and i was ready. 6 years later, I hadn't found a luthier class I could afford when I found the New England Luthiers group and a listing from our very own Al Carruth... he opened his shop a couple of days a week for people to build at their own pace. A year and a half of driving two hours to his shop on Saturdays and i pretty much had my guitar. It's been a great experience and I am looking forward to a great retirement hobby...

I was buying guitars and never had enough to buy a new good quality guitar. I was reading Acoustic Guitar magazine with the summer camps and schools for building and mentioned it to my wife. She said go for it. In 2002 I took a course in Easton Pa. with Frank Finnochio. One week and I was hooked. Took me 5 years and a move to another house to get started. Because of work I have only completed 10 steel strings. Working mostly on weekends and seldom in summer. Finally retired, and have started in earnest. Love the wood, and there's the experience of the start each time that's a little like a first date. Don't know how else to explain it. Have given half away to friends who play. Couldn't find a better past time.

I started carving in the backyard as a kid with my dad, little figurines and such. I've had a lifelong hobby making things with wood. I picked up a few fretboard blanks when I was about 13 ish (which took 20 years before they were used), but the idea went back that far. My parents got me my first guitar at 6.
A friend and I had set up a small workshop to make a few dog sleds and also some cabinets, so I had a basic shop to use. Around 2011 my kids came into possession of a cheap ukulele with a plastic fretboard. Seeing that I could play a plastic fretboarded uke made of cheap ply, I was sure I could build a ukulele and eventually guitar. I'm not sure I realized what I was in for, I mean aside from the obsession, there's a lot more to it than I guessed. Now 20 ukuleles and 4 guitars later, and a small shop effectively dedicated to it, not to mention the investment, I'm hooked.

I stopped by a local Violin makers shop asking if I could buy a new nut for the Harmony I was playing at the time.
He gave me a bone nut blank and gave me some hints on how to make one.
I stopped by every 2 or 3 days showing him where I was.
It took a couple months but I finally got something usable.
Kept stopping by and he suggested Cumpiano's book, I think he was getting tired of me asking questions.
Found MIMF and then OLF and it's all been down hill from there.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Because I build things, I can't help it.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Irving Sloane, Bill Lewis and Hideo Kamimoto. Many years ago. Thanks for doing this Lance!
Cal

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

I had played both a Collings 12 fret dread and a Martin OM-28 Marquis that had absolutely blown my mind. I then had the good fortune to stumble across Ken's KMG acoustic guitar building forum and found his kits. Ken's kit, his thorough instructions, and encouragement got me started - huge jump start for anyone wanting to learn to build.

In college at UT-Austin (1990) I bought a classical guitar from a store right next to Mark Erlewine's repair and lutherie shop - Erlewine Guitars. It just blew my mind that people could build such beautiful guitars and fix guitars with that much skill. A few years later I bought Irving Sloan's Classical Guitar Construction and I was off to the races. I bought every book I could find, bought tools and wood and when the internet came along I found Frank Ford, Dan Erlewine, Kathy Matsushita, MIMF and finally the OLF!

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

My inspiration was my great granddad on my dad's side and the fiddle he carved because he wanted one but couldn't afford one. I still have it. In my family I was taught from both sides to be self sufficient and that if you needed something you just did it yourself. So when I wanted a new guitar but didn't have the money I decided to just build it. It would have been cheaper to buy the guitar

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I had a D28 that needed a neck reset that I couldn't afford (1998ish). I found the D45 neck reset tutorial on the frets.com website, read through it a couple of times, went to GW for an cheap espresso steamer, and off I went. I've since built around 30 instruments, my latest being and archtop octave mandolin. Today I'm installing frets on a 00 cutaway. I love being able to head to work in my PJs...

Happy holiday everyone!

MDC

I had been leading worship at a local church during a time I was getting into woodworking. The former band leader just happened to sk one day "Have you ever thought about building a guitar? I think Martin sells kits." The thought he never crossed my mind so I started looking into it and ended up building a guitar from scratch using the Cumpiano book. Now working on my 33rd guitar it has been a great trip.

I can't remember what network produced the show, but it was a series called Hand Made Music. That got me thinking of building and searching the web I found this site and a few others

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Greg Hatcher
North Carolina

I owe my interest in Lutherie to Jeff Elliott and William Cumpiano. I should also include Candy Burton for teaching me the French polish technique she uses in all Elliott Guitars. Now in my fourth instrument. Merry Christmas everyone!


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I meant Cyndy Burton!


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I bought a mint first year Ibenez George Benson jazz guitar at a police auction several years ago that needed a broken wire replaced. Started searching the web and found this forum, Mario's forum, and the MIMF, and and being a life-long wood worker, well that was all she wrote.

Bob

In the 70s, to get through school, I had to sell my D-28. Then, I put garage sale beater guitars back into playing condition to sell. I was playing in a string band, and helped some of my bandmates with setups. I was the only one in the area that did repairs, so that took off for a while until I found a "real" job. Built some banjos and wanted to build a steel string guitar, but the only info I could find was Overholtzer's book, which was for classicals. Life got in the way, houses, wife, kids. In 2005, I decided I wanted a good guitar again, so I figured I could build one cheaper than what a decent one cost. I joined this site, MIMF, Frets.com and the 13th Fret. Well, only after selling four or five guitars did it become cheaper to build than to buy that first one!

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Go all the way back to 7th grade art class. My teacher was the wife of Jack Batts a local luthier and sculptor. She saw that I had a talent for wood carving, set me up with a bench, some tools, and a pile of wood.I carved wood every day for the whole year. Years later I met an engineer who built classical guitars. He inspired me to give it a try. I bought the Cupiano book and searched out some suppliers, I've been building ever since.

My son became interested in guitar at age 12, maybe 15 years ago. I had not picked up a guitar in many years and wanted to get back into it. I couldnt find a guitar in my price range that suited me, so having a full workshop being a woodworker I figured I would build one, a slippery slope for sure.

My first interest came when I assembled an electric style Strat. I loved the Butterscotch Blonde deluxe but could never afford one. Cant remember why I thought I could build an acoustic but 6 years and 15 guitars later I'm glad I did.

Merry Christmas to All.

Glenn.

Guitars are expensive and I thought "I'm a woodworker, how hard could it be"

AND THE WINNER IS!!


Garyj

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

When I was in a 7th-grade woodshop in school many. many decades ago, the shop teacher built a classical guitar during the school year. I was fascinated by this and of course I wanted to build one myself! So as a first step I decided to learn to play guitar and ten years later I found myself making a living as a singer-songwriter. The dream of building my own guitar never left and 11 years ago I built my first guiar under the tutelage of George Morris. I am now completing my 30th instrument - I owe much gratuitude to George and that woodshop teacher.

Lance and the OLF,
I'm speechless which my wife will tell you is a good thing !! Thanks so very much for a very special Christmas morning.

Gary

ENJOY Gary!
My wife Theresa picked the number.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Just make sure you post pictures as you use it! Congrats!