Thread: newbie wanting to make my first acoustic guitar

There is a ludicrous amount of information here for newbies (as I can attest to). It would be a great idea to read through some of the other member's efforts with Acoustics, as many of them are fully documented with photographs, and you can get some great information regarding the jigs that they have set up to handle some of the more profound tasks.

Good luck with your build, Jason.

Hi Jason, First of all welcome to the forum.
There is a few acoustic builders here in the forum just wait till they log on and I am sure they will help, I would recommend for your first build not to use expensive timber or build from a kit.
Cheers, Bob.

Originally Posted by mbracing13

Hi all , I am a newbie , wanting to make my first acoustic guitar , but got no idea where to start , as I download a set of plans of LA SUPREMA antonio jones 1864 and drawn out top and bottom template on some mdf.

so now I dont know the next step . I am just a learner , so basic info will help

cheer's
jason , mannum sa

Originally Posted by mbracing13

Hi all , I am a newbie , wanting to make my first acoustic guitar , but got no idea where to start , as I download a set of plans of LA SUPREMA antonio jones 1864 and drawn out top and bottom template on some mdf.

so now I dont know the next step . I am just a learner , so basic info will help

cheer's
jason , mannum sa

Hi Jason,

Your options are as follows:

1. Start with a kit. Theyre available from some of the US luthiery suppliers (Stewac and LMI) and also from a couple of local suppliers. This option will require a bit less tooling up than building from scratch and some of the more challenging tasks such as side bending are already done for you.
2. Build from scratch. First you'll need to do a bit of reading and googling. Campiano and Natelson's book "Guitar Making - Tradition and Technology" is a good book to start with. Note that its a bit dated in parts so check out Campianos website for updates to the book.
3. Do a guitar building course. There are a few run here in Australia and every few years theres one run in Wellington New Zealand by Paddy Burgin and Dave Freeman.

Cheers Martin

Jason,

I'm coming to the end of building a Stewart Macdonald kit. It's a copy of a Martin D18. I've never built a guitar before and it's been a fantastic intro. It comes with a detailed instruction booklet and a pretty good DVD. If you get stuck Stew Mac will promptly reply to your emailed questions.

I can highly recommend the kit for a first build.

thanks guys for your info , I am still deciding , what the best option is for me , I will just continue reading the forums