How to Make a Classical Guitar

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