Unlike shreddage 2, and using custommodified electronics, the neck and bridge pickups of the guitar were recorded simultaneously. An archtop guitar looks distinctively different from a standard guitar. Acoustic guitar, archtop guitar, blog, classical guitar, fanned fret guitar, featured, luthier tools 1. I used liutaio mottolas girasoli parlor jazz guitar cad files to cut slices of 3mm ply to the shapes of the contours. To make an appointment and find out what can be done to improve your instrument, please contact john by phone or email. I thought it might make an interesting instructable. Solomon has tended to build the phidelity with the traditional maple back and sides, but this particular example is made from walnut. 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.
Indeed, building an archtop from scratch is a big job. Now you can learn from a true master, bob benedetto, renowned jazz guitar craftsman. Just click the buy now button you really wont regret it. The hollow body archtop is a guitar whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family instrument in that the body of the guitar is hollow. Lately ive been getting some help from an angle grinder with a 40 grit flapdisc attached.
This was one of the first plans drawn up in the range, and is in the older a1 size. This course explains the mechanical operation of the guitar and all other stringed. A stepbystep look at how an archtop guitar is crafted. Making an archtop guitar by robert benedetto goodreads. Without dispute, the arch top acoustic guitars built by robert benedetto have been the standard for jazz guitars since 1968. 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. We were able to build some additional guitars in the last two years, that while i could have. With the drawings already done, we are able to direct our attention to the more productive task of building guitars.
There is quite a bit of guitarmaking information to be found on the internet, but i am not aware of anything on making this thinline, semiholowbody guitar. Sep 18, 2015 luthiers who specialize in building and making custom archtop guitars. Most traditional tailpieces are metal affairs that float over the face of the guitar. Ive been using a coffee grinder to reduce the flakes a bit, making them dissolve quicker but i seem to have misplaced the grinder in the move so ill go back to the old mortar and pestle. Follow stephen marchione and his crew as he guides you through the process of constructing his world famous archtop guitars. Fitting the braces or tone bars for an archtop guitar is a critical skill to master for any luthier. I know of no other work offering comprehensive step by step coverage of the making of an acoustic jazz guitar.
As with the es style, the dg is not only for those who want to make a traditional archtop with bent sides, although you could use these templates to. An online reproduction of roy cloughs booklet on building a 12string lap steel guitar pdf, including instructions on making the pickup. Eventually i got down to cases though, and tapered the fretboard on the. Remember you can loft to a single point such as a single point in a sketch. The luthier erich solomon makes fewer than 10 archtops per year in his small shop, in epping, new hampshire, for a select group. Soon after, he published fullscale blueprints of a benedetto 17 archtop guitar. All archtops have tailpieces, to which strings are usually easily and efficiently attached. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art of. If you build any of these instruments i would love to hear from you about it. Archtop guitar plans guitars musical instruments scribd.
Guild of american luthiers, mike designed and constructed classical guitars for. Archtop guitar building class american archtop guitars. It occurs to me it probably occurred to you a long time ago that guitarmaking, for me, is mostly about recovering from my mistakes. Accuracy and detail are found throughout each guitar plan. The archtop guitar is a pretty straightforward beast when it comes to string installation. Free classical guitar method book pdf this is classical. Among the features of this instrument were a violinstyle arched top and back, each. Another good source of acoustic guitar and violin plans is the website. Stringed musical instruments and plans liutaio mottola lutherie. A masterpiece instrument and a player with killer chops demand an excellent recording setup, which is exactly what we created for archtop. This is a 7day workshop for the completion of an archtop guitar from start to finish. Many players find the 16inch body size more comfortable to play than the 17 or 18inch. This is the definitive set on carvedtop guitarmaking. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art.
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. Learning the craft of setting up a stringed instrument is ideal for every musician or luthier. Classical guitar method volume i by bradford werner free pdf download 102 pages beginner classical or fingerstyle guitar. My first archtop was pretty, but the top was too thick. In 1992 benedetto became the first ever to offer an archtop guitar making course. If you put a guitar down on a flat surface, the flat top. Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through. 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. All workshops are held in nazareth, pennsylvania at the nazareth guitar institute. Roy courtnall lattice guitar listen to this guitar played by yvonne bloor 16. Im trying to create an archtop guitar body part based on a set of purchased plans.
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. The problem was that the old traditional flattops what we call parlor guitars today were not very loud. I toyed with the idea of making a cupids bow on the end of the fretboard and went so far as to make a pattern to use to rout the shape. A series of videos as a study aid for the students of my guitar making course. Aug 15, 2011 dont be afraid to make surfaces simply to use as tools, e. Im inspired by gibsons l5, but i havent completely decided on what pickup. Our experience with your cad guitar plan files has been excellent. Variable thickness, on an archtop guitar, impossible. Sep 14, 2015 this roundhole archtop takes its name from the concept of phior the golden ratio, 1.
Free guitar plan download by jaguitars john anthony. The archtop guitar is often credited to orville gibson, whose innovative designs led to the formation of the gibson mandolinguitar mfg. Devoted to connecting archtop fans with guitar building experts to get dream instrument. 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. Some solidbody electric guitars are also considered archtop guitars, the most notable being the gibson les paul. My next guitarish endeavor is a fullsize archtop jazz box.
This video demonstrates setup on a modern dangelico excel archtop guitar. Here is probably the most labour intensive part of building an archtop guitar. See more ideas about archtop guitar, guitar building and guitar. I used liutaio mottolas girasoli parlor jazz guitar cad files to.
I know of no other work offering comprehensive step by step coverage of the making of an acoustic jazz. Greg is a master repairman and also is the repair shop manager at gruhn guitars in nashville, tn. Archtop guitars an archtop guitar is typically a hollow body acoustic or electric guitar which uses steel strings and has an arched top which creates unique resonance. For those that dont know, an archtop has a very complex curvature for the top and back. Plans to build the retrovibe electric guitar for authentic sixties tone. All of our fine art prints are produced with acidfree archival papers or. Making an archtop guitar by robert benedetto alibris. Sep 17, 2014 by the way, the kit guitar was from htpp. Free pdf guitar blueprints with images guitar building, music. I have access to a temperamental laser cutter so i thought id begin by making plywood templates for the top and back.
Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through to marketing your finished work. 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. Welcome to part 3 of the new web based version of my archtop guitar book, the creation of the natura elite archtop guitar. When you come to the class, well provide you with supplies and tools, as well as personally supervise your building. Handcarved top and back of course, about 17 inches wide. If pdf printing is not available in your area, you can have them printed at very low cost and posted to you in any country. It is that of an archtop guitar, which as you can see, i have modeled the top surface. The following guitar plans, designs and instructions are free. Making an archtop guitar is beautifully laid out, with supporting photographs and technical illustrations, plus. Includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and materials listed. The plan is to build an archtop guitar and a guitar shaped octave mandolin gom side by side.
Id also reccommend getting the benedetto archtop plans from stew mac and his book. Beautiful ideas electric guitar building plans free 3 pdf blueprints on modern decor guitar drawing. The definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most talented luthiers of the twentieth century. Georgia luthier supply benedetto 17 archtop guitar plans. Ngi provides each student with their own individual workstation and all necessary tools, all you need to bring one of your favorite guitars or basses. I recently made a video series on how i made my archtop guitar style mandolin. Guitar making plans and drawings available as pdf files emailed to you for printing if needed. I really liked the idea but in the end it seemed like more of a pain than the trouble was worth.
This book teaches classical and fingerstyle guitar skills with a focus on the rich pedagogical tradition of classical guitar. In this 2day workshop you will learn the techniques necessary to adjust any stringed instrument for optimal playability and tone. How to build a carvedtop mandolin with don macrostie. Jul 18, 2007 follow stephen marchione and his crew as he guides you through the process of constructing his world famous archtop guitars. However, archtop guitar usually refers to the hollow body form. For this some will use a gouge with mallet, some use a pantograph carving machine, others use a cnc. Learn how to play the acoustic guitar by using these easy. The jag doublecut is a solid mahogany electric guitar for 2 p90 pickups. Making an es 335 style guitar by ken mckay many guitar players might be interested in making an electric archtop guitar similar to a gibson es 335 but dont know where to begin. The long term goal is really to develop the octave mandolin further, but building the guitar will give a reference i am more familiar with, and i can play it when im done. Only a sixstring archtop guitar with a 17 x 3 body will be offered. Simple set neck design is very effective, think les paul junior for sound quality.
The dg is a variation of the es style template set featuring diamond fholes and a 6 inline headstock. Let me know what you think and i welcome any questions. A better understanding for your instrument will always come in handy. I have been working and making progress, but not keeping up with documentation here. The archtop guitar is often credited to orville gibson, whose innovative designs led to the formation of the gibson mandolin guitar mfg. The new shop is coming into focus and im getting back to work on steves guitar by mixing shellac flakes with grain alcohol. If you just want to make some functional knockoff of an existing guitar, you might want to buy a different book. The files enabled us to send it directly to the laser cutter with minor set up because of the closed polylines and offset. Pat websters photoessay on building a solidbody resonator guitar with both acoustic and electric pickups. 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. The back issues of the guild of american luthiers journal, american lutherie, and their hardcover book series also have. It highlights some of the problems associated with factory guitars like these and some possible solutions. In a different direction, well now check out the making of a luxurious custom archtop, from the raw wood to the gleaming, finished instrument. See what industry greats have said about this book.
I want to create a part that i can ultimately use to drive a cnc mill to carve the top and back and use as a basis for further modified topsbacks. These days large format pdfs can be printed out cheaply at any copy store. Oct 29, 2016 a series of videos as a study aid for the students of my guitar making course. The definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar, this updated second edition features 288 pages of content, including 24 color pages and 4 tearouts.