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Dreadnought Guitar Kit
Assembly instructions
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IN THIS ARTICLE
• Recommended parts and tools
• Braces and side assembly
• Routing and binding
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• Finishing
• Final assembly and setup
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i-5295
Updated 06/09
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You are about to build a truly great guitar! We designed this acoustic kit with the small shop builder and a modest tool budget in mind, with the exception of a few specialty guitar making tools.
Please read these instructions before building your guitar. They were written to include all variations of our Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Kit. Options include dovetail or bolt-on neck, and back and side woods of either mahogany or rosewood.
Throughout the assembly of the kit you'll need a flat workboard of 3/4" plywood approximately 24" long and 20" wide, big enough for your guitar's body assembly.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
This list is also provided in the PDF download, above.
The following tools and supplies are recommended to assemble your kit. Though all of these tools aren't necessary to build your kit, they make many assembly steps easier and more professional. Tools available here at Stewart-MacDonald are linked for more information.
Tools
Tools for Binding Installation
You have a couple of different options to choose from depending on the tools you already own. If you plan on using a laminate trimmer or router for binding channels, we suggest our Binding Router Bit Set. It is our preferred method. If you plan on routing your binding channels with a Dremel tool, our Precision Router Set ships with everything you will need.
Supplies
Finishing Materials (for aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer finish)
Our easy-to-apply ColorTone Essential Finishing Kit is a great choice for the first-time instrument maker. It's everything you need to complete a basic finish, plus it includes very informative Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step book for free!
Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step book
Sandpaper/Finishing Paper Sampler
ColorTone Concentrated Liquid Stain — Tobacco Brown and Red Mahogany
ColorTone Waterbase Grain Filler — Medium Brown
ColorTone Aerosol Guitar Lacquer — Clear Gloss (4 to 6 cans)
Black superglue or Black Epoxy
Blush Eraser
Stewart-MacDonald Polishing Compound — Medium, Fine and Swirl Remover (optional)
Foam Polishing Pads for your 1/4" electric hand drill (2 or 3)
Naphtha solvent
Paint stripper
Masking supplies: brown paper, masking tape, cardboard and rubber balloon (or newspaper) for soundhole
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Dreadnought Guitar Kit
Cam Clamps
Essential Fretting Tool Kit
ColorTone Essential Finishing Kit
Waverly Guitar Machines with Vintage-style Knob
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