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Here are some photos documenting some
of the steps involved in building a guitar.

The back, sides and top are all carefully
selected, premium grade tonewoods.

I bend my side pieces in a Fox bending machine, a simple device which
heats the side pieces, then molds them into the shape of a pre-cut template.

After the sides have been removed from the
bending machine, they are placed into a
mold and have the inside linings, called
"kerfing", glued on.

The back braces are glued on using a device called a Go-Deck. The back
is sitting in a tray that is contoured slightly and the wooden dowels press
the contoured braces onto the back piece while the glue is drying.

After the glue has dried, the back is removed from the
Go-Deck and the braces are carved to achieve an optimal
balance between stability and tone.

Here the heel is carved using a very sharp chisel. This particular heel is slotted
to receive the sides pieces. There is no separate joinery, such as a dovetail or
mortise and tenon, involved in this neck system.

Here the neck is attached to the top. You can see in this picture
the use of a double x-bracing system on the top piece.

The sides are attached to the neck and top.

Final adjustments are made to the top bracings.

The back is now glued on, and the channels are routed along
the edges to accept the bindings. The tape on the bottom of the
guitar is holding the bindings on the top while the glue dries.

Hand rubbing the polish

Here I am slotting the nut to achieve the best possible
playing action.

FIRST NOTES!!
There is very little that I've found to be as
gratifying as completing a guitar, stringing it up
and playing it for the first time.
It is incredibly rewarding and is what keeps
me in this line of work.
I hope that my love of this instrument and the
craft of lutherie show in my building and that
you too can share in this experience!

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