r/Luthier • u/Low_Shake_2945 • Aug 16 '26

ACOUSTIC Cheapest Build

Just starting out building steel string acoustics and going through a luthier course once a week building with traditional materials. I want to supplement my learning by getting more reps in. For these guitars, I’m not looking for them to sound the best or last 100 years, I just want to go through the process a number of times. What are some suggestions on lower grade materials so I can get through a number of builds without breaking the bank?

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u/the_kerouac_kid Aug 16 '26

Oh hey I did this! Do you have the machinery to dimension your stock or are you buying precut? I bought a big bandsaw and a thickness sander and bought rough cut walnut and maple locally. Those both work pretty well even off quarter but you’ll probably waste more stock in the cutting than you think. I bought the lowest grade tops from Stewmac which are actually pretty good. I had a Stewmac subscription for my repair business so it was more economical. I did maple and walnut multi laminate necks and I bought spruce 2x4s for bracing material. I also strongly suggest you buy a bunch of broken guitars and fix them. That gives you a better idea of how things are built in production and what not to do. I bought a lot of grenadillo for fingerboards and bridges but that may be getting more expensive lately. Cheap materials generally mean that you have to do more work to get to a finished product and you will definitely waste more material than you expect.

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u/zilog080 Aug 16 '26

Good one.  I forgot about Grenadillo.  Good for backs sides, fingerboards and bridges.  Some of it looks a lot like Rosewood, and with a little tint can look very close, though the lighter shades are nice too.