Official Luthiers Forum!

Alright, I'm in! Sorry I couldn't come up with a wittier title.

Coincidentally, this will also be my first build, so if it's a piece of crap and I don't win, I won't be too disappointed.

I may change my mind in the next couple of days, but so far I'm planning on a Goncalo Alves 00. I'll have everything priced out in the next few days when I get a little spare time to do so.

Looks like I'm going to be real close to that $150 mark, but I should make it. Here's what I'm at right now:

$24 - back/sides and headplate
$ 0 - top (thanks, Laurie!)
$ 0 - bracewood
$ 8 - neck
$ 6 - fingerboard
$ 4 - bridge
$18 - truss rod
$12 - binding, rosette and backstrap (cut from orphaned sides)
$10 - purfling
$15 - kerfed linings
------
$97

That leaves me with $53 for tuners, nut/saddle/bridge pins, fretwire, fretboard dots and finish. I'll have to get a little creative, but if I can find a cheap set of tuners, I think I can pull it off.

I just got some Grover Sta-Tite open back tuners off of Ebay for $29.99. Don't know if that's cheap enough for you but I hate using tuners that don't work well.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thank you for the suggestion, Steve! That might be just the ticket! It's possible I'll be able to fit that in without any adjustment, but if push comes to shove, I'd rather cut corners on cosmetic stuff than tuners.

Looks like I'll be able to get started on this tomorrow. Looking forward to keeping everyone updated on my mistakes! I mean progress...