[.ca] Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete ... (ISBN 0811806405)

Not a good manual for the new luthier.:
This book was recommended to me by a luthier who had built several quitars. I am in the process of building my first guitar and find the book to be missing many critical details and having several dimmension errors and typo's (All are corrected on Cumpiano's web site). There are some diagrams and pictures, but not nearly enough. The pictures that are there are very dark, black and white pics that are hard to see clearly. Some of the techniques are very out of date and I have found much better material on the web. I have found much simpler construction methods from a manual for a guitar kit from an Ohio luthier supply company that I downloaded for free. I would recommend this book only for those interested in the history of guitar making or would like an additional reference. THIS IS NOT A GOOD STEP BY STEP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR CONSTRUCTING A GUITAR.

Very detailed and concise:
This is an excellent addition to any luthier's library. It is very well laid out, and really does an outstanding job of taking the reader from raw materials, to a finished and playable guitar... how well it plays depends on the reader's patience, attention to detail, and perserverance. With the direction given in this book, it is very possible to construct what I would call a "life guitar". On Cumpiano's website, there is a much simpler method of attaching the steel string neck to the body than the method described in the book. Other than that, happy "luthie-ing"! (Is that a word?)

Highly recommended:
I live in Ukraine, a country not known for its prosperity. When I ordered this book back in 1999 (from other online source, actually), the order cost me about my whole month salary, together with shipping expenses. When I received it, I obviously tended to be rather critical. Frankly, I was disappointed by monochrome photos in the book at first ;) That was before I tried to build my first guitar... Now, 5 years later after the purchase, I keep looking into this book and find many invaluable subtle things that are very important for success. The material is explained in a very clear manner (English is not my mother tongue, by the way) and I appreciated the fact that the authors show how to get away with basic simple tools to build fine instruments. I'm not a super reviewer, but I really love this book (it isn't the only book on guitar making in my collection, so I could do some comparison). I agree, this book is a Bible on guitar making.

Good Book:
The book is comprehensive and very well written.

Fantastic Book!! A veritable Bible of Guitar Making:
I built my first guitar using The Cumpiano/Natleson Book and am currently finishing my 5th guitar. I have read other books, read articles by other luthiers and devoured Luthier Journals. There is nothing that comes close to a definitive, no nonsense approach to the art of guitar building. I have found that there is a tremendous amount of myth and misinformation on the market and some of it is promoted by guitar magazines, professional musicians and amatuer luthiers. What Cumpiano presents in his book is the result of 30 years of experience. He knows what works and what doesn't. If you want conjecture on how to change sound, tap tones, sound hole size and a lot of other misconceptions you won't get it from William or his book. What you will get is a well described plan to building a great guitar- A plan based on knowledge and experience- not conjecture. I highly recommend this book. They wrote the book because there was nothing out there and a definite need. I am very grateful they took on such a formidable task. I was inspired enough by Williams book to take his excellent class. Check out his web. site.