The making of instruments

[Paul A. Ebersman]

From article <16...@cup.portal.com>, by Gary_T...@cup.portal.com:
>
> I've recently acquired an interest in trying my hand at making stringed
> musical instruments such as guitars and dulcimers but I haven't yet found
> a book or other source of information on how to go about it. Does anyone
> know of a good source of information on this? I bought a dulcimer a few

I would suggest that you start with a dulcimer. It can be made well
with only hand tools and will look good to most people without a
sprayed lacquer finish.

A guitar takes about 200 to 250 hours of work and will look hopelessly
homemade without a sprayed and buffed lacquer finish. It is also very
difficult to do certain steps without certain power tools, such as a
band saw, table saw, and belt/disk sander.

There are books on the subject of guitar building and repair. An author
named Sloane (don't recall first name) has written books on how to build
a classical guitar, a steel-string guitar and various other instruments.

There is also the Guild of American Luthiers (yes, luthier is a maker
of musical instruments). The last address I have for them is:

8222 S. Park St., Tacoma, WA 98408 (206-472-8439)
--
Paul A. Ebersman @ Corporation for Open Systems
p...@cos.COM or pae%cos...@uunet.uu.net or {uunet, sundc, hadron}!cos!pae
( The difference between practice and theory in practice is always
greater than the difference between practice and theory in theory. )

[Richard E. Gordon]

You probably will have difficulty learning only from a book.
I'd suggest seeing if there's room for you in one of the
instrument building workshops offered around the country. One
of the best places to check is the Augusta Heritage Workshop
Series, c/o Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia.
Wayne Henderson runs a 2-3 week guitar building workshop. Keith
Young ran a dulcimer building workshop last year. I'd imagine
it will be repeated again.

At these workshops, you actually build an instrument. There are other
workshops like these, I'm sure....Try one and then start looking for
a book of tips.

Good luck!
--

Richard Gordon
ric...@vax1.acs.udel.edu
(302) 451-6831

[Zeke Hoskin]

There are several alternatives available to guitar builders.
First, consider a kit, frinstance from Stewart-MacDonald. You
get things like pre-bent sides that are nigh-impossible to make
without specialized tools, and things like enough fretwire,
purfling, and binding for ONE guitar which would be a pain in the
neck to shop for.
Failing that, at least get stuff from a luthiers supply house
(Luthier Mercantile, Healdsburg, Ca. is the one my wife the luthier
deals with). You can't get properly cut acceptable wood from a
lumberyard, and you can't cut it yourself without a resaw (a huge
bandsaw). Cutting your own top/sides/back makes as much sense
as winding your own strings.
Sprayed lacquer is the finish of choice for commercial guitars.
French-polishing is possibly a better way to go: it's safer and
doesn't require expensive equipment, but it takes a lot longer.
Some people are reported to have gotten a nice finish with gun-
stock oil.
All this assumes that there is no course or workshop available.
If there is, take it! If Stradivarius hadn't had an apprentice-
ship, this sentence wouldn't mean anything because nobody would
have heard of Stradivarius.

[Torkil Hammer]

>[on building your own folk instruments]
Try your public library. Mine has books with detailed instructions and
blueprints for building dulcimer-like instruments.

Have fun

torkil