By Jean-Pierre Laplante The laminated archtop guitar is a great-sounding instrument for lots of playing styles—look no further than Gibson for proof. Using pre-arched and pre-bent laminates from the suppliers listed in this book gives the first-time archtop builder a big head start. Luthier J.P. Laplante's new step-by-step book is a straightforward guide to all the other construction details. From sketching a plan to stringing up the finished guitar, the entire process is meticulously photographed with many modern work-saving tools shown in use. You'll even learn a few custom touches like how to make a wooden tailpiece, a fingerrest, and pickup mounting rings. 183 pages, softcover.
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Over 300 color photos capture the details of building three similar archtop guitars. Preview the book and watch the guitars being played in this video from J.P. Laplante.
From author J.P. Laplante:
"Building and archtop guitar can be a pretty intimidating project, but it becomes much less so if you have access to some kind of step-by-step, hands-on approach and this is what this book is all about—guiding you one step at a time throughout the process—from the very early planning stage to the very final setup.
"Using pressed laminate plates will save you a lot of time, and contrary to what some people would believe, they do not yield in anyway to inferior instruments. Most archtop players prefer to use laminated instruments for stage work as they're much more stable to seasonal changes and much less sensitive to feedback than carved instruments."
Contents in brief:
Chapter 1: The body mold • Using pre-arched laminates
Chapter 2: Using pre-bent sides • Constructing the rim
Chapter 3: Gluing the back to the sides
Chapter 4: Routing soundholes and pickup cavities
Chapter 5: Bracing the top
Chapter 6: Gluing the top to the sides
Chapter 7: Cutting the body mortise
Chapter 8: Adding pickup cutout "wings" and control holes
Chapter 9: Routing and installing body bindings
Chapter 10: Laminating a neck • Installing a truss rod • Cutting the tenon • Shaping and veneering the headstock • Drilling tuner holes • Making and fitting a fingerboard extension • Gluing a pre-slotted fingerboard • Binding the neck • Installing inlays • Installing frets • Shaping the back of the neck • Gluing the neck to the body
Chapter 11: Making a wooden tailpiece, pickup mounting rings and fingerrest
Chapter 12: Preparation for finishing • Fitting the bridge base
Chapter 13: Spray equipment • Spraying, sanding, coloring and buffing the finish • Dressing the frets
Chapter 14: Installing the pickups, controls and wiring
Chapter 15: Stringing and final setup
Photo Gallery of Laplante archtop guitars
Sources of supplies
183 pages, softcover, with over 300 color photographs
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