The Big (Maybe Bad) Idea — tyson hand-did

I have been playing guitar since 1983. The guitar has been more than a hobby to me; it has been an obsession. There is always something new to learn, always room to improve style and technique.

I have been saving a little money to buy a new guitar and had been looking around for what I might like to buy next. After trying out many guitars, there was nothing in my price range that really did it for me.

Then I ran the blog “Building An Acoustic Guitar in Your Kitchen” by Steve Summerford. Steve lays out the story of building an acoustic guitar in his condo with very limited tools and skills. I have worked on my electric guitars for years – modifying, reworking, destroying, rebuilding. But making an acoustic guitar seemed like such a daunting task, completely out of the realm of possibility.

After reading through Steve’s blog, on Wednesday, December 28, 10:03 AM, I made my resolution for 2017.

I am going to build an acoustic guitar.

This may turn out to be one of the worst ideas I have had in while. But I am going to give it a shot. I realized that instead of spending the money I have on a new guitar, I could get the tools I would need to get started. Since I already have some of the more expensive tools I need and can make some of the others, this might be the right time to take the plunge.

Since Steve’s blog had been the catalyst for my big (maybe bad) idea of the year, I thought it might be fun to post my experiences and learning process. So here we go.

Step 1: Get the book.

The general consensus seems to be that Guitarmaking: Traditions and Technology by William R. Cumpiano and Jonathan D. Natelson is a great place to start. Just ordered it on Amazon.

It will probably be downhill from here.