Building an Archtop Jazz Guitar 2012

Homemade jazz guitar.
In 2012 I build an archtop jazz guitar for my daugther Miriam. Mostly using handtools and guided by the book "making an archtop guitar" by Robert Benedetto.If you like this video, checkout my latest archtop project at • Building an Archtop Ja... or my classical guitar project at • Buiding a classical gu...
Bert van der Meij, Tolbert, The Netherlands

[@wearytraveler3524]

"Stunning", is the only word I can think of to describe the beauty of what you have created here! Bravo!

[@МаринаПименова-з7у]

This is a valuable addition to my woodwork collection kzbin.infoUgkxkNYRBJuiJ6EwD-tQSAlxg0eFKsnR2cgz I still will rate this woodwork plan as the best in my reference library. It always seem to stand out from the rest whenever you go through the library. This is a masterpiece.

[@erro7653]

True craftsmanship at its best. You sir are not only a gifted luthier but an artist as well. Well done!

[@MemoriesRR]

Patience and craftsmanship and more patience. Outstanding to watch.

[@zander1323]

It is touching to see the love you have for your daughter to take the time and effort to make such a lovely instrument.

[@mikelunz]

This is the best version of autumn leaves I've ever heard, and it couldn't be more appropriate than to use it for this video.

[@johnsuggs6536]

Dad being dad. Outstanding craftsmanship. If you have time I'd like to be adopted. I don't require much. Just one of those fine instruments.

[@jtssibarani8127]

My Archtop Guitar kzbin.info/www/bejne/roCUdWVtpayBors

[@MiniShowProductions]

I think now time had passed you must have room for another adoption please send address

[@zibbezabba]

I have this fantasy about having a workshop so I can build guitars. This video is bliss to watch.

[@edadpops1709]

I too started buildin for my son and family.ive made 20 guitars over the last 20 years, all except 4 will stay in the family. it is so rewarding.I still love it.

[@skyhawk53]

This was fascinating to watch. I learned a lot about the hidden steps behind building a high quality instrument. Lots of gluing and clamping and shaving and sanding! It was nice touch to show your daughter at the end enjoying her new guitar. You must be so proud of her, and the guitar, as well! Both are beautiful.

[@ChrisEllul87]

True craftsmanship! An inspiration to guitar builders.

[@hippiebrother3171]

The way you drilled the holes on the back of the top was pretty genius. I never thought to do it that way, but it would give you an even, parallel guide to the top. So simple too. The whole build was amazing and very informative. Thanks for uploading this.

[@StonyRC]

WOW - what a labour of love. Your daughter is a very lucky girl to have such a beautifully made guitar. I hope it's playing better and better.

[@robertcaffrey6097]

Beautiful instrument crafted with the most incredible attention to every detail imaginable, if I ever win the lotto I will treat myself to one of these gems. The instrument looks like it is full of music. Thanks.

[@Skizze37]

Fantastic video and an amazing build, I wish my dad was this cool. I was so mesmerized that I didn't even notice that I sat through the entire thing! This was very inspiring.

[@joelgrosch7272]

you sir, are a pure artist! beautiful craftsmanship

[@VEHICROS]

I could watch this video over and over...

[@elams1894]

Beautiful stunning craftsmanship, from the curved top (all by hand) to the shielding of the amazing tailpiece to the inlay work, the dovetail joint.. the works. Love the NZ paua shell eye! Really enjoyed watching this vid and such a lovely thing to do for your daughter. Great to see art like this on YT. Thank you for taking the time film, edit and share..

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

heartwarming video, glad i found it and sat through all of it. truly a labor of Love; that's fully realized in watching her play. obviously you're no stranger to instrument building, but i commend you on the hardwork and the height of detail you put into this project for your daughter. God Bless.

[@sethtrey6208]

All those jigs and tricks are brilliant. I loved the caliper height gauge and the "constant thickness" drilling on the pinhead!

[@mitcharney1]

What a great way to spend 24 minutes. Brilliant work!

[@Stevepat1]

Making my guitar was one of the most enjoyable times of my life (2001). I still have wood for another one and this video is making me want to find my Benedetto book, It's somewhere in my messy shop. Beautiful guitar by the way.

[@thepiperofsimms9974]

Impressive . That was a joy to watch. Bert, You are a star. Thank you, Yuma, Arizona

[@wiljon23]

Really beautiful work! ...and to see your daughter playing it at the end is perfect!

[@bveracka]

As an aspiring luthier myself, I've been watching a lot of videos like these, and this one of yours is wonderful. I love that you do so much of your work by hand, only using power-tools when necessary. I really enjoyed this video and I definitely learned some interesting little tips just by watching you. Although I aspire to build classical guitars, I've always loved archtops; nothing beats 'em for jazz! Thanks for sharing your build! -Regards from Cape Cod Massachusetts

[@fusion-music]

Made with love. Very nice job. Inspires me to sort out my archtop. A talented family.

[@guiterman6263]

Nice work dude i build guitars theres a lot of going to one people just dont what it takes . It takes a special kind of person to build them and have the patience it takes to do it i been building for 20 years now and when i go in my work shop am in my own little world love your work.

[@1111stunna1111]

beautiful, I would buy a guitar builded by you anytime, unfortunately for me, there is no way, i can't afford one, that kind of craftsmanship is not cheap, thanks for sharing, shows how much passion you have for what you do, I was amazing see you create such beauty

[@The12xke]

Bravo Bert, So beautiful. A treasure for all time.................

[@Prabhath_the_Dawn]

WoW! Never knew there's so much dedicated effort in creating such beautiful guitar 😃👌👌👌 🎸 👍

[@pano960]

Congratulations! Nice project, clever crafting techniques, perfect hand control, clear video shooting and on top of all… a lot of love!

[@deanjohnson2034]

I am a budding luthier and I aspire to your skill. Your video has truly inspired me, thank you.

[@johnpirie3800]

Very nice Bert. Lets folks see and appreciate how much work goes into it from scratch. Lovely guitar.

[@matthewrichardson828]

I had to make an archtop once. It was a repair on an old Guild. The bindings, the top, and all was a very difficult to remove, replace and refinish. Keeping the neck on the old body and making the top the right height so that the bridge/saddle were correct was the hardest part. Great job.

[@heathdaniels8979]

I've had the privilege of handling one of the $25k arch tops. They truly are amazing and inspiring pieces of work!

[@MeladoCabriocarico]

It's a f...ing awesome & beautiful guitar. It is good to see that the result of the work is as good as the care that man took with the construction of the instrument.

[@SuperCarver2011]

I watched this video and was amazed on how meticulous you are in building these fine archtops. No custom luthier and certainaly Gibson has nothing over you. I enjoyed all the fine jaz tunes too. You certainly possess the woodwork talent and patience to produce these fine instruments. I noticed that on this one, you used a headstock design based on the original Epiphone headstocks.

[@christopherwatkins9729]

G'Day Bert... Thoroughly enjoyed this presentation and demonstration of constructing an Archtop Hollow Jazz Guitar... (I purchased my 'own' in a favoured Music Shop) ... and the "Reward" at the end, your beautiful Daughter's smile ☺ is the "Happy Ending"... FYI ... Two daughters play piano and one of them favours an Auditorium/Orchestral, Acoustic Electric Guitar of my seven guitars... Well done and Thank both of you... Chris ...

[@frost-80]

This is art and engineering. What a great job!! very nice to see it! congratulations.

[@TheJofrica]

This is awesome, just plain awesome. You are such a good father! That's a wonderful gift to give to your child :)

[@rhykko77]

Beautiful gift you have made there !

[@gensonaris3316]

Outstanding - a true master builder at the top of his craft. Kudos

[@JgHaverty]

That carbon paper trick was pure gold.

[@cameronjackson1934]

beautiful just simply beautiful!!! You make me want to learn how to make a guitar and I may just learn how to because of you.

[@deepdiver51]

Absolutely beautiful...and your attention to detail is mesmerising. (You've got to have the sharpest plane blades in the world!)

[@thecoolcarrot5377]

So much love was put into this... it nearly made me cry. truly emotional experience, thank you. also very nice background music :D

[@morfoll]

Amazing work Bert. This is truly, priceless craftsmanship! Well done.

[@PeterDad60]

What a great Dad! I enjoyed this video and appreciate your skills and dedication. Provo!

[@michel333100]

Hi, how lucky is your daughter. I wish someone would build me an arch top. I would like one but they are just so bloody expensive . Love this playing in the background. Thanks from Michael Newell from Niagara Falls, Ontario

[@PepitoKawazaki]

that is one of the most beautiful guitars i've ever seen

[@MrUltracoin]

The archtop is another craft within luthery, very nice build!

[@porousorificePilot]

Nice work of art you produced, not just a nice sounding guitar. A portion of your heart and soul resides within that instrument, .... Something that can not be purchased off the shelf. . Thanks for sharing your endeavor. peace

[@PecosHank]

Incredible watch. Thanks!

[@reinaldoiturrino1853]

If I may say that was a beautiful piece of art you made

[@jandeeg152]

Gitaar én dochter, twee meesterwerken! Goed gedaan, man.

[@Jackofallthetrades]

That was satisfying beyond belief! Well done, sir!

[@markwesdijk9841]

Bert,Dit is echt geniaal.Ik heb de video nu 5 keer gezien en elke keer denk ik...wow!!!

[@G3CK0S]

I'm at a loss of words. Such beauty thank you.

[@flangeres1752]

Incredible! Now I cherish every moment I pick up my archtop! Love for jazz guitar begins at conception and continues well after birth..............in many cases, jazz guitar outlives its creator....

[@aaronbarber8581]

I remember this arrangement of Autumn Leaves. My guitar teacher gave it to me a long time a go to learn. If it is the EXACT one. So beautiful.

[@DirtiestDeeds]

"A uniform thickness" looks and sounds great fun! Thanks.

[@10dutch]

Wow!! That was so amazing to watch. You are a true craftsman. I'm speechless! I wish I had that capability. Inspiring work.

[@SuperCarver2011]

A labour of love showing your extra ordinary carving skills. Carving and tap tuning a spruce arch top to get that balance sound is no easy feat. The holes are a good idea when there is no other template for final thickness. Your neck and heel design is very unique. Layout of the position marker on the FB takes a lot of skill. as with the binding. Love your tailpiece design. Your daughter playing it will possess an instrument heirloom that will complement your skills as a guitar builder long after you are gone. Autumn Leaves -> Besame Mucho -> ?- Beautiful!- > Days of Wine and Roses- >?-> You should provide the credits for the background music.

[@kevinhughes4908]

What a lucky kid. And what a great dad. Great job!

What a beautiful gift - well done, dad!

[@Agentscottsims]

Wow. Looks like a lot of hard work. I have enough trouble just palying the darn things. Keep it up. And thank you on behalf of all us guitar players.

[@chipolinoartista7503]

"El último beso". Excelente video y excelente pieza de fondo!

[@lokevng]

That's a very nice guitar you made. So carefully crafted. Your daughter is quite fortunate.

[@adelloid]

Thank you very much for that beautiful video, building guitars is definitely a wonderful art... I guess your daughter is very happy for that present.

[@jaroslawlukaszewicz]

Very relaxing both to watch and listen. Thank you.

[@stevelong9227]

Awesome. Beautiful instrument. Dank u meneer van der Meij, acht je bent een kunstenaar

[@Adamek1926]

Wonderful work and a great gift for your daughter.

[@rythman6969]

Hello. Great, great video. I have built several solid bodies and am currently doing a few chambered bodied electrics so I can say for sure that you are a master builder. The amount of work that you put into that guitar is amazing. Like carving the top and back which BTW your method of doing so is brilliant. Anf getting the braces to fit the top and back nice and tight. Insane.

[@kayasper6081]

Hallo Bert, heel toevallig kom ik je video tegen: wat leuk! We hebben mekaar wel eens ontmoet op gitaarbeurzen. Kan wel 20 jaar geleden zijn geweest. Ik ben Jasper van Aspe Guitars, toen in Arnhem. Nu in Spanje. Al die tijd heb ik hout op de plank liggen voor vier archtops, maar nog steeds niets mee gedaan. Jouw video inspireert enorm! Dankje.

[@random1za]

You sir, are an awesome Father.

[@pesderato]

A joy to watch. Congratulations.

[@simonsegundoluz2012]

Beautiful archtop guitar. I loved

[@bigdawgsd]

Very informative video...You do really beautiful work...Hope your daughter treasures the guitar.

[@Poloniothx]

...pretty well done,beautiful work,your daughter should be very proud by such feat.... congrats!!!!

[@notabubba8976]

It seems as though your success has allowed you to upgrade your shop! I really enjoyed watching you build a formidable guitar with a handful or two of pretty basic tools and a ton of elbow grease.

[@randolphpatterson5061]

I'm sure some folks may think this is too big a guitar for a smaller person, but look at all the choices out there for large & unwieldy instruments -- Marching drums, tubas, celli, bass viols, etc.. I've seen a huge guy play the ukulele, and I've seen a little guy playing a bajo sexto. I wasn't that big when I got my archtop. It would probably be more of a legitimate sizing issue if a small-handed person were shopping for a seven-string classical, and may need to find one with a narrower fretboard, but on the more practical side, there are tiny children playing full-size guitars, and there are a good number of young girls playing dreadnaughts and even jumbos, and I'm not aware of any size issues in these cases. BTW, this is one of the best videos I've ever seen, period.

[@jdw174]

Your woodworking talent is amazing!

[@theobuitendijk]

Wow, prachtig gedaan Bert! Ik heb zelf een aantal gitaren (2 Tele en 1 strat) gebouwd, maar dit is echt een klasse apart. Het geduld, de zorgvuldigheid, details, het klopt gewoon allemaal. Leuk om zo'n video met zijn facetten weer eens voorbij te zien komen, en dan ook nog van een Nederlander. En gezien de reactie's en (aan)vragen zou je zo een 2e kunnen bouwen denk ik. Proficiat!

[@basp404]

Gaaf om het proces te zien, en het resultaat is supertof!

[@andresalvarez6859]

loved the work you did! just amazing, Besame Mucho is my dad's fav song. Seriusly nice job. could watch this forever.

[@jobatimus]

A master piece of precision and beauty

[@lloydpittonet]

The trick with the caliper in an overhead clamp is reason alone to watch this video!

[@js31w23]

pure beauty..... just awesome!!!!!

[@meij008]

I used an iron pipe with a rim found in a hardware store. Mounted it on a piece of hardwood, put a 150 Watt halogen bulb in it using a porcelain fitting, To control the temperature a used a light dimmer. Be sure to isolate and ground it very well! if you want i can send you some detailled foto's.

[@janedoe3570]

Fantastic craftsmanship

[@mrfrontranger7911]

bert still digging this video. Hope you have a merry Christmas,and hope youll post your next build soon

[@meij008]

To glue the inlay i use a transparent two component epoxy. I mix the glue with fine saw dust (400 grid sandpaper) of the same wood, in this case cocobolo. This way all minor gaps between the wood and the inlay are filled with glue with the same color as the wood.

[@gbsal79]

True craftmanship. Great job!

[@razterizer]

Such a good craftmanship. Very inspiring!

[@johnkerley4152]

Amazing how much work is involved!

[@mrslideboy6]

This was a masterclass, thank you

[@Seminho2012]

Wow! Congratulations. Beautiful job and a lovely gift. Gamaliel Seme Scaff - South Brazil.

[@SHOPPINGHOUR_GRP]

Depth stop on fret saw - way cool, Thickness Caliper - genius)

[@joelbylund7257]

I must say, Sir you are truly gifted! :)

[@robertfletcher3092]

a most beautiful gift!