Thinking of building my own guitar...

[horsehead]

anyone got any hints?

[WezV]

Yeah, head to:

www.projectguitar.com

www.simnettguitars.co.uk/bb

www.mimf.com

They are all good online forums for guitar builders and have loads of information.

Also if you are really serious buy this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar/dp/0953104907/ref=pd_ka_1/203-9220716-5499952?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173905482&sr=8-1

[BloodMountain]

Yeah, head to:

www.projectguitar.com

www.simnettguitars.co.uk/bb

www.mimf.com

They are all good online forums for guitar builders and have loads of information.

Also if you are really serious buy this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar/dp/0953104907/ref=pd_ka_1/203-9220716-5499952?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173905482&sr=8-1

the tutorial for making solid bodies on projectguitar.com make it seem like a doddle....... plus his shape is more complicated than an Explorer (what i am interested in making). all i would need to do for shaping is bevel the edges and sharpen the points to make it look more razorback .  :twisted:

[WezV]

it is a doddle! . . .    till it all goes wrong . . . which happens when you think its a doddle.

[BloodMountain]

it is a doddle! . . .    till it all goes wrong . . . which happens when you think its a doddle.

ah cr@p. there goes my idea down the drain  :)

i guess i will have to save up for a Razorback Explorer made by a custom builder.

ooo brainwave, maybe my dad could help, he's good at woodwork and acoustic guitar building, but also electric guitar repair....... it could be my summer holidays project!!!!

sorry, i'm getting excited now. has anyone, besides Feline and regular builders, ever built a one-off guitar? if so, what shape and how hard was it?

[Adam.M]

If all you want is a specific shape... i'd go to warmoth and get a pre-routed body blank and a basic neck to go with it.

http://www.warmoth.com/

[Sifu Ben]

I'm mid project, and I've been mid project for quite a while :( Important points A) Don't try to do it on the cheap, B) don't try for too much for your first one C) befriend a cabinet maker, they'll give you advice and lend you tools. View your first one as a learning experience (I've learned a lot).

[ToneMonkey]

I've got an absolute raft of half finished ones  :roll:

[WezV]

has anyone, besides Feline and regular builders, ever built a one-off guitar? if so, what shape and how hard was it?

No two guitars i have ever build have ever been alike.   I do have a few standard shapes i have designed which i keep coming back to and have started to make templates for them to improve consistency

Guitars can be quite easy to make but like Ben says - forget any ideas about reinventing the wheel on your first guitar.

Mr first was a LP jnr with 1 pickup and a bolt on neck.  Thats about as simple as a guitar gets and can be done relatively cheap.  it didnt turn out great, overly heavy, bad fretwork and generally cr@p aesthetically - but it sounded pretty good.  the second one was good enough to make me build more - and by that point i was hooked

[horsehead]

Thanks for all the help guys, I think I'm gonna cheat & buy some warmoth parts & do it bit by bit. I'm cr@p at DIY, so I don't think I've got a chance to create it myself

[WezV]

Warmoth aint cheating, i built a couple of kits before i built my first from scratch.

[BloodMountain]

If all you want is a specific shape... i'd go to warmoth and get a pre-routed body blank and a basic neck to go with it.

http://www.warmoth.com/

thanks!