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Post subject: making your own guitar
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:44 am
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is it hard to make your own guitar by buying the parts from places and then putting them together? If you feel like it post pics of the the guitars you have made.


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Post subject: Re: making your own guitar
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:55 am
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Visitor wrote:
is it hard to make your own guitar by buying the parts from places and then putting them together? If you feel like it post pics of the the guitars you have made.


It is reasonably straight-forward and can be loads of fun. But you need a good book or two if you're new to it.


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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:57 am
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what book(s), whats the hardest parts


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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:07 pm
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Building from scratch - shaping and fretting the neck is hardest. Also, the neck pocket needs to be got absolutely right (on a bolt-on). Finishing takes some practice, too.

Assembling from parts: paying is the hardest part.

Three books for you:

Make Your Own Electric Guitar, by Melvyn Hiscock. Very well and intelligently written. Some aspects you are going to need to think about for yourself, and like all these books, he occasionally gets light on detail just when you need it most. Like on shaping the neck, for instance...

Building Electric Guitars, by Martin Koch. Much more idiosyncratic, but he's got lots of good ideas he's come up with for himself in the real-world environment of home-building.

Guitar Player Repair Guide, by Dan Erlewine. The guitar player's bible. You need this book whatever your involvement with guitars. Everything short of building from scratch, including a very good chapter on finishing.

These books, and many others, compliment one another. Where detail runs out in one, another covers your needs.

Good luck!


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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:15 pm
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Visitor wrote:
what book(s), whats the hardest parts

Well the toughest part is making your own neck; finding the place to mount it theen finding the place to install the bridge.
That's pretty hardcore building; most of that is already done when you ASSEMBLE parts together to make a guitar. For those of us in this level of creating a guitar the tough part is probably soldering the electrics together.
To solder you need a soldering iron or gun; ROSIN core solder
(or have a can of soldering paste), some way to wick excess solder away, (a piece of braded wire on hand will wick solder away but each piece can be used only one time; or a solder sucker) you alsoneed a wet sponge to cool the solder iron from time to time or you'll burn the tip making it tough to solder.
I said all that to say this: If you want to do this you'll need some hands on experiance; some help or hire it done. There are some books or websites that will tell you in detail about doing this'
Keep Smiling! :D


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Post subject: Re: making your own guitar
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:34 pm
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Visitor wrote:
is it hard to make your own guitar by buying the parts from places and then putting them together? If you feel like it post pics of the the guitars you have made.


If you check out Warmoth.com you can find some awesome bodies and necks that are designed to fit together with no modifications. Your choices are as vast as your budget. How about a solid ebony neck? $500.00 *sob* You can specify the drilling as well as cavity routing for your tremolo and electronics at no additional charge. Everything is available unfinished as well as finished. For the basic electronics go to StewMac.com for the Stratocaster wiring kit which includes the pots, cap, switch, jack and hookup wires. StewMac has all the little things you'll need like jackplates, neckplates, tuners and bridges/tremolos. After that choose your pickups and corresponding pickguard configuration and dials. Don't go for the cheap kits that are available on the Net. Between Warmoth and StewMac as well as CallahamGuitars.com you'll find the best prices for the best materials.

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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:24 pm
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Great thread - I was in fact coming online today to start one on just this topic!

I've a hankering to put together a Tele from parts.. I'm utterly new to guitars of any kind, and I guess the best way to learn about how they're made and how they work it to get stuck in there. Not keen on the idea of disassembling my MIM Standard HSS I'm buying brand new, building one from parts is the next option for me!

I bought Australian Guitar mag today and they've a section in there on how to solder for making your own guitar / repairs / accessories. They've also recetnly had a segment running over a few previous issues on building your own guitar (issues 59-64 from memory). Am going to purchase back issues myself, but thanks everyone for all the other info - that third book sounds like a must-buy.

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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:03 am
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If your lookign into building guitars i highly suggest this site : www.stewmac.com

They are hands down the best guitar website (good prices, extremly good info, great customer service and good gear). Now they don't have as much selection wood (body/neck) wise as warmoth but for everythign else they are awesome.

I've built two guitars so far using this website ALOT!

If your intesrested in building guitars check out my build logs:

Strat
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... php?t=9434

Tele
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... php?t=9399

p!


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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:29 am
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Here's one my friend (and amp guru) built recently (Warmoth body & neck):

Image

And here's one I put together a year ago (Warmoth body):

Image

And, finally, here's what another friend put together (Warmoth body, USACG neck):

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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:41 am
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nice job i wish i had the patients
to do that.


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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:16 pm
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There was cool thing about the USACG headstock:

Image

Their logo is "CNC carved directly into the peghead face, and filled with clear epoxy" (as it says on their website).

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:31 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
Here's one my friend (and amp guru) built recently (Warmoth body & neck):

Image

And here's one I put together a year ago (Warmoth body):

Image

And, finally, here's what another friend put together (Warmoth body, USACG neck):

Image


*drool*

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:07 pm
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manabu108 wrote:
*drool*


Yeah, the backs of those Warmoth flame-maple topped bodies look great too. I believe they were both one-piece ash with the book-matched flamey maple. Bee-U-tee-ful.

Check out their website, Warmoth has great wood.

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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:46 am
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I guess the warmoth body for the double guitar, also has a matching pick guard? did you have to customize one yourself?


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:21 pm
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Hi everybody. Newbie here - to this forum, not to Stratocasters.
I have built a number of guitars over the years and have my version of answer to the original question: is it hard to build a strat from parts?
No, not really - if you buy quality parts and have the right tools. And some experience of wood working.
The word Quality in this case primarly implies Fender licensed body and neck (Warmoth, WDMusic, Mighty Mite etc). But, mind you, there are way cheaper japanese parts of excellent quality (like Hosokawa, Hosco).
Tools - if you buy readymade parts you'll need a good drilling machine, preferably a pillar drill (don't know if that's the right english word.. but you get it), a good screwdriver with many bits and... well , the usual hand tools. You don't need that much.

If you want to fabricate your own body (now that's more fun) you'll need a router, a good electric jig saw, a Dremel, a belt sander, a finishing sander and all kinds of hand tools. But maybe you should build from parts first.
I attach some pictures of my latest project (finished last weekend, actually). Home made body (mahogany, quilted maple top), Hosokawa neck, one Tonerider and two Fender pickups. And shaped as a Stratocaster, of course.

Image

The stripes on the top is inlaid mahogany.
Image

Regards
Erik in Sweden


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