I have recently acquired an interest in guitar building from scratch. Meaning designing, creating and building the body and neck myself.

I have been checking out pictures of custom made guitars and there are some insanely talented Luthiers out there. Unbeleivable designs.

I have tried to find a forum for electric guitar builders similar to this one. But for custom builders. Unfortunetelly I have not found a good forum for electric guitar building. I was hoping someone on these boards might know of a forum already and can point me in the right direction. So does anyone know of or belong to a forum for building electric guitars?

On a side note: I was thinking to myself that I was going to go out and create the perfect guitar. So I was going through pages and pages of thumbnail pictures of custom guitars looking for ideas and seeing what is already out there. I kept being drawn to the same similar body shapes that I would click on to get a larger picture so I could see the design better. The funny thing is that they all were very similar to the shape of the Fender Stratocaster. That shape/design was the one that always got my attention.

So it seems that the perfect guitar has already been created by someone else. And I think his name is Leo Fender.

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

http://www.reranch.com/reranch/

These guys do a lot of new builds, rebuilding and repair. Lots of info here if you dig around.

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Old age and treachery will win every time over youth and enthusiasm.

"You can never have too many Tele's." A quote from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer

Hi Scot: not a forum, but this gentleman gives a very long and detailed photo tour of how he builds his bods (six pages, 250 pix!):

http://www.ronkirn.com/tutorial/index.htm

There's bits I'd do slightly differently (the sequence of the trem route), but it is a nice detailed insight with some useful photos that books don't have the space to provide. I particularly like his non-square center joint on the body timber.

Curious thing: even a fella as involved and skilled as Mr Kirn doesn't build his own necks, but buys them in.

For the ultimate in the "hand-built" craft of neck making, click on the appropriate link on this page, from the fabulous Mike DeTemple's website:

http://www.detempleguitars.com/temp/intro_1.php

It don't get much better!

Cheers - C

Thank you all for the links. It looks like I now have many hours of entertaining research to do

Is there somewhere that I can find a list of the "must have" tools to get started in Guitar Building?

What I need to find out is specifics like

what size of band saw I should look for
size of air compressor
size and type of spray gun
specific hand tools
type and size (motor) of router that is best suited for this

What I would like to see is a list of tools that are absolutely must have items and another list that are considered preferred items for the job.

That way I can sort through and see which tools I have, which ones I really need, and then which ones I would like to have but are not mandatory.

I know some of the above questions have been touched on in another thread but I'd kind of like to keep this thread as more of a getting set up for guitar building type thread.

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Thanks for sharing the sites Ceri!

You were right. Those hand-built necks are simply amazing. Undeniably beautiful! I was shocked to see some of the processes he used for the neck. He was just out in the back porch spraying it (no booth or anything, just out in the open) lol I would be way to paranoid that the dust would kick up, or some bug would fly to his death and stick to my freshly sprayed neck and ruin it.

then when he is drilling the small holes for the install on the tuners he used a hand crank drill!!!!! Wow! The funny thing is that I have one of those that was passed down from my pops. I never thought I'd have a use for it. Now I know better

Looks like I will be busy all weekend just looking around on the sites you guys have offered up.

Thanks again

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

I spent a good portion of yesterday out looking for and researching tools. I found a store I've driven by 1000 times but never paid attention to. Its called Rockler. I'm sure some of you know it well. All woodworking supplies and tools. Great place.

As it turns out one of the workers there is also a Luthier. He holds free workshops every Saturday at the store and encouraged me to come check it out. Next Saturday he will be building a neck. So I'm very interested.

We struck up a conversation and I learned a lot. Very happy to have met a Luthier that is local. Someone who's brain I can pick for information who doesn't mind and actually encourages it.

I've got a question on routers. Would a plunge base be the best choice over a fixed base for this application?

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Hi Scot: on your general question about tools - there simply is no end to that journey. Fender are the biggest in the business: they recently spent several million on a new spray facility which I bet was on their shopping list for a long time. For sure there's other items on that list they haven't bought yet.

On the other hand, guitars are not sophisticated carpentry. Someone with a year or two of high school woodwork under their belt should be able to make one with a couple of saws, chisels and a screwdriver or two. A spoke shave is a good idea for necks. Mike DeTemple's hand cranked drill (which you commented on above) is sometimes the best tool for the job - and can do everything if it needs to.

Beyond that, the rest is elaboration.

Routers: don't buy a router unless you a) know how to use it, and b) know how to make accurate templates and jigs. It ain't much use to you without those vital bits of knowledge.

I'm away from my tools at this moment, but from memory I think my plunge router is about 1600 watts. More than enough for guitar building. The essentials are that you need one with variable speed, a good micro-height adjustment system, a decent side fence (if you plan to get into neck building) and maybe most useful, collets for both 1/4 and 1/2 inch router bits.

Most ordinary routers available in hardware shops will cover that list - just check to be sure.

Then you will need a growing collection of router bits, and you will be surprised how much good ones can cost. Don't buy a set of 'em, because most will be surplus to your requirements. ...Uh, why don't we cover router bits later...? Or do like most of us and collect them as you discover the need.

Scot, a word of caution here.

I have a growing sense that you might be putting the cart before the horse on this guitar building thing. Guitars are pretty simple. You don't need a fully equipped workshop before you can get started - which is part of what makes them fun.

I so strongly recommend that you invest in two or three of the guitar building books that I believe we have previously discussed, read them very carefully for a month or two - and then set about building your first guitar with the bare minumum of hand tools. You will learn so much more that way, and will discover which glamorous tools you actually need, and which are not so vital.

I wonder whether you'll heed that advice...?

Cheers - C

Great advice. You definitely need to check out at least a couple of these.

In my opinion Make Your Own Electric Guitar--By Melvyn Hiscock is an abso;ute must have, to start a project like that. There are others, but this was the book i drelied on most.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I picked up a 2010 tool guide and DeWalt Dw618pk combo pack seems to fit that bill perfectly. It also rated at the top pick by the guide because it had the best dust collection in the group at well as the smoothest and most accurate micro adjustments of the bunch. It comes with both fixed and plung bases. and is only $215

I have wanted a router for years but never had a project that warranted the purchase of one. Until now. I can make the templates and jigs. No worries there. And as far as knowing how to use it, that is the part I'm looking forward to. The entire learning process is what I look forward to the most. I have done many wood projects in the past and wished I had a router for them. But I always found a way around it. I'm looking forward to learning to use one so I will have the knowledge for this and more importantly many many future non guitar building projects.







I already have a shop set up from past projects. It's not fully set up like I would like it to be. But it works for me. I really like Mike DeTemple's way of guitar building. He builds his guitars with the minimum use of power tools and machines. Creating a truly "hand crafted" guitar. I admire that. I'd like to learn more about the "Tap Tuning" process he uses with his wood and wood selection. Any idea where I can find out more about this?

Right now I'm reading "Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder" by Tom Hirst.

After I finish that book I'll start on another. Is there one out there that you would personally recommend?

It seems like you believe I'm going to jump into this project before doing all the proper research. Please believe me when I say that nothing could be further from the truth. Right now I'm just in the research/info gathering phase. I don't even have a plan on starting this project yet. I'm guessing I'm about a year away from even considering starting on this.

What I'm thinking about doing is taking a wood working class at my local Junior College. That way I will have access to some of the larger equipment that I will only need for one or two steps of the process like a band saw for instance. Not to mention the extra knowledge I will pick up from the class itself. (I did the same thing when I was working on a project that required welding. So I took a welding class and learned to weld and had access to high end welding equipment for my project instead of buying a low end welder to use for it because that's all I would be able to afford) I will also learn how to use the router in this class as well as some other techniques that I will need to know that I have not learned yet.

I think I enjoy the research/planning phase of a project as much if not more then the actual project itself

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Thanks Twelvebar! I already have that one on its way from amazon.com

Any other book recommendations?

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Hi Scot: didn't we do books the other week? Perhaps I'm getting mixed up with something else...

In addition to Melvyn Hiscock's book, which as Twelvebar says is top of the list, I'd also suggest Martin Koch's Building Electric Guitars:

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Electric ... 541&sr=8-1

It is rather idiosyncratic, but it kinda compliments the other one, covering stuff where Melvyn might be a bit thin on detail. He also has some neat solutions for the home builder, clearly worked out from hands on experience. How to make compound radius fingerboards using a router, for instance...

Third on the list, Build Your Own Electric Guitar by Martin Oakham:

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Own-El ... 845&sr=1-2

This is the best for step-by-step photos and also covers things the others don't, for example, making control holes and slots in wood tops (as opposed to using a pickguard). For instance, how would you make the slot for a five way selector switch, get it neat and tidy and in the right place in relation to it's mounting screw holes...?

He also has some handy pages on tonewood. But he completely gives up on finishing - literally one paragraph in the whole book.

For finishing, the chapter in The Guitar Player's Repair Guide (Dan Erlewine) will get you through your first few builds. If later you need more detail then Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step is the ultimate bible:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plan ... -Step.html

Far too much detail for your first time out, though. It'll just overwhelm you with surplus information.

Happy reading - C

Thanks Twelvebar and Ceri! Those books are on the way. Along with a couple others. Lucky for me work is pretty slow right now so I'll have plenty of time to read them.

We did go over books before Ceri. But I believe the ones you suggested at that time were in regards to refinishing. That is why I wanted to ask about guitar building specific books.


Along the lines of the aforementioned Mike DeTemple's way of building almost entirely by hand without the aid of power tools, what steps would you consider off limits to try to complete without the aid of a power tool?

I'm guessing the overall cut out of the body shape and cut out of the neck would be out of the question for most people to try without power. Besides those step what other step would you personally not want to try with non powered hand tools alone? Just curious

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

when looking for a soldering iron what do I need to look for? adjustable temp settings? what temp range do I need for guitar work? Or I should say what features does my soldering iron for building modding guitars need to have?

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2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

A very small, low-wattage soldering iron will do fine. Check out Micro-Mark tools.

And 'am a firm believer, "Anything truly worth doing is worth doing truly poorly."

Maybe get like a cheap Saga kit and maybe a Squier or two and have at them, get the experience, your luthier's training wheels, so to speak.