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Recommended reading for new builders

Posted by Kirby Amick on July 4, 2014 at 10:56am

I got interested in this by reading Music Factory by Mike Orr and I have used his wiring diagrams to create stomp boxes and built amp kits from cbgitty.  I would like to build guitars but live in a small apartment.

what are your favorite books for getting started ? 

thanks,  Kirby

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  • Clock The Wolf July 11, 2014 at 8:02pm

    http://www.gittyman.com/

  • Kirby Amick July 11, 2014 at 7:48pm

    Thanks guys.  I have handmade music factory and it is great. but I distinctly remember seeing an ad on the sidebar over there when I first joined of a member here that had a book and I can not remember anything about it.. it did look helpful though.. I remember there were some amps with wooden dowels for handles in the ad.. anybody know what I'm talking about or did I dream this ?

  • Darren Addy July 7, 2014 at 11:22am

    I'll second (or third or...)  the Mike Orr book. Not only is it inspirational, but it is a beautifully designed book (typographically, page layout, etc.). It is just wonderful - and it goes beyond CBGs. I also got the two Sutton books but like them less. Yes, it is nice to look at the pics but there is not a lot of detail or explanation for the beginner. I cared less about the people and more about the guitars. The "Obsession" book was a bit of a rip-off (IMHO) because it contains virtually all of the same guitars as the first book (plus some more).

    What I would like to see (and what I think builders NEED) is a book that truly dissects the design and building process - not showing it just from the outside, but also the inside, the wiring of any electronics, etc. I'd like to see articulated why certain design choices were made so one could visualize the options that are added (or taken off the table) based upon the higher priority decisions. 

    The guy I would like to see featured in a book is bairfoot cajun (Brian Romero). He seems to be one of the biggest experimenters (outside the cigar box thinkers) that I've seen. Yes, he is featured in the first Sutton book, but I'd like to see a whole bunch on him and what he has learned through his experiments.

  • robert jones July 5, 2014 at 8:14am

    Josh Gayou's free PDF book, Advanced Cigar Box Guitar Construction, is good.

  • TN Twang July 4, 2014 at 5:01pm

    Orr's and Sutton's books are great. They also make great gifts if you've got eccentric friends.

    For deep background, see also Wm. Jehle's self-published "One Man's Trash." It's really 4 books in one (as he says in the intro), but it's a fun read PLUS a bookshelf reference. Besides, as the man who coined the term "detritomusicology," Mr. Jehle sorta' owns the subject of CBGs.

  • Kirby Amick July 4, 2014 at 11:17am

    thanks for the comment.  I thought I had stumbled onto a thread here once with a member that has a nice book but can't recall the name... Kirby

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