Official Luthiers Forum!

I've been lurking on here for a while. My Father passed away last December and left his shop in the garage behind Moms house. I used to love to help him from time to time and he would let me do some light sanding and help him shape nuts and saddles with him closely watching over my shoulder. He would build acoustics and do lots of repair work for many local players. I remember the smile on his face as he would tap on the wood and hear it ring. I want to carry on his tradition and start my first solo build as he has left behind a few boards of spruce and some rosewood I think.
I hope you won't mind too much if I could ask a few questions as I get started.

Thank you very much!

_________________
Lisa Bullock
Marion, IL.

Welcome Lisa!

You have come to the right place.

I think it is a great thing that you are doing to carry on your father's tradition.

I look forward to seeing your progress as you begin your first solo build.

Good luck!

_________________
Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Thank you Blain for replying so quickly to me,
I'm getting very exited about it!
Mom says there are some books and some videos on repair somewhere and she will try to find them for me. I just wish I would have paid more attention to him at the time. He loved talking about it and showing me the work he done. It was very beautiful.
He used to talk about a guy named Tom Murphy who lives here in town. I think he used to paint guitars for Gibson guitars. I used to go to his house and be in awe of the work Tom did.

_________________
Lisa Bullock
Marion, IL.

Hi Lisa,

Sorry to hear about your father, but I'm really glad to hear that you're going to use his workshop/tools and learn how to make guitars yourself! What was your father's name? Maybe some of the people here knew him? Anyway, it's great that you're going to have a go. It's not hard, just a lot of steps and things to remember/watch out for.

I'm pretty much a rookie builder myself, having only made one guitar so far (I started last December), so all the questions/issues I had with my first build are still fresh in my mind. If I can help at all, I will. Also, there are lots of great people on the OLF, many of whom are veteran builders, all of whom are very forthcoming with their help and advice (even if you didn't ask for it ..... no, I'm just kidding! ). Hey, they got me through my first build.......

You'll probably have most of the jigs and tools that you need already. You'll find out soon enough!

See ya around on the OLF.

Take care,
Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

The books and especially the videos are a great deal of help.

But anything you can't find in either of those, I'm sure someone could answer for you here.

I'm sure your father will be right there watching you every step of the way, with a huge smile on his face.

_________________
Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Thank you David,
I'll be looking forward to talking with you.
I'm pretty sure he left everything I need, it is a very well maintained shop.

His name is John Bullock. He didn't own a computer so I don't think he would have been on here. He used to say the computer is the devil's work....lol

He was a coalminer most of his career, then when he got laid off back in the early 90's he threw himself into repairing and building guitars.

_________________
Lisa Bullock
Marion, IL.

Lisa - Howdy from Texas!
I'm so sorry for your family's loss. My dad passed away 10 1/2 years ago and my mom just two days before Christmas 2006. My dad was a woodworker by night and an engineer by day. I got most of the tools he had except where I had better. You will really honor him with this endeavor.

I am also getting ready for my first build which I hope to be this fall. We talk here about several "syndromes" you may get: WAS (Wood Aquisition Synd.); TAS (Tool Aquisition Syndr.); and GAS (Guitar Aquisition Syn....) Since you have your dad's shop I guess the TAS is not too much of an issue.

How far is Marion from Chicago? If it is within a couple of hour drive, you may want to meet with the Chicago group this weekend. See the thread further down the index.

Welcome to the OLF!
Ha Hesh, I beat you in welcoming her!!

_________________
Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

Nice to meet you Steve. I'm aprox six hour drive from Chicago. I live near the Kentucky border on the Illinois side of the river. It would be so nice to meet you, but with gas prices at $4.09 per gallon I regret that I won't make it. Maybe someday.

By the way, what is a Hesh?

_________________
Lisa Bullock
Marion, IL.

now thats funny! i think were still trying to figure that out ourselves.

lisa, i think its so cool you want to pursue something that your father cared about. i believe you will totally honor his memory in doing so. there is a great bunch of guys, gals, and a hesh here that are full of info, advice, and some good laughs. so welcome to the OLF.

by the way, 4.09 a gallon looks pretty good compared to 4.69 or more here in CA.

_________________
sweat the small stuff.

Thanks hblair,

Did I say something wrong?

_________________
Lisa Bullock
Marion, IL.

Preach it, Heath

Lisa, thanks for posting and letting us know. I think it's fantastic. I started getting into fitness as a way of remembering and connecting with my dad after he passed away in '04. He was always riding his bike, playing volleyball, or in the gym doing aerobics. I started with indoor climbing, wound up as a personal trainer, and lift and swim now. I've learned a lot in ways that are hard to really put a finger on, and I hope the experience is similar for you.

By the way, Tom Murphy makes us all look like a joke. And I mean that in the best way possible. What he can do with finish is absolutely unbelievable. He's the Benedetto of finish. The Olson of finish. And those are two names you can enjoy discovering with Google!

Not at all. Hesh is a person here on the forum.

Mike

absolutely not. hesh is a dude who plays around on this forum and im surprised he has not chimed in to say hello himself. hes a bit of a clown (im still waiting for my clown emoticon), but youll figure that out soon enough.

_________________
sweat the small stuff.

Welcome Lisa. Come on now, a girl building guitars. What are you thinking?

I was inspired to start building after meeting Kathy Wingert. If you need any inspiration, take a look at her site. She is a top notch builder with a great reputation. I've played several of her guitars. They are wonderful.
I hope you know I was kidding about that girl comment.

I'm so sorry about your dad. I think it is great that you are interested and might carry on the tradition. I'm sure he would be very pleased.
I spent a couple of hours with my son tonight in the shop teaching him a few things. It was great for me and our first time. I can't help but wonder if in some way your father will be in there with you.

Best wishes and let me know if I can help.

Don't worry about Hesh. He'll find it funny and put it in his tag line.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Welcome to the forum Lisa!

A Hesh is a great thing to have around! It makes tutorials that are vey clear! It welcomes everybody to the forum and treats most people except me with a great deal of regard! Listen to your inner Hesh and you won't go wrong!

Lisa, Hesh is a great guy that builds great guitars!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Hi Lisa and welcome to the OLF. If you have any pics of your Dad's guitars, please post them. I'm sure it would be a thrill for you to hear just how great his work might really be when judged by fellow builders.

Do you play? If so, a recording using one of his guitars would also be a great way to remember him as well.

Finally, if you were to provide some pictures of his shop, we might be able to help you learn a little about what you have and how best we might help you get started. No matter...he can be proud of his daughter as you are so boldly and bravely taking some positive steps to follow in his footsteps. He's smiling for sure!

Be sure to let us know how we can help. Best wishes.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Ou est le Hesh?
Il n'ya pas la!

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Welcome, Lisa! <-- Those are for you for deciding to pursue the work your father did and apparently loved. (By the way, do you sing any of the many great coal mining songs? I know a few.)

Aside from this forum (and there are some other good forums as well), a few good places to start are:

www.stewmac.com

www.lmii.com

www.luth.org

www.guitarmaker.org

Also all the links from this site.

There are several good books that will give you a good foundation. The suppliers listed above have them all. Folks here can recommend the ones they've gotten the most from. The Guild of American Luthiers (link above) also has great books and other publications.

Ask all your questions and we'll help. You might also want to consider taking a class if you can; a couple of teachers I would personally recommend are Sergei de Jonge and Charles Fox (google them and you'll find them). Also, definitely pursue all connections with luthiers in your local area.

Perhaps most important of all is to work safely. Basic books and videos on woodworking can be very helpful, and pay special attention to chapters on shop safety and proper use of tools, especially power tools. Be sure you learn what you need to know about safe use of power tools before using them!

There's a lot to learn, to put it mildly. Take your time and enjoy the process! It's okay if your first takes 5 years to build. Seriously. Good luck!

_________________
Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Hi Lisa,
Welcome to the OLF!

Sorry to hear of your loss. But glad to hear your are continueing his struggles. I might suggest you also study your father's guitars if you have any. He might possibly have a note or log of each guitar he made. If so, study it

Hesh is one of the good guys on here. He the kind of person that makes you feel good, and wants to make you do better, be better, build better. He offers good sound advise as most all the Master Craftsmen on here do. Search the archieves for his tutorials, they're worth it.

I'm also a newbie and have learned many things from these great bunch of gals and guys. They're almost like close family.

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Hi Lisa...welcome to the OLF.

I'm truly sorry that you lost your dad, but it's wonderful that you had such great memories of doing things with him like that. I wish I had that sort of relationship with my dad, but I guess it's not always to be. I think what you're doing is really cool, and I'm sure that not only will you enjoy building guitars, but you will gain an even greater sense of connection to what your dad did in that shop. What a great way to keep his memory alive in your heart.

He would be extremely proud of you...

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Welcome Lisa!

I hope you know that guitar building can be addictive.

_________________
Horton, MI

Hi Lisa, Welcome to your new home online - this place is addicting and you will find yourself checking in here every day, maybe even several times a day...

I am relatively new to the craft as well, and I found the DVD series by John Mayes and the Building Acoustic guitars DVD by Robbie Obrien to be indispensible...indespenable...oh heck...very very important!! In John's DVD's you get to see things happen from start to finish, and he does a very good job of explaining the how's and why's of what he is doing. You can get them on eBay, or from john Watkin's site (there's a thread on it somewhere down below). Robbie's DVD is available from LMI and comes with one of their kits, which is also a great way to start...

Of course, you can always ask questions up here - the only dumb question is the one you don't ask...

_________________
Mitch

Hi Lisa - I am a Hesh......

Welcome to the OLF my friend and as you surely can already tell we are a friendly bunch dedicated to building guitars and other musical instruments.

There is a wealth of information here and no shortage of folks who will always be very willing to drop what they are doing (if anything at all............) and help you out.

My condolences as well on the passing of your father. I lost mine a couple of weeks ago so I can relate. I think it is pretty cool that you are honoring your dad by expressing interest in the craft that he loved.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome Lisa..
Big John here....I am new to the forum as well... you will find that this is one of the coolest forums around.There are actual real people here and great information....and that is rare. I am a newb and aspire to be as kind as a Hesh .Nice to meet ya.
big John Sullivan

Hi Lisa and Welcome to the OLF. I'm very sorry about your Dad .
He would be so proud of you for following in the craft he loved.Good
luck with that first guitar you build.You can be sure your Dad will be smiling
when you play it for the very first time!
You've definately come to the right place to learn.Just ask anything and
we will try to help. And if possible a few pics of the shop would be nice.WE love
pics around here. Whats a Hesh ?? ...... That made my day !
Welcome Aboard

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755