Instrument Building

Side Bending Machine Basics Part 2 – Essential Items In this series, I talk about bending guitar sides with a side bending machine as opposed to bending by hand around a hot pipe. I talk about the pros, the cons, and the practical tips on bending wood. And I demonstrate my side bending procedure [...]

Side Bending Machine Basics Part 1 – Building Forms In this series, I talk about bending guitar sides with a side bending machine as opposed to bending by hand around a hot pipe. I talk about the pros, the cons, and the practical tips on bending wood. And I demonstrate my side bending procedure [...]

Sapele vs Mahogany: A Comprehensive Review I use a lot of Sapele here in the shop! I talk about my experiences and those of my students with using Sapele including how it bends, how it carves, the aesthetics, and it’s mechanical properties. Want more of this? Subscribe below for Weekly Guitar Making Tips from [...]

Guitarmaking Q&A for August 3rd, 2018 Today’s topics include: carbon fiber inserts and truss rods, intonation and compensation, hiding fractures and splits in the plates, building your own thickness sander and more… Want more of this? Subscribe below for Weekly Guitar Making Tips from DIY Guitarmaking   Want to really learn more!? Take a [...]

How a Truss Rod Actually Works See what a truss rod actually does when you turn it clockwise and counter clockwise! I talk about single action and double action truss rods and I show how the truss rod functions inside your guitar’s neck, whether the adjustment is through the soundhole or at the headstock. [...]

14 Mistakes to avoid when building your first acoustic guitar I talk about some of the mistakes that beginner luthiers make on their first acoustic guitar. #1 using woods of opportunity or reclaimed wood #2 using expensive wood #3 using highly figured wood #4 biting off more than you can chew #5 buying tools [...]

Creating a Unique Bridge Design: Part 2 I walk you through the process of designing a unique bridge shape for my new model of guitars. In this second part, I mark out the saddle location, locate the bridge in the guitar, widen the saddle slot and set the bridge pin holes so that they [...]

Creating a Unique Bridge Design: Part 1 I walk you through the process of designing a unique bridge shape for my new model of guitars. In this first part, I draw out the bridge shape with french curves, trace out copies of the design on a light box and lay out the other dimensions [...]

Six Guitar Playing Tips from a Guitar Maker Let’s take a break from guitar building and talk about playing! I share some tips for optimizing the sound of every note you play. #1 Don’t smother the back #2 Don’t restrict the right hand to one area #3 Consider open notes over fretted notes #4 [...]

How Guitar Sides Affect Tone What is the role of the guitar’s sides in the acoustic system that is the soundbox?   Want more of this? Subscribe below for Weekly Guitar Making Tips from DIY Guitarmaking   Want to really learn more!? Take a class with Eric Schaefer and build your own guitar in [...]

Why I like Evo Gold Fretwire What’s the difference between EVO Gold, Nickel Silver, and stainless steel frets? I talk about the aesthetic appeal, the hardness, the longevity, and the tone of Evo Gold fretwire versus the others. Want more of this? Subscribe below for Weekly Guitar Making Tips from DIY Guitarmaking   Want [...]

Template Duplicating Solutions Part 4 – Curves and Corners This series looks a improving your results when duplicating patterns in the shop. This is especially important for luthiers as we use templates for headstock, bridge, guitar body, and fretboard tongue shapes. Want more of this? Subscribe below for Weekly Guitar Making Tips from DIY [...]