required.  They almost never discuss jigs in any considerable way, and they certainly never talk about how to design and build your own tools and jigs.  That's what makes this book such a gem, it covers this area broadly and in great detail, and you won't find this depth of coverage in any other book.

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The book contains seven chapters, all laid out in a straightforward and logical sequence.  All concepts are clearly explained,  almost all supported by photographs or drawings, as appropriate.  The first 33 pages, chapter one, explains how to make your own blanks - back and sides, bridge, neck and fretboard blanks, kerfing and so on, and suggests where you might purchase and how to judge and select your material, the appropriate tools to use and how to use them.  This first chapter also covers a number of ways of constructing the neck, as well as looking at how and why to consider making laminated necks.

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This first chapter is followed by 159 pages that cover exactly how to make and use a mind-boggling number of tools and jigs.  These run the full gamut from the admittedly small and trivial such as a sanding stick, through the more involved, such as cam clamps, right up to fifteen pages that detail exactly how to build your own electric bending iron.

 

In the third chapter you'll find a comprehensive list of tools useful for guitar making, with full descriptions and advice on how to make the most of each tool.  This chapter, as complete as all in this book, also covers topics such as an explanation of the different types of drill bits available, how to use cabinet scrapers, and more.

 

A little over halfway through the book, starting on page 225, you'll find chapter four: "Guitar Making Theory".  There is a lot of detail here and this is one chapter that certainly any reader, regardless of experience, will find some new insight and something of value.  There is comprehensive coverage of bracing, factors affecting volume, tapping for tone, the neck-to-body joint, custom scale lengths and much more.

 

With the theory very well covered in the preceding chapter, the next fifty-four pages talks about various guitar making methods.  Again, this isn't a book that purports to show you how to build a guitar from start to finish, but this chapter covers most of those areas that a new luthier might be unsure about, and those areas that most benefit from some experience.  Topics include making a bridge, installing binding and purfling as well as binding a fretboard, book matching the plates, gluing arched braces, making a truss rod, and so on.

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Chapter six is an introduction to inlay techniques and explains a wide range of inlay options as well as such considerations a how to make your own templates. Chapter seven is a healthy dose of tips and tricks, learned from experience and generously passed on to the reader.

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The final chapter is, appropriately, a discussion of a wide range of finishing options and techniques, such as Tru-Oil, Danish oil, varnish and shellac, with an explanation of why wood is finished, how to prepare an instrument for finishing, how to fill the grain, the use of test boards and so on.

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If you don't find something in this book that makes you a better luthier, it can only be because you haven't started reading it yet!  Highly recommended.