Ever try the Martin "build your own" kit?

JohnnyCrash · May 24th, 2006, 11:47 PM

Don't know how long they've even been around, but Martin sells them direct, it looks like...

MFriend also sells em, but they're back ordered.

A solid top, back, and sides for under $500 sounds cool.

How hard are they to complete?

I'll probably give it a shot soon.

Durango Twango · May 25th, 2006, 02:41 AM

Building an acoustic right isn't the quickest thing in the world. Biggest issue will be getting things glued up straight (no small task even with pre-bent sides etc). For best results it's still best to have forms to hold the guitar in shape while you're gluing and they are VERY expensive to buy and not that easy to make. And in the end, you put all that work into it and there's no guaranty it'll sound good.

If you want to learn how to build acoustics, then these kits are great, but if you want to get a great guitar for less money, probably not a sure-fire way to do so.

Big Mike Simpson · May 25th, 2006, 03:15 AM

Join the Musical Instrument Makers Forum and everything you need to know is in the "library" (you have to join to see it)... or just lurk there a while...

http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX

Here is a Martin vs Stewmac kit discussion
http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX?50@...aJ.1@.1dcf6c1b

I built my own Tricone (no kit)...

Here it is before the body was plated. (I bought the cover plate and tailpiece)

Durango Twango · May 25th, 2006, 05:15 PM

Wow, I am REALLY impressed with that tricone. I've built acustic and electrics and grew up in my dad's blacksmith shop (not a hobby, it's what he did for a living). I know just enough about working sheet metal to say that I don't know enough abouut working sheet metal to pull THAT off THAT well. Beautifull guitar, congradulations.

There's just something about them resonators...

Telecaster65 · May 25th, 2006, 06:11 PM

I'm in a StewMac Triple0 affaire and I love the detail they've placed in the instruction manual and the tape.

Lot of precision and machine job is done, their assistance is great and materials are top notch.

I guess Martin too are high end kits but sure you don't get the same amount of building instruction.

JMHO, I haven't seen a Martin kit so far...

JohnnyCrash · May 25th, 2006, 06:59 PM

I'm one of those guys (especially lately) that thinks nearly anything is possible.

I didn't think I could even build a lowly Champ, now I'm building amps left and right (although I still don't even know half of what I'd like to about the subject).

Besides afterall, SOME HUMAN BEINGS build acoustic guitars in the real world already hehe :)

I'd love to build an acoustic, but I think I lack the time after considering everything... I'll end up buying one since I need one semi-soon.

Great tricone by the way!

Alex W · July 12th, 2006, 08:18 PM

I have a not-quite-finished Martin D-18 kit. I started it years ago and then it got put on the back burner. I'm hoping to get it going again very soon.

It is not a project that I would recommend as an cost-savings way to get a good guitar. By the time you purchase the necessary tools, even the bare minimum required, you will have made a fairly big investment in materials. Add to that the time spent in building, and you could just as easily get a second job flipping burgers and purchase a custom built guitar from a master luthier. Seriously.

OTOH, if you enjoy woodworking or think you might, and especially if you already have some woodworking tools, then I give it a hearty thumbs up. It was and is a father-son project for me. My dad has a lot of carpentry experience (his father and grandfather were carpenters), and a lot of woodworking tools, whereas I had the guitar background. We took our time gluing stuff together and the sound box came out great IMHO. Attaching the neck to the body is a challenge and that is where I am currently hung up. Doing the finish will be fun too. *looks at ceiling*

I recommend that if you decide to go for it, then get a kit with a mortise and tenon joint at the neck. The Stew-Mac kits appear at least as good as the Martin kits, if not better, and by all accounts their instructions are more thorough. There are many books to help you. The first two or three on this list are probably the best to start with.

Another thing that I heartily recommend is to find a person nearby who is into guitar building. All the books in the world can't substitute for some one-on-one advice now and then. And, they may allow you to use or borrow certain tools that are (1) expensive and (2) rarely used, such as a fret press. (And if you're in Kentucky you can certainly use mine.)

Some builders use a mold, others don't. I found a mold to be very helpful, yet building the mold was the single biggest pain in the arse of the whole project (so far). I subsequently purchased another mold

online for my next project and I was very happy with the product and the price was more than reasonable to me, knowing how much effort it took to build one before.

May 24th, 2006, 11:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	Ever try the Martin "build your own" kit? Don't know how long they've even been around, but Martin sells them direct, it looks like... MFriend also sells em, but they're back ordered. A solid top, back, and sides for under $500 sounds cool. How hard are they to complete? I'll probably give it a shot soon.

May 25th, 2006, 02:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
Durango Twango Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 191	Building an acoustic right isn't the quickest thing in the world. Biggest issue will be getting things glued up straight (no small task even with pre-bent sides etc). For best results it's still best to have forms to hold the guitar in shape while you're gluing and they are VERY expensive to buy and not that easy to make. And in the end, you put all that work into it and there's no guaranty it'll sound good. If you want to learn how to build acoustics, then these kits are great, but if you want to get a great guitar for less money, probably not a sure-fire way to do so. __________________ "People don't know what they want, so they want what they know."

May 25th, 2006, 03:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
Big Mike Simpson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ (PHX) Age: 52 Posts: 1,545 62 Photos	Join the Musical Instrument Makers Forum and everything you need to know is in the "library" (you have to join to see it)... or just lurk there a while... http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX Here is a Martin vs Stewmac kit discussion http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX?50@...aJ.1@.1dcf6c1b I built my own Tricone (no kit)... Here it is before the body was plated. (I bought the cover plate and tailpiece) __________________ http://www.myspace.com/bigmikesimpson

May 25th, 2006, 05:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
Durango Twango Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 191	Wow, I am REALLY impressed with that tricone. I've built acustic and electrics and grew up in my dad's blacksmith shop (not a hobby, it's what he did for a living). I know just enough about working sheet metal to say that I don't know enough abouut working sheet metal to pull THAT off THAT well. Beautifull guitar, congradulations. There's just something about them resonators... __________________ "People don't know what they want, so they want what they know."

May 25th, 2006, 06:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
Telecaster65 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cisano sul Neva (Savona) NW Italy Age: 43 Posts: 840	I'm in a StewMac Triple0 affaire and I love the detail they've placed in the instruction manual and the tape. Lot of precision and machine job is done, their assistance is great and materials are top notch. I guess Martin too are high end kits but sure you don't get the same amount of building instruction. JMHO, I haven't seen a Martin kit so far... __________________ Sleep tight, my child, sleep well For I'll be at your side That no shadow, no darkness, no tolling bell, Shall pierce your dreams this night

May 25th, 2006, 06:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	I'm one of those guys (especially lately) that thinks nearly anything is possible. I didn't think I could even build a lowly Champ, now I'm building amps left and right (although I still don't even know half of what I'd like to about the subject). Besides afterall, SOME HUMAN BEINGS build acoustic guitars in the real world already hehe :) I'd love to build an acoustic, but I think I lack the time after considering everything... I'll end up buying one since I need one semi-soon. Great tricone by the way!

July 12th, 2006, 08:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
Alex W Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kentucky Age: 40 Posts: 284	martin kit I have a not-quite-finished Martin D-18 kit. I started it years ago and then it got put on the back burner. I'm hoping to get it going again very soon. It is not a project that I would recommend as an cost-savings way to get a good guitar. By the time you purchase the necessary tools, even the bare minimum required, you will have made a fairly big investment in materials. Add to that the time spent in building, and you could just as easily get a second job flipping burgers and purchase a custom built guitar from a master luthier. Seriously. OTOH, if you enjoy woodworking or think you might, and especially if you already have some woodworking tools, then I give it a hearty thumbs up. It was and is a father-son project for me. My dad has a lot of carpentry experience (his father and grandfather were carpenters), and a lot of woodworking tools, whereas I had the guitar background. We took our time gluing stuff together and the sound box came out great IMHO. Attaching the neck to the body is a challenge and that is where I am currently hung up. Doing the finish will be fun too. looks at ceiling I recommend that if you decide to go for it, then get a kit with a mortise and tenon joint at the neck. The Stew-Mac kits appear at least as good as the Martin kits, if not better, and by all accounts their instructions are more thorough. There are many books to help you. The first two or three on this list are probably the best to start with. Another thing that I heartily recommend is to find a person nearby who is into guitar building. All the books in the world can't substitute for some one-on-one advice now and then. And, they may allow you to use or borrow certain tools that are (1) expensive and (2) rarely used, such as a fret press. (And if you're in Kentucky you can certainly use mine.) Some builders use a mold, others don't. I found a mold to be very helpful, yet building the mold was the single biggest pain in the arse of the whole project (so far). I subsequently purchased another mold online for my next project and I was very happy with the product and the price was more than reasonable to me, knowing how much effort it took to build one before.