My first experience of messing about with guitars was a re-fret, where I took out the old frets with a pair of nail clippers. I started building guitars a few years ago with a Crimson kit and then started on some scratch builds. This ramped up during lockdown where I finished a guitar then built a P-bass and a couple of T-types. I also built my first acoustic based on a 1930s Santos Hernandez flamenco guitar. The last guitar was a LP - my thinking was that I didn't have £150k to spend on an original 1960s burst - so I built my own. Technically I still don't have one, but it could be argued that mine is rarer.
My aim for this competition is to improve my finishing. My previous guitars sound good and play well, but the final finish lets them down a bit. As they are my guitars that doesn't matter too much, but I think that taking part in the competition will make me focus on the final presentation; it'll make me spend more time on that last part when I would normally just want to get the strings on and play!!!
My plan for this is to make another acoustic. This time based on a 1950s Marcelo Barbero guitar. I think I must be stuck in a time warp, because old guitars appeal to me. I intend to use tuning pegs and no truss rod. The only thing I am worried about is having to substitute hide glue in the masking tape and superglue trick.