/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>150430
Yes, American's are at work.
The magic could be happening as we speak...

Where do you live?

Because 4chan fucking sucks now.
/thread

>>146550
This.

>>146602
>What are the steps in making an archtop vs making an electric?
You mean a solid body electric? Oh, it's much more complicated. For one thing, the archtop is hollow. Check out my blog, I have a post detailing the building process of the one and only archtop I'll ever build. I used a duplicarver, which made the job much easier. It can be done without one, but it would be even more of a nightmare. For the record, my archtop build, despite being simplified by the duplicarver, still was a lot more work than a regular flat top acoustic build. >>146525
>going for an archtop on your first attempt is diving into the deep end in a pool full of rays when your name happens to be Steve
Now that's just horrible. Hahaha. So true though. My archtop turned out nicely enough, but an educated eye exposes a few glaring flaws.

OP, I'd advise that you read and soak up as much material as possible. I've already recommended frets.com, but on the side bar of my blog, there are links to a few more resources, including William Cumpiano's website. Cumpiano wrote THE book on guitar building. Check it out.

Also, check out Frank Ford's page, frets.com. There's a lot of cool shit there.

TurboTax Freedom edition is the way to go. NOT Free edition. Freedom Edition.
I tried to file with free edition last year, but it's only free for Federal filing, not State. Freedom is completely free, or it was for me, at least.

>>145706
I'll be putting up a post today or tomorrow that reviews a few lutherie books that may be helpful, OP.

There's also LMII.com for tools as well.
I'm a luthier. Check out my blog, if you get a chance.
PenderGuitars.blogspot.com

>>145696
Because, while it's good to reuse some things, the time and energy that goes into restoring a $2 tool just are not worth it.
If you found dirty underwear at the side of the road, would you clean them and wear them?

If you found, say, an old Stanley Bedrock plane, that would be something to refurbish. But a box cutter? Come on OP.

>>142642
If you'd like to do the work yourself, check out my blog. I plan on posting a how to on fretwork sometime soon. I'd spell the process out for you in detail here, but I'm running late for work. Maybe if this thread is still around later, I will.

>>142587
Oh wait, you said worn, uneaven frets? Sounds like you might need a fret dress then.
It's really difficult to diagnose problems like this over the internet, might want to take it into the shop. Or, if you happen to live in Portland, OR, I could check it out for much cheaper.

>>142295
Would that be Red Rocks Community College? I've heard good things about that program. Sounds like a good place to start for me. Also, read. Check Stewart MacDonald, they're a good place to find books on lutherie. Also, check out my blog (PenderGuitars.blogspot.com), I'm going to post some reviews of a few lutherie related books in the next week or so.
>>142310
Oh dear. What exactly were you planning on finishing it with? Did you want a solid color, or what? I'm afraid I can't give much more advice without seeing the condition of the guitar itself.
>>142327
That's not really what truss rods are for. Intonation is adjusted by moving the adjustable saddles on the bridge around. Take it to a music store, tell them you need it intonated, and ask if you can watch. It's simple stuff.
>>142332
Again, truss rods really shouldn't be used to change the intonation or action. Basically, the strings on your guitar cause your neck to bow forwards. The truss rod, when tightened, forces the neck backwards, compensating for the string pull. If your getting a lot of buzz all up and down the fretboard, check the playing surface with a straight edge to see if it's level. If it's in back bow, loosen the truss rod a bit. Get it?
>>142587
The first thing you should do, when setting up a guitar, is to check the truss rod. This can be done by either laying a straight edge across the frets and checking for gaps, or by fretting the low E string at the first fret, and the body joint fret, so it serves as a straight edge, and check for gaps under the strings. You want some relief in the neck. Once your neck is at the desired straightness, then you can adjust action at the bridge. Lower the bridge, using those little thumb screws, so that the low E is 3/32nds from the 12th fret, and the high e is 2/32nds from it. As for intonation, that's best done with a strobe tuner. Does it sound like it needs to be intonated?

>>140101
/THREAD

>>139964
>Oil finish
Ooh, forgot about that. I've seen people use gun stock oil, which works fine.

>>139930
I offered basswood as an option because it's used to make guitar bodies. Is it cheaper? Yes. So I guess I misspoke when I said not to use any cheap wood. What I meant was not to skimp out on you wood. Don't buy the first slab of wood you see at the hardware store that matches your dimensions. Basswood will work fine for a first guitar. OP has larger things to worry about, like fretwork, for example, which is fucking hard if you've never done it before. In fact, now that I think about it, since this is OPs first guitar, I'd have to recommend going with something a little on the cheap side. Just not a slab of knotty pine you found in your parents barn.

Also, to add upon what >>139926 said about finish, don't use nitro OP. The differences between a poly finish and a nitro finish are very noticable on an acoustic guitar. Nitrocellulose generally goes on much thinner. It's also a lot stiffer. This is the main reason why it sounds better. Polyurethane is plastic, basically. It's much softer, so it's almost like coating your guitar in a sort of hard rubber. I shouldn't have to explain why this is bad for tone. It is, however, much easier to work with. I'm a professional luthier and repair tech, and I've built many guitars with nitro, but if I were you, building my first guitar, I'd go with the polyurethane.

>>139922
Yeah, but my understanding was that those were early prototype teles. Fender used whatever they had lying around in this case, and since they already had a shit ton of pine for amp cabinets, that's what they used.
There are still builders today that make 'vintage' style instruments, some made with pine, but just because it's what was used way back when doesn't always mean it'll sound better.

>>139908
It's been done. I'm not a fan, personally, but people buy them, apparently. Just design yourself a website that talks a lot of faux science about how the tone is way better, and people will buy anything.
>>139905
Pine is pretty soft. Although plenty of people have built instruments out of it, it's certainly not the best choice. Far from it, in my opinion.

>>139895
Certain woods aren't particularly well suited for building a solid body guitar of. Oak, for example, would be very heavy. And elm, which is very flexible, may have a dampening effect on the overall tone of the instrument.

>>139886
Wood does matter, for a variety of reasons. Don't use something cheap and shitty OP. Go with mahogany, alder, basswood, or ash for the body. Maybe maple for the neck, although maple is a bitch to carve. Make it easy for yourself, and go with mahogany. Rosewood or ebony for the fretboard, which does NOT get finished.

Why are you trying to bore a hole in the side of a tank?

>>139693
Damn. 4chan went to shit.

In what city do you plan on operating, OP?