Hi everyone,
Lots of good advice here... For Colleen and anyone else who finds this thread looking for how to start building guitars, I think it might be helpful to think about what you want out of the experience:
- Are you approaching it just as a woodworking project?
- Do you want to make a living at it?
- Do you have aspirations toward making a substantive contribution to the craft?
There are all kinds of reasons to go out to the shed and try to hack together a playable instrument. Figuring out what your goals are, even knowing that they're likely to change as you learn, is a good way to help guide your decisions.
I'll also add my voice to the formal training chorus: spending time with master luthiers, especially in their shops, is well worth the effort. I just got back from Charles Fox's five-day contemporary guitar making seminar, and I had a similar reaction to Todd's with regards to de Jonge's month-long course. Charles has been at it for 40 years, and seeing and hearing that cumulative experience and skill demonstrated firsthand is just invaluable. Eye-opening, inspirational, and most of all practical - the information on small shop layout alone is worth the price of the seminar, at least to me. I'll be happy to go into more detail about the course if anyone's interested, but suffice it to say I nearly filled a Moleskine pad with scribbles and notes, and I didn't come close to getting it all down.
If I may presume to condense the gathered advice so far:
1) Books and DVDs are cheaper than tools.
I'd read Cumpiano's Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology. Even though it describes very traditional methods (read: a little outdated), it's very complete, and a good primer. Supplement with books and DVDs recommended here as interest and budget allow.
2) Build a kit, or a simple first guitar, with the minimum investment you can manage.
As others have mentioned, you'll learn a lot by doing, and you'll have real-world questions for step 3.
3) Seek out experienced luthiers and visit their shops if you can.
You can take a course like Charles' or Sergei's, join the Guild of American Luthiers and go to the convention, or just make friends with an established luthier in your area. Whatever you do, you'll reduce your learning curve by watching and listening to people who have already solved the problems you're having.
4) Keep building.
Best of luck!
-- Dave
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