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I had messed around with a guitar a little when I was in college, but when I discovered that I couldn’t play like Chet Atkins in a couple of months, It kind of got shoved aside. One day when I was looking for something in my daughter’s car, I saw a Sigma dred in the trunk. I put it in my office and then chewed my daughter out for keeping a guitar in the trunk of her car. She said it belonged to a friend of hers who threw it in there after a campfire party. After looking at that thing for a few days, I picked it up and tried to remember what little I knew from the many years before and after looking, found a wealth of information on the internet. I told my daughter’s friend he couldn’t have his guitar back until I got one.

Upon checking out prices on decent guitars, I was about to give up when I found Cumpiano’s book .Other hobbies I have had included leather craft, woodworking, gunsmithing, knife making and woodturning, so I figured with this book, I could make one. I then found the MIMF and I was off and running. It took me over a year to make that first guitar. It is ugly as sin but sounds surprisingly good. I have since made 3 more and have 4 more in the works. I guess my obsessive compulsive behavior is coming out. That’s what my wife says anyway. Needless to say, I am hooked.

I learned the playing basics and began about 1963. I played a lot and a lot better through my school years because I was obsessed and had lots of time. I never gave it up, but I did quit learning. Probably 99% of what I play was learned in the 60's and 70's.

I was fortunate to grow up in a very small town where everyone knew everyone and many, many summer evenings were spent listening to my dad and the neighbors sit around on the porch or in the yard playing music till all hours while someone cranked the ice cream freezer. My dad played guitar and harmonica, and he was probably my biggest inspiration. Unfortunately he died in 2004 and I didn't finish building my first until Dec. of 2005.   One of my brothers plays guitar, too, and after college about the only playing I did was family stuff. Great times.
My next build is an OM for my brother, and I'm hoping it will get us charged up enough to get back to some regular playing.

I started building mostly for the challenge. I've been a woodworker/furniture maker for many years and just needed a greater challenge. I found it.    And I can play with it.


Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Hey Tony theres an almost 3m base out here in BC this winter! I guess you had better move out here eh? That way you can ski and build to your hearts content, .... oh yeah and you can take me on as an apprentice for the tip!!
Serious though there is amazing skiiing here boy o boy!!!!! I dont see what you would even ski on out East there, thems molehills
LOL
Cheers
Charliewoodcharliewood39107.6315509259

Great thread for someone who just joined today.

Right now I'm waiting for the finish to cure on my first.  It's killing me to just let it hang there.  I glued up the top and soundboard on a second while I'm waiting.  I think I'm going to get hooked on this stuff.  I don't play as I never wanted to hear myself practice till I was good (probably didn't want to go to the work of practicing either).  When I looked through the Kinkade book it looked possible so I bought some wood and started taking off what didn't look like a guitar.  Now I just need to polish it after tomorrow when it is cured.

Hi Dale, welcome to the OLF! Looking forward to see what you've built, hard not to be hooked especially after bending your first sides and sthe stringin' up of that first baby!

You're gonna love it here, have fun!

Serge

Hey peoples nice thread.
Im 23 and have been playing for about 10 years
I started building because I play but ive quickly started to enjoy the building more then the playing.
I love music and ive played in lots of bands one of which is now quite popular but it was never really my thing i never felt content.
with lutherie I feel I can fully express my own creativity and hopefully give something back to music at the same time :P

I started playing 39 years ago on my father's guitar and been going ever since. Took to acoustic guitar and music from the beginning and during my high school years was the stoned looking long haired dude in the background fingerpicking. Built an electric guitar when I was 16, parents purchased my first Handmade Acoustic guitar for me that same year. Hooked up with some great musicians and formed a band (Crosby Stills Nash & Young type) and we made it as far as being a warmup band at concerts in Dallas for groups like the Styx and blues player Freddie King and a few others.

Went off to College, actually took classes from a teacher who studied in Spain under Segovia, got into some classical, most of which I can't remember, I guess the affects of being the stoned looking dude in the background fingerpicking. Married, children, career and I grew out of being the stoned guy in the background fingerpicking which my wife still appreciates. In my 30's started studying, researching, buying and reading every book I could find on Lutherie. Did some repair work to learn some things, for friends and on my own guitar collection. Took me 10 years to get my mind, shop and courage up to start my first, which took better than a year to complete.

Got into the old Cowboy Music, Gene Autry, Bob Wills and many that are not recognizable to most folks. Played at Cowboy & Poetry gatherings, Chuck Wagon competitions and Ranch Rodeos which I still do from time to time and when I have the time which is rarely now. Music I like because you don't have to play or sing very well.

Putting the finish on #8 which has taken longer than expected with weather and work. Started building one at a time and went to batch building this past fall with 3 and started #9-#13 or 5 in this batch during the holidays. I am a Hobbyist and give all my guitars away, now in my 50's still married to the same wife, and have four grandkids. I like ranching alot and working a little and find myself working to much of late.

When I grow up I want to be a Fireman.

Mike

Thanks Serge.  When I get it buffed out I'll see if I can post a couple pics.  No closeups though.  From what I've seen I am not ready for closeups yet.  But, I'll get there.

That was a great story Claire. You got back on the horse and rode it ,so to speak .Hand tools can do serious damage too , but a great reminder to all of us , thanks .

My love of guitars began for me at age 6 , when I saw a local guy singing/playing . I would copy his act (air guitar and singing ) ,much to the merriment of my folks and others .It had a huge impact on me. From there on ,it was music and music only. Mother said I first had to learn Uke. before getting a guitar as my hands were too small.Curses ! I eventually got my first guitar, A Bellini , made in South Africa Cost: 5 pound 11 shillings .It was heaven to me then , and I still have it ! I later went to a solid body electric which I repainted and did some work on . Then came a load of others including archtops.I took on a pianotuner /tech apprenticeship at age 15 . The business was also a music retail store so there were loads of guitars for me to play and repair . I also got into a fairly good rock band . After finishing my apprenticeship , I opened an instrument repair and retail store . Later on I got married to an Aussie (Bronny) and moved to Australia where I first managed a music store (Palings)and later went back to my piano trade .
My trade is interesting , but always felt the tuning to be a rather invisable art .Also a little frustrating is the fact that the bloody things start going out of tune as soon as you've finished tuning.I have though, picked up a lot of knowledge because of it, which is very relevant to guitars.
About four years ago Bronny took crook with a simple Strep. infection. This (very quickly ) turned nasty to pneumonia and blood poisoning , ending up with her having both legs and some fingers amputated , along with suffering some strokes and epilepsy. So,, I gave away the piano work to care for her and our two little kids.
What now ! , I thought.. Howzabout turning a negative into a positive .What's the thing a would like most to do in my life.......MAKE A GUITAR !
I transformed my inhouse pianoworkshop to a guitar workshop. Bought and read the C & N and Jim Williams book and got started. WOW!! The obsession kicked in BIG time.
I really believe ,I was born to build guitars ,and all my former training was just a lead up to it . This is fate with a capital F .    O.K. ,so I've gone a bit mad in the meantime
I adore what I'm doing and can tell you all that the words obsession or love, hardly come close to how I feel about guitar making. I could never give this wonderful craft away

Sorry to be so long winded


Regards to you all, Craig Lawrence

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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what a fantastic thread, and what a great thing to think about.

i've played for about 18 years now, and don't think i'll ever be that great. i play well enough so that the guitar stimulates songwriting ideas, but i'll never be a good enough player to be the one taking the solo.

10 years ago (while i waited for just the right fit to come along with a church - i'm a youth pastor) i spent a year taking a woodworking employment course followed by a full time year in a cabinet shop . my heart was definitely not in the cabinet shop, but during that year i realized that combining the woodworking with the music could be a great thing to try. all it took was five more years to convince myself to buy the wood and a few tools.

i don't know if it's just my nature, but even now i'm reluctant to buy too many tools too quickly. i want the building to be a hobby and if i'd suddenly invest a few thousand in tools, i'm afraid that i'd feel an obligation to use them all the time and guilt if i didn't spend every spare moment in the shop. that said, i got two built last year and am prepping parts for three this year. maybe i just recognize that there will never be enough hobby time to build and play as much as i'd like too.

a big upside to building is that it is tangible - unlike playing music. the moment you stop playing you're again left with silence. the music disappears. but with building, you can stand and stare - first at the raw materials, then at the progress, and then in awe and amazement at the finished product. i just finished #5 and while staring at it, told my wife that i still can't believe that i build guitars. i just find it amazing that if do a few hundred little woodworking steps in the right order i end up with a guitar. blows me away.

it's also inspiring to know what a fundamental and inspiring role my woodworking can have on someone elses music making. my friends pick up the work of my hands and make music with their hands. i just think it's the coolest hobby in the world.

and all it takes is a few minutes a day. it's 11:15 at night. i just got home from work. and i just took 10 minutes in the shop to glue together a cedar top that i jointed last night!! what a great thing.
phil

This is a great thread.

Rather than write the eight paragraphs of sappy guitar spirituality I really want to, I'll just say that I build for:

The challenge.
The challenge.
The creative release.
The sound.
The history.
The satisfied customer.

Also, I wholeheartedly love the guitar far more then I love playing it. I think a lot of makers eventually feel the same way. I barely ever play, and if a non-customer asks me if I also play I always tell them no.

I generally only play to check out other guitars or to enjoy my guitars before I ship them.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

There are many voices in the world and in their tone you can hear happiness, sadness, aggression, peace, longing, certitude, confusion, and almost infinite others

The amazing thing is,


Instruments with a player can recreate them all.

K.O.39108.0773726852

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...

I've been playing for around 30 years and in that time some of those years I did it full time but it was always a struggle financially......about 10 years ago i went back to university and studied computer engineering thinking I would just go for something that would make some decent money...Once I graduated I went and sat on a beach for a couple of weeks and realised that computer engineering wasn't for me and literally arrived home and opened the paper to the job section to look for something interesting to do with my life...I just randomly opened to a page and an advertisement jumped straight out to me about a guitar manufacturer looking for people...I went for an interview and was unsuccessful but i was persistant and called them twice a week until finally 2 months later they must have been so sick of me they decided to give me a go..
So I worked at Maton guitars, Cole clark guitars and doing setups for a distributer for the last 8 years..
I'm so hooked on this guitar building thing now ....
I also love playing just as much and divide my time equally to each..

gratay39108.1281018518

Hi Grant,
            Your lucky to have such a background . It must be of enormous help with your building. I'd love to hear all about Cole Clarke and Maton .
Howzabout some pics of what your up to some time .

Cheers ,Craig

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
_____________________________________________

I play because I love music, but I'm not much of a player.

If I had to give up playing or building, I'd probably give up playing; I build because I love doing it, can't not do it. It's a drive. Built my first, got hooked, no way out now.

I love playing guitar, but I’m not so good at it. I’m really at heart, a vocalist. And if I were a younger man I would be trying out for “American Idol”

I have built residential homes for some 30+ years. I’ve built work shops, barns, sheds, model airplanes, boats, furniture, bows, and a whole bunch of other do-dads.

Now, at this point in my life, just starting out in guitar building, I know I’ve found a new love. I haven’t built anything that has been more interesting, more challenging, and more satisfying than building a guitar. I only wish that I would have started earlier in life.

To your question Dave; Why do you build? In my case, its because I need to! If I’m not building something, I just don’t feel right. If I’m not actually doing the work, I thinking of the next building project. Sometimes I think to myself that it doesn’t even matter what I’m building, just so long as I am building. There was a time in my life when I asked myself the usual questions. What am I doing this for? Why am I doing this? Who am I? “What’s it all about Alfie”
Then several years ago it finally dawned on me. I AM A BUILDER! Sure, I’m a pretty good husband, and I guess I’m a good father, but, at the core of me being, deep in my soul, I AM A BUILDER. Its all I’ve really ever been, and I’m sure its what I always will be!

Wow! I’m glad I got that off my chest

“Circumstances don’t make a man, they reveal him”

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

I have always tried to build the things I couldn’t afford to buy. I have built Dave Gingery’s engine lathe. (OK he built one first. I just used the plans in his books to build one of my own.) I have built desks and chairs, piano benches, tables, wine racks, tool boxes, and book shelves. Most of which were on commission. So, I guess you could say I am an OK “wood butcher”.

I have a fascination for cherry and oak. Neither of which generally end up in guitars.

I work as an engineering technician/construction inspector by day and father/grandfather, kit guitar builder by night. Kit guitar builder? Does that make me a luthier? No, I think, Not! I will be able to say I am a luthier when I finish repairs to my grandmother’s baroque mandolin I brought to Sylvan Well’s open shop. The mandolin and the visit to Sylvan’s shop (Oh, and the gift of the guitar kit) have prompted my entrance into luthiery.

Do I play? Some. (Does “Goodnight Irene” count?) I have been struggling to learn for 6 years now. I am better now than I was last year and better still than yesterday. I am hoping to be good enough to play at my wake!

But truly, being able to produce an instrument with such soul, as some I have heard recently, is my goal.

Robert

Another engineer here (Biomedical). My early career revolved around design, testing and the development of implantable devices for the medical industry. As I progressed in my job I became more of a manager and less of a hands-on engineer. I got my creative fix by building things about which I had no previous experience...engines, rockets, stereos, large-format B&W darkroom work, room additions, etc.

My guitar building got started when I decided to resurrect an inherited Rickenbacker 12-string 25 years after the death of my brother. It was unplayed and unused and in storage under my bed for that length of time when one day I made the decision to restore it to it's original playing condition. I couldn't find a luthier who had experience with Rics so I resorted to the Ric forum where they walked through the project. Reviving that guitar restored more than just a family heirloom.

Having completed that project, I decided to get my 1970 Martin D-35's neck reset under warranty by a local authorized Martin repair man. The repair man showed me his only effort in building a guitar as part of his training. My mind began reeling with thoughts of undertaking such a project on my own. That's when I discovered the Martin forum (UMGF) and met John Hall, Frank Ford and a few others who spoke of building and repair. It wasn't long before I "drank the Kool-Aid" and ordered the materials from John to begin building.

With 3 young sons who mean the world to me, I decided to build guitars for each of them as a Legacy Project. As I built those first guitars, I produced a detailed journal of the trials and tribulations of building something about which I knew nothing. The journals contain far more than just the technical aspects of building a guitar. The message to them was intended to be... "that one can overcome anything by preparation, persistence and committment." After 3 years they each received their guitars along with the journals. The deal was that their guitars are never to be sold but are to be passed on to their children some day along with the journals and more importantly, the message.

So I continue to build (so far 8 acoustics and 2 electrics)...each one better than the last. I've given most of my guitars to family members which in itself has given me great satisfaction and has brought our family even closer. The folks I have met along the way, especially my OLF friends, have taken this from a largley solitary endeavor to one that has provided a sense of community and cameraderie. I could never have done this without a lot of help from folks on MIMF and then the OLF...most notably, Mario, John Hall, John How, Zootman and scores of others. I'm hooked for life now and my only regret is that I didn't start 30 years earlier.

So that's why I build. Apologies offered for being so wordy and perhaps a bit sappy

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

Why do I build?

Well, I've got to do something with all that wood I buy. Sure, it goes into the woodstove in the winter, but by August the Brazilian is stacked floor to ceiling. Something had to give!

I do it strictly for the money. When it runs out, I guess I'll quit.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Been thinking about this thread for afew days now. There are so many reasons why I have taken to building guitars that its hard to list. I think at first it was to get my hands on a Martin D-28 like Michael Hedges used.
I bought a kit, thought id save money HA, you know how that goes $$$. I enjoyed that experience so much that I started another only this time from scratch. I decided (Like JJ) to give my #1 and #2 to my two girls, same rules as JJ too
That went well, so I did another, this one I donated to a local folk festival, great experience.


I guess now it has transformed in to very creative out let for me. Its very rewarding, I think you all know what I mean when you sit down and play the first tune on a new guitar. There is satisfaction beyond words at that very moment.
I truly enjoy the friendships I have made building for others, the emails and phone calls that take place during process, its great.
For me, the longer I build, the more reasons I see to keep building.
I am looking forward to an early retirement from my day job and more time spent doing what I love.

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Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

[QUOTE=JJ Donohue] Another engineer here (Biomedical). My early career revolved around design, testing and the development of implantable devices for the medical industry.

[/QUOTE]


Hey, J.J.,   did you ever work for Smith & Nephew? They are a huge implant firm. My son works for them in Memphis.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Ron...I know the company well. I've worked for competitors of S&N as well as a startup that they acquired.

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

[QUOTE=Serge Poirier] Great pic Pat, you remind me of a teacher somehow...

I'd love to grow a beard too but i still have to be forgiven for stealing a dough roller...better wait me thinks! [/QUOTE]

I think that's a pretty good compliement, Serge. Thanks!

As for a beard, IMO timing is everything with SWMBO.

BTW, Dave, great thread!burbank39108.686712963

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Just love this thread!

Robert Dobbs, love your signature sir!

JJ, Touching post Bro, it brought me back to last summer and i can't wait to live great moments like that once again!

Thanks for the advice Pat, i'll add a couple more years and wisdom before i grow one though!

Bring 'em post guys, this is fascinating!