Official Luthiers Forum!

CALL JOHN HALL WOULD!
HE HAS MOULDS AND SIDE BENDERS TOO!

HE'S THE BEST


WALTER

Would--

You will have some time to research finishes. Some basic choices will be dictated by the physical circumstances of your work area. Do you have access to a spray booth? If not, then nitro might not be a good choice as it is both volatile and toxic.

Just in the short time that I have been here there have been several good threads on finishing techniques. Searching the archives and asking questions in the forum will get you pointed in a good direction.

--Jim

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Ditto on starting with a mold! I built my first acoutics using a work board with spool clamps and the problems once I got to neck setting were more than I wanted. Worth every penny I can assure you of that. John is great help and a very knowlegable luthier as well.

Mike

I realize I must have missed something obvious. I am VERY interested in 000 Auditorium model, did not see much on John's ebay store...so help please!!

Mike

I echo the sentiments stated here about John. Great guy and very knowledgable.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

As far as the finishes go.. The main reason I'm wanting to build my own guitar is because i cant afford something that sounds amazing. Well an it seems fun and rewarding. SO with that said I will want to put a finish on the guitar that affects the sound in the very least. Would39084.9726157407

[QUOTE=slackkeymike] I realize I must have missed something obvious. I am VERY interested in 000 Auditorium model, did not see much on John's ebay store...so help please!!

Mike[/QUOTE]

Mike, just send him an email or give him a call. He carries a lot of sizes and styles and I'm sure he will have it.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

   I have them. I do sell most on ebay but keep your eyes open as the store will soon be running on my site.
mike franks is also a great pilot . I didn't throw up once . To all of you that said so many nice things , Brenda and I are touched . I never met so many nice people as I did in this business.
   thanks agian
john
if you don't see what you are looking for just email me.

[QUOTE=Would] As far as the finishes go.. The main reason I'm wanting to build my own guitar is because i cant afford something that sounds amazing. Well an it seems fun and rewarding. SO with that said I will want to put a finish on the guitar that affects the sound in the very least. [/QUOTE]

This is interesting, I've never heard that before

Most of us all had the same thought before we started our first. Now, most I would think will have sounded as good as say a $1500 production guitar, but sounding amazing is another story.

Having said this, you will tend to spend more on this guitar (tools included) than a $1500 production guitar. You will be more satisfied of course as you will have made this guitar versus buying it. It will most likely have flaws, that you will say "I wish that wasn't there, etc....." but you will be satisfied, but most likely you will also want to build another and another and so on.....

As far the the finish that least effects the sound and still protects well, I would have to say shellac finish applied in the french polish method will give the thinnest possible film with the best protection (as long as your careful )

There are many many ways to build and finish a guitar. As Alan Carruth said the other day here "If you ask 25 luthiers for the best way to do something, you'll get at least 50 answers".

Now, please keep asking questions as you progress, most of us love to help if we can......BUT you must include a picture to help with your question, that's the rule Rod True39085.0893518519

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Oh and if you haven't gotten it yet

John Hall (aka tippie53 also Blues Creek Guitar) has almost everything you will need to help build your guitar and is a very helpful person

Sorry John, I know you know this but your site isn't so good at letting people know what you have to sell. Most of us know that you have almost every known body shape made from Martin and probably more......

So having said this, email him as he said and he'll let you know if he has what your looking for.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I would say that this community in general is very helpful. I havnet been a part of a forum that is this interested in what people are asking. Anyway, once i get started with this build ill take progress pictures and stuff. Hopefully i wont make myself look like too much of an idiot..

    I started out to do the same as most of you , just build a guitar that I couldn't afford . Well , if I look at what I have invested now I think I can buy about 20 D28s and a few D50's but I have learned so much and met so many great folks. I built 14 my first year and haven't stopped yet
   Keep it simple , have fun and remember the strings go on the outside
john

did you sell any of those 14 guitars?

holy *&!#!@#$! hesh, that i the coolest thing ive ever seen. i would never leave my house if i had that many amazing guitars! god i cant wait for this kit to arriveWould39087.6820833333

The ones closest to Hesh's speaker cabinets are in that spot for a reason. Break-in     MichaelP39087.6257986111

What would you guys consider the best sounding guitar strings for acoustics? I use elixirs..

Wow loaded question. The guitar its self will have a large influence on what strings work best with that specific guitar. But as a general answer for my favorite commercially available strings in a select light gauge .054-.012 I Like DR rare Phosphorus

you guys dont make your owns strings too do you?!

D'Addario Strings seem to be very consistant. I use them on both classical and steel stringed acoustics. Electrics get Ernie Ball...

As to the first build I think I spent about $1500 or so. I had no tools and no history much like Hesh has mentioned he started. I started building because I wanted an $8k classical that I couldn't afford. My wife recently told me I'd have been miles ahead to have just bought it... She's probably right.

Hey Hesh...

Build a cutaway will ya?