Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology

by William Cumpiano, Jonathan D. Natelson

Hailed by Guitar Player magazine as "perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced," and by Booklist as "a Rolls Royce of construction guidebooks," this impressive volume is the first book of its kind to describe in depth how both steel-string and classical guitars are actually designed and built. Over 450 photographs, drawings, and diagrams reveal in exquisite detail the hows, whys, and how-to's of the traditional craft of guitarmaking, all accompanied by fascinating historical and technical notes. A comprehensive bibliography; a list of tools, materials, and supply sources; and a full index complete this uniquely authoritative reference -- and essential acquisition -- for guitar and craft enthusiasts, woodworkers, and students of instrument making everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Reference

387 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a Veteran Luthier, this edition seems dated though does provide both the historical process that is the modern day guitar as well as the technical process.
It is carefully worded in an almost romantic tone however you will have the urge from time to time to skip paragraphs.
Teaches both the insides and outs of Classical Guitars and Steel String acoustics.
It is most definitely geared for production shops with advanced knowledge and even metal work. (It has a chapter dedicated to building your own truss rod)
For my purposes as a beginner its a little too direct to apply to my experience.
The introduction says right off the bat not to use hide glue...
I use hide glue and haven't had any problems with it yet.
Even so it is good to have another perspective with alternative solutions to common construction issues.
Learning the history is even more important.
Recommended for advanced students but can help the beginner to understand why the steel string guitar exists at all.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been called the "Bible of Guitar Making" by many and although it shows some signs of age, the concept and execution are brilliant. William Cumpiano presents a step by step tutorial on how to build either a classical or steel string guitar, from scratch. There are ample black and white photos throughout, though it is the insightful overviews that will grab your attention. Meticulous detail is presented throughout and I believe that if you have the time to invest in such an endeavor and you carefully follow the direction, you too will be able to produce a quality instrument. This is a brilliant book that could possibly be made slightly better with a newer addition with color photographs and perhaps some more contemporary techniques. Overall this is a must read for anyone interested in Luthiers and what goes into creating a hand made instrument. Brilliant!

[Dan Charnas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, highly-detailed, and incredibly informative. I learned so much about acoustic guitar construction that I would have been hard-pressed to find elsewhere. I have no intention of becoming a luthier, but I wanted to learn about the way a guitar is made by hand. I have read other reviews that contend that this book is dated and could be refreshed given the developments in the field during the last thirty years. That's probably a valid criticism, but there's a wealth of knowledge in this book that suited my purposes. My thanks and appreciation to the authors.

[Steven Ricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is starting to show its age, and honestly, that's the main reason it only gets 4 stars. It wouldn't take too much to update the book with color photos/diagrams, a slightly modernized tool list and methods using those tools (e.g. Dremel), etc.

It's worth mentioning that this book will not turn you into a master luthier. The book is meant to teach the fundamentals of guitar building, and it does so by walking the reader through the build process of one steel string guitar and one classical guitar. It exclusively uses the traditional and time-tested method employed by the author. If your goal is to build world class instruments you owe it to yourself to explore additional methods, and you will need to spend time studying with experienced luthiers.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is known as the bible of guitar building and has lots of essential information, however it also details some unecessarily difficult approaches to guitar buidling that make it a more challenging way to build than it needs to be.

[Dey Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The holy bible for guitar builders. William Cumpiano is the St. Peter of lutherie.