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Post by The Ocean on Apr 18, 2023 15:57:43 GMT
I’ve never built a guitar before. I’ve built shelves and containers and the like, and once I built a relatively simple clock, but never anything as complex as a guitar.
Anybody have any experience with this? What resources have you used? I need some additional tool like a radius sanding block for the fretboard and about a half dozen other tools that are specific to guitar making that I don’t own yet. But do any of you know if any books or magazines or websites that you’ve found useful if you’ve done this before?
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Post by The Ocean on Apr 18, 2023 16:13:22 GMT
I already know some of the specs I want and I can figure that out as I go. I’ve always loved the Gibson SG body shape but I have small hands and short fingers so I need a thinner neck and a shorter scale. I also prefer more flat fretboards. Overall I’d build one with
22 frets. 24 inch scale. 18 inch fretboard radius. 3 single coil pickups arrayed in the style of a Stratocaster (I know they’d be closer together with a shorter scale so it wouldn’t sound like a strat per se, but similar enough). On/Off switches for each pickup as opposed to a 5-way switch. Phase direction selectors for each pickup. Thinner body for lighter weight. Cherry wood except for the fretboard, again for lighter weight.
That’s about it for now. I know some of the tools I need to buy but this will be a very long process for me. As I’ve said I’ve done woodworking before but I’ve never made a guitar, so this will be a step upward in skill that will probably require a lot of screw-ups before I finally get it right.
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Post by luxexterior on Apr 18, 2023 16:49:40 GMT
I’ve never built a guitar before. I’ve built shelves and containers and the like, and once I built a relatively simple clock, but never anything as complex as a guitar. Anybody have any experience with this? What resources have you used? I need some additional tool like a radius sanding block for the fretboard and about a half dozen other tools that are specific to guitar making that I don’t own yet. But do any of you know if any books or magazines or websites that you’ve found useful if you’ve done this before? Never tried it but I expect building a guitar is harder than it looks . No reason not to try it though. There are build your own guitar kits on eBay, some are junk but there are also a few that look decent. Good luck.
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Post by Espo on Apr 18, 2023 19:08:30 GMT
I suggest you do a quick search for any Luthier's that may be in your area. Here where I live in Clearwater FL we have Augostino Guitars which are well known world wide. Mostly classical and acoustic but has built custom electrics in the past. I've been in Augies workshop many times and it's amazing. I bet if you contacted them they would be helpful for any info you might need.
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Post by fransauce on Apr 18, 2023 19:40:40 GMT
I went to a Luthiery school in Phoenix a few years ago, but I haven't done any of that stuff since so I have forgotten most of it. That and the type of guitar you're wanting to build requires different construction methods than the one I built. So take what I say with a grain of salt. I do recommend finding someone to work with that has experience building guitars. If I can find my tools sheet I'll post it, but for now I'll try to mention a few points: - Always use a center line
- We often routed to a template (particularly the pickup cavities, electronics cavity, the neck edges, and the shape of the body)
- StewMac has many specialty tools, however, try to use it sparingly as it tends to have dramatic markup prices.
- If you can get access to a drill press, disc sander, band saw, and routers then definitely use those. They can make your life significantly easier if you know how to use them.
- Make sure that when you store the project to keep it in a room/environment that has a humidity of 40-60%
- Some useful tools: 6-inch ruler, calipers, straight-edge, rasps, clamps, neck contour gauge, double sided tape, and a drill (off the top of my head)
- SG's in particular usually have an angled headstock, a 24.75 scale length, Tune-O-Matic style bridges, and a set neck. Those aspects can be changed but doing so will change the construction methods used. Also I recommend doing a scarf-joint instead of a non-scarf joint like what Gibson does because it is easier to construct and less likely break in the future.
Hope that was helpful, I'm sorry if that was terribly explained. A couple videos I recommend watching are "How To Make A Guitar: the ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR NON WOODWORKERS" from tchiks guitars and "Five Websites Every Luthier Should Know" from Driftwood Guitars, because they point to other resources that may be useful. Texas Toast Guitars also had a video for the contours of the SG.
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Post by The Ocean on Apr 18, 2023 23:39:22 GMT
I went to a Luthiery school in Phoenix a few years ago, but I haven't done any of that stuff since so I have forgotten most of it. That and the type of guitar you're wanting to build requires different construction methods than the one I built. So take what I say with a grain of salt. I do recommend finding someone to work with that has experience building guitars. If I can find my tools sheet I'll post it, but for now I'll try to mention a few points: - Always use a center line
- We often routed to a template (particularly the pickup cavities, electronics cavity, the neck edges, and the shape of the body)
- StewMac has many specialty tools, however, try to use it sparingly as it tends to have dramatic markup prices.
- If you can get access to a drill press, disc sander, band saw, and routers then definitely use those. They can make your life significantly easier if you know how to use them.
- Make sure that when you store the project to keep it in a room/environment that has a humidity of 40-60%
- Some useful tools: 6-inch ruler, calipers, straight-edge, rasps, clamps, neck contour gauge, double sided tape, and a drill (off the top of my head)
- SG's in particular usually have an angled headstock, a 24.75 scale length, Tune-O-Matic style bridges, and a set neck. Those aspects can be changed but doing so will change the construction methods used. Also I recommend doing a scarf-joint instead of a non-scarf joint like what Gibson does because it is easier to construct and less likely break in the future.
Hope that was helpful, I'm sorry if that was terribly explained. A couple videos I recommend watching are "How To Make A Guitar: the ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR NON WOODWORKERS" from tchiks guitars and "Five Websites Every Luthier Should Know" from Driftwood Guitars, because they point to other resources that may be useful. Texas Toast Guitars also had a video for the contours of the SG. Thank you! For the neck I’m going for the fender style that isn’t bent back just to make it easier on myself lol. At a future date I may make one with an angle. What I mainly want from the Gibson SG is the body shape itself and the neck accessibility. I wasn’t really sure whether I was going to do a set-neck or a bolt-on neck, which was easier versus more reliable/durable in a guitar. I saw one guy make a one-piece guitar and I was absolutely STUNNED. That is not ever going to be in my skill set.
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Post by joe on Apr 19, 2023 2:28:09 GMT
See if there is a woodworking hobbyist or some retired ex-pro in your area and make friends with him or her. Ask your current friends too, you never know. A number of the tools that fransauce mentioned are pretty common in woodworking. Even I have a number of them in my garage. Between two guys I worked with, they would probably have ALL the common ones.
Most people like that are extremely hesitant to loan tools out. But if you could find a retired one in your area and arrange your work tasks right, one MIGHT be willing to let you come over and work with him. Most would probably know nothing about making guitars, but can do amazing woodwork. If you can find one with time on their hands that has an interest in doing something completely different you might get help for free. Free is a key thing!!!!
A lot of "if's" in my comments, but you just never know. You might strike out, but asking is free.
Good luck in your endeavor!
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pacnw
Junior Member
Posts: 74
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Post by pacnw on Apr 19, 2023 11:23:40 GMT
It might be beneficial to attempt a kit first rather than a from-scratch build in order to get a feel for what is involved in just the assembly/setup aspect. There are a few tools required to do the best setup possible. A set of allen wrenches to set the saddle height (not required for a LP or SG) and to set the neck relief. Possibly some feeler gauges in-order to set string heights when filing nut slots. A soldering iron for electronics wiring. Peterson makes a strobe-tuner app ($10) that is good for setting the bridge intonation.
Finishing wood usually turns-out about as well as the work someone is willing to put into it. I would say that patience is required for any aspect of instrument building.
As far as the pickups and electronics, there are plenty of less-expensive manufacturers (like GFS, et.al.) that make decent strat pickups. There is really no need to spend $300 on a set of strat or tele pickups.
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Post by The Ocean on Apr 19, 2023 18:56:18 GMT
It might be beneficial to attempt a kit first rather than a from-scratch build in order to get a feel for what is involved in just the assembly/setup aspect. There are a few tools required to do the best setup possible. A set of allen wrenches to set the saddle height (not required for a LP or SG) and to set the neck relief. Possibly some feeler gauges in-order to set string heights when filing nut slots. A soldering iron for electronics wiring. Peterson makes a strobe-tuner app ($10) that is good for setting the bridge intonation. Finishing wood usually turns-out about as well as the work someone is willing to put into it. I would say that patience is required for any aspect of instrument building. As far as the pickups and electronics, there are plenty of less-expensive manufacturers (like GFS, et.al.) that make decent strat pickups. There is really no need to spend $300 on a set of strat or tele pickups. Thanks! I think I’ll build an SG kit style first based on your suggestion and then go from there. As to the pickups im going to get just basic single coil ones first and see how it goes. And if I do a good job, I’ll upgrade to some I really love.
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Post by Espo on Apr 19, 2023 19:09:21 GMT
Please keep us posted on your progress!
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Post by redhouserocker on Apr 20, 2023 1:46:30 GMT
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Post by joe on Apr 20, 2023 2:32:48 GMT
Ocean: This is mostly nostalgia for me, but you might be interested in some of the guitar making things described in the links at the bottom from Vintage Guitar Magazine. Too bad the timing is way off, but if this forum existed back in the early/mid 70's, which would have been impossible since there was no internet back then, I might have been able to help you out with some stuff. I actually had no idea what was available to me at the time! I had a summer job while I was in high school, and one of my tasks was to find resonance points in speaker cabs. My electronics teacher set up the gig for me. I really didn't know what the cabs were for, or who they belonged to, but I figured they were for guitar amps. These were pretty small ones. I had a list of a few things I could do to the cabs to see if anything would change or get rid of the resonance(s) then document what I found for each one. The design of each one was different. Sometimes I would spend several days on one cab as a challenge. My labor rate was dirt cheap, so nobody cared about time spent. I didn't know till several years later that these things were candidates for production or the name of the company. At the bottom are two links from Vintage Guitar Magazine talking about the amps, cabs, and guitars that this company made. The owner's name was Charles Eilenberg who later I became friends with and did some other work for him sometime while I was in college. The article mentions their move to solid state preamps. I did the circuit board layout and some other design stuff on one of them. I don't know how many versions they had. I didn't know how big his operation was, can't believe I never went to the factory. I didn't play the guitar so I just took things for granted. In any production operation there are always some items that are damaged or have electronic problems. Charles was a nice guy once you got to know him so I probably could have had my pick of stuff that was written off as junk. Collect enough junk and with some time you end up with a working item if you understand the designs. I was offered one of his bass guitar's once, in excellent condition, but I didn't know what to do with it! Somebody beat me to the "regular" guitar. He would have probably let me dig through his dumpsters and I could have come up with a LOT of pieces that some guitar builder could use. After they closed down I was offered some of their woodworking equipment - for free. It was a huge room full of stuff. Some of the stuff required 3 phase power, which I didn't have at home. No telling what kind of special tools I took a pass on. Anyway doesn't help either of us now, but sometimes you just don't know what you've got till it's gone, so the saying goes. I've kicked myself a number of times since then. Anyway, the articles: www.vintageguitar.com/1895/alamo-guitars/www.vintageguitar.com/1816/alamo-guitars-and-amps-remember-the-alamo/
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Post by The Ocean on Apr 20, 2023 3:01:06 GMT
Y’all’ve given me a damn treasure trove of resources and I thank you!
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Post by stitsel on Apr 22, 2023 15:33:04 GMT
Check out Warmoth & StewMac DIY kits
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Post by The Ocean on Apr 24, 2023 13:19:36 GMT
IMG_4658.webp (301.14 KB) So, Ive abandoned the idea of using a Gibson SG as the body shape template for the guitar I want to build. Overall, this is my plan at this point: I want to take the scale length and neck profile of a Fender Jaguar, the three single coil pickups with individual pickup on/off switches AND phase selectors of the Red Special, and the general body shape of a Steinberger. In order to do this I will be taking the general measurements of the neck as well as the bridge placement from the Jaguar, overlay the shape of the Steinberger, and use the cavity layout and schematics of the Red Special, adjusting some placements where necessary. The Steinberger body shape reasoning is that I love the Super Strat shape with the indent at the bottom. While my guitar wouldn’t need that indent since it will have a headstock, I just happen to love that aspect of the shape and will round it out.
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