How Acoustic Guitars are Made
Most of us have attempted to play a guitar at some point, but while you may be able to strum a G chord, you might not know what goes into crafting the instrument. If you’re curious about how acoustic guitars are made, read on to gain an understanding of the general process.
Materials
The initial stage in crafting an acoustic guitar involves selecting the materials. For the sides and back of the guitar, instrument makers prefer Brazilian rosewood because of the high sound quality it produces. Cheaper guitars use other woods like maple, mahogany, or ash. The guitar’s top face is ideally made of Alpine or American Sika spruce, but lesser-performing materials like redwood or cedar are also viable options.
The neck is usually made of mahogany or maple, which will not bend out of shape under the pressure of the taut strings. The fretboard is made of ebony in higher-end guitars and rosewood in cheaper ones.
Faces of the Body
The top face of the guitar is perhaps the largest determiner of its sound. Therefore, the wood is carefully bookmatched and strutted. Bookmatching is a technique that results in a symmetrical piece of wood by cutting a block along its height to produce two identical thinner pieces of wood. These pieces have the same dimensions as the original block and are glued side-by-side to create symmetry.
After this, the instrument maker carries out the process of strutting, wherein wood braces are glued onto the back of the body’s front face. These braces reinforce the face by controlling its vibration. The guitar’s back follows the same process as the front, with differently patterned strutting.
Sides of the Body
To form the guitar’s curvature, strips of wood are cut to specifications, then placed in water to soften them. Afterward, instrument makers clamp those strips in molds to curve them into the right shape. Additional wood is glued to the interior of the side pieces to hold them together.
With the sides fully formed, the craftsman unites them with the back and top faces using end blocks located at the body’s bottom and around where the neck meets the body at the top. The sides can now be cut into the shape of the final product.
Neck and Fretboard
The neck is carved from a singular wood piece, reinforced with a rod set inside it. The neck is sanded to produce a smooth surface before the fretboard is attached. Lines are cut into the fretboard where steel frets are then placed. Some guitars include unique patterns inlaid on the fretboard, which are made before the frets are put down. Typically, people create these patterns by hand; however, instrument makers can also use CNC technology to make their designs come to life. Once finished, the neck is joined with the body.
Finally, the finishing touches are added. Though put in last, these components are pivotal to the functioning of the guitar. They include the bridge and saddle and the nut, all of which hold the strings in the correct position from the body to the end of the neck. The tuning pegs and capstans are also affixed at this point. With the acoustic guitar now complete, the instrument maker strings and tests it before sending it on its way.
