How hard would it be to get in to this...

[gtrhrcane]

So I went over to the house this weekend, trying to get a handle on what to do with all my dad's stuff.... what I'm going to keep and get rid of, etc. Since he was a huge carpenter and all around craftsman, I've decided I want to explore the idea of making guitars as a kind of homage to him. He's got all sorts of tools, I don't think there's anything I'd need in the way of them anyways if I did decide to go ahead with this.

But as a discussion, how difficult is it to actually make a decent guitar, and to get in the business of making them, and possibly selling them? I'm not trying to start a quick business, this is something that I'd want to lead me in to my later years as well... but I also realize there are a gazillion custom shops. I know there is going to be plenty of research involved, but I've already got the tools more or less... I just need to educate myself some more on this specific trade.

[crowbarr]

your best bet would be to find a local luthier who's very adept at building guitars from scratch and seeing if he is willing to tutor you, I have a feeling that this isn't the sort of thing you can learn by surfing the web and reading books it's more of a physical trial and error thing :hmmm:

that only be my opinion though :o

[BASSMAN]

Having the woodworking tools is the main thing. That ,and time to experment. I would say got for it. Trial and error. you can use the dimensions of a guitar you already have as a guide. Not copy it, but it will give you the scale and such.

[gtrhrcane]

Cool, yeah I know it's not something that's going to come over night.

Thing is, I've worked with wood for a very large portion of my life.... so I have the basics down. I figured I'd start with a couple kits and go from there.

I don't think I'd have any problem drawing up blue prints and applying them to the wood, but it's not as easy as that either. Hmm, now I just have to figure out how to make that work in an apartment... :rolleye: I'll probably do it at the gf's parents house.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I'm going to start researching this stuff.

To me, I think the hardest part would be the finishing touches... like installing the fretboard wire, or the actual finish of the guitar.

[crowbarr]

To me, I think the hardest part would be the finishing touches... like installing the fretboard wire, or the actual finish of the guitar.

yeah that's where a luthier's advice would come in useful :cool:

[BASSMAN]

yea the finish work would be the tricky part, the fretboard mainly.

[gtrhrcane]

I think I could start with one of these kits and see if I even like the whole business of doing it.... http://onlineguitar.com/Guitar_Kits.479.0.html Looks like I'll be going to the library. I know.... what's that right?

[Grim Riffer]

Check out this site and their forums: http://www.projectguitar.com

[SG_74]

Hey Cane!


I'm building a guitar at the moment. I'd say the best advice, for you first project: Make the body and buy the neck. Another thing: Please mark the center line before you cut the body! (I forgot to do it and so now I have to practically guess it).

I would suggest starting with a One Piece body, Mahogany is quite easy to work with and has very good tonal properties. If you're making a strat or tele style body, I would suggest a piece of wood about 19" x 14" x 1 1/2". This is what I started out with and it gives you a lot of room to work with. I find that it's easier to work with a one piece body, since you don't have to worry about perfectly glueing two pieces together and the body tends to be stronger (although that's not always the case, depends what glue you use).

Always make sure the grain flows the same way as the length of the body. If not, the tension of the strings can have an adverse affect on the body (basically turn it into a banana).

Make a template first on a piece of MDF or something, and shape it to exactly how you want it. This way you get to make your guitar exactly (or thereabouts) to your specifications, and make it feel like you want it to feel. (Like how deep the cut aways are etc).


Good Luck man!

If ya need anything else answering, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do.

[gtrhrcane]

SG-74 - Wow, that's awesome man.... thanks for the info and tips. I would like to make an SG, that would be a fun one and I could handle that I think.

[socialparasite]

I think I could start with one of these kits and see if I even like the whole business of doing it.... http://onlineguitar.com/Guitar_Kits.479.0.html Looks like I'll be going to the library. I know.... what's that right?


Hey thats a good site thanks for the link :)

[ShiggityShwa]

Hey Cane!


I'm building a guitar at the moment. I'd say the best advice, for you first project: Make the body and buy the neck. Another thing: Please mark the center line before you cut the body! (I forgot to do it and so now I have to practically guess it).

I would suggest starting with a One Piece body, Mahogany is quite easy to work with and has very good tonal properties. If you're making a strat or tele style body, I would suggest a piece of wood about 19" x 14" x 1 1/2". This is what I started out with and it gives you a lot of room to work with. I find that it's easier to work with a one piece body, since you don't have to worry about perfectly glueing two pieces together and the body tends to be stronger (although that's not always the case, depends what glue you use).

Always make sure the grain flows the same way as the length of the body. If not, the tension of the strings can have an adverse affect on the body (basically turn it into a banana).

Make a template first on a piece of MDF or something, and shape it to exactly how you want it. This way you get to make your guitar exactly (or thereabouts) to your specifications, and make it feel like you want it to feel. (Like how deep the cut aways are etc).


Good Luck man!

If ya need anything else answering, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do.

where would you buy the neck, now i'm thinking about making one

[gtrhrcane]

Hey thats a good site thanks for the link :)

Sure thing man.... I'll post some more as I run across them.

[SG_74]

where would you buy the neck, now i'm thinking about making one


Try ebay.

I got one from my local guitar shop, I bought some tuners and they gave the neck (which the tuners were on) for an extra $8! (It's a pretty nice neck aswel).

[tamadwt]

I have no personal experience with it myself but I do have a friend that just got back from an extended class somewhere up in the mountains of Montana or somewhere. It was something like a 2 month course with only 8 or so students. They lived and breathed the stuff. He came back with 2 acoustics, a solidbody electric and a hollowbody electric that he built from scratch. All are beautiful and sound great.

He had some basic woodworking equipment but had to buy a couple of things unique to guitar work. I think he will probably focus more on building acoustics at least initially because it takes more practice and precision work.

Good luck. It would be very cool to eventually see the results of your work.

[SG_74]

Cane, clean out yer PM box! Lol

[Slipstream]

I agree with SG_74. Make the body and buy the neck. Actually, installing fret wire is the easiest part. Shaping the neck is harder, and cutting the fret slots would be the hardest. For mine I plan to shape the neck, and install the fret wire myself, but I'll buy a fretboard with the radius done and the slots already cut.

Inlay can go from so easy it's pathetic to so hard you have to pay $$,$$$,$$$$, . . . to have a specialist do it. Easy - dots, Hard - blocks, Hardest - artwork.

And don't forget the wisdom of Juststartin, "be careful of going over-budget".

Lot's o' luck and fun man . . . and post pics when ya get started.

[socialmisfit]

you could look into getting an apprenticeship somewhere, that way you migth get paid to learn the skills, and you'd have the tools to do it yourself when you know enough

[pml]

Working with a luthier will be the best approach, of course, but there are some books out there that will help. One of them is "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" by Melvin Hiscock. Other books dealing with repairing or setting up guitars may also come handy, like the "Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine.

PML

[phingerboard]

There are plenty of books and videos on the subject available at Music123.com and Amazon.

Even if you did buy pre-fabricated necks, you'd probably still need to do a fair bit of fret levelling and touch-up dressing. There are a couple of Ebay dealers who sell the specialized tools for that quite a bit cheaper than Stew-Mac.

[gtrhrcane]

I agree with SG_74. Make the body and buy the neck. Actually, installing fret wire is the easiest part. Shaping the neck is harder, and cutting the fret slots would be the hardest. For mine I plan to shape the neck, and install the fret wire myself, but I'll buy a fretboard with the radius done and the slots already cut.

Inlay can go from so easy it's pathetic to so hard you have to pay $$,$$$,$$$$, . . . to have a specialist do it. Easy - dots, Hard - blocks, Hardest - artwork.

And don't forget the wisdom of Juststartin, "be careful of going over-budget".

Lot's o' luck and fun man . . . and post pics when ya get started.

Yeah, I'd be worried about messing up the alignment of the fret slots... however I think it could be done. it would just be lame to go through all that and get hung up with crooked or imperfect fret work. I might actually not do any inlay, maybe try and find a guy who does it and try to work something out. I'll def get some pics going once I figure this out. Step at a time.

I'll check out some sites and the library, maybe try and find a place that sells the parts locally, there's a couple small repair shops nearby I might be able to work with in respect to a lot of this. Thanks for the pointers. :)

[sgFAnAtIc]

Patience grasshopper...your time will come

[Slipstream]

Hey 'cane, check out Luthiers Mercantile (http://www.lmii.com/). I've been there and checked out their stuff. They have scale boards that you can use to do the layout and they have backsaws that are just the right thichness, and miter-box-like jigs that guide the saw straight. Even if you don't get the stuff it's neat to look at. It'll give ya an idea how they do it. They got all kinds of neat stuff. I got the fretwire for my Strat while I was there. I also bought some sheets of vaneer that I've never used, but it just looks so cool.

[elvisdudette]

this thread is making me wanna build a guitar, maybe someday i'll build a tele :)

[fendersownyou]

www.warmoth.com would be a great place to buy a neck. They also have all the parts you might need for a guitar.