We bring together the customer and exclusive guitar luthiers who have devoted their lives to the creation of their magnificent custom instruments. With the drawings already done, we are able to direct our attention to the more productive task of building guitars. New german archtop archtop guitar german archtop guitar afbeeldingsresultaat voor making a wooden guitar tailpiece part. Welcome to part 3 of the new web based version of my archtop guitar book, the creation of the natura elite archtop guitar. Archtop guitars, a classical guitar, archtop mandolins, and a resonator banjo are included. Many players find the 16inch body size more comfortable to play than the 17 or 18inch. Potential to use wire to tie in other materials, such as stones or glass. Among the features of this instrument were a violinstyle arched top. Making an archtop guitar is beautifully laid out, with supporting photographs and technical illustrations, plus. Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through to marketing your finished work.
Making an archtop guitar benedetto pdf 12 alernisso. Some solidbody electric guitars are also considered archtop guitars, the most notable being the gibson les paul. The plan is to build an archtop guitar and a guitar shaped octave mandolin gom side by side. To place an instrument on hold please check our ordering page for details. If you put a guitar down on a flat surface, the flat top guitar with have a flat, level top. Instruments accessories ordering tips friends selling your guitar. I have long felt the need for a venue in which the makers of these remarkable instruments could be showcased. However, archtop guitar usually refers to the hollow body form.
A stepbystep look at how an archtop guitar is crafted. If youre considering selling your guitar wes be delighted to help find. The problem was that the old traditional flattops what we call parlor guitars today were not very loud. About custom archtop guitar luthiers fine archtops. Accuracy and detail are found throughout each guitar plan. Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through to. I will be posting a new chapter every week or so from now through the end of the year to allow you to more easily read and enjoy it online and to see some of the many photos and other media that we were not able to include in the printed version. The exclusive luthiersedge video shows an overview focusing on the finer points of my sanding technique used in fitting the braces. See more ideas about guitar, guitar building and acoustic guitar. The loars handcarved, polyurethanefinished archtop cutaway guitar offers an excellent option for traditional jazz guitarists who want to make the classic archtop sound heard clearly for ensemble playing.
It highlights some of the problems associated with factory guitars like these and some possible solutions. This is a wellproduced, step by step guide that will have you building a great archtop guitar. I recently acquired an archtop guitar with a 2foot ebony stewmac bridge that is not correctly contoured for the top. Jay lichty, lichty gutars i bought the instructional video series for building an archtop guitar. The time and expense of gathering this info on ones own pales by comparison. Making an archtop guitar second edition book 000260960 for. This video details everything from joining and carving the top, to bending the sides and shaping. Archtop guitar buyerss guide, from riverboat musictm as jazz developed in the early 20th century, evolving jazz orchestras wanted to move from banjo to guitar. If you just want to make some functional knockoff of an existing guitar, you might want to buy a different book. As the carvedtop instrument plans dont include arching templates we dont know how useful theyll be none of the plans looks particularly complete but you may still find some use for them. It is that of an archtop guitar, which as you can see, i have modeled the top surface. This video demonstrates setup on a modern dangelico excel archtop guitar. Tom bills has been hand crafting one of a kind custom guitars for the top players and collectors around the world since 1998. Stringed musical instruments and plans liutaio mottola, uccello grasso acoustic bass.
Click on instrument name or picture for detailed spec sheet and photos. I have a copy of the book by bob benedetto as well. Let me know what you think and i welcome any questions. I thought it might make an interesting instructable. The guitar is very bright and tinny sounding, and not as loud as i was expecting. The archtop guitar is often credited to orville gibson, whose innovative designs led to the formation of the gibson mandolinguitar mfg. The definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most talented luthiers of the twentieth century. A series of videos as a study aid for the students of my guitar making course.
The luthier erich solomon makes fewer than 10 archtops per year in his small shop, in epping, new hampshire, for a select group of players including mark goldenberg and steely dans walter becker. Includes everything from the first video but has all the steps ive taken since uploading that one. Includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and materials listed. A guide to building great tone in acoustic stringed instruments. Variable thickness, on an archtop guitar, impossible. The plan is to build an archtop guitar and a guitarshaped octave mandolin gom side by side.
The two other books are not guitar related, but i strongly recommend them. Cad plan for epiphone spartan style archtop guitar. Sanding is only part of my process for fitting the braces or tone bars to an archtop guitar top, so be sure to read the detailed steps in the tutorial below for. As in the other versions this book enables you to join me on the wonderful journey of hand crafting a custom made archtop guitar for one of my clients.
Centerstream publishing making an archtop guitar book the definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most talented luthiers of the twentieth century. Free guitar templates available to download all plans are provided in pdf format, and printable 1. The book by benede6o, a master archtop maker, is the only one describing the construc5on of an archtop guitar. The archtop is named for the arched top, which distinguishes it from a flat top guitar.
Fine archtops mission fine archtops is devoted to the archtop jazz guitar. Unfortunately, i fear that i underestimated the craftsmanship, dedication and time required. Now you can learn from a true master, bob benedetto, renowned jazz guitar craftsman. Custom archtop guitars find archtop guitar luthiers. Anyway, i always wanted to build an acoustic or archtop guitar. See more ideas about guitar, archtop guitar and photo timeline. Octave mandolin builders are more rare, and there is no entrenched design standard like there is for mandolins and jazz guitars. I recently made a video series on how i made my archtop guitar style mandolin. Georgia luthier supply benedetto 17 archtop guitar plans. An archtop guitar looks distinctively different from a standard guitar. Again, there is a collec5on of dvds that is a great complement to the book. The stock bridge for this which i dont have was a 1foot design, and slightly wider. In this video, i take you through the whole process of building a complete, custom archtop guitar. It occurs to me it probably occurred to you a long time ago that guitarmaking, for me, is mostly about recovering from my mistakes.
Ive always had a desire to build one from scratch and having stumbled upon some archtop guitar build diaries online i have decided to take the plunge. To make an appointment and find out what can be done to improve your instrument, please contact john by phone or email. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art. I know of no other work offering comprehensive step by step coverage of the making of an acoustic jazz guitar.
May 20, 2015 photos of guitars being made at various stages for teaching the art and craft of guitar making. Fitting the braces or tone bars for an archtop guitar is a critical skill to master for any luthier. His 1898 patent for a mandolin, which was also applicable to guitars according to the specifications, was intended to enhance power and quality of tone. The files enabled us to send it directly to the laser cutter with minor set up because of the closed polylines and offset. The idea has always appealed to me as an engineer and as a guitar player. Tom is also the author of the guitar making bookdvd set the art of lutherie published by mel bay, and has written for and been featured in may publications both in print and online as well as several television and film spots. This is the definitive set on carvedtop guitarmaking. The typical archtop is a hollowbody guitar whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family instrument and may be acoustic or electric.
A classic archtop that embodies the sound of traditional jazz guitar. Solomon has tended to build the phidelity with the traditional maple back and sides, but this particular example is made from walnut. Centerstream publishing making an archtop guitar book. This roundhole archtop takes its name from the concept of phior the golden ratio, 1. Electronic version build your own guitar with these benedetto 17 archtop guitar plans from georgia luthier supply the most detailed guitar plans youll find anywhere. We celebrate the archtop as the pinnacle of this art. Without dispute, the arch top acoustic guitars built by robert benedetto have been the standard for jazz guitars since 1968. I have been a collector and player of archtop guitars for more than forty years. Guitar wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the guitar is a popular musical instrument classified as a string instrument with anywhere from 4 to 18 strings, usually having 6. I have access to a temperamental laser cutter so i thought id begin by making plywood templates for the top and back.