Official Luthiers Forum!

Been lurking around here a bit and on some other "luthier forums" looking for a good home. I've learned a lot of stuff off of forums like this and, I should say from the start, am pretty much self taught and enjoy reading about other people's projects and such and sharing what I have learned.

For the most part, I am a hobbiest builder. I started out building furniture and, as a "hack" guitar player, decided I would try my hand and building an instrument. Well, most of you guys probably know the rest of the story. I'm now about 8 guitars into debt and can't seem to kick the habit. My son helps me out in the shop and has done a couple of his own designs and builds. Not sure if I can post pics yet, since I just registered, but will try. Hope to contribute to some discussions and continue learning. Here's a pic of four of my builds: From L-R: Fat Bottom Girl, Old Oakie, Double Cut, and Cherry #1. Between my son and I, we have at least four more (not pictured).

welcome to the forum! just curios, is old oakie actually made out of oak? if it's oak then how does it sound? I've been really curious about oak as a tonewood for a while now

Welcome!

WindyCity, the top is oak--actually some quarter-sawn red oak from a huge tree that was taken down in a neighbor's yard. I had the wood milled and made several furniture pieces from it. The board I made the top from had some significant figure (for red oak), and I just thought it would make a nice top. I've attached a couple of more pics. The back and neck is mahogany.

As for sound, I think it sounds pretty "Les-Paulish." I am personally from the school of thought that believes there is a lot of hype associated with "tone-wood" and its effect on sound (hope this doesn't open too big a can of worms). Personally, I think sound is affected more by pickup placement and type than the kind of top or body put on a guitar. Clearly, some woods are better for construction than others, but I've not shied away from building with "unconventional" guitar woods. Cherry #1, in the above picture, was made from local (Florida grown) wild cherry, and my son just finished a tele-style guitar with a cherrywood body and neck. I cannot tell a whole lot of difference in sound between his cherrywood-body guitar and my Double Cut (also in the top picture), which has a mahogany back and neck and maple top.

Here's a couple of more pics of "Old Oakie."

Looks like you're doing some fine work there. And as for the can of worms, consider it opened and dumped all the living room rug . I'm actually of the same mind as you, but there are others here who have pretty strong opinions otherwise. No big deal. The biggest thing that I've learned while lurking on this forum for the past 5 years is that there are a lot of ways to skin the cat, and you need to find the method that works for you . So with that being said, Welcome! And I'm looking forward to seeing some more father/son creations

welcome and great looking work there .

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Yep, I hear ya. My I am sure the can is open. But, I have figured out that cats can be skinned in a number of ways. Just didn't want somebody to think I was picking an argument.

I'll post some more at some point. We're working on a lap steel and another regular set-neck original. I might post up some progress pics of those projects as I've got a neck tennon cutting jig I think some would like to see.