Official Luthiers Forum!

To add 2 cets worth... for what its worth as someone who has pnly completed 2 and with a 24 year period between the last time I held a chisel and when I started my first....

1. Building by hand is never going to be the same (for me anyway) as if I had a ton of CNC machinery precisly carving necks and neck joints, etc... I will never be a factory with precision tools. BUt for me that is the beauty of it... woodworking skills will improve with each build so why worry about it? The key is Alan said above, its a musical instrument - therefore does it make a musical tone? Does it play well? For me, my first target for each build is what it sounds like and what it plays like... and technical woodworking skills are learned along the way.

2. As a player for some 30 years, there is a reason why many folk look for a hand built instrument rather than a factory one - because of the time, care and attention that is put into creating the tone - the care in bracing and shaping, selecting the best woods etc... if there are a few obvious things that say 'hand made' but the instrument has tone to die for and plays like a dream... well so what? - YES I know that there are professional makers that will create things of stunning quality in build terms, and they command a price that is reflective of their experience and skill, but for most amateurs, the fun is in the building itself and that includes the frustrations and mistakes - made worthwhile when you string up and recognise a decent musical sound.

Striving for the best you can do is obviously a high and nobel ideal, but right now if teh best I can do is make a good sounding instrument with a few cosmetic flaws so be it - I had fun making it and learning in teh process. The best I can do in 15 years time will naturally (hopefully) be a lot better in terms of build quality, but I would already be happy if the tone were not that much different ... and as an instrument that must surely take priority

That's really good advice. I knew a retired research scientist who help me a lot in a former life. That was exactly his advice as well.

Building guitars is complex stuff for the average guy. Often the things we learn, or fail to learn, are repeated simply because we forget not THAT we did something...but WHY we did it. Once I started keeping a journal I started going from point A to point Z on a much more direct path. Plus...writing helps me solidify what I've learned and makes it much more unlikely I'll forget the lesson....but if I do forget....I have notes.

As an example. I've probably done a hundred finishing or pore filling tests on 3"x 8" panels by now. For every one of them I made notes that detailed every step I took to arrive at that result. Say what you want about my guitars...but the finishes were pretty well done from the start. Mainly though...confidence to go forward was established not by flailing away, trying things...but by establishing the hows and whys prior to undertaking the larger problem.

So my particular advice is:

1. Whenever possible, break guitar building down into smaller, more managable problems and tackle those one at a time.
2. Test and prove all your assumptions whenever possible on something other than your guitar.
3. Lacking a full understanding of something...be as certain as you can about the outcome of a procedure before you commit your guitar to it.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Perfectionism is good so long as it is tempered by the reality that it is a place that cannot really be attained, but a goal to head for nonetheless.

If you really have to have perfection, then go the route of CNC.

I don't mean get one or use one, I mean become a CNC...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I can't say I totally agree with this. It really depends on what your focus is with your building. Do you build for the enjoyment of it and never plan on selling past family and friends, then I would agree with this. But if you plan on sitting beside guys like McKnight, Mayes, Blanchard etc at the guitar shows then I think it's imperative to hold your work up against theirs to see where you stand.

The final product is what I'm talking about here, not the journey. The journey can be bumpy and downright hard but the final outcome is what I'm concerned about with my work right now. The last 2 guitars I made were hell to build but they were my best work to date and I've had them both in the hands of professional musicians and music store owners and they've past fine tooth comb inspections, but I of course know where the mistakes are.

Perfection along the journey is hardly obtainable, but my guess is the final product can be darn close.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

That one, I can get behind!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

The future of fast is slow. Mistakes happen because of inattention and/or haste. It's best to take frequent breaks, not work exhausted or stressed (especially with power tools), and take the time to ponder if there is a best way to do something (there almost always is) and to check any omissions (there often are). But we're all humans, and mistakes, especially stupid ones, happen to the best. They're often a good occasion to learn how to repair or replace something. Experience always arrives too late…
I understand the use of notes and notebooks, but writing something down is often the best way to forget it. I find it best to memorise everything, even though I do write a few notes for every guitar build (basic plate and braces dimensions, impressions on the wood/tap tone etc.).

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/