| Fulfill the dream of owning a hand-made | | | | - The second step entails individually making |
| classical guitar by making one yourself. You | | | | the five major parts of the guitar. They are |
| don't have to be a master woodworker to make | | | | the neck/head, left side, right side, |
| your own classical guitar. There are some | | | | Soundboard, and backboard. Note that the neck |
| really good books and kits that will help you | | | | head assembly can be done in one piece or as |
| make a guitar that you can proudly use for | | | | two pieces assembled together. |
| many years. | | | | |
| | | | - The third step is where you would assemble |
| What you will need | | | | and glue the five major pieces of the guitar |
| | | | together. |
| 1. The first thing you will need is a book on | | | | |
| the subject and I recommend two. The first is | | | | - The Final Step is the finishing of the |
| Classical Guitar Construction by Irving | | | | guitar. This includes inserting the frets on |
| Sloane. This is a simple and straightforward | | | | the neck, the purfling around the edges, and |
| book that takes you through the process. It | | | | the sanding and varnishing of the guitar.What |
| also includes a template for all the parts of | | | | is the most difficult part? |
| the guitar. The second book is considered the | | | | |
| bible of guitar construction and it is: | | | | When curving the sides of the guitar you have |
| Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A | | | | to soak them in water and then heat them so |
| Complete Reference for the Design & | | | | they can be slowly shaped to the correct |
| Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar | | | | curvature. This takes some practice but you |
| & the Classical Guitar (Guitar Reference) by | | | | don't have to guess at the shape. You make a |
| William Cumpiano which is a much more | | | | jig that you use as a guide for a perfect |
| complete reference that will also show you | | | | fit. If you want to avoid this step you can |
| how to make folk guitars. | | | | purchase kits with the sides already |
| | | | pre-bent. |
| 2. You must purchase, pre-made, some of the | | | | |
| basic items for the guitar. These are the | | | | A little bit about the wood |
| tuning pegs and the bridge. You will also | | | | |
| need to purchase fret wire, purfling, the | | | | The wood you use is of the utmost importance |
| mosaic inlay, and a selection of wood both | | | | when it comes to how your guitar will sound. |
| used directly in the guitar and indirectly | | | | And Brazilian rosewood is the wood of choice |
| for the forms and jigs that are used to make | | | | for most classical guitars. But there are |
| the guitar. | | | | variations on this such as Spanish Cypress, |
| | | | which is often used for Spanish guitars. |
| 3. Tools needed. A half dozen hand tools will | | | | Other woods used are maple, birch, pear and |
| be needed to make your guitar and these | | | | mahogany. |
| include a plane, block saw, hand scraper, | | | | |
| several chisels, jigsaw wire cutters, several | | | | Don't think you have the skill to do it all |
| clamps, a power drill, and a 6 inch circle | | | | yourself? |
| cutter. The books explain all the tools | | | | |
| needed. | | | | There are many online dealers that will sell |
| | | | complete kits that have everything pre-cut |
| The Basic Assembly process | | | | and shaped correctly. All you have to do is |
| | | | assemble it and finish it. This is a good |
| - The first step in building a classical | | | | alternative if you don't think you want to |
| guitar entails building the forms and jigs. | | | | tackle the whole project. You can also buy |
| You can't just build a guitar out of wood. It | | | | kits that have all the selections of wood |
| has to be shaped in a very particular way and | | | | uncut and raw so you can still do all the |
| to achieve this shape you have to build forms | | | | crafting. |
| to shape it around. In particular, the curved | | | | |
| sides of the guitar have to have a profile | | | | Making your own classical guitar can be a |
| that exactly matches the shape of the | | | | challenge and it takes patience and some |
| soundboard and the backboard. You also create | | | | handy skills but it definitely something the |
| a jig that will hold the whole guitar | | | | average do it yourself person can accomplish. |
| together when you glue it into a complete | | | | And the reward is a musical instrument that |
| whole. | | | | will be your lifetime companion. |
| | | | |