About the Book

Recently I was informed by the publisher that the book has gone into second print, and this is rare for a book of this type. So thank you all once again for helping to make this book a resounding success. It is truly gratifying that I continue to hear from readers all over the world with thank you notes, encouraging comments and questions regarding the book. And, as one reader suggested I have included a page on the site with a selection of questions that have been sent to me, along with my replies, which may help to clarify some things for others in their guitar building attempts.

Since the book has been out I have heard from many of you that have sited errors or needed clarification in the first edition. These errors have been noted along with some additional text here and there for clarification and sent to the publisher for correction in the second printing. a PDF document containing all known errors can be downloaded in the errata section.

The book has been out for a couple of years now and it still amazes me how many of you out there are interested in building classical guitars, either for yourselves or in launching a guitar building career. The book has enabled me to launch a few new endeavors of my own such as holding classes in the shop, a line of guitar building products, and a DVD series due to be released in the fall. I am very fortunate that this has all come from my love of the classical guitar. The truth is, I never intended to write a book at all. The project just sort of fell into my lap.

In December of 2003, in the midst of planning to move the shop to Asheville, I was approached by Sterling Publishing and asked if I would like to write a book on guitar making. As I thought about it the prospect of undertaking such a huge project the challenge of producing something that I would be proud of became the focus of my enthusiasm. I had been given a rare opportunity - a vehicle to share my techniques and thoughts about something I love.

For the next year, nearly every day was a combination of building guitars, writing, and photo shoots. The book chronicles the building of a classical guitar from a stack of boards to putting on the strings and tuning it up. WIth almost 600 photos and drawings and over 300 pages of detailed text I attempted to recreate as accurately as possible the building process.

If you have never built a guitar and are planning your first attempt consider using this book as a guide. Only some basic woodworking skills and a minimally equipped shop are required. Due to the large amount of information necessary to cover the topic explanations of woodworking related techniques have been omitted and it is assumed the reader is already proficient in some basic woodworking techniques, or will consult the references listed in the bibliography of the book and in the reference section of the links page on this site. Alternative methods are presented to facilitate the availability of tools and equipment. The book was written with the first time builder in mind, but no doubt anyone with some building experience could benefit from some content, I know I am always looking for better ways to do things. Also, be sure to check out the guitar making classes being offered. Classes are being held in the shop that cover various aspects of the building process.

Preview pages

Below are PDF files of selected pages taken from "Classical Guitar Making: A Modern Approach to a Traditional Design". These pages are typical of the type of content, presentation and the quality of photography and artwork contained within.

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