The Process

The first step in guitar building begins with the vision of what type of instrument we will build. Who will be using it? How will it be used? Will it have inlays, and if so, where will they be inset?

Next, we pick out all the materials that will be used and begin laying out the instruments dimensions. At this time we will also begin refining the inlay designs, and picking out the materials (shells, stones, metals, etc) that will best capture the essence of the inlay theme.

The real work begins with the cutting of wood. Saws, rasps, chisels and a spoke shave are just a few of the tools which will be used in the process. First the neck and head stock are formed. Then I join the book matched pieces of the back and sides and start gluing in the bracing.

For Spanish style guitars, a Solera or work board is used in the process of building and assembling the guitar.

Using heat, we bend the sides to form, and then start assembling the different parts of the guitar. The last part of the actual building process includes gluing on the fingerboard, setting the frets and doing the final sanding.

With final sanding complete, we are now ready to apply the finish to the guitar.

"Setting up the guitar" is the final step before we can play the instrument. We set up the guitar by carving the saddle and nut, and thereby set the guitars string height or action.

Now it's time to play.