Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Hi Folks
I've been lurking on this forum for a few years & thought it might be time to say g'day with a bit of history.
I'll admit to a bit of trepidation after seeing the superb work that pops up here.
It started for me about 8 years ago with the fateful words "maybe we should build a guitar"
I was separated from my young sons & it seemed like a great father & son project for the times they visited.
I bought a book, the bits of Tarzali Silkwood I'd had for over 15yrs got dragged out as did an assortment of other timber, the guitar type stuff got bought & we made a start.
Well what a learning curve!
It took about 18 months, some serious mistakes, some help from a local luthier when we couldn't get the neck straight etc but a result we got!
Well that's it I thought, I've now built a guitar.... All was quiet for a couple of years until the same suggestion was made to the younger of my sons.
He was enthusiastic but when I popped the "electric or acoustic?" question he didn't hesitate to suggest acoustic......
"How hard can it be?" I thought "If others can do it, why can't we??"
We knew absolutely nothing!
We ordered a kit of bits from LMII on the advice of the previously mentioned luthier & then began to realise the enormity of the task we'd taken on.
It took about 9 months of weekends etc, just about all the rest of my spare time researching the intricacies of the craft but finish the job we did.
It turned out quite nicely. Well there's a bit more to this story, but I think I'll leave it for now & wait for any flak that might come my way.
Am I even posting in the right place?
Please be gentle with the newbie........

Cheers
Jim

Welcome to the forum Jim. Looks as though you've done quite good with those 2. It's a bit of trial and error for everyone when they start, with plenty of mistakes ( sure was and still is for me even after 18 guitars ). Good luck with the next one, because it's hard to stop.
Wayne

Hi Jim.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting your work. The results are outstanding, especially for a first-time effort. I built my first one as a father & son effort and I remember what a great experience that was. The instrument was not quite as pretty as yours, but is still a very special part of the family. My other son has also made 2 guitars in my workshop and it is becoming a family tradition - a really great shared passion. I hope it remains a good thing for you and your boys as well. How old are they? There is a lot of skill and maturity evident in those finished instruments.
cheers
Mark

They look great! Welcome to the forum.

Hi Jim,
Welcome to the forum.
I think your work is a credit to you and your determination to get it right.
We all make mistakes and sometimes it's the most fun trying to fix an issue.
Enjoy and look froward to your next project.
Cheers
Alan

It turned out quite nicely.

That is a bit of an understatement. Looks great in the pictures. I made many mistakes in my first guitar, and it keeps coming back to haunt me.