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Permalink Reply by Jeff 'Bones' Reilly on April 29, 2018 at 9:13pm

Hi Blue bird j that’s a hard question to answer some build a guitty in 1 to 3 hrs some go a few more hrs like 7 to 10 hr me I like to take my time around 20 to 50 hrs depending on thyme and the set up your going for there are builders that take even longer to creat there art , it’s like a piece of string story I guess hope that helps I know there’s going to be more answers coming just enjoy what ever time it takes .

Regards Jeff 

in the pics the first 2 Teapot build from start to finish 43 . 5 hrs spent last pic tha Dantes took 21 hrs .

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Permalink Reply by Mike Willmouth on April 30, 2018 at 1:17am

My last build I attempted to keep track of my build hours.  It was a Chicken Water Pan Resonator, so it took a little longer than normal because I reinforced the box more.  Anyhow, I ended up recording 26 1/2 hours on it.  I also know there were times that I didn't write down because I was doing some other things, which led me to do some work on it (mostly little things).  I would say that my build prior to that took at least 20 + hours (yellow DonThomas guild).  Most of my time is spent on neck work and finish.  

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Permalink Reply by Groucho on April 30, 2018 at 3:05am

Most of my "build time" hours are spent overthinking things.

It once took me 2 hours to make a "20-minute diddley bow".  It was the fastest build I ever made, but it sounds great.

Here's a link to the how to video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M18A7xLQZsY

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Permalink Reply by JL on May 1, 2018 at 5:43am

same, 3 to 1 ratio (on a good day) staring at it and overthinking things...lol

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Permalink Reply by sparky37 on April 30, 2018 at 5:34pm

Know your skill level. Pick a style of building a guitar within your skill level and access of tools. Assemble everything you need before you start. The guitar you build only has to please you and it don't have to be prefect. Have a plan even if it is only a doodle on a sheet of paper. It is ok to take your time and enjoy the time building your guitar. And the most important tip is know where the saw blade is and your fingers are at all times. Happy building!

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on May 1, 2018 at 1:14am

For me it varies slightly, but generally to build a CBG it takes me somewhere between 6 hours and 30 days.  :D

But I travel for work. Sometimes I can bring materials and tools with me and build instruments in my hotel room. Other times I have to wait until I'm home for a weekend and squeeze in some build time between items on my honey-do list. But it's all time well spent and I enjoy it.

So my answer is it takes as long as it takes... and not a moment longer.  : )

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 1, 2018 at 1:45am

Do an Uncle Crow style build (Search it), and you have a playable 3-string acoustic in under an hour. One string electrified Jack White diddley bow (“It Might Get Loud”) will take you about 5 minutes...

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on May 1, 2018 at 6:20am

There are a lot of things that rob you of time in building, changes in direction, mess ups etc can really draw it out, the physical part of building is pretty time frugal, and progressive, probably the easiest way to cut it down is to plan, and work to a structured pattern, but sometimes it's pretty fulfilling to wing it, curse a bit, and iron the wrinkles out as you go, the results can vary from depression to hallelujah, part of the fun, unless you are doing it commercially, that,s a whole other tale

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on May 1, 2018 at 12:20pm

I have averaged one every two or three months. I work in fairly short spurts whenever I can. I usually try something new each time which adds time for pondering, planning and some winging it. For me that is a big part of the fun along with the surprise of the first strum.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on May 3, 2018 at 3:37am

I usually allow about 20 hours for one CBG. This is actually longer than it used to take since I'm now using more and more non powered hand tools. If I do need to hurry for a craft show or because a customer wants it now, I go back to using a router with a roundover bit to shape the neck and a drill press for the tuning gear holes. That cuts it down to about 10 hours. If I wasn't so doggone picky about sanding and finishing I could probably get it down to 6 hours but I've never tried or wanted to build them fast. 

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Permalink Reply by bizzaro guitaro on May 3, 2018 at 7:19am

Well Blue Bird, with me it’s not how long it takes to build one as much as it is how much time I spend taking it apart to tweek it.  Especially when using a piezo pup. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it ain’t. I gave up trying to figure how many hours I spent on a build. It doesn’t matter,as long as it sounds the way you want it to. I have cbg’s I built 5 years ago I still mess with. It’s a learning thing. Don’t be afraid to take em’ apart. It made me a better builder. Plus pay attention to what other builders have to say. There are some real good ones here and they aren’t afraid to share info. I have learned a lot from some of them. But remember, if you aren’t satisfied with  something most likely no one else  will be either.  Enjoy your builds.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Jordan on May 3, 2018 at 8:56am

I build'em one at a time, but mostly just plain Jane builds. I used to say it takes 3 hours, but now i'd say 2 hours to build a fretted box. That does not include drying time for the glue or shellac, but I can still get one, glued, shellac'd and playable in 2 hours, maybe using an extra screw or letting string tension hold the whole thing together.,.,.,

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