So I've been told on more than one occasion that it is cool that I can make money doing a hobby. Definition - Hob-by (noun) - an activity regularly done in one's leisure time for pleasure. Why do people see what I do as a hobby and not a job? My best guess is because I work from home. I have a good sized shop where I'm able to house all my tools, build guitars from scratch, restore guitars and do simple set ups on them. I have also been to a trade school where I studied luthiery under a professional luthier who has been in the business for many years. I don't have a store in town because then I would need to sell other manufacturers' instruments to keep the doors open, making it not as easy to build my own.  

I also don't build from a kit or assemble parts-casters, not that there is anything wrong with that. But I think there is a point at which you become a guitar assembler, not a guitar builder. To me, that is a big difference between a hobbyist and a career as a professional luthier.

What's going on in the shop? Well, I have 2 custom guitars built (click on the pictures below to see the one made from Black Heart Sassafras) and several Sleeper Conversions ready to go out the door. You are welcome to stop by and play them if you like. If you ever wondered how they are built, come by and I'll show you around and answer any questions you have.

We are coming into fall weather now so the air is going to dry out. Bring your guitar by to get a set up so I can make adjustments and I will oil the fingerboard and bridge to help keep them from drying out. Also I'm now using Stringjoy stings. They sound great and feel amazing, and they are made in the USA. You get a new set of these babies with any set up.

Hey everyone! I've had some cool stuff in the shop lately. Like this 1930s Gibson L-00. This guitar came in for a complete restoration, and it needed it. I started off this restoration by taking the neck off as it needed to be reset. As for the body of the guitar I went through the sound hole and reglued the braces that were decoupled and fixed the cracks.

Once the body was solid I put the neck back on, refretted the fingerboard, and made a new bridge. Of course, the guitar was cleaned and hand polished. It also received new tuners and Stringjoy strings.

I've also started on another Brooks Acoustic Custom, inspired by a Martin  D-18. This guitar will have a slightly thinner body, my scalloped X-bracing, and a V-shaped neck.

I asked people to vote on the paint over on Facebook, so put your vote in: Natural or Burst top. What would you like to see?

If you need a set up on you guitar or need one restored, or maybe you just want to play a Sleeper Conversion or a Custom Brooks Acoustic, come on by and I'll get you sorted. 

  I've been busy in the shop so far working on this Rosewood custom RB-11. I've also done some restoration work for a few customers. I received an email from Dave over at The Healing Box Project and was informed that the green Keith Urban guitar I rebuilt last year will be signed by an artist; Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker, Sara Evans, or Toby Keith are possibilities. Then it will be auctioned off to benefit The Healing Box Project.

 Colton James @cjd573 came into the shop and is now the owner of the Harmony archtop guitar we named Humpty Dumpty. I posted a video of him playing it over on Facebook @BrooksAcoustic.

Above is a picture of the braces glued in place before carving them to shape. Below is the rosewood back ready to be glued to the sides.

And here I'm routing for the binding.

  Stay in touch! I'll be posting more pictures as I move along with this build. You can always check Facebook and Instagram for goings on at the shop that might not make it into the blog.

  So the custom guitar build is almost finished! Since the last post I've glued the neck on, made a bridge, and put on the tuning gears. I will let it sit under tension for a day or two then finish it off with a pickguard and LR Baggs pickup. 

   I'm still calling this guitar the custom build so if you have a good name for this guitar based on the Kalamazoo KG-11 leave it in the comments section and if I like it, we will call it that name. I've already got the wood for the next custom. That one will be rosewood back and sides, spruce top, and red cedar braces.

   This guitar sounds amazing, and I made a short clip of it. Keep in mind that my musical abilities are suffering right now as I have a torn muscle in my left shoulder making it hard to hold my fretting hand up on the neck. Once this guitar is completely finished, I will put up a better video going over all of the things this awesome guitar has going on. 

Progress on the custom guitar slowed a bit as I was having issues with my spray guns, but I have fixed the problem and moved forward. After a few more coats of nitrocellulose lacquer, it was time for sanding. I started to level the surface with 320 grit sandpaper then 600 and finally 1500. I have to wait a few more days for the finish to harden then I'll be able to buff the body to a shine. The neck is getting the same treatment and is still a few days behind the body. If all goes to plan, I'll be gluing the neck to the body next week... I'm excited!

The pictures below show the body sanded to 600 grit.

And these pictures show the body sanded to 1500 grit.

Exiting times!
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I am starting a NEW custom build based on the 1930s Kalamazoo Model KG-11.

Before I build the guitar, I am making the template and molds so that I can replicate the process with consistency. A few changes will be made from the original, though.

The KG-11 has a v-shaped neck and narrow fingerboard. The custom model (yet to be named) will have a slightly wider fingerboard and c-shaped neck. Also, the KG-11 used ladder bracing and I will be going with custom x-bracing to give it a special sound.

Follow each day's progress the The Full Custom photo gallery on Facebook and on Instagram @RobertBrooks1911. Stay tuned!