Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey Everyone

I hope that you are all having a fantastic start to spring and are crafting away some stellar instruments.

I will be the first to admit that I really lack a string participation on any of the forums but I do greatly value the knowledge and community that is born out of them. I can remember back when I was just getting started in building this forum along with the MIMF were huge in guiding me with all my misplaced and often idiotic questions.

Looking back at where I started and comparing it to where Iam now is quite the contrast. I take so much that I currently have for granted and it is refreshing to take a step back and realize that 13 years ago I was building with little more than a handsaw, screw driver and pocket knife

I wanted to come up with a fun way to encourage new builders to take the plunge and start creating your own instruments. So I have decided to put together a 'kit' with everything you will need to make yourself you own guitar, or similar instrument. It will include essentially everything you will need
Short of glues and finishing materials.

I'd ideally like it to go to a new builder (or yet to be new builder) who may be discouraged by some of the material costs but that is not a requirement. I'm really not even sure how we will decide who it will go to, but if you think you for the bill, please feel free to throw your name in that hat and we can pick a lucky winner.

What I might ask is for you to create a thread so we call all follow along, some of the more experienced builders can be there to help out when this get interesting

Here's a few options that will be included

Top set: Take your pic, Sitka, cedar, redwood



Back and sides: I have a bunch of options here's a few nice ones

Macruba


Honduran Mahogany


Black walnut


Heck even a cocobolo set


Fretboard, bridge, neck blank, head plates, extra materials, yadda yadda. I could include a slotted board and shaped bridge if you want. I think I even have a pre shaped Martin neck.



I will even toss in some great tuners!!


I also have a Martinish OM mold if the lucky winner wants to build from that.

Anyways let me know who might be interested in this opportunity. Other members I would also love to hear from you and get help picking the winner.

Thanks again for this great community, and happy building.

Joel.

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http://Michaudmade.com

Mighty generous!

Awesome, Joel. Exceedingly well done!

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George :-)

Heck it could even go to a slightly more experience builder and perhaps we could get the guitar to be donated or similar in the end. Just throwing out some ideas.

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http://Michaudmade.com

Very generous offer, good on you for paying it forward.

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Blue Ring Acoustics
blueringacoustics.ca

Darn some nice wood, when I started out I didn't know where to get affordable wood in Canada and used fence boards and some scrap wood to make my first guitars. Bought some actual guitar wood to build with since then, just have not had time to get to it.

On the pay it forward side of things, last week a guy at work wanted to know if I had an old neck that he could then string up and practice with and get some instruction from another guy during lunch. He did not have much money for it, $20-25, he just wanted something small to keep around work. I thought of making him one of my small softwood guitars, neck, back, sides and top. In the end I gave him the one I used as my main instrument for $20. Figured I will be tripping over better guitars once summer comes around. He was more than pleased, pretty sure he will get a lot of enjoyment out of it, it is a sweet little guitar.

Hopefully going to make some nice guitars one day but also plan to make more of these cheap and dirty 'give-away' guitars for new players that are not that well off. Hope you don't mind my adding to your story. I feel lucky that I fell into this craft and understand the feeling of giving back to something you really enjoy. Wish you luck in your giveaway.

Awesome, Joel! Haven't seen you here for a while, but you certainly made stunning return!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

printer2, are you the same printer2 on the Canadian Woodworking Forum? I've followed your big thread though I haven't seen you posting recently.

I'm mighty interested in this offer but I'm still jigging up and at this rate, I might actually be able to start building guitars before I retire.

Very generous off to a newbie like me but I think the postage costs to the UK would be as much as your generous offer so think this would rule me out!

Good luck to the lucky recipient and look forward to following the build thread.

Cheers, Bob

This is very generous of you, well done.

I wonder if lurkers or people who have not yet made an instrument might bee too shy to introduce themselves to the forum by nominating themselves for a giveaway right off the bat. Especially so if they then feel pressured by everyone watching their first effort unfold. Hopefully a few will break the ice then more will jump in.

It might be cool if we had a never made an instrument before challenge similar tot he new builder's challenge we did a few years ago.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Great idea buddy. If you like I can kick in some stuff. There is a pretty good selection already but you could even just pin this thread or have it as a sub forum. I'm sure lots of us have wood that could make an outstanding guitar that we may never use and some may be very happy to use it. I've got a few molds that are not my own shapes, OM, L-00 and Scott Antes parlour. I would be happy to send bent sides.

Cheers

Darn, knew I should have used another name. Haven't been building for the last while, I tore apart what served as my workshop in order to wall it in so I can keep some of the dust out of the rest of the house. Still a ways to go but at least I have a workbench to use now. I have a couple of guitars that are reasonably far along that I probably will finish before starting a new one (very unusual).

Part of the reason I posted the thread on the CWF was hopefully to get some people not afraid of wood to try their hand at a guitar. What the heck, throw your hat in the ring here, maybe the wood will speed your jigging along.

I would toss my name in there but I honestly think that it would take so long for me to get to the point of building that I would be doing a disservice to Joel's generosity. What takes people a hour (building an outside mold), takes me days.... I'm a sloth.

Many thanks Joel this is very generous of you and a great idea too.

In keeping with your very fine example Ann Arbor Guitars will donate to the winner enough Jescar fret wire to complete a guitar and a bone nut and saddle blank.

Very nice offer. I finished my first build a few weeks ago and am gearing up to do a second. Building a thickness sander now. I would be interested in this. Thanks.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

That's a very generous offer. Yet again the folks on this forum are an inspiration, in more ways than one.

I'm a fledgling builder. Well, maybe not even a fledgling - still an egg. I recently purchased the OLF OM plan and I'm at the stage of making a mold right now. Would love to throw my hat in the ring for this opportunity.

--Bob

Just amazing offers from you folk.

I have to say this has been the only forum where people who make a living at their craft have been free to not only share their knowledge, time and resources, but do it willingly and with interest. Yeah, there's been a few bumps but you guys just keep on giving... I think maybe it has something to do with loving what you do.

Not interested in tossing my hat into the ring either, but I just had to comment. Good luck finding the right person.

Not sure if I'm what you're looking for, but I'd love to have this! I've been building electrics for a few years now but haven't had the gumption to try an acoustic yet. Oddly enough, when I first started thinking about building, I wanted to do acoustics, but all the specialty equipment (forms, bending tools, etc) and specialized knowledge really put me off. I've been toying with the idea again, though but haven't made it happen. I've been thinking a lot about it for the last few months and have come up with a plan, though. This is what I was shooting for:

OM
Slotted headstock
Walnut b/s
Sitka top
Top and side purfling
Pau Ferro binding
Faith (written in Hebrew) inlaid on 12th fret

It sounds like you've put together quite the kit here, and it would get me pretty much everything I need to build this one.

Kudos for giving back to the community!

Fantastic stuff everyone! Alright let's do it this way. I will donate TWO kits. That way the two winners will have a little moral support and motivation to go all the way. I won't put any huge restrictions on this, but let's say if the winners can commit to trying to finish these guitars within a year that would be great! Keeps it from drifting away.

I got a few PM's as well so everyone that is interested and can commit make a quick post here and I will do the old name in a hat gag to see who the lucky winners are!

Happy building everyone! Looking forward to watching these guitars come together.

Joel.

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http://Michaudmade.com

Yep. I'm in. The time frame works well for me because I wanted to try and build mine this year anyway.

Hey Joel
Very nice of you to make this offer. Will be watching the build threads - Mike

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guitarsbygiltzow.com

I can commit to the time frame and would be honored to participate. Thanks again.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Wow! If I didn't already have WAS (Wood Acquisition Syndrome) and TAS (Tool AS)....... I would seek to be the recipient. However, maybe it should go to someone new to the forum?

Joel, This is a wonderful gift you will give to someone who may be the next great luthier! Thank you!

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

Great to hear! I will leave it open to any one else who wants to try and jump in during the next few days. After that we will round up the names and I will have someone who is not myself pick the lucky winners

Good luck everyone and happy building!

J.

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http://Michaudmade.com

Hey Everyone!

Alright let's get this drawing going! Looks like we have 4 players in the game

BradHall
Rogerc108
Bionta
Geetarman

If someone would be so kind as to toss these names in a hat for me and pick two lucky winners we can get there picks sorted and all the supplies on the way!! Better to do it this way so there no chance of me being choosey

Thanks everyone this will be fun.

Joel

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http://Michaudmade.com