Step by Step Guitar Making -- Alex Willis

[ken cierp]

No doubt Alex is a craftsman, this publication displays his intensity relative to detail. However, this manual describes construction of a steel string with a Spanish heel neck configuration -- that in my opinion is a design flaw since there is virtually no way to make neck set adjustments and/or repairs. To me his methods seems tedious and prone to error -- if you follow the text, when finished the project will certainly have earned the "hand Made" designation. Though there are some DIY shop made tools I see a lot of the expensive items from a luthier supply house. The book shows some construction options but would not be my recommend method.

[GuitarWhisperer]

I think the way the two soundhole braces bear directly on the neck block might have some merit, however he also uses a soundole patch to reinforce the soundhole, as well. Seems kinda like overkill, but I've never completed an instrument using his exact plan. You can reset the neck using this construction, but you have to cut the block off the back of the guitar, slip it to reglue it, and trim the overhang off, then re-bind the back. A lot of work, but doable, but I'm not sure you'll hear a huge difference in sound, enough to make it worthwhile.