Guitars Links...
When I was a kid my Dad took me to see a builder in Edmonton, Canada by the name of Frank Gay. Gay had established himself as a builder in 1953. Country stars Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Hank Snow, and others have owned Gay guitars. Three - those owned by Johnny Horton, Webb Pierce, and Faron Young - have been placed in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. Gay's classical guitars were modeled after a Ramirez flamenco guitar (a gift from Carlos Montoya) and an Esteco classical guitar. He has made guitars for Montoya and Alirio Diaz. I was fascinated by the intricate inlay work and the fact that such incredible instruments were made in a relatively simple shop. I've wanted to build instruments ever since.
- Allied Lutherie - nice source for guitar and bass woods, parts, and tools.
- Allparts - "America's Premier Guitar and Bass Parts Supplier". All kinds of stock with very quick shipping and good prices.
- Big D Guitars - This guy does a cool modern twist on the old varitone switch and custom builds guitar bodies. A fellow Telecaster freak, he has been cranking out some obscenely gorgeous replacement bodies using a bunch of different woods. Check out the jaw dropping Maple Burl tops on his website.
- BuildYourGuitar.com - guitar building books and guitar making resources. This is one of those "must have" books for building electric guitars.
- Copy Carver - if you are making a bunch of instruments you'll find a great set of plans here to make a duplicating carver quite cheaply. I haven't finished mine yet but expect it to get a lot of use.
- CornerHardware.com - here's a nice guide to getting a good plane or chisel edge.
- Fraser Valley Fine Woods - an eBay store featuring some superb wood. I've yet to deal with these guys but they've got great ratings and some sweet looking wood.
- Galloup Guitars - Galloup is one of the finest luthier schools out there.
- Guild of American Luthiers Homepage - the name pretty much says it all.
- Guitar Building Templates.com - this is a great source for router templates for a Wide variety of instruments. Great service and very clean templates. Highly recommended.
- Guitar Fetish (GFS) - This place has some seriously great hardware at some seriously reasonable prices. Their own line of guitars, effects, pickups, and guitar kits round out a great site. Friendly service and quick shipping on orders make for me being a regular here.
- GuitarNuts.com - GuitarNuts is a great source of info for wiring guitars and has a ton of tips and tricks to make your gear sound better. Very practical stuff here that has made most of my electrics much quieter and more versatile.
- How to Sharpen a Plane Blade - eHow.com - if it isn't sharp it's useless...here's how.
- Hocktools.com/sharpen.htm - Ron Hock's notes on plane blade sharpening.
- InlayUSA.com - a good source for inlay stock.
- International Luthiers Supply, Inc. - stringed instrument making and repair supplies. I've not dealt with these folks but they have a fairly extensive line of materials, tools, and kits.
- Kathy Matsushita's "Amateur Luthier" Page - don't let the "Amateur" moniker scare you away. Kathy's site was one of my inspirations to jump into building with both feet. She documents her builds in an easy going style and details problem areas and how she overcame them. Kathy is a meticulous builder that takes "hobby" to the next level.
- Leonard Musical Instruments - a fairly extensive line of inlay materials and a good place to find precut(CNC)shapes.
- Luthiers (The Guitar Port) - This is an absolutely dizzying list of builder's links of all kinds. The whole site is an info-fest.
- Luthiers Mercantile International - LMI carries a fine selection of woods, tools, info, and kits for the serious builder.
- Mel Bay Publications' Links to Instrument Builders and Gear Suppliers - a nice collection of builders links.
- Owl Hardwood Lumber Company - these folks are my local supplier and have a huge selection of really top notch woods and are really nice folks.
- Pickguards.com - the name says it all. Big selection of custom pickguards of all sorts.
- Project Guitar.com - "where the internet goes to work on guitars" is their logo and there is a wealth of information for builders here.
- Stewart-MacDonald - what can I say. This place is pretty much the mecca for builders, especially those getting started. A huge selection of tools, great source for info, variety of kits, parts galore... This is where it all started for me. Terrific service and support and highly recommended.
- String This - These guys are a great source for odds and ends but specifically strings. Great service and you can buy individual guages in bulk.
- WD Music - a terrific source for parts of all sorts. They have a great line of custom made bodies and necks and are one of the first companies to offer replacement parts. My left handed strat is based on parts from these guys and their left handed single ply pickguard.
- William Cumpiano, guitarmaking master and teacher - William produces incredible instruments and is a great source for instruction (books or classes) as well as custom instruments. You may find yourself going back to this site a lot to check out his insights on technique.