Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology

I had the good fortune to build my first guitar as a student in William Cumpiano's shop. I am using the book to guide me through my second guitar project. The book is an ideal mixture of theory, history, and detailed, step-by-step instruction. Be sure to check William Cumpiano's web site for an improved method of attaching the neck he developed since the book was written.

Yes, they call them "Luthiers," and this is one of the books that will get you started in learning the trade. But, you need not have building guitars for a living as your goal to enjoy and value this book.Anyone who has a broken or damaged instrument, should know when it is time to take it to a Luthier for the needed repair, or when it is something he might tackle himself. In the latter case, it would be well to have this book, and one written by Hideo Kamimoto, called Complete Guitar Repair. Of the two books, this one is by far the most complete, as you might expect. Kamimoto's book is more specifically aimed at repairs, as the title suggests.Any guitar player, after he or she learns the scales and how to place their hands and fingers on the instrument and to tune it, will sooner or later develop a respect and curiosity for their instrument. They will want to know what makes one instrument sound better than another, or why the action is harder on the fingers on one, and relatively soft and quick on another.What is the difference in strings, what wood gives the best resonance in a sound board, why the differences in sizes and shapes?Gradually, as your interest widens, you will come to this kind of book. This is one of the best. From it, you will learn all of the above, and more. If you are willing to invest years, and acquire the tools and the skills, perhaps you will eventually build your own guitar. But, whether you do or not, this is a valuable book for any guitar aficionado.Joseph Pierre

I am a guitarmaker based in Canada. I bought this book after my first attempt at making a guitar, and I wish I'd known about before I ever started building! Not only is it encyclopedic in content, but it is very interesting and readable. Even if you never plan to construct an instrument, this book will quickly turn you into a guitar expert. It is a great read, cover-to-cover, with lots of historical information that helped me more fully understand why certain things are done certain ways. I must admit, however, that the neck attachment method described in the book is quite complex, and may prove to be somewhat intimidating for the amateur woodworker. Check Mr. Cumpiano's website for a much easier method of neck attachment, as well as for other updates and clarification of any obscure points in the book. My only complaint about this book is that it refuses to lay open and flat on my workbench!

This book is worthy of placing on your coffee table as well as on the workbench! It will carefully guide you through the entire, daunting process of building a guitar. I am half-way through building my first and so far, so good.I have found that, for myself, some of the cautions and warnings in carrying out some of the operations in the book were a little overstated - but better safe than sorry. However, there is an IMMENSE amount of detail presented in each procedure and it MUST be read and re-read very carefully (especially the section on neck construction). Also, pay attention to size of the material ordered from places like LMI (Luthiers Mercantile Incorporated). The neck blank comes thicker than needed and you need to thin it down. I found myself thinking information was left out of several sections, but discovered that I had overlooked it in my haste.Several parts used in the process are hard to find, such as the truss-rod nut. You need to be resourceful in locating things (at times, it feels like I'm on a scavenger hunt driving around town for stuff).Finally, I recommend also purchasing Irving Sloane's book on steel-string construction. It will help you clarify some aspects of building by approaching things from a slightly different angle. It is not as detailed, but it gives a slightly better overview of the process than the subject book. It shows how to make some tools - fun!Good luck!

In the research stage of my luthier career I bought quite a few books. Without a doubt my favorites would be this book and Robert Benedetto's "Building an Archtop Guitar". What makes this book so outstanding is that it actually breaks the process down into unique steps. Most books will tell you to "Plane the top plate to the correct thickness". This book tells you how to do it, not just what to do. This is also the only book on guitar building where the author anticipates the areas where the beginning luthier might have problems. There are several areas where you're told to do such and such a step (which may not be obvious) in order to avoid such -and-such a problem. There's also several times when the author tells you how to escape from common mistakes. I own a lot of guitar building books but this is the one that sits in the top of my tool chest.