Constructing a Solid-Body Guitar: A Complete Technical Guide [Plastic Comb]

Roger H. Siminoff (Composer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1986

Whether you're a musician or a woodworking enthusiast, you'll thoroughly enjoy Roger Siminoff's book, Constructing A Solid Body Guitar. This 64-page manual uses over 150 photos, several illustrations and four life-size blueprints to assist the reader in choosing the proper materials and tools, as well as using the correct skills and techniques to produce a beautiful handmade instrument that doesn't look handmade at all! Plastic-comb bound.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard (May 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881884510
• ISBN-13: 978-0881884517
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There is only one word to discribe this text "Vague", November 9, 1999

By 

MJM Guitars (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constructing a Solid-Body Guitar: A Complete Technical Guide (Plastic Comb)

In search for information on my hobby, guitar construction, I have run into this book. Compaired to other literature on the subject, this book is very shallow when it comes to variations in construction techniques, explinations on wood selection for bodies and necks, and techniques in finishing. The book basically explains how to build one guitar, which happens to be a generic undersized version of a Les Paul. As for the construction of the neck and body, there is only one technique shown with no suggestions for verying the technique. In other words, if you are new to guitar construction and don't have tools like a table saw, bench top belt sander, router, horizontal drill press, etc..., you will probably construct a poorly sounding guitar. When the subject of wiring comes up, all you have is information on two wiring circuits, a single coil circuit and a double coil circuit. On a possitive note, the book does explain a little about every aspect of guitar construction, it tells you one way how, but not why.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For The Experienced Woodworker Only, April 9, 2002

By 

"mdvermette" (VA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constructing a Solid-Body Guitar: A Complete Technical Guide (Plastic Comb)

I'm starting my second electric guitar project, and so recently re-read my copy of this book.

Roger Siminoff gives a fine overview of solidbody electric guitar building, but glosses over some of the issues. For example, while much time is spent on showing how to do a handrubbed sunburst finish, the entire wiring and pickup installation steps take up merely a few paragraphs, and little if any space is given to instrument setup or adjustment - Tasks that some of Dan Erlewine's wonderful books take *entire chapters* to describe.

Also, it's clear that Roger's shop contains all of the heavy-duty tools (large drill press, planer-joiner, bench-mounted buffing wheel, etc) that a guitar or woodworking pro might have, but little or no explanation is given on how one without a shop full of industrial-strength woodworking gear might accomplish the same tasks. It's almost as if Siminoff knows how to build instruments so well that much of what a beginning instrument builder might like to know is second nature to him, and so got left out of the work.

Even with those caveats, this is a good overview of "from scratch" guitar construction - Siminoff writes in a simple, clear style, there are plenty of black-and-white photos of the crucial steps, and an added bonus are the full size plans for a Les Paul style guitar - Siminoff says in the book that he deliberately designed the body to be slightly narrower than a Gibson Les Paul so that the plan could be drawn to fit the book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but limited, November 19, 2001

By 

David Atkinson (Newburgh, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constructing a Solid-Body Guitar: A Complete Technical Guide (Plastic Comb)

A book which contains nice plans and outline for a single guitar project, but does not explain things well enough to allow the inexperienced reader to design their own guitar, except as a slight variation of the project included. Good to add to a wwodworking/guitar building library, but not the place to start if you are building your first guitar (I strongly recommend Hiscock's book for the neophyte electric lutier.)