A looooong, looooong time ago a mate and I bought a book on guitar building between us, it was all hand drawn pictures and a few small photos and had only 32 pages, I tell you, posts in this forum are far more informative than this book ever was, [published in 1957]. I used to walk past a guitar and banjo builders shop in London called Clifford Essex every day on my way to work as an Apprentice in the wood trade. I used to get off the bus a few stops earlier so as to check out this shop. I was a banjo player at that time [Jazz] as well as guitar. But being a woodworker wanted the challenge of building a guitar as opposed to a banjo. . I still have the book; my mate lost interest, followed a different direction and got rich.
From the date of buying that book to building the first guitar was about 14 years. If I mention moving to Australia, gigs, motorcycles, wife and family, and food on the table I’m sure you will understand why it took so long.
What that early book did was to give me a basic understanding of the guitar and its construction, and on the strength of that I started modifying instruments for myself, and later doing repairs for others, which lead to building instruments. I started with a Dulcimer and a Mandolin and then the first guitar. I made all the mistakes you could make [and I hear people still make some of them today].
Information was so hard to get back in the 1960’s so I got used to collecting everything I could get my hands, and eyes, on. This started with cutting out pages from magazines, buying every book that was available then, on any instrument, and subscribing to many different guilds and publications. I also did post mortems on instruments and wrote down my findings and understanding of what I found. I had to chuckle when I read these notes a while ago.
As matter of interest I collated all the reference material I have acquired over the years, and I still have it all.
It consists of large ring binders full of collated information each binder covers a different area of lutherie, guitars, timber, machines, glues, finishes and a builder’s gallery. Also collected are the reviews of other makers guitars in magazines, both new and vintage, [would you like to know how many different ways there are to describe the tone of a guitar?]
Then came the internet and the compiling of these folders is not so important now, but I still collect hard copy from magazines ect.
Other medium for info is of course books, couldn’t find them in library’s back then, then videos [before the days of U Tube], and of course DVD’s. And last but not least the ANZLF and others like it. This is the only forum I find time to visit, but I’ve heard you guys mention others.
Anyway my list of information resources is made up as follows:
70 Books: Covering all instruments [stringed] both repair and construction.
25 Journals: Mugwumps, Jammn.
130 Guild quarterly journals: My only contact with other builders for most of my time building and repairing
10 videos: Repairs and Building
10 DVD’s Repairs and Building
15 Large Ring Binders: Info from every one about everything lutherie.
And now the wide world web of guitars and people, and a real sense of belonging to a community of like minded people who I can actually communicate with through this forum. We really should have a Christmas party, or whatever you want to call it.
Pheeeew, Ben look what you started. Thanks for reading.
Showing,Guild Journals, ring binders and some of the books.
