Are you tired?

Ray

Me as well. I spend some time thinking about this stuff hey! Get up go to work come home do a bit of my stuff get a call from work sort out some issues go to sleep get up go to work ......... .

One thought that I've entertained is to get involved with music. But sort of part/full time and keep busy at it. Was speaking to a oke at one of the clients and he sets up events like in townships and says it pays him well and he doesnt have to smack down too much serious bucks. But I have long since lost my taste for sorgum beer so I dont think that is the way.

Then Racman started his nonsense with this custom guitar he is getting done. I scouted around on the links that he posted and something sort of fired up a bit. Do I want to get one of these custom guitars? Oh yes, but maybe you've realized that I'm mean and dont want to pay that much seeing as I cant do justice to the darned instrument in the first place. But seems to me all these builders are sort of nice people. And I wandered over to the luthiers forum and yes! they all seem like nice people. Now, you may not know it and you may not believe it, but I am a nice person. An extremely nice person in fact so then doesnt it just make sense that I should build guitars?

So, I'm thinking and I see but this is a whole lot of work involved with lots of tools an stuff. And as nice a person as I am, I am also an extremely lazy oke. So it goes on the backburner. But still the smoulder with occasional flame. So, I decide let's structure this thing a bit. So I order myself a book recommended by a bunch of builders on that forum. That's the first step. The next step is to expose myself to some woodworking so I plan to join the local woodworking club which is very active and people come from miles around to their monthly meetings and I'm thinking at the next monthly meeting I will make manifest my intentions and see what they have to say. And the third step is I'm going to get a kit to build. Still scouting around for one and I want a 12 fret with a slotted headstock. Why? Just because! So anyone here built a kit?

racman

I think you should first take a rest after that long post! ?

Actually a good place to start might be with a Martin Kit - just google Martin Guitar kit.

AlanRatcliffe

racman wrote I think you should first take a rest after that long post! ?

Actually a good place to start might be with a Martin Kit - just google Martin Guitar kit.

A kit is a great place to start! The Martin kits are good, but look at Luthier's Mercantile (www.lmii.com) for a nice, high quality range of kits where you can specify many of the parts to your liking).

Sean

Sounds like a plan Ray, go for it. I would love to get involved in this sort of thing myself, I even have Gearhead who lives close by and can give me all the help I need, but I'm probably even more lazy than you are. It is on my to do list, and sometime in the future I'll give it a go, but for now, I'm going to let you inspire me ?

Ray

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
racman wrote I think you should first take a rest after that long post! ?

Actually a good place to start might be with a Martin Kit - just google Martin Guitar kit.
A kit is a great place to start! The Martin kits are good, but look at Luthier's Mercantile (www.lmii.com) for a nice, high quality range of kits where you can specify many of the parts to your liking).

You know, I went over there and the kits that they list are just fro shipping to mainland US 50 states. I want to ask them a few questions about that still as I may have the cat by the knackers here. But they seem to be well setup for this sort of thing. Four places I am checking out viz. Stewmac (who have a nice OOO kit), LMI (who have wider selection and the options mentioned by Alan), Martin and a bunch called Blues Creek. Now, the guy at Blues Creek responds sharp to my mails. Seems like he and his wife run the show and get Martin parts and put kits together. On the Luthiers forum they reckon he is about the best thing since bubblegum for support and all. Actually some say that the stewmac support is also pretty good.

One thing you see with this though is that it isnt the way to go if you want a guitar on the cheap. Plenty tools and stuff but they do also give advice on jigs you can put together to lessen the $ burden and in some instances impove on the available stuff.

AlanRatcliffe

You know, I went over there and the kits that they list are just fro shipping to mainland US 50 states.

Oh - that's because of CITES treaties on some woods (like braz and hog) and because of celluloid binding (which is very flammable, so cannot be shipped by air). Use the kit wizard, avoiding any CITES restricted woods and ask them to "internationalise" the kit by substituting celluloid binding with ABS or Bolteron and they will happily do so and ship.

LMII are very helpful and are used to dealing with smaller and first-time luthiers.

DonovanB

One way to stop being lazy is to start something you are interested in and force yourself to finish it. Break the habit.

giggsy

Interesting post... best of luck. It takes a lot of guts to change your life so drastically, but its the only one you got so no point not enjoying it.

Ray

No not really it's going to be a long term thing. Who or whatever decides these things might just see to it that I stick around for long enough to see it through. What does surprize me though, is that I dont find anyone on this forum that has this keen to make something like a guitar. We have guys buying plenty expensive factory models. We have guys commissioning stuff from overseas. But noone thinks about building one. Strange becasue on some of the forums other side, there are like dozens of people who give it a go. No, hundreds! And you read about their failures and retries and heartaches and still they remain positive and wildly enthusuastic.

racman

I considered building a kit but it's a little difficult when one stays in an apartment. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking with it!!!! ? ?

Ray

"Throughout the assembly of the kit you’ll need a flat workboard
of 3/4" plywood approximately 24" long and 20" wide,
big enough for your guitar’s body assembly."

That's from the instructions of the Stewmac kit. Should fit into your apartment. Anyway, with life changes going the way they are now I may well be living in a flat soon as well. But the plan is to rent some storage space for some of my things and setup a corner to work in.

giggsy

The only thing that worries me is that I think the bulk of South Africans are too brand conscious, and although they would really like a custom-made guitar, they cant boast to their friends that they have a Gibson or a Fender or whatever

Ray

Ag I think that everybody is brand conscious really. I know that I am. A thread where Guitarboy is asking about getting a new guitar has got me scouting the Larrivee site and more or less decided that maybe I should get one. But the one I want is going to take a bit of planning $ wise. It's closer to the bottom of the page on their product listing. But still, just looking at the stuff that the guys are putting together for themselves: you cant buy that! Even stuff that doesnt look as grand as a brand guitar, you know what I'm saying?

guitarboy2828

Ray wrote But still, just looking at the stuff that the guys are putting together for themselves: you cant buy that!

I reckon if i attempted an acoustic, you could in fact buy it.. it'd be labeled aria, starfire, fonder, or Ibanooz... Some of us realize our strengths don't lie in contruction of wood products.. ?

PeteM

I'd love to make my own guitar. But I know that with my addictive personality I would spend all my time doing research and perfecting every small detail that I would neglect my guitar playing and that'll be real bad. ☹

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote No not really it's going to be a long term thing. Who or whatever decides these things might just see to it that I stick around for long enough to see it through. What does surprize me though, is that I dont find anyone on this forum that has this keen to make something like a guitar. We have guys buying plenty expensive factory models. We have guys commissioning stuff from overseas. But noone thinks about building one.

We've had photo diaries from people who are building their own solid body electrics. Building one's own acoustic guitar is, I think, a trickier proposition because you need to bend the sides, cut and fix braces etc.

Personally I wouldn't try. I'm not a wood and glue kind of guy. Don't have the patience.

Ray

X-rated Bob wrote We've had photo diaries from people who are building their own solid body electrics. Building one's own acoustic guitar is, I think, a trickier proposition because you need to bend the sides, cut and fix braces etc.

Personally I wouldn't try. I'm not a wood and glue kind of guy. Don't have the patience.

Yes side bending and quite a few other little aspects as well. But as I said, I'm going to go for a kit first time round. With ready bent sides and quite a bit of the other work involved. Jut seems that this way you get quite a bit of insight into what actually goes into the whole thing. And these kits are a bit more than assembling a model airplane by the looks of things.
Bob, I dont do much in the line of handyman work so maybe I'm not that kind of guy anyway. But it is something that has sort of grabbed me. So let's see. As I said I plan to rent one of these storage places and setup a small work area there and store things as well hey.
As for the solid body thing, I am keen on that as well. Just waiting for Alan to kick in with the project he was talking about in a post a couple of weeks back.

IceCreamMan

i skeem its a great idea .. bonne chance