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Frank Clark Guitars

The Building Process

Materials and Techniques

THE PLAN DESIGN: The first stage of the process is the design of the guitar. Like all serious luthiers, I have studied the plans of dozens of the great master builders. From these I have learned size, shape, and bracing patterns, and I have discovered a few variations I use to get the sound I want.

Here I'm looking over a plan of a flamenco guitar by Marcelo Barbero

MATERIALS: It should go without saying that the quality of the materials is important to making a good guitar. I use only well-dried and cured wood. My tops are spruce and western red cedar. The backs and sides, matched for color and grain, are generally Indian rosewood, and my fingerboards are ebony.

Checking that the top joint is solid

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This site last edited in May, 2007.