Welcome to the O'Brien Guitars/Lutherie Academy Google Chat Group. I set this group up several years ago as a place where my students could exchange ideas and ask questions. There is a ton of information here! Do a search in the archives and you will discover answers to just about every question you could have. If you can't find an answer then post your question to the group. In order for a group like this to work properly it requires participation from its members and a few ground rules. Here they are and please remember that membership here is a privilege.

The forum is a place for a fun, friendly and informative exchange of guitar building information and topics. Before posting a new topic or a response to an existing topic, please consider if what you are posting is related to guitar building. If not, please reconsider your post.

Be respectful of others' opinions. Do not engage in arguments, heated debates or accusations. State your position respectfully, but if need be, agree to disagree and stop posting.

Please stay on topic when responding to forum questions or discussions. Do not hijack threads by straying off topic. If you wish to discuss topics that are not pertinent to the thread, feel free to post a new topic. Try not to engage in personal conversations in someone else’s thread.

When posting a response to someone else's topic, the original post automatically appears under your typed response. It is helpful to delete the text and/or photos that appear under the response you are typing. If you click and drag on that original post, you can delete it. This cleans up your post making it easier to read and streamlines the thread for everyone else reading it.

Product announcements, advertisements or endorsements should be limited. If you think forum members might be interested in a new guitar building product, post a link to the manufacturer’s website rather than cutting and pasting lengthy advertisements into the post. Forum members can click on the link and learn more about the product.

Members may try to sell their personally owned guitar building materials on the forum, but it should be limited and within reason. Responses to a seller and any transactions should be done off of the forum.

Please do not dispense legal opinions or advice on the forum or engage in legal debates. There are many outside links to legal opinions on issues related to guitar building ( such as CITES ). Posting new articles or links to those opinions may be helpful to forum members as part of a general discussion, but arguing legal issues in forum posts are often unproductive. Members should consult with a qualified attorney if they need to discuss their own legal issues.

Occasionally, a member may have a bad experience with a builder, company or product. Sharing an experience can be helpful to other forum members, but be objective in your comments and avoid personal or disparaging remarks.

Remember that when you post sensitive personal information, it exposes all forum members to that information., some of whom may find that information uncomfortable. We all wish to be supportive of one another, but remember that the goal of the forum is to enjoy learning about and building guitars. If you are dealing with a sensitive personal issue, please consider contacting forum members directly.

And finally, politics, religion and Brazilian Football clubs are all topics that can cause heated discussions. Please avoid posting on these topics.

So, don't be shy and post often. Happy Building!

Buffing wheel turning gray

David Pinchot