Pete Howlett
Well-known member
I hope that the cryptic title has got your attention?
Over the year I have seen many excellent amateur builds - better than my early efforts anyway before the days of video, youtube and all the volumes of hard copy available now on making. However there is one thing that, for me, devalues much of the skill of these builds and that is 'square' kerfed lining. Quite frankly, and ya'll know I don't mince my words, it looks (to me that is) ugly and is unnecessary. In one of the very few books available on guitar making when I was starting out in 1976, Irvine Sloan shows how to hand make perfectly good 'triangular' kerfed lining. If you must use kerfed lining, PLEASE give the triangular variety a go - your instruments will look all the more professional for it!
And a further word of advice - Irvine's ideas on shooting edges for gluing using sanding sticks is just one of aa number of examples of how WRONG, just plain WRONG some of his ideas were. Like all men with feet of clay he had some weird ideas!. Read his stuff with caution, but read it - you will learn a lot. Do the same with anything I publish also because like Irvine, I to do some pretty daft things...
Over the year I have seen many excellent amateur builds - better than my early efforts anyway before the days of video, youtube and all the volumes of hard copy available now on making. However there is one thing that, for me, devalues much of the skill of these builds and that is 'square' kerfed lining. Quite frankly, and ya'll know I don't mince my words, it looks (to me that is) ugly and is unnecessary. In one of the very few books available on guitar making when I was starting out in 1976, Irvine Sloan shows how to hand make perfectly good 'triangular' kerfed lining. If you must use kerfed lining, PLEASE give the triangular variety a go - your instruments will look all the more professional for it!
And a further word of advice - Irvine's ideas on shooting edges for gluing using sanding sticks is just one of aa number of examples of how WRONG, just plain WRONG some of his ideas were. Like all men with feet of clay he had some weird ideas!. Read his stuff with caution, but read it - you will learn a lot. Do the same with anything I publish also because like Irvine, I to do some pretty daft things...