Product Description

The definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most talented luthiers of the twentieth century. Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through to marketing your finished work. Includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and materials listed; a list of serial numbers for Benedetto guitars; full-color plates featuring the author's models; photos from the author's personal scrapbook of players who endorse his guitars; and fold-out templates for construction. 8-1/2 inch. x 11 inch..

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186706 in Books
• Published on: 1996-01-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 279 pages

Customer Reviews

All the information you need to make an archtop guitar
I have now read this bock twice through since receiving it and feel confident that it provides the building blocks to start my (your) own journey into building archtop guitars. The chapters are concise focusing on the fundamentals of each element of the building process from wood selection to top and back shaping, side bending neck construction and finishing. I am about to embark on my first archtop guitar and after reading Robert's book I feel confident to do so.

Making an Archtop Guitar
This is an excellent book for someone who has the experience or motivation to build this difficult instrument. It isn't for somebody who has no woodworking experience or who doesn't have the desire to search out additional information and techniques. There is no book which covers every method and every step in building something as difficult as a carved musical instrument.

The pictures are exceptional and can give much more information than pages of text. There are skimpy areas, but the book would be 1000 pages if everything Benedetto knew where written down.

I've read books on building guitars, violins and carved mandolins...this is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. Many mandolin builders read it to help them with that instrument.

You can do no better, but will have to find additional information on the web, in other books and from experienced woodworkers.

very useful book
I have built an archtop guitar based on this book, the book is full of useful tips and information. Without it my guitar project would probably not have been possible.