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STEP BY STEP GUITAR MAKING by ALEX WILLIS

The book on guitar making is now available, contact me for further details sales. Price is Ł13.50 P&P included in the UK.

Contact me for Europe and USA postage prices.

The guitar featured in the book is a WGSS03/C. With this book making an acoustic guitar is much easier than most people suppose and with basic woodworking skills, a modest work space and only a few specialist tools, you too can make an instrument fit for the concert platform.

All stages fully illustrated with colour photographs, clear drawings and detailed plans for each part of the instrument. The book helps with choosing materials, tuning the soundboard, placing the frets and adjusting the action.

Some reviews of my book.

The Best Guitar Making Book So Far,By Richard Jenkins.

And it is worth five stars - for those who want to learn the Spanish Slipper Heel method for joining the neck to the body..... and this is the method taught by the Totnes School, and used by a number of guitar makers including Andy Manson. The slipper heel method is also simpler for the aspiring luthier. My only word of warning to a new guitar maker is that, as good this book is, you may still need some help or demonstration from a professional - perhaps Alex Willis will also make the video?

INVALUABLE GUIDANCE, By B. J. Tetteh-lartey "Benny Tetteh-Lartey"

For someone who had previously constructed only an electric bass guitar this book proved to be invaluable for guidance on the important structural elements of my COMBUITAR (www.youtube.com) Alex Willis wrote it in such a way that I was not completely tied to his individual design but could make use of the many techniques described therein to leave room for creativity. I particularly liked the fact he always stated an alternative tool or method to most of the steps. I highly recommend "Step by Step Guitar Making" for anyone who would like to build with confidence!

Removing the Fog and Myths Surrounding Guitar Making, By AD Aubert

Step by Step Guitar Making by Alex Willis is excellent value for money ,a book and plans for less than the price of some plans.With an ultra clear colour photograph for each numbered text, on the same page, describing constructional details Alex has come very close to making a guitar fool proof.Chapters on tools, equipment and the workshop serve as an introduction to building methods, schedule of operations ,wood selection and the making of the template and solera. Almost every page has a additional"Tip" or information panel supplementing the numbered steps.The two sided plan is printed on a quality guitar sized sheet so that top and side views are presented on one side whole and not truncated as is often the case. The reverse side shows a full size view of the sound board and drawings and dimensions for all the relevant parts to be made.Although my first guitar was a classical instrument this book proved invaluable in filling in the spaces left by the woeful quality and low number of the black and white pictures in the book that I had been sold. A lot of thought has gone into this and if you want to make a steel strung guitar using a solera this is a one stop book.

Step by Step Guitar Making. Reviewed in September 2007 Classical Guitar Magazine.

It should be said at the outset that this book covers the construction of the acoustic steel-string guitar (not the Spanish Classical guitar). Thus its relevance will mainly be to those wishing to know something about the design and building methods for steel-string guitars. The guitar built in this book is based on the famous C. F. Martin OM pattern, which is one of Martin’s most popular instruments. It is a single cut-away guitar and like most steel-string guitars, the neck joins the body at the 14th fret. The book is well-presented, with many good quality colour photographs and some technical drawings. Also included is a folded, full-size plan of the guitar to be made.
There are already several good books available on the construction of steel-string guitars, so one must wonder why there is a need for yet another hopefully a new writer will be contributing a new view on the subject, at least in some respects, so that the reader might feel justified in adding yet another book to the bookshelf. Much of the material in Step-by-Step Guitar Making is closely based on other leading books on the subject, but the writer does include some of his own ideas and methods.
The book is divided into two basic sections: Part 1 covers all the planning and preparation needed before the making begins. Part 2 covers the various stages of construction. The author writes largely in the first person, and the book does read like a personal diary, written up to clarify all the stages that the maker went through while building the guitar, as well as including some novel ideas that occurred to him along the way. This gives the book an easy-going, chatty feel, which makes it a pleasure to read and easy to follow. Alex Willis shows the reader how and why he does what he does, and is clearly full of enthusiasm for the subject.
The step-by-step instructions are good, because each instruction is numbered, and corresponds to a photograph with the same number, making the task in hand visually clear.There is a good deal of information about choosing tools, tonewoods, adhesives and other materials, and the author gives his reasoning for the choices he makes. The actual method of construction is eclectic; Willis takes procedures from a variety of traditions; - for example, he employs the Spanish heel method of joining the neck to the ribs, rather than the traditional technique favoured by steel-string guitar factories, where the neck is joined with a kind of dovetail, or mortise and tennon joint once the sound box is complete. Willis’ choice of method makes sense, as the luthier who makes one guitar at a time is able to use the stronger Spanish method with ease. (It has been said that the main reason for attaching the neck separately is that most steel-string guitars have always been factory-produced, and mass production line assembly method makes it more cost-effective and time-saving to build the sound box first, spray it with lacquer, and then attach the neck, already complete with fretboard and frets. But there is no rational reason for guitar makers working on their own to use this method.)
Willis also borrows the design of the end-block from that master maker of classical guitars, Ignacio Fleta, who used a complex end-block with both horizontal and vertical grain. Again, there is no reason to avoid this useful innovation on the grounds that it is used in classical, rather than steel-string guitars.
The author’s approach of taking the most suitable construction methods that seem appropriate is refreshing, and is a positive aspect of the book. The book focuses almost entirely on the basic construction method of the guitar, with little information about acoustics and theory, but the author points out that much of that information is readily available on the internet. It is probably a good idea to keep the content focused in this way, as the book can then function as a basic workbench guide for the maker, who will hopefully share some of the author’s enthusiasm. Guitar making has in recent years become an extremely popular amateur past-time and Step-by-Step Guitar Making will encourage even more guitarist to have a go at making their own instruments.

Roy Courtnall

Ellis Walentine at www.woodcentral.com

As a long-time guitar player and woodworker, I've always wanted to make my own acoustic guitar from scratch. Guitar making offers a challenging opportunity to apply a wide range of woodworking skills - some of them unique to this particular craft -- with the added dimension of sound, a property of wood that doesn't figure into most other woodworking pursuits. So, when Alex Willis's new book, Step-By-Step Guitar Making, came out, I was first in line to review it, particularly since it is about making a single-cutaway, acoustic steel-string concert guitar - similar to Martin Guitars' OM series -- a type of instrument that I have always wanted to own. Willis's book has convinced me that I can make my own. I had read earlier books on guitar making and repair, including well-known volumes by Irving Sloane and Don Teeter; Willis' book is different. Though he has been designing and building guitars full-time only since 2003, he demonstrates a thorough understanding of the tools and techniques involved, and, in this book, he illustrates every step of the process clearly and effectively. This is not a book for the novice woodworker, as it assumes you have a reasonable skill set and at least a modicum of tools and equipment; but, it is directly aimed at the first-time guitar builder. I felt that an ambitious beginner with basic hand-tool woodworking skills could successfully complete one of these instruments. Part One of the book gives an overview of guitar anatomy and the planning process, including a catalog of the woods, tools, adhesives and accessories you will need. Part Two is divided into twelve chapters that describe the phases of construction, from making the "solera" (a plywood platform on which the guitar is laid out and built) and templates, to making the individual components - the neck, the back, the soundboard, the ribs and linings - to assembling and finishing the instrument. Included is a large two-sided drawing that includes full-size details of the body and every component. If you would rather build a conventional, non-cutaway model, there are instructions here for how to do that too. The greatest strength of the book is its readability. Every step is clearly described and numbered, and keyed to a large, full-color photo of that step, making it easy to know exactly where you are in the process at all times, and leaving precious little to the imagination. That's reassuring to a first-time guitar builder. Overall, I think Willis has done an excellent job of documenting this challenging project, and I recommend his book highly to any woodworker who has toyed with the idea of building an acoustic guitar. You can see more of his work at his website.

2007 in Review

It's the 25th of December 2007 and my son Stephen is giving me a crash course in HTML to help me keep this site current and interesting.Time permitting I will work my way through the site.

2007 was a very busy year. My book, Step by Step Guitar Making published in December 2006, was now out in the UK and due out in the USA in April.The year started out with me delivering a WGSS03/BR/c to a customer in California in late February, I also was able to meet up with my parents and family and some guitar makers while there and share ideas.I returned to a busy time of working days as a contract carpenter in a factory building exhibition stands and evenings in the workshop.Late March found me in Skegness doing my stint at Spring Harvest as a rodie/gofor.During this time I was also working on my novel. Its working title is A Rose for Ruth, I might try posting the first chapter on this site if someone requests it.

The end of May I was at the Chipenham Folk Festival showing and selling guitars, my first time there. The town is very worth visiting. The festival takes place in the main town sports auditorium across the river Avon. The marquees with the crafts and musical instruments are on the other side. It rained almost every day and we did get a little damp, I ended up sleeping in my car and never got to use my brand new tent.I did take a commission for a guitar so it was all worth while.

June saw me almost cutting off the top of my left middle finger on the table saw. The first table saw accident in 35 years of using a table saw.Still numb on the tip in December but getting better all the time, wonderful surgeons at East Grinstead hospital.

August was manic with the next show in the year and another first for me was the Sidmouth Folk Week. Fantastic atmosphere, I wont mention the odour in the main marquee, if you were there you will know what I mean.

How about those Cornish pasties from Georgie Pies, you will find them in Cross Lane, Sidmouth,fresh every morning ,get there early if want one, they sell out fast each day.

No sales at Sidmouth but I did get two tired Martins to work on.The first Martin, a D35 was for a customer from Wales. It needed its bindings re-attaching re-fret 1 to 7 and body lacquer touching up. The second was a D28. This was for a French customer and it needed a neck re-set and the head re-lacquering.This one also required the pickguard to be replaced, all to common with older guitars.
Sidmouth ended on the Friday night then it was time to break down the stand and drive back to Eastbourne and set up on the Saturday morning for the Sussex Guild show at Michelham Priory. This show is a four day show starting on the Thursday morning. I normally do the full four days but couldn't this year and will probably do the same in 2008.I had my first order for an Octave mandolin from this show which I will be starting early in 2008, watch for pictures in the website later in the year.

At the end of August we returned for our third year to Towersey. we always enjoy this show, especially the cocktail hour in the evening.This show was the debut for my parlour guitar model and it sold by the third day. I am currently building two more, one in Brazilian and the other in Cocobollo, the Brazilian is a commision.

In early September I took stand space at the first anual Acoustic Guitar Show in Cheltenham Town Hall.The show is a showcase for Uk luthiers. For more information Acoustic Guitar Show Cheltenham Town Hall.I plan to be back in 2008.

Below is a quote by Fliss, copied from The Acoustic Guitar Forum.

"I tried out the Willis guitar that Ray was sampling - it was incredibly rich and responsive; some instruments seem to come alive the moment you pick them up, and this one did that. It had Brazilian back and sides, but I dont know if the wonderful lively tone was due to the Brazilian or the craft of the luthier - very nice anyway." Thanks for the kind words Fliss, makes all the hours in the workshop worth while.

The remainder of the year was taken up with various repairs, including a re-bridge of a Richard Manning cut-away classical, lovely guitar, full of rich sound. Also an order for a left hand parlour in Brazillian and an order for an Octave mandolin.

Mid December I went to Manchester to Morrells for a two day training course on product information and how to properly apply their Pre-Cat lacquers.

I now have a stock of the most beautiful figured legal Brazilian Rosewood. This timber is cut from old Brazilian Rosewood tree stumps and is sometimes referred to as Stumpwood. The grain pattern ranges from swirling chocolatey browns to that resembling bur walnut with purples and reds swirling around in an almost psychedelic pattern.

New instruments available in 2008.

F5 Mandolin. the must have instrument for a folk or bluegrass group. These are not mass produced instruments like the ones made in Asia and found in high street music shops. Each one is hand made from select timber with the tops and backs being hand tuned.

Parlour guitar. Available in your choice of timber, complete with hard shell case.

Violin Bass. This is based on the violinn bass shown in the photo gallery.

Mandolin. Mandolins are available to order in all sizes.

SHOW DATES for 2008

CHELTENHAM FOLK FESTIVAL

Town Hall Cheltenham.Fri, Sat, Sun, 15th to 17th Feb 2008.

This is the first time at this show for me, and I will have plenty of instruments on display. More details early in the new year.

FARNHAM MALTINGS

Sussex Guild event at Farham in Surrey 19th and 20th April 2008. First time for the Guild at the Maltings.

Come see and play from a fine display of hand made instruments available for purchase. These instruments are display models and are for sale at special show prices. Also large display of Sussex Guild crafts available for purchase from other members of the Guild.

CHIPENHAM FOLK FESTIVAL

Chipenham, Wiltshire, England. May 23rd to 26th 2008. For information call me on 01323 768689 or email Information Chipenham Folk Festival.. Special show prices on Hiscox flight cases, Headway pickups and Rotosound strings.

SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK

Sidmouth, Devon, 01st through 08th August 2008,

For information click Information Sidmouth Folk Week. Special show prices on Hiscox flight cases and Rotosound strings and Headway pickups.

MICHELHAM PRIORY, SUSSEX NR. EASTBOURNE

The show runs from Thursday 7th through Sunday 10th of August 2008. I will be there on the Saturday and Sunday only.Michelham Priory is open all year round and is even said to be haunted, great to visit if your on vacation, see the Priory and walk round the gardens.

Display of hand made guitars and mandolins. Demonstrator instruments for sale at special show prices.

Impromptu music folk and bluegrass sessions throughout the day.Childrens puppets and story telling. Also large display of Sussex Guild crafts available for purchase. Small admission fee charged by Michelham Priory and there are refreshments available in the restaurant.Once again I will have a few complementary tickets available just email me early for Michelham priory Complimentary Tickets 2008.

TOWERSEY FOLK FESTIVAL

Towersey,Oxfordshire, England. August 21st through 25th 2008. For information email Information Towersey Folk Festival.. Come and see what's new. 14 fret cutaway in Brazilian Rosewood, mandolins including the F5 mandolin and the new 12 string special.

Demonstrator guitars available at special show discount. Also special show prices on Hiscox flight cases and Rotosound strings and Headway pickups.

The ACOUSTIC GUITAR SHOW

Cheltenham Town Hall, 13th and 14th September 2008. For information click web site The ACOUSTIC GUITAR SHOW. The second year of the biggest ACOUSTIC guitar show in the UK.

Guitars, Workshops, Luthiers, Music, Jam stage, Performances, Seminars, Gadgets, Master classes, Amps and pickups.Major performances.Special quiet rooms for listening to your new guitar before you purchase.

Demonstrator guitars available at special show discount. Also special show prices on Hiscox flight cases and Rotosound strings, Headway Amps and Pickups.