MIMF

I made this parlor-size acoustic archtop. Lower bout is 13.75." Side depth is standard 3". It has a cedar top and sapelle back & sides. The top has a relatively low arch (about 5/8" from bottom to top), and I used parallel bracing. It's quite loud and has a nice snappy sound. It w...

I live in Minnesota and build guitars in the basement of my house. During the summer, a dehumidifier does the trick. During the winter - you're not going to like this - I just don't heat the basement, and that keeps the RH pretty consistent. Yes, it gets cold down there so I have to wear multiple la...

You can absolutely play blues on an acoustic guitar. Or anything else. The question is what sort of sound you want to make. If you want to sound like BB King or Buddy Guy, you'll need to play an electric guitar. You can play their licks on an acoustic, but it won't sound the same. Acoustic guitars g...

It sure helped when doing my first two guitars to have some examples hanging on the wall to refer to. I have to drive 45 minutes one-way to get to my local guitar store, unless I go to Guitar Center which I try to avoid like the plague. My preferred store has a huge selection, they don't bug you so...

1/4" is probably an average nominal center thickness, but it's really up to you. It needs to be thick enough to support the truss rod, assuming that's mounted directly underneath. And keep in mind the geometry of bridge saddle and pickup heights, and desired action. If you're building a Fender-...

Another thing you could try is attaching small lead weights with putty to the top, back or even the sides of the instrument in different places. Try it on the outside first, and if you find a spot that works, then you can move it to the inside. I wouldn't take the back off unless and until you know ...

First, I'm very sorry to hear about your accident. That's a terrible thing for a musician. Second, I have no idea how to compute the exact amount of force required. But third, I have actually been working lately to see how much I can reduce the amount of force I'm using, as a matter of playing techn...

That's lovely Christ. Great job! I like your headstock design and logo.

I'm left-handed, but I've always played right-handed (I guess because I didn't have a talented brother to make me a guitar). At this point, it's hard for me to even imagine playing left-handed.

No doubt there are many ways to make a pleasant sounding instrument, and certainly many great sounding archtop guitars have been made with f holes. On the other hand, they clearly break up the lower bout of the top plate, which is the main sound pump. If the job of the guitar body is to move air, it...

I just watched a long, rambling but quite interesting (to me) video of a talk given by Ken Parker on innovations in guitar making. One thing that stood out to me was Ken's explanation of the reason violins have f-holes, and why they are not such a good idea for archtop guitars. His argument is that ...

First, are you sure it really needs a re-fret? Are you unhappy with the way it plays now, and are you sure your unhappiness is due to fret wear? Or are you just seeing worn frets and thinking they need fixing? I have a Les Paul Deluxe I got in 1975 that still has its original frets. They are very wo...

I would generally avoid buying wood that is just labeled "mahogany." What that tells you is the seller doesn't know what kind of wood it is. Usually it's so-called "African Mahogany" (Khaya), but it could be just about any sort of brownish wood.

Is there an effective way to sharpen these without using a bench grinder? I just don't have any room for another power tool. I've tried using a disc sander, and results are OK but not great.

Brian, you're gutsier than I am. I always go for maximum stability around routers.

I followed the excellent advice given above, and it worked out great. No "after" photo, because it looks the same as before, which is exactly what I wanted.

So thanks again. I really appreciate this resource.

I’m sure you guys are right. Thanks for the guidance.

Thanks David. I'll probably try it that way.

Thumb wheels, even if mounted inside the f-holes, are a safer option than pots because they attach with removable adhesive, they're very low mass, and are less prone to vibrate than pots with their mechanical connection involving nuts and washers. But you have fewer options for resistance, taper, tr...

Bob Gramann wrote:Talk to D’Addario. I expect that they will be interested.

Bob, you were right. I called them and they are sending me some replacement strings with reinforced windings. Great customer service. I've just gotten so used to the other kind that I don't expect that anymore.

Thanks guys. I think I can try it out on an area under the cover plate in back, so that's the plan. What do you think about clamping? I was thinking I could place 2-3 layers of masking tape along both sides of the crack and lightly clamp a flat caul across those, bridging the crack itself so I don't...