Most people do use Stew Mac, so I'm afraid there is no 'cheaper' answer. On top of the issue of ordering from the US, you have the added 'bonus' of the postal strikes here causing chaos for anything imported that is ultimately handled by SA Post Office. I wouldn't order anything soon, unless you are going to organise a courier to deliver it.

Regards
G!

No-one local, but I'd use www.lmii.com for acoustic parts anyway. And yeah - use a courier.

That depends on what you are looking for.
We have local sources of woods (backs and sides, some fretboards and such, no tops, those you'll have to import).
But hardware and tools will likely have to come from Stewmac or LMI.


Where are you based?
I built my own acoustic on a course offered by a Company here in Cape Town. Not only is that the nicest acoustic guitar I have ever played, but building it was the most rewarding experience of my life.

Sopbeen wrote: however it will become an expensive endeavour.

Yes,very much so.

You don't build a guitar to save money! It is costly, but very very rewarding.

My only advice would be to plan and try to combine as much into as few orders as possible so that the shipping costs would be split over as many things as possible.

If you have basic woodworking skills, a lot of patience, a clean workspace, a good guide-book and some experienced people to advise you, then go for it! The result will be an instrument that will cost less than R2000 but sound like a R20 000 model.

The only stuff I imported from US were the soundboard, brace wood, binding/purfling, dyed veneers, rosette, fretwire and tuners. But even the fretwire & tuners are available locally. Rare Woods in Cape Town has (had?) a stock of rosewood backs and sides (I had to sift thru a huge pile to find decent pieces) but you could also use other hardwoods (a friend with a bandsaw would be useful here). I got my neck from mahogany offcuts - also at RareWoods.

You don't need any "special" tools although they might make the job easier. If you are planning to build more than one in a lifetime, make your own tools and jigs. Two of my homemade cam clamps below



For a classical first build I would recommend "Guitar Makers Workshop" by Rik Middleton. Tons of advise and explanation, and written in a way that does not assume you are a complete fool. And there is tons of advise on the web.

Go for it (after the postal strike)!


of