Getting Started as a Guitar Maker

How to get started in Lutherie! In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I discuss things like having basic tool skills, learning to sharpen, whether or not you should build from a kit or from scratch, and whether or not you should specialize in acoustic guitars or go broad and build electrics, ukuleles etc...
Recommended books for new builders:
William Cumpiano's "Guitarmaking: an Art and Tradition"
Alex Willis' "Step-by-step Guitar Making"
David Russell Young's "The Steel String Guitar: Construction and Repair"
Jim Williams' "A Guitar Maker's Manual"
Also recommended is a subscription to "American Lutherie" magazine: luth.org/journal/
and/or a subscription to
"Guitarmaker" magazine: www.asiartisans.org/content/m...
More advanced books for further refinement later on in your Lutherie journey:
Ervin Somogyi's "The Responsive Guitar"
Ervin Somogyi's "Making the Responsive Guitar"
🔴 Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: www.ericschaeferguitars.com/l...
🔴Check out the online course "Building an OM Acoustic":
www.ericschaeferguitars.com/c...
🔴Check out the online course: Tru Oil Finishing: A Method for Acoustic Guitar:
www.ericschaeferguitars.com/c...
🔴 Subscribe for weekly guitar making tips: kzbin.info...
New episodes are released every Friday at 10am

[@petezy8892]

Thank you so much for imparting your wisdom and experience. I am 21 and would love to make my own electric guitars. I appreciate you for helping me reflect on what my intentions are so that I can narrow my focus. Definitely interested in lutherie as a hobby/side-hustle. This is important stuff regarding me finding out where to start and what my expectations are. Thank you again dude for your help

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Eric. for myself i am old 67 lol i want to make a few guitars i could never afford . mostly to keep myself above ground . so i watch tons of vids on the process i can find . i also have a few books on building them . it would be nice to have my hobie pay for its toys . right now i am in process of making jigs for a classical guitar . well once my health improves .

[@DweeD1516]

Curious to see how its going! You ever get to it a make one yourself? If not time to get to it!

[@walterrider9600]

@@DweeD1516 sadly no between helping wife with her health and mine double bypass may of 22 sigh . at this point trying to get back in some kind of shape to try again in the shop

[@josephd4391]

God bless you. Jesus loves you! @@walterrider9600

[@ronaldmessenger5322]

Good advice from a good guy!

[@MarTapzMusika]

Thanks so much for these bunch of advices! Stay safe

[@drk6587]

Thanks Eric for the helpful and timely information, especially with respect to defining one's intention(s), and also for the provision of entry points into the discipline of guitar making.

[@saikakam]

Thanks for all the advices.

[@sbolfing]

Thank you for this video! I'm 65 and really want to get into lutherie as something to keep me busy (and doing something I enjoy) after retirement. You provided a LOT of information in a short period of time.

[@dudarino666]

Its crazy. Im a trained BMW Benz technician. Can disassemble and reassemble twin turbo V8 engines. I've framed, roofed, cut stairs on houses with my dad as a teen. Yet I have this insane fear of building a guitar. Tools I can use, I had over 6000 in tools for car work. Measuring, I can measure engines and size parts for custom builds. I can wire up sound systems and diagnose electronics, solder, weld a bit. Cutting and sanding wood, comfortable with that. I can work like a dog 60 hours a week. I think im over thinking this and need to just jump in and do it! I think im going to get myself some decent repairing tools and start offering to setup others guitars and not just my own. Get some customers that way, as we have a pretty active music scene here. And build a guitar or two with the profits. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@tomsisson660]

Thank you for the advice, very solid advice Eric. Tom Sisson

[@greggpospiel629]

The more I learn, the more complicated it sounds!

Great advice Eric - I would add John Bogdanovich's "Classical Guitar Making" to the book list - excellent descriptions and lots of high quality photos.

... and a couple of years in , try Trevor Gore's double book set - by then, you will have all the necessary jigs, including one to stop your head spinning when you read about the physics!

[@mauriciosierra9475]

Yes, yes... and definitely yes!

[@relwoodmusic3630]

I've been building furniture and cutting boards this year--I'd love to expand my woodshop to make some instruments, too. Thanks for the advice

[@JamesAllen-xk8bc]

This is a damn good video. Thank you.

[@alexmurphy5289]

Phenomenal video. I want to repair guitars and be around musicians, I’m good with my hands but better with my brain and speaking...this industry is incredibly difficult

[@robertnewell5057]

Thanks, Eric. I just wanted to take a moment to endorse your course on tru-oil finishing. I don't use tru-oil at the moment as I have moved to French polish, but it is an excellent course and tru-oil is a great finish for beginning luthiers where, if you are patient and persistent you can achieve a finish close to a nitro spray. Your course shows how to do this in detail. When I first started (and still now) finishing was the most problematic part of the build, and is also (rightly or wrongly) the aspect your guitar will be judged on.

[@EricSchaeferGuitars]

Thank you, Robert. The feedback is much appreciated! I'm glad you liked the course and it sounds you pulled off a pretty stellar finish!

[@robertnewell5057]

@@EricSchaeferGuitars Still a lot to learn, Eric. I'll probably go back to tru-oil one day, but at the moment, I'm really enjoyong French polishing. Once you get over the intial learning curve it is as easy as tru-oil - in fact, your tru-oil course uses some of the same techniques and really helped me move on. thanks again

[@95lovi]

Well in Europe it’s a Profession , many hundreds of years. If you want to be serious about this profession. Learn the trade of a wooden music instrument builder . This gives the finished craftsman a good start to specialize. There’s a reason why the quality of instruments sets them off from the Rest.

[@dharmaboutiquecollectibles648]

My 20 yr old son really wants to make guitars as a business.

[@terrestrialgmusic]

I haven't started. I want to build everything. I want to build a guitar, a piano, a harp, an upright bass, a viola, and archtop. I wanna do everything

[@kwaktak]

I'm with @Walter Rider though I'm not technically old yet; I just can't justify or afford buying the high end guitars I've seen. I see them more as works of art that have a function and I really only want to build them so that I can share the process with others who wouldn't appreciate it. The only way I could see passing them on would be to take the first drafts and give students something that was marginally better than the low quality guitar I originally took lessons on. Other than that, I see myself gravitating toward repairs and restorations; all the guitars I touch seem to fall apart!

[@potatochips503]

Hi! I'm Shiyan and I'm from Sri Lanka. Thank you so much for the helpful information! I play the guitar and I love acoustic guitars so much! I have two goals. One is to write beautiful songs using my guitar and the other one is to build beautiful acoustic guitars, both full-body and dreadnought. I'm trying to find a guitar building school in my country but it's not going to be easy. First of all, I want to know the things I need to make acoustic guitars. I also have three questions. 1. How to make a workshop? 2. Is a small-sized workshop enough? 3. Can I make acoustic guitars with a few tools? I'm sure you can help me.

[@95lovi]

The iteration is the path well learned as a apprentice before being let lose on mankind

[@nickouellette484]

Question about grounding bridges: on a multiscale bass or guitar where the saddles are individual (not one piece) what is the best way to go about grounding the bridges? Thanks for the help.

[@robertbartsch2872]

Just use a very small bare copper wire that touches the bridge and serves as a ground for the electronic controls? No ground to the bridge = no sound from the controls.

[@mms-melodymusicalstudio2300]

Hello I have strat guitar recently I found that the strings tension is very hard so what should I do???? Plz help me out. Thanks

[@sammcdodovaes_1877]

You could try a different string gauge! I don't know which you're using, but I really like a heavy bottom light top (0.10-0.52) set of strings

[@robertbartsch2872]

Check the 3 or 4 springs in the back behind the back cover. Technically, the tremolo should "float" that often requires removal of all but one spring and loosening the six screws on top so it can move both FORWRD and back. See youtube search on floating tremolo - strat.

[@john-bc2pq]

You know know about "Alip ba ta"? very talented guitarist on KZbin,,,,

[@DavidOnTheRoadGuitars]

I'm just heading this direction. And doing some research. I'm going to make electric guitars. I've made more than a few but I have opportunity to sell them now. People are interested in my ideas and designs. Any advice I'm all ears.

[@robertbartsch2872]

start out with a kit that resembles a fender, gibson, gretsch. That way, you should be able to sell them at a [small] profit to finance your next kit purchase or guitar tools. Your designs and new ideas will likely not result in sales at or above your cost. That comes later when you have knowledge and skills that others recognize and value. Go to e-bay and study guitar prices. The Tele kits are excellent. Add some decals and your done.

[@DavidOnTheRoadGuitars]

@@robertbartsch2872 thank you for the good advice. Much appreciated. I was thinking the same thing. I'll mix it up a bit.

[@Chicken_Nugget91295]

So I need some advice on this particular subject. So I have no experience in woodworking or woodshop whatsoever but I am thinking about enrolling into a school to learn this specific trade. Question is, is it worth at least looking into the school or do I need to find a apprenticeship program, which would be better for me for someone who has no experience in this level field whatsoever?

[@EricSchaeferGuitars]

I've responded to your comment in this Q&A video. Check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5KQemV7Za2qoas

[@amanthatthinks]

5:04 actually I'm gonna screw everything because I hate glue.

[@joellapaz6724]

Sir, may I ask a question, I’m a beginner and I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for more than one year now. I want to play an electric guitar. Please help me decide on what kind guitar I will buy, here are the list: 1) Yamaha Pacifica 012 HSS pickup, USD207. 2) Yamaha EG112GPII, HSH pickup, USD260 - with free GA15 amplifier 15w, Gig bag, strap, etc. 3) Severo Les Paul model electric guitar USD163.

[@davepatrick4103]

Good info lighting sucks. Back light is not good. Just sayin

[@jordanbabcock9349]

Natural light for natural talent