Having retired and had the time to attend various WW courses, my experience has been generally good – you learn a lot quickly when its directly provided by an expert. You avoid the longer route of learning from a book or mag then making your trials and errors.
For a while I’ve had a fancy to make a guitar. There is so much specialist skill (and associated tools) involved, I never dared attempt it via the book/trial/error process. But advertised courses have been with established makers, over many weeks; and cost a fortune.
However, an organisation called “Craft Supplies” in Derbyshire, England, has begun marketing guitar kits, which give you the bent wood sides, shaped front and back, rough cut neck and so forth, for you to finish, assemble and decorate. They also provide a 5 day course which uses one of their kits to teach you the tool use and basic instrument assembly/finishing skills.
So, after all this rambling, my question to Knots members: is this a valid way to learn guitar making (ie lesson 1 – kit; lesson 2 – shape all the bits myself then do the kit-learnt thing)? I’m worried that a 5 day kit-based course will be too much of a fudge.
Lataxe
Replies
Lataxe,
This is just slightly off topic.....It's been a long time, and my memory is fading daily, but it seems to me the Martin guitar company also marketed a kit at one time. Might be worth looking into. Good luck!
Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.
Frank Lloyd Wright
I've not done it myself, but as a musician I've talked with many people who have bought kits from one source or other. They usually end up with a serviceable guitar of which they are very proud, and with which they are happy. And those guys often start off with no woodworking skills whatsoever.
I've never heard of "Craft Supplies" as most of the musicians I know who have done this are bluegrass musicians, and nearly all in the United States. So I don't have anything (positive or negative) to say about Craft Supplies.
Here in the US, the place to which most folks I know have gone for their kits is a company called Stewart-MacDonald. They've been around for over 30 years, have an excellent reputation, and sell both complete kits and individual parts. Their website is stewmac.com. I just looked, and they do sell internationally. I do not personally know anyone who has bought from outside the US, so can't say how that works out.
I am not affiliated with them, just reporting what I saw over the course of several years talking with people who have done it.
Lataxe,
I know that all if not most schools for luthiery, have their students start off with a kit. Most often stew-mac or martin. So, I don't think anyone, barely, builds an acoustic for the first time w/o one. Projectguitar.com has so much information, there's also mimf (music instrument makers forum).
Building a solidbody guitar is generally much easier and can do all if not everything without a kit. The body is just a plank, about 1 7/8" thick, with routing for the controls - not too much delicate work necessary (aside from the neck).
After experience building from a kit, the next project/challenge would be a kit where the parts are not pre-fabricated whatsoever. An average starter kit has some of the tougher things done for you, like rough shaping of the neck, pre-bent sides.
Don't know if answered your question at all. Just shared some thoughts.
Since you are retired and would like to make a guitar, why not look for luthiers near you and see if they would trade your labor for their instruction and expertise so you can learn to make one. They probably have some preparatory tasks that, if someone else did them, could free them to do some other things. You would be doing some of the "grunt" work, but it would still be a learning experience.
Lataxe,
I think it depends a lot on personal tendencies. I have never been a great fan of courses of any kind (which is not to say that they are not exactly what is needed sometimes.) Forty years ago I decided I wanted to learn to build a guitar as well. Given my aversion to structured study, I read up everything I could and forged ahead on my own, without a kit. It took me about 300 hours and the guitar was terrible. But I learned a lot, and the next one was better. I eventually decided not to pursue it further, but I don't regret for a moment everything I learned. From today's perspective, I'd agree with what was suggested - find a working luthier who's willing to use you for mutual benefit. If you've been WWing some years already, why would you want someone to bandsaw the neck for you, or pre-bend the sides?
DR
Thanks everyone for the replies so far, all of which are most helpful. For a start, I’ll be surfing some of those sites mentioned.
Unfortunately I can’t find a luthier that’s near enough to me so that I could easily do the labour-for-expertise swap. Also, I don’t really want to serve an apprenticeship, even if it is compressed from the norm of 3 – 5 years. Time presses and I have many interests to pursue before the Grim Reaper toddles up my garden path.
The idea of starting with a kit was a bit off-putting, I admit, as most things I’ve learnt have begun with the basics and worked towards the complexities. The recent greenwood chair-making course I went on started with cutting down the tree, for example.
But there has to be a compromise in the length of a course, for both cost and time reasons. I can’t imagine a course to build a guitar from scratch would be less than 2 or even 3 weeks, which would increase the cost to well over £1000. I’m reassured to know that most luthier schools begin with a kit.
As I am experienced in shaping and joining wood in many ways, I would expect to learn more from a course, even a kit-based one, than a complete newbie. My second guitar would have the parts shaped and bent (with steam-bending skills learnt from the chair-making course) by me. Hopefully the course would give me some understanding, if not experience, of the requirements. And I would hope to avoid the 300 hour syndrome – although it might be 299. J
More opinions and experience from Knots members will be very welcome.
Your talent for asking and then answering your own question is unsurpassed.
Enroll in the class and get on with it.
I have a fancy that you'll quit writing as if you were a member of the court of Elizabeth I. Stilted comes to mind.
Edited 5/26/2006 7:39 am ET by charlesstanford
Charles,
But its good to filter ones own thoughts via the different perspectives and experience of others, is it not? I have had my mind changed in this forum a few times, unlike some perhaps.
I think that's the idea of discussion.
;-)
As to the rest of your post, it's too cryptic even for me.
Anyway, better get in the shed and get on with it, before I get told off again; although I won't lock myself in.
Lataxe
PS Have you ever asked a question? I know you like answering, which answers I have found useful on occasion.
Edited 5/26/2006 12:16 pm ET by Lataxe
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