Building Process

End Wedge

The decorative end wedge is then carefully installed at the bottom of the guitar. The end wedge provides a nice transition from the top to the back, with smooth linkage to the side bindings and perfling accents.

Kerfing

Once the sides are radiused, kerfing is installed around the top and back perimeters to provide additional support. We use titebond and good old-fashioned clothes pins to hold the kerfing in place until it dries.

Radiusing

Next, the end block and heel block are glued in place, which secures the shape.

The front and back sides are then radiused to 15 feet on the back and 30 feet on the front side. The pictures show the radius dish and sides being radiused in the dish.

Bending the Sides

The sides are then placed on a bending form and shaped one side at a time. After bending, the sides are placed in a form to maintain shape and provide support.

Selection and Thicknessing Tone Woods

The process to select, cut, carve, shape, sand and finish a K2 guitar takes 4-6 months. The following pictures and text walk you through an overview of the process to build a K2 guitar. Click on thumbnails for a bigger image.

The first step is to select the back, side and top woods for your guitar. The most popular and proven woods for back and sides are: Indian Rosewood and Mahogany. There are many more beautiful woods to choose from, such as Ziricote, Koa, Walnut, and Machiche. These woods are more figured and typically require more time to work with.