The Art Of Lutherie With Tom Bills
The Art of Lutherie Podcast is your guide to mastering the art of guitar building. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced luthier, I’m here to help you build better guitars and deepen your creative process. I’m Tom Bills, a master luthier with 26+ years of experience crafting custom acoustic and archtop guitars. In each episode, I share practical insights, breaking down not just the “how” but the “why” behind techniques, so you can confidently create guitars that are uniquely yours. Explore more resources at theartoflutherie.com. Thank you for listening!
Episodes
Have you ever found yourself rushing through the guitar finishing process, eager to see the final result—only to end up facing frustration, soft finishes, or imperfections? In this podcast episode, I’m diving into the transformative power of "Cure Time"—not just as a technical approach to better guitar finishing, but as a principle that’s helped me create a more fulfilling journey in both the quality of my guitars and my life.
Stress and tension are vital parts of the guitar's design. After all, the tension of the strings is the engine that drives the whole system.
But sometimes, if we aren't aware of it, we build or design stress and tension into places or components of the guitar that can harm its long-term stability and sound quality.
In this video, I share my approach to improving your guitars and your workflow by spotting and managing tension and st...
Explore the new StewMac guitar side bending machine, how it compares to the older Fox Bender, and learn how to use it step-by-step.
👉Check out the new Stewmac side bender here: https://stewmac.sjv.io/AWvM6N
👉Learn more about the new Art Of Guitar Side Bending video course and join the waiting list here: https://theartoflutherie.com/guitar-side-bending/
👉Free Ultimate Guide To Luthier Tools: https://theartoflutherie.com/lut...
Check out my current picks for the best luthier tools. These are the tools that help me get more done, do higher quality work, and have more fun in the process. I hope this video helps you find some new top tools of your own to help you do your best guitar-building work in 2024 and beyond.
👉Free Ultimate Guide To Luthier Tools: https://theartoflutherie.com/luthier-tools/
👉TOOLS FROM THE VIDEO:
• Dog Leg Chisel Set: https://thea...
French Polishing Techniques: How to make and load the French Polishing pad and key techniques for applying a glossy and durable French Polish finish. It's the same system I use for my guitars (tbguitars.com) and that I teach in my online course: The Art Of French Polishing https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/ Links from the video: 👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook...
Learn my simple system and easy-to-remember formulas for making the perfect shellac for French Polishing. It's the same system I use for my guitars (tbguitars.com) and that I teach in my online course: The Art Of French Polishing https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
Links from the video:
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-french-polishing/
Learn about the different types of oil for French Polishing and how they can be used to produce a more durable and glossy shellac finish for your next guitar. French Polishing Fundamentals Part 5 - Oils For French Polishing.
Links from the video:
👉The Art Of French Polishing Video Course: https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-f...
Types of shellac for French Polishing. A deep dive into the different types of shellac for French polishing, colors of shellac, and recommendations for beginners. French Polishing Fundamentals Part 4 - Shellac.
Links from the video:
👉The Art Of French Polishing Video Course: https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-french-polishing...
Best types of alcohol for making shellac for French Polishing. How to choose the best solvent for making shellac - Ethanal, isopropyl or denatured alcohol? French Polishing Fundamentals - Part 3.
Links from the video:
👉The Art Of French Polishing Video Course: https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-french-polishing/
Wood Preparation For French Polishing. French Polishing Fundamentals - Part 2.
Links from the video:
👉The Art Of French Polishing Video Course: https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-french-polishing/
👉Introduction to French Polishing (Article): https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polish-shellac/
How To French Polish Series: French Polishing Fundamentals - Part 1
Part one of a seven part free series to help you learn the art of French polishing for guitars.
Links from the video:
👉The Art Of French Polishing Video Course: https://theartoflutherie.com/french-polishing/
👉Download the Free Shellac Handbook Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/shellac-handbook-for-french-polishing/
How to use a block plane and the importance of focusing on the fundamentals.
Links from the video: 👉Learn more about the Luthier's EDGE online guitar-making school here: https://theartoflutherie.com/luthier-school/ 👉Download the Free Luthier Tool Guide Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/luthier-tools/ 👉My Custom Luthier's Workbench: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wdcj_gciM4
Tools From The Video:
The Dragon Hand-Cut Rasp from Stewmac is easily the best rasp I have ever used for shaping guitar necks. Enter The Dragon Rasp Giveaway Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/stewmac-dragon-rasp-giveaway/
👉I use the Dragon Rasp in my Online Guitar Making Course: The Art Of Guitar Neck Carving: https://theartoflutherie.com/guitar-neck-carving/
👉Learn more about the Luthier's EDGE online guitar making school here: https://theartoflut...
Humidifiers, Dehumidifiers, & Hygrometers, and Other Tools For Measuring & Managing Guitar Shop Humidity.
👉Online Course: Guitar Humidity & Advanced Applications - https://theartoflutherie.com/humidity/
The importance of measuring and managing the relative humidity of your guitar shop can not be overstated. In this video, we discuss why this is so vital for the safety and stability of your guitars and what tools I have found to w...
Flawless headstock binding starts with flawless binding channels. This video shows you my simple tips for creating consistently perfect headstock binding channels. 👉Check out the Headstock Binding Course Here: https://theartoflutherie.com/the-art-of-headstock-binding/
One of the most challenging parts of cutting headstock binding channels is hand-chiseling accurate inside corners (especially if you are just starting as a luthier...
Learn about the guitar backstrap overlay and how (and why) adding this element to your next guitar can improve its strength, beauty, and sound.
👉Learn step-by-step how to make a backstrap with our full course: The Art Of The Guitar Backstrap here: https://theartoflutherie.com/backstrap/
👉Learn more about the Luthier's EDGE online guitar making school here: https://theartoflutherie.com/luthier-school/
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The Ultimate Guide To Scrapers covers the six key areas that will help you easily sharpen your scrapers and get great results while using them. You will learn how to sharpen scrapers, how a scraper really works, the different types of scrapers, how to chose the right scraper for each task, preferred tools for sharpening scrapers, scraper techniques for the best cutting performance, and a bonus section that will save you tons of tim...
Three luthier tips that helped to transform the process of gluing the binding on to my guitars from a stressful process into one that I enjoy and that produces consistently flawless guitar binding results. Over the last 20+ years of professional guitar making, I have found that many times it's the simple things that make the biggest improvements to my work and my life as well. I hope these tips help you as you continue your journey...
Should you seal the inside of your guitar? And if you do seal it, what kind of sealers should you use? How should you apply it? How does that affect the sound of the guitar and how does it affect the long-term stability of the instrument and why? If you've been wondering about any of these questions, we're going to talk about all of them in this video so check it out and also learn more with the links below:
Taking the time to design and built my Luthier's Cabinet was one of the best improvements I've ever made to my guitar shop. It not only helped to protect my guitars during the building process and improve my workflow, but most importantly it improved my peace of mind - both when I am in my shop and when I'm not.
Check out the Companion Blueprint and 5 Part Video course as well as the transcript of this podcast here: http://thearto...
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