The back of the guitar is similar to the soundboard of the guitar. The major differences are in material (generally a hardwood), thickness, and bracing. I am using Indian rosewood for the back and sides of this guitar. The construction process is also similar to that of the soundboard, except that it is not as delicate since the wood is much harder.

The first step is to join the two slabs to make a perfect joint. One good test for fit is to hold up the two pieces together to a bright light source. Any imperfections in the joint will let light thru. I spent a good 3 hours joining the plates on this back to get a good joint. The planer I was using is not quite flat on the bottom, and it made the process challenging. I plan on investing in a better plane soon to make these kind of tasks more enjoyable.

Once the plates are well joined, I glued them together with a decorative center seam strip. This jig allows light pressure to be exerted across the entire span of the joint.


The outline of the back is cut slightly large, and now it ready to be planed down to thickness.




Next: Assembly

Construction