Even after nearly 30 years of building guitars, I still get stuck. An unfinished go-bar deck reminded me why learning to listen is how you find the next step.
The Art Of Listening
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The Joint Was Flat Until The Glue Went On
Two flat blocks of mahogany weren’t flat anymore once the hide glue went on. How anticipating what wood does with water makes a better glue joint, and a better guitar.
What The Hygrometer Can’t Tell You
Most humidity advice stops at 50%. What’s actually moving a guitar is the water in the wood’s cell walls, and learning to know the wood is where the craft begins.
I Lost Three Guitar Backs In One Night
Three braced guitar backs cracked overnight while my hygrometer said 50%. The humidity where your wood sits can be very different from the number on the wall.
The Two Battles Every Guitar Builder Fights
Every builder fights two battles. The first I can trace to a ceramic rooster in a 1993 drawing class. The second took me years to even see.
Why Do Guitar Headstocks Break? (One Little Scratch Explains Everything)
A strip of maple veneer, one little scratch, and it breaks right there. That’s why headstocks break, and most of it isn’t bad luck.
The Guitar Is An Energy System (Not A Wooden Box)
The biggest shift in thirty years of building happened pushing a lawn mower: I stopped seeing a wooden box and started seeing an energy system.
Guitar Truss Rod Guide: Types, How It Works & Adjustment
The guitar truss rod is one of the most important parts of any acoustic or electric...
Why I Put The Same Strings On Every Guitar
I put the same strings on every guitar I build, the way a studio uses the same monitors. I need to hear the guitar, not the strings.
Should You Level Frets Straight, or With Relief?
A shop in Italy put my guitar on their PLEK machine and it came back needing nothing. What decides that isn’t the leveling. It’s the shape of the neck’s bow.
Is Wood Dust Dangerous in a Small Shop?
For twenty years I told myself a one-man shop didn’t make enough dust to worry about. One line of research took that story apart.
Dust Collection – The Ultimate Luthier’s Guide
In this guide, we will look at dust collection as a system. We’ll then discuss each individual component of the system and how it can help
The Room Inside the Guitar
Yesterday I was carving the top of an archtop guitar I've been working on, and somewhere...
The Invisible Rules Holding You Back (And How to Erase Them)
I've been thinking about constraints lately. Not the real ones — the ones we don't even...
The Cure Time Principle: The Secret to a Better Guitar Finish and a Better Life
What if you could make some subtle changes that would not only improve your guitar...
Guitar Playability: Why It Matters More Than You Think
I just received a letter from one of my mentors that gave me a much-needed reminder that...
Sapere Aude – Creare Aude
You know that moment when you pick up a guitar and it just sings? Not because it’s...
Simple Guitar Dent Repair Technique
Have you ever been working on a guitar, completely in the zone, only to look down and...
Guitar Side Bending Tools: Ultimate Luthier’s Guide
There's a rhythm to side bending—a balance of heat, moisture, and controlled pressure....
Diamond Files vs. Traditional Files: Best Tools for Fretwork & Nut Slotting
When it comes to guitar building, the tools you choose can make all the difference—not...
6 Guitar Building Books Every Luthier Should Own
When I started making guitars in the '90s, the options for guitar building books were...
Guitar Fret Wire – The Ultimate Luthier’s Guide
Choosing the right fret wire for your guitar can be confusing and even overwhelming. I...
Best Guitar Nut & Saddle Materials & How To Choose
In this article, I'm going to show you how to select the perfect guitar nut and saddle...
Dust Extractor Vs Shop Vac (How To Choose)
Today, I'm going to talk some common questions about a confusing but very important tool...
How To Transform Your Guitar Building With The Art of Story
Today, I'm going to show you a powerful technique for elevating your guitars and your...
Accu-Burr Scraper Burnisher & How To Use It
In this article, I'm going to show you an amazing tool that will make it way faster and...
The Secret To Better Guitar Inlay Design
Today, I'm going to share what I believe is the secret to creating elegant and beautiful...
The Fret Barber (And How To Use It)
Today, I'm going to show you a great fretwork tool called the Fret Barber and a...
How To Find The Best Guitar Building Tools
Finding the "best" tools for guitar making can be tricky. We're all unique. We build...
Why I Switched To French Polishing My Guitars
Does a French polished guitar sound better than a guitar finished with synthetic guitar...
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