Natelson often called the bible of guitar making, this work presents the most thorough overview available for the serious beginning guitar maker about building both a classical and steel string guitar. Tradition and technology a complete reference for the design and construction of the steelstring folk guitar and the classical guitar guitar reference william r. Tradition and technology, a complete reference for the design and construction of the steel string folk guitar and the classical guitar, which has been acclaimed as the principal textbook in his field and considered by many as the bible of guitarmaking. Oct 21, 2006 it turns out that guitar making is a complex art and there are many different ways for a beginner to approach it. Tradition and technology was a recommended book from some of my forums and online groups. Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced, and by booklist as a rolls royce of construction guidebooks, this impressive volume is the first book of its kind to describe in depth how both steelstring and classical guitars are actually designed and built.
Best guitar building books telecaster guitar forum. Contemporary acoustic guitar design and build 2nd edition. The book is meant to teach the fundamentals of guitar building, and it does so by walking the reader through the build process of one steel string guitar and one it wouldnt take too much to update the book with color photosdiagrams, a slightly modernized tool list and methods using those tools e. It is a narrative of the life of manuel rodriguez as told by himself. I bought this book as a gift for a friend who is into guitar making. Tradition and technology a complete reference for the design and construction of the steelstring folk guitar and the classical guitar guitar reference by cumpiano, william r.
I dont remember if it has the term bass guitar anywhere in it but its absolutely the most essential book you should have. I have been building guitars for more than 12 years, having studied with william cumpiano, a master builder from northampton, massachusetts. The man primarily responsible for crafting this singular work, written with thenpartner jon natelson, is william cumpiano, but even this outstanding book pales in comparison to his talent as a luthier and teacher. William cumpiano presents a step by step tutorial on how to build either a classical or steel string guitar, from scratch.
Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced, and by booklist as a rolls royce of construction guidebooks, this impressive volume is the first book of its kind to describe in depth how both steelstring and classical guitars are actually. Next, i band saw at the slanted lines just behind the line that represents the 12th fret. I have taught people of all ages, of all levels of experienceand all have emerged surprised and delighted with the instrument theyve taken home. Cumpiano is known for his book and teaching skill more than anything. It is shorter and clearer than cumpiano and interestingly, a lot of the steps, sequence of operations, and jigs are different. Cumpiano, 9780811806404, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Next, i mark the heel for my cuts, as described on page 51 of the cumpiano book. They are busy working on a second edition that hopefully will come out soon. Previously making instruments by commission only, william cumpiano is now offering his instruments in premade form. A comprehensive 2volume manual applying science to making superior sounding acoustic guitars. Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever.
Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced, and by. Natelson, william cumpiano, jonathan solomon, jonathan natelson, 1993, chronicle books edition, in english. That book is still a wonderful book, especially if your interest is in steel string acoustics. The most complete book is william cumpianos guitar making, tradition and technology. It has since become the standard world reference for our industry. This book has been called the bible of guitar making by many and although it shows some signs of age, the concept and execution are brilliant. William cumpiano and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The most complete book is william cumpiano s guitar making, tradition and technology. Im sure some of guitars are very nice, but for such a big name in luthiery, he has never really had a waiting list for his guitars other than the 46 months it would take for a custom order. A gold standard of guitar building books is guitarmaking.
Guitarmaking, tradition and technology by william r. She gave as impression of the book that it is an extremely detailed book, much better than many others which she came across. Guitar making tradition and technology i built a very respectable guitar which i still. A this book is regarded by many as the benchmark by which all other instrument building books are judged. Gore and gilet apply physics, the science of hearing, advanced materials and building techniques on their quest to build the perfect guitar. Tom is also the author of the guitar making book dvd set the art of lutherie published by mel bay, and has written for and been featured in may publications both in print and online as well as several television and film spots. William richard cumpiano born april 30, 1945 is a builder of stringed musical instruments and is known for his writing and teaching of the art of luthiery. Since 1971, bill cumpiano has been building and repairing some of the finest handmade guitars and stringed instruments on the planet. For a video about the process i am about to describe, check out my youtube video on making a guitar neck. This website is devoted to the steps involved in planning, researching and assembling the materials necessary for building an acoustic guitar. From the math of plate design and acoustic performance of various materials, to detailed designs and tips for making various jigs these books cover how to build a guitar. For this guitar i bought the book guitar making by cumpiano and natelson. I start by setting up the scarf cutting jig on my table saw. The book does not teach as cumpiano s how to make guitars.
Nowhere have i found information on building guitars as complete as in this fine publication. Guitarmaking guitar reference 9780811806404 by jonathan natelson. Cumpiano coauthored, with jonathon natelson, the worlds leading guitarmaking textbook, guitarmaking. Some good history of the guitar with names included. Of the two books from my first round of how to build a guitar book purchases, i decided that guitar making, tradition and technology is the one thats most useful to me. Cumpiano s methods are complimentary to those described in making master guitars where the guitar is built on a solera. Altho a little dated in appearance, with photos that arent a clearsharp as i would like, it has all the copy content that counts. Cumpiano is a master guitarmaker and teacher of instrument building and repair in amherst, massachusetts, serving professional musicians across the country. However, i found willis step by step guitar making useful and valuable. I love this marvelous book, guitar making tradition and technology is an inspiring and enlightening book of art.
Hardcover edition soon to be republished by rosewood press. The classical guitar making book by john bogdanovich is a complete guide to building a quality classical guitar, widely considered to be the best book on. I like to reference the top figure labeled top view to make sure i am accurate in how i do this. The guitar makers workshop by rik middleton, make own classical guitar by stanley doubtfire, the art and craft of making. Making a guitar with william cumpiano new england luthiers.
Im really happy of this purchase because shipment was excellent as always with amazon and the book is exactly as descripted. Little or no woodworking experience is necessary to create your first guitarjust patience and an open mind. Tradition and technology a complete reference for the design and construction of the steelstring folk guitar and the classical guitar by jonathan d. Guitarmaking, tradition and technology 1993 edition. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Cumpiano is a master guitarmaker and teacher of instrument building and. William cumpiano has made fretted stringed instruments of unexcelled quality, by hand, for almost five decades. Clyde herlitz everything you need to know about guitar making including the preparation and planning, soundboard bracing, assembly, fingerboards. Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced, and by booklist as a rolls royce of construction guidebooks, this impressive volume is the first book of its kind to describe. Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars. Cumpianos book can be approached as both a comprehensively detailed construction manual as well as a structural framework for creative. Over 450 photographs, drawings, and diagrams reveal in exquisite detail the hows, whys, and. About cumpianoguitarmaker cumpiano handmade guitars.
I started out with cumpiano and natelson guitar making. Building the neck building an acoustic steel string guitar. A this outstanding book provides stepbystep instructions on how to build an acoustic steel string or classical guitar. He has been involved in the preservation and understanding of the fading musical and musical craft traditions of his native puerto rico. Since completing his apprenticeship in 1972, william cumpiano has created hundreds of individuallycrafted guitars and other stringed instruments in the european, north american and latin american traditions. The book is meant to teach the fundamentals of guitar building, and it does so by walking the reader through the build process of one steel string guitar and one it wouldnt take too much to update the book with color photosdiagrams, a slightly modernized tool. This build will be an homage to the first edition, along with some updates in neck joint and other construction.
William cumpiano and jonathan natelsons book on building an acoustic steel string guitar and classical guitars is by no means dated unless you consider the time it was published. This build will be an homage to the first edition, along with some updates in neck joint. These books are somogyis masterwork, formidable classics of guitarmaking literature to be treasured by serious students of the craft. I have many reference books on traditional guitar making and this is now top of the list. We will be following the first book by william cumpiano and jon natelson, guitarmaking. Since completing his apprenticeship in 1972, william cumpiano has created hundreds of individuallycrafted guitars and other stringed instruments in the european, north american. Hailed by guitar player magazine as perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced, and by booklist as a rolls royce of construction guidebooks, this. Building the neck wasnt the first thing that i did, i actually cut out a full sized paper template of the body and then built a guitar work board as recommended by natelson and cumpiano, but i decided to group that stuff in with the next section so ill talk about building the neck first. The definitive scientific approach to guitar design a beautiful data driven approach to guitarmaking.
To start this process, there are two jigs that i find essential. Ive recently donated this guitar to my wifes nonprofit agency, to be raffled off to help fund their operating expenses. We truly live in a golden age of guitar making and the resources available to a beginning builder are more extensive than ever in history. Tradition and technology guitar reference 9780811806404. Guitarmaking guitar reference by jonathan natelson, william cumpiano and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Im proud of myself as i basically had no experience in woodworking before i started with the ukulele, 1,5 years ago. The second is a neck assembly jig that was created by william. Im working with several friends in chicago to prototype a puerto rican tiple kit for children to make, which takes all the power and cuttingtool steps out of the process, leaving only the gluing, sanding, finishing and stringing steps. Partner, publisher of guitarmaking textbook see publications 1990 1993 artists in resonance cofounder of instrumentmakers collaborative consisting of three guitarmakers, one drummaker and one harpmaker, in hadley, massachusetts. Tom bills has been hand crafting one of a kind custom guitars for the top players and collectors around the world since 1998. Harry becker, bachelor of industrial design, 68, and william cumpiano, bachelor of industrial design, 68, have been friends since they first met 44 years ago at pratt in 1964.
783 1028 832 1023 290 1436 592 965 880 1421 96 1504 1296 855 1060 1262 1179 1019 1540 247 563 1052 1148 1095 1237 319 624 527 23 262 1045 1386 1046 485 1076 278 1321 1311 1100 340 525