Making acoustic guitars from a kit
benjs
Toronto, ON Posts: 9,161
Hey all!
I'm about to purchase a Martin replica kit to build. Just curious if anyone has experience building an acoustic, and how it went for them!
Thanks in advance,
Ben
I'm about to purchase a Martin replica kit to build. Just curious if anyone has experience building an acoustic, and how it went for them!
Thanks in advance,
Ben
'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
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Pictures as you go please. Maybe I can finally own that Martin I've always wanted!
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
As for the components - I'm super impressed with my set. Abalone-inlaid ebony fretboard, nice wide-grain adi, good looking mahogany bent to shape, pretty faux tortoise shell binding, Waverly tuners, excess fret wire in case of a mistake, pre-scalloped braces that are pre-radiused.. all great stuff. While I'm not an expert, it's pretty clear that it's a quality kit.
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
It was a good rabbit hole I went down, lol.
Really looking forward to your take on it. I wonder if the people w the negative reviews thought it'd belike a lego set and not to have any mechanical skill?
Yes, I think the negative reviewers were expecting a lego set. A kit doesn't provide you with all the tools needed - you still need to build or buy things like radius dishes and go bar decks. You still need to understand the nuances of what glue to use and how to get things to adhere optimally. You still need to be precise, and sometimes even fix imprecise manufacturing potentially (not on mine thankfully). You still might fuck it up yourself - over-sanding or applying braces asymmetrically or ending up with a fly in your finish.
I recommend reading Bill Cory's book, a Complete Guide to Building Kit Guitars. There's a chapter where there's a synopsized step-by-step that basically explains all the steps. It's a good starting point before buying to decide if you think it'll be too much. On that front, check your PMs.
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1