{"id":7371,"date":"2023-09-04T07:40:11","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T06:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guitarrasfuentes.com\/?p=7371"},"modified":"2024-06-17T07:48:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T06:48:48","slug":"construction-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guitarrasfuentes.com\/en\/blog\/construction-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"Time and phases of the construction of a guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you know which are the construction phases of a handmade acoustic guitar and how much time this process requires? Depending on the model, it can take between two or three months of work for the luthier since it includes many precise manual tasks, but also resting times for the wood to acquire its shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can buy a luthier\u2019s guitar at guitarrasfuentes.com<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>made by a careful and precise manual process. In order for you to get a better understanding of how it works, I will briefly explain the phases involved in the handcrafted construction of a guitar, specifically an acoustic guitar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction of a guitar: handmade acoustic guitars<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Design of the model for the construction of a guitar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this phase it is essential to listen to the customer in order to build the luthier guitar that the musician needs: what kind of music they want to play, their sound preferences, the size of the instrument and even some aesthetic indications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selection of woods for the construction of a guitar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is a key process for a handcrafted construction of a guitar because of the influence that wood has on the type of sound, sustain and tone.<\/strong> The geographical origin of the wood, the seasoning  of the wood pieces and the botanical species<\/strong> from which it comes, are key to its choice, but also issues such as the percentage of humidity in the wood, the age of the tree from which it was harvested or its grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible that the wood requires some conditioning work in the luthier\u2019s workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the soundboard<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once the design has been created and the wood chosen, the first task to tackle is the building of the soundboard. To do this, different tasks must be carried out, starting with the cutting of the wood <\/strong> and thicknessing<\/strong>, to later approach the creation of the rosette.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once these tasks are completed, the bracing is carved and glued <\/strong>to the soundboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuning to achieve the desired tone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this phase of the construction of a guitar, the tuning is carried out. Always keeping in mind the desired tone for the instrument that is being built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carving of the guitar neck in handcrafted production<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the next phase, the neck is carved and the heel of the guitar is built.<\/strong> It\u2019s also the time to carve the holes in the headstock so that the pegbox can be fitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the hoops<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During this phase the luthier cuts the hoops to the appropriate size. The next step is to tame them to the desired shape. To do this, the wood is moistened and with the help of molds and heat <\/strong>at a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius, pressure is applied until the wood bends. The time required at this stage depends on different factors, including the type of wood and the thickness of the hoop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building the back of the guitar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the moment to start the phase of the construction of the back of the guitar, with tasks such as the carving and gluing of the reinforcing bars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case closing phase in the construction of a guitar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The closing of the case<\/strong> includes placing in a mold the hoops, heel, heel cap, the back and the soundboard.<\/strong> Then, the back and the soundboard are glued onto the hoops,<\/strong> applying pressure<\/strong> to ensure it\u2019s perfectly joined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carving the hole and placing the binding<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At this stage, the hollow is carved in the case which allows placing the binding or the profile of the guitar\u2019s edges<\/strong> that embellish the instrument for a perfect finish, and then it is placed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanding and preparing the body of the guitar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next phase in the construction of a guitar consists of sanding the instrument\u2019s body, and then preparing the guitar for varnishing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fitting the neck to the body<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The neck is fitted to the body of the guitar using the dovetailing technique.<\/strong> It\u2019s a very old carpentry assembly technique that ensures a perfect and aesthetic joint.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placing the core in the guitar neck<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Placing the core in the neck is essential, among other things, because it prevents the neck from deforming as a result of the high tension of the steel strings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction phase and assembling the fingerboard<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building the fingerboard<\/strong> is the next step. It\u2019s a vitally important phase in achieving the desired vibration and tone. This is also the phase of the fret distribution,<\/strong> and the fingerboard is given its radius<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once these steps are completed, it is the time to mount the fingerboard on the neck <\/strong>and then proceed to nail the frets to the fingerboard<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridge and nut phase<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During this phase, the luthier proceeds to place the bridge of the instrument, make its bones and the nut.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varnishing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once all the previous stages have been completed, it\u2019s time to varnish the handmade guitar. To do this, shellac, nitrocellulose or polyurethane<\/strong> can be used. The preferred one at Guitarras Fuentes for acoustic guitars would be nitrocellulose<\/strong> because for us, it has a better relation of resistance and lightness than the other two. However, it certainly has other disadvantages that we will explain in future articles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assembling the peg box and attaching the strings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once the varnish has dried, it\u2019s time to assemble the headstock and put the strings <\/strong>on the guitar. As in other phases, the quality of the work is checked at the end in very self-demanding quality control by the luthier,<\/strong> verifying that the desired result is achieved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjusting the bones and the core<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the last stages of the construction of a guitar, the luthier is in charge of adjusting the bones and the core.<\/strong> For a perfect job, it is necessary to check repeatedly that the tuning <\/strong>is correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Installing the amplification system<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To conclude the handcrafted construction of an acoustic guitar<\/strong>, the amplification system must be placed in the instrument using the chosen method, such as magnetic pickups<\/strong> or piezo.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To complete all of these phases, several weeks of work by the luthier are required. The estimated construction time of a guitar is between two and three months.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you know which are the construction phases of a handmade acoustic guitar and how much time this process requires? Depending on the model, it can take between two or three months of work for the luthier since it includes many precise manual tasks, but also resting times for the wood to acquire its shape. You can buy a luthier\u2019s guitar at guitarrasfuentes.com, made by a careful and precise manual process. In order for you to get a better understanding of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[173],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nConstruction of a guitar: time and phases<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Construction of a guitar: know the phases required, and the time involved in the building of a luthier\u2019s guitar.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarrasfuentes.com\/en\/blog\/construction-guitar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Construction of a guitar: time and phases\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Construction of a guitar: know the phases required, and the time 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