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Is it important to have a cutaway mold for a cutaway guitar? I'm thinking about building a cutaway guitar in my regular mold, but I thought I would ask incase this is a bad idea.

I always use my regular mold when making a cutaway guitar. All my cutaways have turned out great. I know a number of other builders who just use their regular molds. If you use the regular mold you can vary the shape of your cutaway without having to make a new mold each time.

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Like Josh, I just use the standard mold, I don't have an attachment or special side for cut-aways.

You can always make an attachment for the cutaway area, but I do not see it as necessary.

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Thanks Guys!

I use the regular mold but put a slot in it where the cutaway side terminates and to let the side stick up into the mold. This works great. However, the only problem with it is that it sort of necessitates you have a different mold for every string spacing you offer.

But once the molds are made it couldn't be simpler.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Brock, could you cut a larger slot (one that would work for most string spacings) and use different size spacers to move the side closer or further from the center line? You could put a slight wedge in them so they say put?

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I also use a regular mold, but also have cutaway "attachments" to the mold that are held in place with rare earth magnets (magnets embedded in the regular mold, and in the cutaway attachments). One for Venitian, and one for Florentine.

This way, I get a lot of use from the same mold.

Here`s how I fix a cutaway attachment to my mould. I use two bed knockdown fitting bolts that screw into threaded dowels in the cutaway attachment.

   I do have inserts available for molds but to be honest I don't use them myself. Once you have the neck block trimmed for the cutaway you can use the mold itself , just spread the set and blocks in and allow the cutaway to flow on its own.
john hall
blues creek guitars