Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece.
Review: THE BEST reference on guitarmaking bar none. Really is. Detailed, thorough, and easy to follow. How I wish all such books could be written is such fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: The book is comprehensive and very well written.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a must-have book for beginning luthiers
Review: The instructions in this book are well-thought out and very precise. I built the steel string neck in two days. It came out great. The step-by-step instructions left nothing to the imagination. Every step is explained in detail. The authors even go so far as to anticipate your trouble areas and go to extra lengths to pinpoint them and give remedy. I am in the process of building the rest of the guitar, and judging from my experience with the book so far, I am sure I will have no problems. I am certainly glad these two artists decided to share their knowledge trough this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Zen of Guitar Construction
Review: There is a certain organic satisfaction to building a musical instrument that is lacking in many other woodworking experiences. Cumpiano and Natelson, in this book, prove themselves experts in the craft, history and teaching of the construction of acoustic guitars. Beyond that they also manage to convey the joy and sastisfaction that arises from the intangibles that accompany the process. This book takes you by the hand and accompanies you on a delightful new adventure. The emphasis is on the use of handtools and traditional, inexpensive and simple methods, which is refreshing in itself. They don't ignore the more sophisticated tool owner and discuss the use of power tools when appropriate. Beyond the mechanics of cutting everything away that doesn't look like a guitar, they discuss the sensuality of the experience. Their description of the feel of the wood as you steam bend the sides of the guitar is compelling and as irresistable as the process itself, and could only be written by craftsmen that are passionate about their art. The book manages to be much more than just a detailed instruction manual. My copy of this fantastic book is now adorned with streaks of aliphatic resin glue and rosewood shavings I'm certain the authors would approve of the adornment.
Rating:
Summary: "if you had to have just one book on guitar building....."
Review: This book is worthy of placing on your coffee table as well as on the workbench! It will carefully guide you through the entire, daunting process of building a guitar. I am half-way through building my first and so far, so good.I have found that, for myself, some of the cautions and warnings in carrying out some of the operations in the book were a little overstated - but better safe than sorry. However, there is an IMMENSE amount of detail presented in each procedure and it MUST be read and re-read very carefully (especially the section on neck construction). Also, pay attention to size of the material ordered from places like LMI (Luthiers Mercantile Incorporated). The neck blank comes thicker than needed and you need to thin it down. I found myself thinking information was left out of several sections, but discovered that I had overlooked it in my haste. Several parts used in the process are hard to find, such as the truss-rod nut. You need to be resourceful in locating things (at times, it feels like I'm on a scavenger hunt driving around town for stuff). Finally, I recommend also purchasing Irving Sloane's book on steel-string construction. It will help you clarify some aspects of building by approaching things from a slightly different angle. It is not as detailed, but it gives a slightly better overview of the process than the subject book. It shows how to make some tools - fun! Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Dated but excelent
Review: This book was a huge inspiration when it first came out about 15 years ago. Sadly they haven't updated it, and nobody has published a better book built on this one's foundation. This has probably been fifteen years of the most rapid change in lutherie. When I finally got around to building guitars, I hardly cracked open this book, there wasn't anything in it of importance to what I would do. The more modern resources were hugely abundant and mostly free. The book also hops back and forth between classical and steel string guitars. I would not buy this book to build a classical guitar. There just isn't any of the pertinent modern or old school information between these pages. You have to root around to get the modern stuff, and either a measured drawing, or Masterpiece Guitars would be the best way to get started on the classicals. The kind of thing you really do to build a good guitar is: There is a lot of interest in Tores classicals, and Hauser. For Hauser you get Jeff Elliot's detailed plan and articles from back issues of American Lutherie. If one was interested in Torres, one could get the great book on the man and his guitars by Jose Romanillos. Romanillos and Elliot have also given the key specifics on the exact features of a tores guitar that make them work, particularly with modern strings. It's actually easier to get going as a beginner or an advanced student, from the magazines and the web. Not true of all craft, but it's true here. The modern steel string is also not represented in this book, there is a ton of interest in Concert planforms, acoustic electric guitars, jigging manufacture (both amateur and pro), different types of guitar for rhythm vs. say fingerstyle, performance bracing, and so forth. Most informed consumers would make these kinds of choices when buying a guitar, but non of them are covered here as points of departure for a builder. It takes some skill (it seems like everyone is doing it) to make a guitar, but it doesn't require any more skill to start making the right guitar. But you won't get that from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good manual for the new luthier.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent work on guitarmaking
Review: This is a detailed, step-by-step work on building a steel-string and a classical guitar, with very good professional photos and drawings. It is written in a manner that assumes a bit of experience, but takes the time to explain principles and procedures fully in every case. If you are planning to build a guitar for the first time, you'll want this one. It's worth all the tools in your shop.
Rating:
Summary: I've finally found it all in one book.
Review: This is it folks, this is the bible of flattop guitar-making. Nothing is left out. I knew the making of an acoustic guitar would be an involved and complex process, but until reading this, I had no idea. If you think you may want to get into guitar-building, this book will let you know the level of committment it will take. It will weed out the wannabees, and excite the serious.
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