complete guide to building kit acoustic guitars · 2018. 9. 4. · 2 • building martin-style...

2 • BUILDING MARTIN-STYLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR KITS

ABOUT THE AUTHORBill Cory has been a professional writer and publisher for 45 years. He has been building

acoustic guitar kits since 2005, and has played guitar since age 11.

Besides building kit guitars, Bill's other passions are playing guitar, songwriting, freelance writing and publishing, and hiking in Grand Canyon. His freelance articles have been published in Rangefinder, PhotoLab Management, Westways, Four-Wheeler, Acoustic Guitar and Wood-craft magazines. This is tenth published book, and the fourth on building kit acoustic guitars.

Bill lives in Colorado Springs, where holding a STOP sign for elementary school kids crossing a busy street gets him out of bed so he doesn’t waste his morning sleeping.

BUILDING MARTIN-STYLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR KITSCopyright © 2017 by William (Bill) Cory

Published by Niche Publishing Co., LlcPO Box 62114

Colorado Springs, CO [email protected]

www.KitGuitarManuals.com • www.KitGuitarBuilder.comAll Rights Reserved.

This publication is protected by United States and International Copyrights. Without written permission from the Author, no part of this publication may legally be repro-

duced, stored in a retrieval system, copied, or transmitted in any form by any means — elec-tronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other method or process — except for brief quotations in printed reviews or by permission from the Author.

Throughout this book, Trademarks and Tradedress are used. Rather than put a trademark symbol in every occurrence of a trademarked name, I affirm here that the names are used only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringe-ment of the trademarks or brand names.

Printed in the United States of America.For permissions, or with comments and suggestions, email: [email protected]

ACKNOwLEDGMENTS

The kit shown being built in this book was purchased from John Hall at BluesCreekGuitars.com, in Hegins, PA. Blues Creek offers standard and custom guitar kits. John Hall has taken over ownership of www.KitGuitarsForum.com from me.

BUILDING MARTIN-STYLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR KITS • 3

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................... 5

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? ....................................9Supplies Not In The Box .................................10Parts In The Box ..............................................11Tools ................................................................14Tips ..................................................................15

CONSTRUCTING THE BODY ................17 – 69SIDES:Sides In The Mold ...........................................17Cut Sides To Correct Size ...............................18Gluing of Neck and Tail Blocks ..................18–20Glue Kerfed Lining Into The Rim .....................21Insert Popsicle Rim Braces ............................22

TOP:Glue Braces to Top ....................................23–25

BACK:Joining The Back .............................................26Sidebar: Make A Shooting Block .....................27Glue Sides of Back Together ...........................28Insert a Back Center Strip ...............................29Glue Braces On The Back ...............................30Sidebar: Make a Radiused Caul ......................31The Inside Centerline Brace ............................32If Gluing The Centerline Brace First ................33Sidebar: The Radius ........................................34Sidebar: Creating The Curve ...........................35

PREPARING RIMS FOR TOP AND BACKBeveling Rims/Linings .....................................36Beveling/Sanding the Back Rim Lining ...........37Beveling/Sanding Top Rim Lining ...................37

BRACES:Facts & Diagram ..............................................38Shaping Top Braces ........................................40Trimming Top Braces for Inletting into Lining ..42Notching (inletting) Top Lining For Braces ......43Trimming Back Braces for Inletting .................45Notching Back Lining For Braces ....................45

NECK SET PRIMER ...............................46 – 49

GLUING TOP AND BACK:Glue The Top To The Rim ................................50Tuning The Top ................................................52Sign the top & Label the Back .........................52Glue The Back To The Rim ..............................53Your New Body ................................................55

ROUTING:Laminate Trimmers ..........................................55Trimming Back and Top Overhang ..................56Sidebar: Make A Guitar Vise ............................58Scrape & Smooth The Sides ...........................59Rout Binding Channels, Back and Top ...........60Rout Purfling Channel on Top .........................62Insert the Tail Wedge/Graft ..............................63

GLUE BINDING & PURFLING:Preparation to Glue .........................................65Glue Binding to Back ......................................66Glue Binding and Purfling To Top ....................67Remove Tape from Body and Bindings ...........68Scrape and Sand Body ...................................69 ........................Body Construction CompletedNext page: Neck and Fretboard Contents > > >


CONTENTS

NECK AND FRETBOARD ....................71 – 86

FRETBOARD ...............................................72 Semi-Bound .................................................72 Bound & Unbound ......................................72Bound Fretboard Procedure .........................73 Glue the Binding ..........................................73 Sand Binding To Fretboard Level .................74 Trim Fretboard To Neck ................................74 Measure, Cut & Number Frets .....................75 Prepare Fret Slots .......................................75 Insert Frets ..................................................75First Fret Dressing .........................................76Unbound Fretboard Procedure ....................77Fretboard Side Markers ................................78Installing The Truss Rod in the Neck ............79Testing Neck Angles ......................................80Neck Angle Formula ......................................80Adjusting The Angle .......................................82Other Neck Joint/Fretboard Problems .........82 14th Fret Hump ............................................82 Neck Centerline Off Guitar Centerline .........83 Fretboard Extension “Falls Off” ...................83The Martin Bolt-On Neck Joint ....................84

Drill Peghead For Tuning Machines ..............85Glue The Fretboard To The Neck .................86Sand The Bridge Base ...................................87Glue On Neck Heel Cap ................................87

SETTING THE BRIDGE POSITION ........88 – 91Sidebar: An Intonation Primer ......................88 Attach Neck Firmly .......................................89 Measure Precisely .......................................89 Square & Center The Bridge .......................90 Mark Your Bridge Position ..........................90 Secure The Bridge Position ........................91 Drill Bridge Pin Holes ..................................91 Mask Bridge Area For Finishing ..................91

Install (Cut) A Side Port? ......................... 92-93

FINISHING ......................................................94Not Covered Here in Detail ...........................94Finishing Primer for Kit Builders .................94 Neck Finishing..............................................95 Back and Sides ...........................................95 Top ...............................................................96 Finish Coats .................................................96

FINISHING OF THIS GUITAR(Added for 2017 revision) About The Finish ..........................................97 Wash Coat & Pore Filling ............................97 Shellac Coats ...............................................98 Sanding Prep for Polyurethane ...................99 Minwax WipeOn Poly Gloss ........................99 Final Cleanup ............................................100

FINAL STEPS And SETUP (After Finishing) 101Gluing The Bridge ........................................101Making The Nut ...........................................103Making The Saddle .......................................104Mounting The Tuners ..................................105Glue the Neck Joint .....................................105Final Setup Steps .........................................106String It Up! ..................................................107

Guitar Facts & Trivia ....................................108

Complete Guitar Builder’s Construction Journal

Follows the process in this book ............ 109-164Links and Resources ............................. 164-165Cory Binding Router Guide ...........................166

(links for free information)


INTRODUCTION

This manual, written specifically for Martin-style kits, begins with opening a box and ends with a completed gui-tar. Although only one particular Martin-style kit is shown in detail, these other Martin-style and other kits are also shown in the manual for amplification where needed:

1) Laminated Brazilian Rosewood/Spruce OM with a bolt-on neck joint, (C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.; martinguitar.com)

2) Mahogany/spruce Martin Jumbo kit, with dovetail neck joint. (C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.; martinguitar.com)

3) Indian Rosewood and Sitka Spruce 000 kit from Blues Creek Guitars, dovetail neck joint. (This is the main guitar built throughout this book. www.nichebooks.com/mm000.mp3)

4) Brazilian Rosewood (solid) and Coastal Redwood OM, dove-tail neck joint. (BluesCreekGuitars.com)

The goal is to make the building of the Martin-style guitar kit as easy to understand as possible for all levels of guitar builders, from beginner to advanced.

The first-time builder can use this manual as a guide to successfully complete a guitar kit from an official C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. kit. It also applies equally well to inde-pendent luthiers who assemble kits using some parts from Martin and supply kits that would basically follow the Mar-tin style of construction. This book can also be of some assistance when building kits from Stewart-MacDonald (stewmac.com) and Luthiers Mercantile Int’l (lmii.com).

Specific measurements differ, but most procedures are standard in building acoustic guitars. Methods will dif-fer between builders, but the goals of each step are often the same. The methods emphasized in this manual are those I have found successful; although other methods are mentioned, full details and photos will concentrate on my

I found this note crumpled up and stomped outside the entrance to a local tool rental

shop. I keep it in my work area, lest I forget. I hope it explains itself.

Throughout this book, I have spent extra time, taken extra photos, performed extra

tasks, and used extra materials, to offer as detailed a manual as possible: None of that

matters unless you read it.

The disclaimer on the sign also applies to this book.

The happy owner of a new guitar. (000 kit from C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.) (Not the guitar built in this book.)


proven procedures. But there are many ways a task can be accomplished: If you prefer a different method from mine, use it! If you’re not experienced, be sure to test it first.

An Important WarningThe parts included in Martin kits are not always man-

ufactured specifically for kits, so they won’t match the standards of the Martin factory specs. While many parts are close to exactly right, it is the builder’s responsibil-ity to check, measure, and confirm that the part is cor-rect before proceeding. If it’s not, it’s the builder’s task to work or rework it. After all, this is a woodworking kit—not a Glue’n’Play plastic parts kit. Always measure for yourself; don’t trust factory marks or measurements.

Some Points I Should Mention1) I am not a professional luthier or master build-

er. I have built twenty kit guitars (four of them Martin kits) as this new edition is being revised. I believe this book will help you complete your guitar for two main reasons: 1) when I first published this, it wasn’t very long after building my first guitar; I remembered well what I did not know with the first kit. They are still not included in other manuals. (Now, ten years and a dozen kits later, I’m adding to it); 2) having been a technical writer for years, I believe I have accurately expressed the information you really need.

2) There’s more than one way to perform every step in this process. While I only illustrate those methods I have used and that I know are workable for the novice, I realize there are many other methods you could use.

3) This book is written for and aimed at the novice builder and those building their first Martin-style kit. It doesn’t require a wood shop with a lot of space and advanced machines. I use small machines and accessible tools. Where I make a little tool, I show you how to make it, too. I often create an “unsophisticated” tool or process that I have found to work well.

Additional research may be needed and is encour-aged. However, with the exception of detailed finishing in-formation, this manual is a complete construction guide for a Martin-style kit, and will also explain the thinking behind many basic principles and aspects of guitar construction.

Wondering why I say, “Martin-style kit?” Two reasons: 1) C.F. Martin & Co., Inc., has not authorized or commis-sioned this manual: This is not an “official” C.F. Martin &

The guitar shown on these two pages is a laminated Brazilian and spruce 000 from C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. “Official” Martin kits differ in some details from those supplied by some independent luthiers, but parts included in the kits are standard. (The guitar in photos on these two pages is the one my daughter is holding on the previous page. Built ten years ago, it still plays well and sounds good; with its Brazilian Rosewood laminate, it can’t be taken to Bogotá, Colombia, where she now teaches English in a university.)


Co., Inc., publication. (But their own “Guitarmaker’s Con-nection” recommends it.) 2) By saying “Martin-style kits,” I also include guitar kits provided by independent luthiers using some parts from C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. These kits are configured the same way as C.F. Martin & Co., Inc., kits. (Info in this book is from two “official” Martin kits and two Martin-style kits from luthiers.) This manual applies to all of these “Martin-style” kits.

Please realize, it is the kits I refer to, not the guitars they will make. Your guitar, even if built from an official C.F. Martin & Co., Inc., guitar kit, will not be a “Martin” guitar. The materials, procedures, skills you bring, finishing, etc., will simply not add up to a “Martin.” But, it will have its own unique voice. It will sound great to you and will be a guitar you will greatly enjoy playing —and I know you’ll enjoy the process of building it!

I realize the photo reproduction here is “good, but not great.” This is a “Print On Demand” book, meaning it’s printed when ordered. This Xerox™ Docutech process is the best available for a POD book. There simply aren’t enough kit builders to justify the expense of standard off-set book printing.

I can’t guarantee that your guitar or your building ex-perience will be trouble-free. Guitar building requires con-stant thinking and problem-solving. Guitar kits are serious woodworking projects. I apologize for the next statement, but it is necessary.

The author, publisher or distributor, or named com-panies or kit manufacturers, accept no liability for errors made in the building of a guitar, injury caused by the user’s lack of caution or experience, or for errors in this text of omission or commission that might lead to personal injury or damage to property.

Enjoy the process!

Bill Cory

Colorado Springs, Colorado

WARNING: Using power tools and sharp hand tools can be dangerous! NEVER use them when you have been drinking alcohol or taking medications that make you drowsy. ALWAYS wear appropri-ate eye, ear and respiratory devices to protect yourself from injury and harmful substances.


A mahogany/spruce jumbo kit from C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. It went together nicely and is a great playing and sounding instrument.


WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

One Guitar Kit, As Ordered!Your kit will arrive in a standard box. It will probably

arrive with the box and contents unscathed, but this is not guaranteed. If there is damage to the box, take a picture of it. Examine the contents of the box carefully, unwrapping or untaping the top, sides and back, to be sure they have not suffered any pressure damage or cracking. If there is damage, photograph it.

Next, call the kit supplier and ask how to handle it. They will have a procedure. However, as stated above, there is usually no problem with damage. The boxes are sturdy, and as you can see from the photo above, the con-tents are usually packed in styrofoam peanuts.

Search carefully in the peanuts and in the folded cardboard at the bottom of the box, which contains the top of your guitar, and sometimes also the back.

After getting rid of the peanuts, you will need to take care of the relative humidity of your building area and ac-climate the kit’s wood parts to it. You want a relative hu-midity of between 40% and 50%. If it’s above 55%, a de-humidifier might be in order, or a wait until the level drops. Leave your kit, with wood exposed and unwrapped, in this 40-50% humidity for a week or so before you start gluing. (You can secure the sides in the mold, or separate them and clamp them to the blocks in approximately the cor-rect position during this whole time.) If you already have a guitar mold, put the sides in it and clamp them for about a week, if you can wait that long.

There it sits, an unassembled guitar, in a box, on a workbench in your garage. You’ve cleared space for it. All other tasks have faded into the background, despite promises to the contrary you made to your wife. Many hopes are also contained in this box.

Read through the entire manual before starting, and your hopes will have a better chance of coming to fruition.

You will also find this 8.5 x 11”, 20-page booklet in a kit from C.F. Martin & Co. Some of the independent luthiers who use Martin parts also include it. Also included will be a peghead diagram. The instructions in the booklet have been called, well, “inadequate.”

complete guide to building kit acoustic guitars · 2018. 9. 4. · 2 • building martin-style...

Documents