Guitar Building
by
Roy Courtnall Summerfield
Guitar Building is a fascinating hobby, as is musical instrument making in general; be it acoustic guitarbuilding, classic or classical guitar making, archtop, guitar repair, violin making and repair, dulcimer making, mandolin making, or banjo making. It is possible to follow this craft on your own, by using the resources available here; guitar plans, instruction books, and materials. If you need more help, there are courses available in musical instrument making and repair. The art of lutherie is a vast subject, and one that is very rewarding to pursue. How to build a guitar is often the first question I am asked, and I usually suggest following the plan for the Antonio de Torres full-size guitar. Later on you can try more complex designs like the Romanillos, Friederich, Fleta, or Lattice braced strutting design.
An experienced luthier, guitar maker, writer, and lecturer in Musical Instrument Technology, Roy Courtnall has been involved in guitar making and violin making for many years. He offers a range of products to help the new and experienced guitar and violin maker, as well as some items of interest to all musical instrument makers; - Full-size plans and working drawings, including blueprints of guitars made by some of the most famous guitar makers of all time. Roy's published books include: Making Master Guitars, which is a complete reference for the guitar maker, and The Art of Violin Making, which he co-wrote with Chris Johnson, and which has a Foreword written by the late Yehudi Menuhin.
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