Anyone here build a guitar?

[joemac]

I just found out that my 17 year old grandson who is off to college in August wants to build a guitar. I know I could Google guitar building and get 97 thousand ads within 1/200th of a second, but I'd rather go to the well of knowledge.

He has no woodworking experience but I would be glad to give him some guidance. Can anyone point us in the right direction?

Thanks.

[Phil S.]

Yup - take a break between HS and college and spend 5 months at Roberto Venn in Phoenix. Might become a profession instead of a hobby though.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I do know that the dude who runs Grizzly Tools is an axe freek. Check out their site for kits, etc.

[Guest]

I have never built a guitar, but like many, it is on my bucket list. Many suggest that for one's first build, a kit is a very good idea. I'm not a kit guy, but I might consider a kit in this circumstance. I'm a big fan of C.F. Martin guitars. Martin sells kits for some of their popular models (see the 1833 Shop on Martin's web page). That would be a good place to start. All the parts are provided and much of the front-end grunt work is done for you so you don't get bogged down and can go directly to the fun stuff. If you have a successful build and want to bite off building one from scratch, you'll have a pretty good foundation to build from.
My $.02. I hope the luthiers here will chime in.

Hank

[Admiral]

I've been thinking about the same project; Martin does have kits (I've been to the factory tour in Nazareth PA, well worth the trip), but I've seen some negative reviews online about the quality; Stew Mac also has a couple of kits StewMac and there is a directory of other kit suppliers here: http://guitarkitbuilder.com/guitar-kits-directory/

I've not pulled the trigger on one, still have a honey-do list from my bride, but its clearly in my future.

Edit: Here's a walk through of the process on the LMI site, pretty interesting:

http://www.lmii.com/DaveKit/dave/LMIKitBuild.htm

[Greg Wease]

Check out "Guitarmaking" by Cumpiano and Natelson. Pretty much the bible on the subject.

[Arlin Eastman]

Joe

I know Grizzly has a ton of things for making and parts dvds and books.

DVDs

http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(guitar+OR+dvd)

Guitar Kits the first five

http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(guitar+...agesize=96

http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(guitar)...agesize=96

Arlin

[hbmcc]

A couple years ago I got one from Grizzly for my son--they were replacing or discontinuing the one I got for well under $100. Pretty nice looking for basic stuff. He never finished it.

[EricU]

"guitarmaking" is one of my favorite books. I really got into it 20 years ago, but work, kids and then grad school got in the way.

[highpi]

My brother went here:
Galloup School of Guitar Building and Repair

He made an acoustic and an electric.

Depending on funds and timeline, it might be an option.