Trying My Hand at an Acoustic

For an upcoming build, I am planning on tackling the scariest build so far: an acoustic. I am taking inspiration from Ben Crowe’s (Crimson Guitars) Hand Tool Only Build, which in turn is taking inspiration from the Martin Backpacker. This is a small bodied acoustic with straight sides. This is something of a necessirt, as I don’t have a side bender yet, but also feels like a good introduction to acoustic guitar building. I drew out the plans (below) at a Makers Faire in Edmonton.

I’m purchased the materials for the build, and am just in the process of reading several books on acoustic guitar building so I know what I’m in for. I’m expecting this to be a very long build, so I might try to work on it simulateously with an electric build, just to keep myself from getting too stuck in the weeds with it.

Plans are a walnut top, spruce back and sides. I have a birdseye maple neck and some wenge to make a fretboard out of. The bracing is what has me the pausing the most, even though it should be fairly simple for a guitar shaped like this. I also want to do some interesting design work on the faces by carving with a knife, then filling the gaps with sawdust and oil for a subtle look. Again, this is inspired by Ben Crowe’s work, as is much of what I do.

I hope to start on this in the near future, so stay tuned for updates.