A comprehensive text, the book is a step by step guide to both steel string and classical guitar construction.
Building the Ergonomic Guitar
Guitar Designs. Ergonomics. Guitar Making.
Roger Placer Improv on his Klein Guitar
Have a listen to guitarist Roger Placer improvising over a loop of his song “Red River, Blue Sky” which first appears in its entirety on his 2003 album “Solo Archipelago”. Roger is playing one of his main instruments – a chambered spruce Klein electric guitar. You’ve seen Roger featured before playing his other main guitar [...]
Crimson Guitars’ 05Ric Extended Range Bass
It’s taken two years of design but Ben from Crimson Guitars and extended range bassist 05Ric have collaborated to produce the extraordinary bass guitar you see here. Its beautifully minimalist appearance aside, the instrument contains several interesting features and design choices. Ergonomics – Shape, Weight and Balance The main motivations for the Klein inspired design [...]
Progress Pictures of the Shamray Guitar Neck
Having covered the Shamray guitar body, it’s now time to look at some of the steps in building the guitar neck. Here’s a good look at the wood that will make up the headstock, the fretboard and the 3 piece laminated neck: A laminate guitar neck is more dimensionally stable than a one piece neck. [...]
September 2007 Most Popular Posts
The “votes” are in and here are the most popular posts for the month of September broken out into two categories – most comments and most visits. Most Comments: 1. How to Design a Guitar in Four Easy Steps – My tongue in cheek take on the bit of silliness known as the Gibson Reverse [...]
Progress Pictures of the Shamray Guitar Body
Shamray Guitars was kind enough to share progress pictures of the Ovation Breadwinner style 12 string guitar we looked at in Shamray Guitars Reinterprets the Ovation Breadwinner. Let’s take a look at some of the steps in the building of the guitar body… The initial mockup: The sapele body blank: The plan drawing on the [...]
Canton Custom Guitars – Three New Models
Rick Canton of Canton Custom Guitars just informed me of three new headless guitars he’s building. Rick has this to say about his goals: My intention with these ergonomic models is to create a beautiful guitar that is natural feeling while held, and to provide an effortless playing experience for the musician. I’ll let Rick [...]
George Harlan Demos the Delta Wing Guitar
TYRANT21′s George Harlan demonstrates the unusual Delta Wing Guitar from Gary Kramer. Note how the Delta Wing’s leg rest and form contribute to improved balance when compared to the typical electric guitar. Also observe George’s neutral sitting position while playing. He can play the Delta Wing without having to bend over the guitar or raise [...]
Wood Identification & Use: A Review
Wood Identification and Use is an essential reference handbook on the nature of wood – including working properties, seasoning, figuring and wood toxicity. Does it surprise you that wood might be toxic? Alder, one of the most commonly used guitar body woods, can cause dermatitis, rhinitis, and bronchial problems in dust form. Mahogany, the other [...]
100 Posts and Counting!
This past Monday marked my 100th post on Building the Ergonomic Guitar – a small but significant milestone. I started this blog to document my first guitar project, note ideas around ergonomic design, discuss Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) and track guitar building related material. These subjects will always remain at its heart. Since then, I’ve [...]