I Could Really Care

This week was such a blur. It went so fast.

I got quit a bit done on my guitar.

Did a rough carve of the back and top braces.






This was gratifying work. More like crafting a sculpture than doing carpentry. It was amazing to hear the difference carving more wood made when you tapped the wood and held it up to yr ear. The back (darker coloured wood) in particular really sings. A tap produces a long bassy note.

The end of the week saw the sides being cut and bent. This is the side bending jig.



It works by applying pressure and heat to the moist wood. After sitting on the bending jig for at least a couple hours, it is clamped into the body mold.



I'm quickly realizing the extent jigs and specialized tools play into lutherie. There are corners that can be cut as far as special tools are concerned and I'm always sure to ask Arlen if there's a way around something. Usually there is.

I want to make sure this isn't something I'm going to do once and never again. I can see the expense of tooling up a shop being prohibitive to building without huge overhead. I have to figure out a way to build without going into debt.

I'm actually getting a tad afraid by how much I like the idea of making guitars for a living. I could really care about this. The idea of failing at something is so much more daunting whey you care. Got to do it right the first time.

I keep forgetting to ask the instructors how long it takes them to build a guitar from start to finish. I don't want to price my guitars so they're out of reach for average guys or girls like me, but I'll have to make a living.

An interesting note: it takes Gibson and Fender (the two big guitar manufacturers) 4.5 man hours and only 20 dollars in materials to building a 2 thousand dollar instrument. 100 percent markup. The Big Mac approach to business.