Thread: Quality of first home made Acoustic Guitar

Making your own guitar using quality materials and fittings is still going to cost you a lot of money, (others on this forum will tell you how much) and you will have no idea what it sounds like until it's finished. If you are doing it for the challenge I would say go for it. Otherwise you might be better off taking your money and trying every guitar in the shop until you find one you like. Remember also that you will need some specialised tools not normally used in furniture making. I'm not trying to put you off the idea, there is a lot of satisfaction playing an instrument you have made yourself, but you need to know what you are letting yourself into.

Good luck.

...never built acoustics but am learning the rudiments of it from forums and such...

...have built solid body electrics though...

...perhaps might start with replacing the Jackson with a homebrew while gettin up to speed in acoustic making to replace your acoustics/classical

...moreover, if you get a good replacement homebrew for your jackson you might have renewed confidence and fervour in approaching the acoustic homebrews...

...the one thing that is daunting for me in building an acoustic is the bending of the wood for the sides....never bent it and have seen the types of equipment required for it to be easily done .....not straightforward imo...

first thing....
you need to believe in yourself and your abilities....
if you think your going to fail... your not going to put in 100%

do your reasearch, theres many sites online, and many forums, and many books on the subject, there are also some very helpful people in the world who dont mind exchanging emails in their spare time....

it was mentioned above that building cvan be expensive....
sure it can be...
but it doesnt have to be,....
the reason some end up costing so much is because a majority of the parts are bought....
your a step ahead since you do alot of furniture making, i would assume you have a selection of good tools and machinery?

if thats the case then theres no need to buy pre cut woods....
you can do it yourself saving up to 500bux................

you can also make your own end pin.... your own inlays.... your own scratch plate.... your own bracings.... your own linings....

so basically....
you can choose to buy everything pre made and cut... for up to a grand....

or you can buy the timber in blanks.. and maybe get enough for a few guitars... buy the machine heads, make a bridge, make an endpin, buy a pickgaurd bank and get 3 or 4 pickgaurds out of it (if you like pickgaurds that is), buy a set of bridge pins, make your own wooden binding, and buy some bone blank and get a few nuts out of it....

and there you go... you have an acoustic for under 400....

and if your even smarter... you can offer your services to forum members as you do each stage of the build, if you have enough wood you can make extra binding strips and kerf linings and whatnot and get some cash to help you along the way.....

that all being said....
iv had plans to build an acoustic for a while now....
once i finish these electrics i will move onto it

goodluck and be safe

Thanks for your input from everyone.

R3R thats a good idea about building a solid body electric. I was thinking if the acoustic turned out well I would look at building a electric but it makes total sense to make the electric first.

Thanks...Mark

The short answer is that it will sound better. You will be less likely to overbrace and the depth of your finish will not be the same as a factory guitar. There is so much information and coaching available I say "Go for it" If you have fine furniture experience it should be rather straight forward.

Build a guitar. Making instruments is a wonderful pastime. you need to be careful and patient and persistent. And I think you will end up with a nice instrument. But if you build one guitar you will be able to - and want to - build another. And the second will be better than the first.

Hi Mark
I fully support building your own guitar and while lots of good tools and a wad of cash would make doing so easier, you can get by with hand tools and a slim budget. I'll attach a couple of pics of a guitar I'm in the (slow) process of building for my girl. The only power tools I own are a lathe and a jigsaw, so just about everything has been done with hand tools. Timbers and timber costs - The maple back and sides was one of three sets I picked up on ebay, with postage they worked out at $36 a set. Top is a bit of king billy pine (was too narrow so had to join wings on the lower bout) I got enough for 3 guitars for $49 from Barry Kerr on ebay. The silky oak for the neck and bindings was an old draw front (free) and the other neck timber is from an old chum wood board I had floating around (also free). Brace wood came from a 100 year old red cedar door they replaced in my office and had chucked the old one in the bin. The truss rod and tuners were recycled from a smashed Takamine the guy at the tip shop let me have for $5. I'm not sure what I'm going to use for the fret board and bridge (the better half keeps changing her mind... as is her righ as a female) but I doubt it would cost more than $20. Add $50 for some hide glue and shellac and you're just about set. The big ... huge... gianormus cost is time, especially if you're building with hand tools. But if you have the time it is a wonderfully rewarding thing to do.

Note I just grabbed it from my workshop area to take the pics, lots left to do before I can sand it up and french polish my life away.

Originally Posted by Feralfelix

Hi Mark
I fully support building your own guitar and while lots of good tools and a wad of cash would make doing so easier, you can get by with hand tools and a slim budget. I'll attach a couple of pics of a guitar I'm in the (slow) process of building for my girl. The only power tools I own are a lathe and a jigsaw, so just about everything has been done with hand tools. Timbers and timber costs - The maple back and sides was one of three sets I picked up on ebay, with postage they worked out at $36 a set. Top is a bit of king billy pine (was too narrow so had to join wings on the lower bout) I got enough for 3 guitars for $49 from Barry Kerr on ebay. The silky oak for the neck and bindings was an old draw front (free) and the other neck timber is from an old chum wood board I had floating around (also free). Brace wood came from a 100 year old red cedar door they replaced in my office and had chucked the old one in the bin. The truss rod and tuners were recycled from a smashed Takamine the guy at the tip shop let me have for $5. I'm not sure what I'm going to use for the fret board and bridge (the better half keeps changing her mind... as is her righ as a female) but I doubt it would cost more than $20. Add $50 for some hide glue and shellac and you're just about set. The big ... huge... gianormus cost is time, especially if you're building with hand tools. But if you have the time it is a wonderfully rewarding thing to do.

Note I just grabbed it from my workshop area to take the pics, lots left to do before I can sand it up and french polish my life away.

Nice work on that acoustic

To add to the thread: I agree that you won't save money by building a guitar. But what you do get is something that is yours. Your design, wood choice, the best parts (not off the rack cheapos); done right you could actually make a mid-high end guitar (time+patience+planning) for similar cost to low-mid (as you don't charge for your time and skill).

Cole Clark makes a nice factory guitar an you may not build a guitar that sounds as good as his as his designs are the fruit of many years of experience. But you may still build a nice sounding guitar. The danger is that you might get the bug and from that day on spend all your spare cash on guitar related projects. For my money there is much more satisfaction in building than buying but you may end up disappointed if you compare it to a Cole Clark, all you can do is go for it and find out. If you enjoy your woodwork It will be satisfying even if it sounds like a ????. Then there is always the next one.

Jim

Life is good when you are amongst the wood.

Originally Posted by Feralfelix

I'm not sure what I'm going to use for the fret board and bridge (the better half keeps changing her mind... as is her righ as a female) but I doubt it would cost more than $20.

I got a piece of jarrah flooring at Bunnies a couple of weeks ago for $12, works a treat

beautiful guitar you got there feralfelix