Do you know companies like Warmoth but for Acoustic guitars

[justus2023]

basically looking for something similar to Lakewood or Hsienmo - where you can configure the guitar yourself at an affordable price (preferably in Asia).

Of the two above mentioned - I never liked the Lakewood sound and Hsienmo offers cantilevered necks only.

Thanks

example of Hsienmos site

 

[Freeman Keller]

Basically that is what you do with a custom builder. Spec the parts and woods and shape and size that you want, leave construction decisions to the luthier, pay the price.

I'll add that a few years ago the big deal for affordable custom guitars were several builders in Viet Nam. Haven't heard much about them lately. A big problem some folks had was that the guitars were built in relatively high humidity and weren't happy when they were brought to the US or Europe

 

[justus2023]

@Freeman Keller - there must be more affordable options, particularly in Asia
or put differently I am looking for a "partscaster" acoustic instead of a "custom shop"

 

[Freeman Keller]

Acoustic guitars don't lend themselves to the assembly of parts. The body is built and braced based on the eventual string tension, neck are set to the body geometry, bridges located with respect to the neck. I build guitars and each one is completely custom.

 

[mandoloony]

Yup. Partscasters are largely built around standard sizes and shapes created by Fender, Gibson, and a few other companies. That's why you can assemble a Fender neck and Gibson humbuckers with a Warmoth body. But acoustic neck joints have no such standard dimensions; you can't put a Martin neck on a Taylor body without some additional surgery. You could create your own standard, but it wouldn't be immediately compatible with lots of other companies' products.

 

[Peegoo]

Warmoth makes parts to Fender specs (neck pocket, etc.) and it all works great because of Leo Fender's genius for modular construction.

Acoustic guitars are not modular--even those with bolt-on necks. Pretty much everything needs to be hand fitted because once it's assembled the entire guitar gets masked and finished.

Really the closest you can get would be to buy parts from a company like LMI used to be: top, back, sides, braces, neck, fingerboard, etc., and assemble it yourself. Another option is a kit from a company like Stooge Mac. Options here are limited, but it's a fantastic way to get familiar with how these things are built.

 

[justus2023]

thanks everyone.

I researched building one myself month ago and decided with material and tool cost as well as lack of experience/practice it would not be worth it. Even though you can buy everything in every stage of production - thicknessed and pre bend sides, joint soundboard, etc. - routing the rosette and binding channel is something I would not want to try without proper practice (and quite expensive tools). Radiusing top/back and braces. Shaping and glueing the braces. Fitting the neck and the bridge - getting the neck angle right. Too much that can go wrong for someone who has never build an acoustic guitar. Tempting though when you look at the prices for Brazilian Rosewood Back and sides tonewood vs what a builder wood charge for using those.

They are "partscasters" for the most part I would argue. Standardized body shapes and scale length (determines Fret distances and bridge position), Dovetail or Mortise and Tenon Neck joint (maybe bolt on - not too much variety here).
X-Bracing for Martin is always an X consisting of the same number of braces in roughly the same pattern (whether these are moved forward or backward, Scalloped or not, Spruce or Adirondack material, etc). The Anatomy is pretty standardized for all these guitars.

Forgot to mention: looking for vintage Martin sound as well as Lowden (dont care about all those modern custom builders with their own shapes and no so commonly used tonewoods).

@peego You can not just put a Gibon Neck on a strat body, you can not even put a telecaster neck on strat body.

There most be more builders like the ones mentioned above - that is what I am looking for.

Say you choose the OM model (that dictates body shape and thickness, bridge position, bracing etc.)
You go for the shorter scale and get an 000. You choose nut width, neck profile, neck construction etc.
Basically a custom guitar, done mostly with CNC and assembled by skilled workers in a country with low labour cost.

Some of you might disagree but I would not be willing to buy from an American builder who is using CNC a lot (and more and more do) while still charging hand-build prices (all of them do - must pay for those pricey CNC machines).

I would go with Hsienmo where I could get an Adirondack/Madagascar RW 000 for about 2k but that cantilevered neck is not what I am looking for. (it would eliminate the need for a possible neck reset in the future though).

 

[justus2023]

for those who might not know this is what Martin kit looks like

 

[justus2023]

my parts list from Luthiers Mercantile (too bad they will stop operations)

 

[dogmeat]

Acoustic Guitar Kits for DIY Building - StewMac

Build your own acoustic guitar with our all-in-one kits. Crafted for great tone and an enjoyable build, and backed by our StewMac Lifetime Promise.

www.stewmac.com

 

[Freeman Keller]

I'm not going to argue with you, you seem convinced that someone out there is doing what you want, its just a matter of finding them. As I said before, I build guitars, mostly for myself but a few have ended up with friends. Either way I start by listing the parameters I want - what style of guitar will it be which sort of dictates body size and shape. I'll select the woods - often its in my little stash already. If I'm building for someone they get to dig thru the pile. I like to build guitars that fit available cases which mostly means traditional sizes and shapes. An important choice is everything to do with the neck - scale, width, radius, head design, fretboard, frets, yadda yadda. Again if I'm building for someone I ask them to bring me a guitar whose neck they really like - I can copy it. I ask them to play for me, its a good perspective.

The stiffness of the top wood along with scale and body size will determine the basic brace layout and location of the bridge. Steel string guitar I brace in the traditional Martin style but I do scallop and shave brace depending on the top. I do dovetails or bolted M&T joints depending on the need of the guitar, double acting truss rods unless there is a better choice. We've already worked out the trim details - rosette and binding and inlays and contrasting woods and all that stuff. I only finish in lacquer for steel strings and French polish for classical

Here is a western red cedar over cocobolo OM on the left and my first guitar, a 12 fret triple ought build from a kit. The 000 is bear claw sitka over EIR and in spite of the fact that it is almost 20 years old I still play it regularly

I do wish you luck finding your dream guitar and hope that when you do you will share it and the process with us.

 

[justus2023]

@Freeman Keller - that amp cab is gorgeous

my dream guitars would be a short scale Golden Era Martin D28 with a thin neck and 1 3/4 nut width
and a short scale Lowden F25 with a thin neck and 1 3/4 nut width.

Could get those from Martin and Lowden probably but for that amount I would rather travel across the world or buy a used car.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Shameless show off picture. The amp is a kit from a company in Great Britain, sitting on top is a spring reverb. Both cabinets are oak, I got to practice my furniture making. A couple of tele clones in front.




Back to your question. A short scale dread would be a comple custom. Assuming you want 14 frets clear that would move the bridge towards the neck, which either moves the braces or changes their angle. You still want the bridge wings to sit over the arms of the X. The sound hole might move, I would have to lay that out.

Wider nut is pretty easy, more and more makers are going that direction. Wider nut often means wider spacing at the bridge, a minor change but still a change. Martin has a number of different neck profiles nowdays, I'm sure you could find something you like.

You could also build it as a 12 fretter which mover things even more or a slope shoulder which changes the shape. All are wonder possibilities, I played a sloped shoulder Santa Cruz the other night that was simply stunning.

If you are building a golden era replica you'll be duplicating that bracing which might mean no popsicle brace. Martin did use hide glue on the Authentics, you might want to spec that.

So yes lots of great choices, but unfortunately it just doesn't lend itself to assembling parts.

 

[justus2023]

@Freeman Keller
thanks again. Browsed the Martin custom build options - they upcharge 1250$ for Hide glue.
I got a good primer on all types of traditionally used glues on @preebs 1959 LP build thread.
Then you have to decide on all the Truss Rod options - without, Ebony, fixed, etc.

I prefer sloped shoulder Dreads sonically but not optically.

My Tacoma ER22C for example is the perfect guitar except for the scale length. They were the best value ever - all solid woods (Cedar, IR), one piece QS slim, satin finished Mahogany Neck, real blind fret ends, hand-build in the US - then Fender bought the company and killed it.

Hsienmo replied quickly to my first inquiry but I haven't heard from them when I asked about bridge string spacing, fretboard radius which is nowhere mentioned.

Perhaps down the road I will think about building one myself again.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Acoustic guitars don't lend themselves to the assembly of parts. The body is built and braced based on the eventual string tension, neck are set to the body geometry, bridges located with respect to the neck. I build guitars and each one is completely custom.

Right. A Taylor-spec neck won't fit Gibson-spec body. A Gibson-spec body won't accommodate a Guild-spec top. A Guild-spec bracing pattern won't help a Taylor-spec bridge plate.

The closest thing you'll find are kit guitars — a box of parts to assemble yourself. But they don't give you the choices as you're looking for. Maybe cutaway versus standard shape, but not much more than that.

So the answer is no. You can't build a partsdread or a partsOM the way you can build a partscaster. Freeman is exactly right. If you want to configure a guitar to your own specs, find a luthier whose guitars you like, hand over your spec sheet, and stand back.

If your budget is limited, find one who's just breaking into the business. You'll be doing each other a favor. (A friend of mine owns Bourgeois #3. Will he ever part with it? Not on a bet!)

 

[teletail]

for those who might not know this is what Martin kit looks like

View attachment 1172877

If you buy more than one kit, don't get the parts mixed up!!