Guitar Making

So, as is typical for me, I'm starting the next guitar before I finish the last one. Actually, the humidity is especially low these days in my house, so I need wait to apply a finish to it, so that's my excuse. I'll think of a new one when it warms up and I'm not running the heat constantly.

So the next one is going to be a parlor guitar based on Martin's 0-size. I haven't worked out all the details, but I'm planning on cocobolo back and sides, and probably a redwood top. I bought this set of cocobolo at Allied Lutherie when I was in California taking the guitar making class at Harry Fleishman's shop. It's beautiful, but only big enough for a parlor guitar, so I got a good price. I'm leaning towards doing ebony binding, though that step is a long way off.

Here's the back set:


This afternoon I joined the bookmatched halves together. I used original Titebond, and Stewmac masking tape to clamp the two halves together. If you're a new builder, go ahead and order a case of the Stewmac tape, this stuff is great and there's a million uses for it. Note the waxed paper so I don't glue the thing to the workbench.


So that's what I'm working on this Christmas Eve. Next step will be thicknessing and bending the sides. I don't have an abrasive thickness planer, so I'll be using a Saf-T-planer in my drill press, and I got a new drill press table from Rockler, so I'll post some pics of that when I get that all set up. I need to wait till the humidity gets under control in my house before I start bracing the top and back.

I'm sorry I've been lax about getting the rest of the pics up from the guitar making class, they will eventually get posted.