By JJ Donohue

Originally printed in the Spring 2006 issue (Issue 55)of Guitar Maker: The Journal of Fretted Instruement Construction & Repair.
Pg 16

My involvement in building guitars evolved from a family tragedy and an effort to memorialize my brother Frank, who died in Vietnam in 1968. Frank was a professional musician who left behind a 1966 Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar. For almost 30 years it sat in a closet or under my bed until one day I decided to begin playing it. The guitar needed restoration and I had absolutely no skills or knowledge of where to go to get the job done. My initial goal was to find a qualified luthier who could restore it to its original playing condition.

The Internet provided me with the answer when I joined a Rickenbacker forum. There, I eventually found Mark Arnquist, a luthier in Seattle who was a recognized expert in the guitars. He talked me through some intricacies as to adjusting the truss rods, saddles and getting the action just right. He advised me about replacing various components and tuning the electronics to make is sound like the Byrd's Roger McGuinn's 360-12 Rickenbacker guitar.

Well, that only whetted my appetite. My personal guitar was a 1970 Martin D-35 and I realized that it also needed a major tune-up. I was able to find a local authorized Martin repair luthier who said the guitar needed a neck reset and that it was covered by my lifetime warranty. It also had developed a common pickguard crack that was caused by the old practice of applying the pickguard prior to lacquer finishing. That was also covered by warranty. Not wanting to blindly entrust my guitar to just anyone for such major surgery, I found a C.R. Martin guitar forum on the Internet and started asking questions. There, I met Frank Ford and others who assured me that the method proposed by the local luthier was sound and that I could expect to notice a significant improvement in playability as well as performance.

By now, I was intrigued by this process and wanted to know more about what luthiers really do in their efforts to repair and build. Dale Bender, who did the repair work on my guitar, also built an acoustic guitar as part of his extensive repair training. He showed it to me and I was astounded by its beauty and sound. During my three-month exposure to the neck re-set, I was also very much involved with the Martin guitar forum. That gave me a new insight into learning about guitars. John Hall, who posted frequently on repair and building issues soon became a friend and eventually convinced me that I could build my own acoustic guitar. He not only picked out the materials, but he was available during the year that it took me to complete "Mojo", my first OM 14 -fret guitar. I blame John for starting me on the addiction to building.

As I started that first build in July 2003, I made a commitment to document not only the process but also the feelings that I had in undertaking such an unusually difficult task. The only thing I had going for me was my intellectual curiosity and the drive to pursue something to its successful completion. My wood working skills were non-existent and my tool collection abysmal. I also thought that this project would be an opportunity to pass along to my three sons a journal about my travels through uncharted territory... not so much as to how to build guitars, but to have them learn something about how to face difficulty and never give up until the goal is reached. I committed to making three guitars and not only present them with the instruments, but also a detailed journal of what it took to complete the project. These guitars are to be passed along to their children along with the journals as my legacy so that my grandchildren, whenever they arrive, can also learn from the project.

It's now 2006 and I have not only completed the 3 acoustic guitars (plus an electric as a bonus) for Frank, Joe, and Jack, but was also convinced to make one for both of my brothers. I developed a headstock logo which consists of a triangle with 3 abalone dots signifying my three boys.

The guitars included:

1. "Mojo" ... for Joe ... EIR & Sitka OM

2. "Scorpion" ... for Frank ... EIR & Adirondack 000-12 fret

3. "GrandJack" ... for Jack ... Walnut & Redwood Parlor Guitar

4. "Dilly" ... for Frank & Jack ... Ash Tele-type

5. "DBabaloo" ... for brother David ... Cherry & Sitka Parlor Guitar

6. "Brymo" ... for brother Brian ... Black Strat-type

Now with the first six guitars in the possession of their new owners, I'm finally getting around to building a few for my own enjoyment. As happens in life, it's the journey and not necessarily the destination that becomes most memorable. This has been so true of building guitars for me. As a true amateur, I'm in it for "the love of the game." There's another great lesson I've learned from hanging around luthiers ... they are an incredibly sharing group. Were it not for the various forums on which I have participated I could never have reached anywhere near the level of ability that I have achieved. For that I thank all of the experts, especially those on the Official Luthiers Forum who have helped with building questions and led me down the right path.

JJ Donohue builds guitars in Warsaw, Indiana