Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Martinus on April 08, 2004, 07:49:31 pm

Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 08, 2004, 07:49:31 pm: (*assuming the builder has the skills necessary to execute said task.)

Ok I started this a few weeks back, been building it on my fridays off uni with a guy I know, it's his A-level project for technology.

Please excuse the photo quality, I'm no artiste. ;)

The body; 2 pieces of ash cut to the general shape of an Explorer:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/01.jpg)

Different angle:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/02.jpg)

Back showing cavity cover:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/03.jpg)

Cavity for controls and wiring:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/04.jpg)

The cover of the cavity; a piece of ebony cut from waste:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/05.jpg)

The neck, still needs a truss rod channel routed. Also a piece of wood known as 'purpleheart' for the fretboard, pretty dense wood and a great colour IMHO.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/06.jpg)

(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/07.jpg)

Partially cut head stock with drilled machine head holes (tuners):
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/09.jpg)

UPDATE: Well it's been ages since I posted this thread and I'd forgotten that the images were hosted on HLP's old server so I've re-uploaded them and relinked everything. Lost a few photos for some reason so I had to make a few minor edits. Every now and then I get a message regarding this and, rather than simply put another web-page up, I thought it would be nice to send people here to HLP as the replies, to me, made this such a fun write-up. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 08, 2004, 07:50:50 pm: Pickups, bridge (Gibson style tunomatic), neck plate, control pots and other bits and bobs. (sorry, loads of chrome and a flash is a bad mix :D ):
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/08.jpg)

Fretwire, vernier calipers, pickup routing jig, fretboard radius guide:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/10.jpg)

Tools:
Router - guitarmakers best friend
Junior hacksaw for cutting fret slots
Razor saw for precision cutting
Block plane for levelling the fretboard
Coping saw for cutting the headstock shape etc.
Standard diameter fret file
Deadblow hammer with rubber and plastic faces for seating the frets
Spokeshave used to raduis the back of the neck
3 clamps (probably not enough)
Half round file
Set of scalpels and blades
Assortment of sandpaper
Ultra fine wire wool (used when spraying the guitar)
Radius block for the fretboard (12 inch radius in this case)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/11.jpg)

And the one thing every budding luthier needs for a worry free job; the mighty Kenya hoodie! (I am now unstoppable!):
(http://www.3dap.com/hlp/staff/maeglamor/guitar/kenya.jpg)

I'll try to post more photies as I progress. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on April 08, 2004, 07:53:36 pm: Warning. Don't wash that hoodie. I bough a Mr Stabby t shirt and all the colour came out in the first wash.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: redsniper on April 08, 2004, 07:54:17 pm: you need to shave
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Taristin on April 08, 2004, 07:54:36 pm: :lol:

Awesome!

I love the hoody, too!
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 08, 2004, 07:55:32 pm: I've been too busy. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on April 08, 2004, 09:38:02 pm: :yes:

the headstock looks sweet
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Joey_21 on April 08, 2004, 10:36:57 pm: I love it! Never attempted building a guitar, myself, but I sure like to play them. :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on April 08, 2004, 10:39:25 pm: Maeg, what kind of pickups are you using?
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 09, 2004, 07:31:45 am: PhReAk, I'm using a set of Kent Armstrong high output humbuckers. He makes great pickups and you don't pay the excessive prices that the likes of DiMarzio or Seymor Duncan charge.

The head is taken from a BCRich design, I told him to design his own (you practically have a blank canvas as long as you take the position of the machine heads into consideration) but he wanted that one. Personally I think it's brutal (and not in the Lister Red Dwarf meaning), I like flowy curves. :nod:

Oh and Mik, I eat much fibre so that doesn't happen to me. :D

Joey, I'd advise that you take a bunch of classes in woodwork and that you start humble. Trying to build a twin neck gibson on your first attempt is a recipe for tears and frustration, the strat style one I built was a really good choice; it has a bolt on neck, so if you make minor mistakes you can somewhat adjust the neck to body angle.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Joey_21 on April 09, 2004, 07:45:42 am: What color are you going to paint the body? IMHO - satin black or a wineish red would look pretty sweet. :yes:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 09, 2004, 07:59:00 am: I'm leaving that up to him so I'm not sure at this point, I was always a fan of wood finishes so if it were my choice I'd just spray the thing with clear lacquer.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 09, 2004, 08:25:59 am: Wow, awesome... love the willpower shot, too :D You so have to show us how it comes out looking. Would be even better if you show us how it sounds, too. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 16, 2004, 03:03:33 pm: Today I have been mostly... Routing!

First of all I had to build a jig so that I could flatten the fingerboard..
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/12.jpg)

(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/13.jpg)

A truss rod in all its simplistic glory. I dismantled it to illustrate how simple it is.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/14.jpg)

And back in one piece:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/15.jpg)

Basically what I have to do is route a channel in the neck to install the truss rod. The truss rod must be effectively flush with the top surface of the neck. Here you can see me placing it so that I can mark out where the truss rod channel will be routed.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/16.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 16, 2004, 03:04:10 pm: The router bit; luckily I have one that is exactly the right diameter to cut a channel for a standard width truss rod. These things are bloody dangerous when you set them going.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/17.jpg)

No matter how sure you are it never hurts to to a test run, here I've routed a shallow channel on a piece of MDF and as you can see the truss rod fits it quite snugly.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/18.jpg)

A side runner for the router; since the piece of wood I'm using for the neck is square I can use the guide along the edge of the neck block and ensure the truss rod channel is straight.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/19.jpg)

Here's the finished channel after routing. Notice that the top end is narrower, I use a smaller bit to cut this so that it looks tidy where the truss rod adjustment nut leaves the neck.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/20.jpg)

...and fitted, not a hitch either (touch wood ;) ).
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/21.jpg)

Now all I have to do is clean the mess up before my dad kicks my arse. ;)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/22.jpg)

More soon if you're all still interested.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Sandwich on April 17, 2004, 02:06:10 pm: Wow.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Gloriano on April 17, 2004, 02:14:26 pm: :yes: Wow

Quote
More soon if you're all still interested

I'am:nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: pyro-manic on April 17, 2004, 02:23:12 pm: F'kin right I am! An explorer is next on my list of "awesome axes I need to get". :D

Oh, and I want to hear this when it's done - get it through a good amp and record it for us!

And a question - do you do requests? I'll pay you to build me one if it sounds good.... ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: ChronoReverse on April 17, 2004, 02:27:00 pm: Hehe, I love the commentary.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 17, 2004, 02:51:09 pm: Thankyou guys. I'll be cranking my amp as soon as it's in playing shape, "All knobs to Germany!" as my mate says (think about it; we live in Ireland. ;) ).

As for the requests Pyro, to be honest, this is something I do at my leisure, for fun. It would generally take me a long time to get this far but since someone else is involved I've had to crank this guitar out as fast as I could reasonably do it. If I was building it by myself, for myself it would take ages. Also it's a heck of a lot more expensive than buying a guitar (generally) when you build it yourself, factories can save a lot of money in mass production.

As I told Sandwich on MSN though; once you've built one you really want to have another go. It's addictive. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on April 18, 2004, 11:44:58 am: looks like you're having a bunch of fun. i'd like to see what else you do to it :D

Here's James Hetfield's new Ken Lawerence Explorer. This is one of the best guitars i've seen. Try to top it :D

(http://www.penguinbomb.com/phreak/KLEXP.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 18, 2004, 07:33:27 pm: That fretboard is a smashing piece of work. Don't like the black hardware though, looks a bit tacky compared to the rest of the guitar.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 20, 2004, 04:36:27 am: Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor
More soon if you're all still interested.

Absolutely, dude. :) But can you tell me - what does the truss rod do? I don't notice one in my guitar... ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: pyro-manic on April 22, 2004, 01:31:47 pm: It controls the shape of the neck, so you can adjust the action. As far as I'm aware, acoustics don't have 'em. :)

Maeg: Not to worry. Just thought I'd ask. :D Ooh, found this (http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk) the other day - these things are sweet in every possible way. The Warpig got a rave review in Total Guitar, and the others look impressive as well. :nod: They're expensive, but they're the mutt's nuts. :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 22, 2004, 02:35:58 pm: Not far off the mark Pyro. A truss rod counteracts the pull of the guitar strings, before truss rods were invented you had to have a pretty bulky neck to stop it bowing under the strain of the string pull. A truss rod pulls the neck back straight or ideally with a little relief towards the strings (a string's vibration has greatest amplitude at it's center hence more relief near the 12th fret than at the nut).

Acoustics do have truss rods, Martin guitars (which kick neck) used to have a solid steel rod imbedded in the neck, now they have conventional truss rods. If you want to see the adjustment nut get yourself a small mirror (I pinch my sister's when the need arises ;) ) and hold it inside the sound hole beneath the strings, if you tilt it so that you can see where the neck joins the body you should see a silver allen nut.

I'm going to do a bit more to the neck tomorrow and hopefully it will be all glued up by tomorrow afternoon. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 22, 2004, 02:41:43 pm: Holy crap dude! Those pickups cost a fortune. You'd need to be a fan. Personally I think Kent Armstrong's pickups are as good as any other offering I've heard and they're way more affordable.

Oh yeah, I should mention that it's generally not such a great idea to go mucking about with your truss rod if you don't know what you're doing. You can mess up to the point of destroying a cheap guitar or having to have some rather expensive repair work done on a pricey one. That said, it's not the most difficult thing to adjust if you're careful, I just wouldn't recommend it.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 23, 2004, 05:16:05 am: Ah, I get it Maeg - makes sense that they'd have to have those on any instrument that uses metal strings. Cool, thanks. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 23, 2004, 11:09:29 am: More!
Ok I started off with a bit of an advantage; as I have access to the school's workshop I got to play with all of the nice powertools so that means I have access to a bandsaw!
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/23.jpg)

Usng the bandsaw I cut the sides off the neck block, resulting in something more akin to what you'd expect a neck to look like:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/24.jpg)

Notice that I always cut outside the line; Confucious say "it is always possible to take more off but adding more is recipe for much sadness".
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/25.jpg)

Next, on to the fretboard. The fretboard must be pretty damn straight and square; not the weird guy in the corner square, level along it's length and width square. Religiously square.
I check this using a guide from one of the machines which is ground for accuracy so I'm pretty sure it's going to be spot on.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/26.jpg)

Once it's good to go I glue the truss rod in, glue the fretboard blank on and clamp seven shades of heck out of the whole shebang:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/27.jpg)

Basically you leave it to sit for a few minutes whilst the two part epoxy sets a little then you clamp it until you get glue seepage all along the edges thus:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/28.jpg)

The glue can be cleaned off later with a knife, but first I must scrub my hands for about three days solid to get rid of the mix of epoxy and oil from the clamps. People look at you weird if you're plastered in black crud. :D
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/29.jpg)

I'm going to really have to make a push next week to get this done in time for the grading, so you should see a lot of progress between tuesday and friday hopefully. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on April 23, 2004, 11:24:33 am: lol @ the clamps

i found out that my crappy ass microphone actually records sounds off my amp rather well :D
perhaps i'll post something in the Art Forum once i have the chance to record it.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 23, 2004, 11:29:35 am: Hmmm, is that thing clamped enough, Maeg? :D

Awesome work, looking forward to seeing the next instalment of Maeg's Luthering Made Easy. :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Sandwich on April 23, 2004, 01:09:39 pm: Awesome. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 23, 2004, 01:14:34 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Setekh
Hmmm, is that thing clamped enough, Maeg? :D
Well, it'll do.

You see if it's not uniformly glued down then the next part is going to be a pain in the neck (no pun intended); I'll have to take a plane to it to ensure that the fretboard is square with the neck heel and believe me, that's difficult.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: pyro-manic on April 26, 2004, 12:19:05 pm: Quote
Holy crap dude! Those pickups cost a fortune. You'd need to be a fan. Personally I think Kent Armstrong's pickups are as good as any other offering I've heard and they're way more affordable.

Heh, they are a bit pricy. Do you have a link for those? I'm looking for a new bridge pickup for my SG, cos I'm finding it a bit weedy. The neck one's lovely, but the bridge is sounding a bit weak. If they're cheap, then that's a plus. :)

Quote
Not far off the mark Pyro. A truss rod counteracts the pull of the guitar strings, before truss rods were invented you had to have a pretty bulky neck to stop it bowing under the strain of the string pull. A truss rod pulls the neck back straight or ideally with a little relief towards the strings (a string's vibration has greatest amplitude at it's center hence more relief near the 12th fret than at the nut).

OK - didn't know that. But the only reason you'd mess with the truss rod would be to adjust the action, no? :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 26, 2004, 12:29:54 pm: Yeah, effectively. A lot of people are convinced that it's the way to adjust action but in reality it's a number of different factors combined.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 27, 2004, 09:55:53 am: Ok a quick (and crappy IMHO) update; forgot to bring my camera so I had to use my phone. I'll probably replace these photos with proper ones tomorrow. :blah:

Ok I made a router jig (guide) from plywood which basically involves cutting the plywood to fit the heel of the neck as closely as possible. I then screw this to the top of the guitar. No marks will be left because the place that I used screws will soon be a cavity for a pickup. Pretty simple but it works. :nod:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/34.jpg)

Using the router I cut the cavity into the guitar body where the neck will reside.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/35.jpg)

Here's what the cavity looks like after I remove the jig, pretty clean eh?
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/31.jpg)

And here's a picture of the neck in place, note that I have cut the fretboard sides flush with the sides of the neck itself. Look at the photo of the clamped neck for reference.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/30.jpg)

Unfortunately a teacher decided to do a little bit of work on the area around the neck cavity and I'd not realised, luckily the neck plate still fits (barely) but I had to fit it slightly off center. No biggie but not as perfect as I'd like. ;)

Here's a good sign: Then neck centerline and the body centerline still match, you can also see how close the neckplate is to the edges and how the heel of the neck sticks out on both sides. (Not so good)

[Image lost]

Lessons learnt today:
Bring the blimmin' camera.
If you want something done right...
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 27, 2004, 10:02:13 am: Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor

[color=66ff00]You see if it's not uniformly glued down then the next part is going to be a pain in the neck (no pun intended)
[/color]

No pun avoided, you mean. :D

You know, those aren't bad for shots taken from a camera. Neckplate looks nice and shiny and pro. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Joey_21 on April 27, 2004, 10:22:58 am: Wow! Progress coming along nicely. Makes me want to build my own. But as I'm running on a lack of time, I don't know when that will happen. :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 28, 2004, 11:26:40 am: Ok got a decent amount of work done today but it's kinda one of those things that's small and time consuming so it doesn't look so fantastic. Anyway:

[Updated: Some of the photos above are the 'replaced' higher quality versions, I kept the post to ensure everything flows logically...]

A better picture of the neck attached to the body (remembered my camera obviously ;) ).
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/30.jpg)

And the neck socket (a fine piece of work if I do say so myself ;) )
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/31.jpg)

As you can see the fretboard is flat along it's entire length and width (relatively speaking of course, a microscope would tell a WHOLE different story. :D )
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/32.jpg)

Here's the neck socket template I made, it's 5mm plywood cut to fit the end of the neck as closely as possible, the two holes are where I use screws to fix it to the top of the guitar body.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/34.jpg)

And in position, note the holes for the screws that fix the neck to the body:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/35.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 28, 2004, 11:27:24 am: Back to the neck; mother of pearl dots (yep, the real stuff). These you will see adorning many's an expensive fretboard.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/36.jpg)

And here's the fretboard with holes drilled for them and shallow slots, I'll cut them to the proper depth later with a slightly larger saw, these slots give the big saw a better chance of staying in the slot accurately and not gouging the fretboard.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/37.jpg)

I use good old superglue to glue the dots into the fretboard and the little green screwdriver allows me to press them in firmly without the mess of having a half finished neck stuck to my hands. (frustrating and cumbersome, or so I've heard. ;) )
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/38.jpg)

As you can see I leave the dots sitting a little proud of the face of the board, once I finish sanding and cambering the fretboard these will be flush with the surface and will look quite cool when polished.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/39.jpg)

Fretting tomorrow I hope. :drevil:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 28, 2004, 12:07:01 pm: BTW sorry pyro, forgot to mention the link, it's http://www.wdmusic.com/ (http://www.wdmusic.com/)

They supply to the US and to UK so it's quite handy for me. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on April 29, 2004, 09:26:19 am: Wa-hey! Talk about it coming all together. Really love the mother-of-pearl dots too, the neck looks so much cooler with them. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Gloriano on April 29, 2004, 09:32:49 am: :cool: :yes: :yes:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 29, 2004, 12:19:45 pm: I started out the day with a light breakfast of orange juice and determination, by dinner time I was kicking ass and taking names...
What follows is my account of the zen art of fretting...
*sound of gong and man tieing headband*

The weapon of choice for cutting fret slots is a junior hacksaw, even though it's primarily designed for metal it cuts wood quite well and more importantly it has a cutting width pretty close to the width of the fret's tang:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/40.jpg)

Remember our nice flat fretboard from yesterday? Well I'm about to unflatten it, if you own a guitar you'll notice (with few exceptions) that the fretboard has a camber, this provides easier play and a more comfortable grip. You used to have to plane the fretboard to shape which is a bit tricky, then some smart boyo came along and created a sanding block with the correct radius for the fretboard. You can actually get a number of different radii, I chose a 12" radius block as it gives a fretboard that will allow string bending (flatter is better) and also has enough of a camber to allow comfortable playing (rounder is better for comfort). Here's the block itself:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/41.jpg)

After a lot of sanding *wheeze*:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/42.jpg)

Ahh the devastating convenience! (note the kitchen in the background, mum's being very patient with me ;) )
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/43.jpg)

A bit more sanding with progressively finer grades of paper results in:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/44.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 29, 2004, 12:30:32 pm: You like those dots Eddie, get a load of them now all shiney like:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/45.jpg)

Here's the piece de la re-chordance... er....
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/46.jpg)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/47.jpg)

Basically, you cut it a little longer than the width of the fretboard and bend it a bit so that it's got a deeper arc than the top of the fretboard, then you put it in position:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/48.jpg)

Then I take out my ultimate weapon, this implement is called a deadblow hammer and I dub it "Thor's Hammer!" (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name, ok)
It's got two faces, one's made of plastic and the other's made of rubber, the idea being that you don't dent the fretwire too much when hammering it into the fretboard. Did I mention it has a cool name?
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/49.jpg)

You tap both ends of the fret in first and then gradually tap backwards and forwards across the board making sure neither end pops out:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/50.jpg)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/51.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 29, 2004, 12:37:12 pm: Many frets later and a bit of filing to remove the overhanging ends results in:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/52.jpg)

Now onto the back of the neck! Woohoo!
I rough shape both ends of the neck; the head and the heel neck profile is made with a file and some elbow grease:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/53.jpg)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/54.jpg)

Then I take a spokeshave and rough shape the back of the neck, I'll probably do the final shaping tomorrow but I must rest and regain my Chi for tomorrow I finish the neck and go to work on the body:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/55.jpg)

*exit gong... and fade...*
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on April 29, 2004, 12:48:44 pm: Pwnage
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Dark_4ce on April 29, 2004, 01:15:30 pm: You ROCK Maeg! And soon literally too! :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Joey_21 on April 29, 2004, 01:50:34 pm: DUDE! :eek2: The craftsmanship put into this fine piece is astonishing!
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 30, 2004, 11:24:57 am: Ok I decided to deviate from my plan to finish the neck and do some work on the body.

First I had to position the bridge and tail piece, to do this I must make a nut for the neck (note that at this point the neck is attached to the body). The nut is only cut for width and is far too high at the moment but that's what I want, anyhow, I mark out all the grooves on the top and cut the outside ones only.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/56.jpg)

The reason for this is that I can take a bunch of rubber bands and make a string of sorts, I make one for each side of the neck and run then through the two nut slots I just cut and down to the bridge/tailpiece. I can then use the bands as a guide to where the bridge should be along the neck's axis. You can see in the photo that I'm looking to make sure that each 'string' is the same distance from the side of the fretboard. Luckily the marks I made earlier were pretty much bang on the money, I just had to move the bridge a small distance. Tres clever eh?
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/57.jpg)

I then mark out the holes for the tailpiece pins and drill them.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/58.jpg)

Same for the bridge:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/059.jpg)

And here they are test fitted. You'll notice that they're rather high at the mo. That's because the pins themselves are screwed into retainers which need to be tapped into those holes. If I were to fit them now before the body is sanded and sprayed etc. I'd never get them out.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/060.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on April 30, 2004, 11:30:41 am: Gotta fit the pickups next so I take my template that I made earlier, double sided sticky tape it to the face of the guitar and get busy with the router... Some time later:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/061.jpg)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/062.jpg)

Since the screws on the pickups are of a greater depth than the pickup itself I need to route a small, deeper bit on each side of the pickup cavity, here's what it looks like all finished:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/063.jpg)

And with the pickups test fitted:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/064.jpg)

Finally here's a glory shot of everything up until now:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/065.jpg)

And with that I'm on the home stretch. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: pyro-manic on April 30, 2004, 11:34:08 am: Hoo-hoo, she's starting to look mighty fine now.... :eek::yes:

Ta for the linkage, btw - most helpful. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on April 30, 2004, 01:28:13 pm: that thing is going to kick some serious ass when its done
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 01, 2004, 04:07:32 pm: Ahh, no worries pyro and cheers Phreak. I probably won't get anything more done until monday.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on May 02, 2004, 06:56:00 am: Whoa, man... that gives new meaning to the word "fretting". :D

Love "Thor's Hammer!", too. :lol: Man, can't wait to see the finished product...
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 02, 2004, 07:43:03 am: Nothing quite like a little Asgard technology to make a mean guitar. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Sandwich on May 03, 2004, 03:48:17 am: Wowsers, Maeg. You should make this into a permanent page somewhere so Google can index it. :p
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 03, 2004, 07:57:19 am: Woo! I can see the finish line from here...

Ok last time you saw the neck it looked like this.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/55.jpg)

lots of spokeshaving, filing and sanding later results in:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/066.jpg)

It's a bit chunky at present but I want Sean to do a bit of work on it (It'll be marked on tuesday or wedensday and I recon it's good enough at present to get him what he needs.) We can recarve it thinner or whatever at a later date. Anyhow for the time being this is what we're working with:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/067.jpg)

And with that we now have a servicable neck, w00t!
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/068.jpg)

Tomorrow I will put the thing together, do a bit of setting up to get it strung up and get it examination worthy. :nod:
I'm just a bit excited. :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Ulala on May 04, 2004, 01:36:30 am: :yes: :yes: :yes: Amazing work Maeg, I'm envious! ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on May 04, 2004, 04:14:02 am: :eek2:

To see the process behind that neck, I now appreciate my own acoustic's workmanship so much more. That's awesome, dude. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 04, 2004, 09:16:07 am: Ok the build is effectively finished, I gotta do all the fiddly things like electronics and fretdressing for the setup but that's another chapter. I've got two exams coming up so I'll just leave you with a few shots of what she looks like now. Not bad if I do say so myself. :)
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/069.jpg)

(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/070.jpg)

Quote
Originally posted by Setekh
:eek2:

To see the process behind that neck, I now appreciate my own acoustic's workmanship so much more. That's awesome, dude. :)
Thanks a lot Eddie but an acoustic is far more challenging that an electric to build so multiply the effort I made by two. :)
Coincidently I wanted to remind myself of how far the neck had come so I got a photo of the neck blank before I did anything to it.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e259/Maeglamor/Guitar/071.jpg)

I got quite a lot done in a pretty short time. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on May 04, 2004, 10:07:34 am: leet
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on May 04, 2004, 12:18:01 pm: (http://www.swooh.com/peon/phreak/hs2.jpg)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Gloriano on May 04, 2004, 12:28:42 pm: :eek2: damn good work Maeg:):yes:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 04, 2004, 12:28:49 pm: ROFLMAO! Best reply evar PhReAk. :lol:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on May 05, 2004, 07:32:27 am: Quote
Originally posted by PhReAk
(http://www.swooh.com/peon/phreak/hs2.jpg)

Totally agreed. :lol::yes: But hey hey hey, you didn't show us how you put the machine heads in! Awww. :o

Didn't realise acoustics were so difficult to make, Maeg. Well, you know what your next project is then, don't you... :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 05, 2004, 08:18:44 am: Yeah, a Les Paul Junior. :D

(http://www.gibsoncustom.com/Historic/LesPaulSeries/images/58juniordc.jpg)
Simple and beautiful.
I'll probably start right after my exams are finished. Sometime around the start of June. I'll show you how the machineheads are fitted when I build that one. :nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on May 05, 2004, 08:43:13 am: Ooooh... curvy. Looking forward to this one, oh great luthier. :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Jiggyhound on May 05, 2004, 09:18:38 am: ah, classic :D
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: pyro-manic on May 05, 2004, 10:01:50 am: :lol: @ phreak!

Get it plugged in then, Maeg - I wanna hear it scream! :D

And good choice for your next project - P-90s are great. :nod::yes:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on May 05, 2004, 10:49:18 am: heh, i was going to suggest to maeg to make a Les Paul next. any professional guitarist has at least one, unless you make your money by playing classical guitar
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 05, 2004, 01:22:15 pm: I have a custom Westbury here PhReAk, it's got a '59 reissue Les Paul pickup in it so I've basically got a Les Paul standard.

The junior is just such a fantastic understatement, one pickup, nothing fancy to the build but it just sounds so good. The P90 has a great tone too; hey another SG1 reference!
I think their P90's run out of ammo eventually though. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Flipside on May 05, 2004, 01:32:31 pm: LOL I love the headstock on that Guitar, very satanic! ;)

A friend of mine is getting his Strat sprayed by a Tattoo artist, it's a black strat, and all the guy is doing is highlighting it so it looks like a face is trying to stretch through the guitar, it looks incredible! I'll see if I can get a pic :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 05, 2004, 01:38:30 pm: Well as I said before the headstock isn't my bag but it seems to do the job OK.

As for the guitar that's being sprayed; sounds intriguing, photos would be much appreciated. :nod:

I wonder why so few people are actually posting in this thread. :nervous:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on May 05, 2004, 02:15:37 pm: Because people are fed up of guitars.
Banjos are where it's at, man!

j/k :P
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 05, 2004, 02:55:21 pm: :lol: They still have that 'deep south' stigma with all of them pigs and the squealing...
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Corhellion on May 05, 2004, 08:45:39 pm: Wow...Maeg...If I had the money...I'd pay some serious cash for that...800 to a grand at least...I WANT AN ELECTRIC GUITAR!!

*pouts*

*plays his acoustic*
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Rictor on May 05, 2004, 08:57:38 pm: *applause*

The most complex thing I've ever built was a mini trebuchet-type-thing, and that wasn't even mostly me. So, needless to say, excellent work. Is it just me, or is the guitar somewhat shorter than standard?

It must be so much more gratifying to play something you built yourself. Like an old Japanese katana maker, emerging after three years in isolation with the perfect weapon of death :D:D

and are you planning on painting it? A brown laquere would look awesome on top of the wood grain.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Setekh on May 06, 2004, 10:52:51 am: Quote
Originally posted by Petrarch of the VBB
Because people are fed up of guitars.
Banjos are where it's at, man!

j/k :P

Burn him! Cut him off from the land! :D

Seriously though, pyro's absolutely right - get a recording of that thing, I wanna hear what kind of sound it can produce. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Turnsky on May 06, 2004, 10:57:33 am: sooo, you gonna varnish it?.. it'd be a shame to cover that sweet woodgrain with paint.. ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 06, 2004, 11:02:24 am: Quote
Originally posted by Corhellion
Wow...Maeg...If I had the money...I'd pay some serious cash for that...800 to a grand at least...I WANT AN ELECTRIC GUITAR!!

*pouts*

*plays his acoustic*
I built it for free.
The materials cost somewhere in the region of £300 quid though.

As for satisfaction; just looking at it when finished was so gratifying that after we had placed it on it's stand both I and Sean had a hard time leaving the room we were storing it in. :lol:

I advised him to lacquer it a clear satin finish, lacquer is harder and more resisilent than varnish.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Turnsky on May 06, 2004, 11:36:18 am: Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor

[color=66ff00]
I advised him to lacquer it a clear satin finish, lacquer is harder and more resisilent than varnish.
[/color]

that's true, but you gathered what i meant. satin's pretty good, not overly shiny, so you don't have to polish fingermarks off it all the time :p
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 06, 2004, 12:08:22 pm: Actually I'd spray it satin simply because I like the feel more, same with the neck. Satin doesn't have that gammy, slick feeling to it.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Turnsky on May 06, 2004, 12:24:34 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]Actually I'd spray it satin simply because I like the feel more, same with the neck. Satin doesn't have that gammy, slick feeling to it.
[/color]

that too.:nod:
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Martinus on May 13, 2004, 06:25:51 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Rictor
*applause*

The most complex thing I've ever built was a mini trebuchet-type-thing, and that wasn't even mostly me. So, needless to say, excellent work. Is it just me, or is the guitar somewhat shorter than standard?
Sorry Rictor, I was looking over this thread again and I noticed that I had not addressed your question.

The scale length of the guitar is fairly standard if I remember correctly, perhaps it is the perspective of the photos that suggest shortness.
The scale length is the distance from the nut to the bridge, the shorter it is, the closer the frets are together and to a point the easier the guitar is to play. The tradeoff is sustain though; since the string is physically shorter it cannot vibrate for the same period. Gibson guitars generally have shorter scale lengths that Fender guitars but you're talking about 2 centimeters roughly, it makes a difference when your hands are small.

I finish my exams next tuesday afternoon so with a little luck I might be able to have the guitar in fully playable shape by wednesday afternoon, if so I will soonafter get my friends to record a few bits and pieces, two of them are exceptionally skilled players.
I mostly play fingerpicked tunes though I'm partial to Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple too so I might play a little bit as well.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: phreak on May 13, 2004, 07:56:03 pm: *goes off to play something*

my guitar:
(http://www.schecterguitars.com/Dproducts/2004_models/006-7_elite/006-7_elite_bch_pop.jpg)

the only difference is that mine has a stop tailpiece instead of a string-thru and there are dots on frets 3,5,7,9,12,15,17,19,21,24

unfortunately for me, i can't do all that many flashy solos right now. i'm looking into "The Unforgiven 1"(Metallica) or "A Question of Heaven" (Iced Earth). I was going to try to record Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer, but i have a fixed bridge and Kerry King's solo makes liberal use of the whammy bar, not to mention its a bit fast.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Slanker_MT on March 13, 2005, 01:34:41 pm: Almost 99% of Slayer songs make extensive usage of the whammy bar.

Nice work, Maeg. I prefer an ESP MII but if that one doesn´t exist, I may as well have bought yours ;)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: RedgeTester on March 13, 2005, 01:43:30 pm: Dumbass.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Slanker_MT on March 13, 2005, 01:53:43 pm: Personally, I´d use a "!" instead of a "." , but hey, that´s your decision :)
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: delta_7890 on March 13, 2005, 01:55:45 pm: Holy crap. I read two pages before I checked the date and realized how old this thread is. Oo;
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: aldo_14 on March 13, 2005, 01:57:52 pm: Quote
Originally posted by delta_7890
Holy crap. I read two pages before I checked the date and realized how old this thread is. Oo;

Probably was on the ' ONE YEAR AGO, ON HLP ' bit on the mainpage.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Slanker_MT on March 13, 2005, 02:10:29 pm: Actually it was and is in Maeg´s sig.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: RedgeTester on March 13, 2005, 02:10:32 pm: Quote
Originally posted by Slanker_MT
Personally, I´d use a "!" instead of a "." , but hey, that´s your decision :)

An exclamation mark would've indicated that I was annoyed or attempting to display a level of sharpness in the expression of the word - which it was not my intention to do.

By using a simple full-stop (or 'period') it gives a sense of the intended target - you, in this case - being beneath the level of importance whereby your actions would be worth becoming annoyed over.

It's not: "Oh God, you're such ****ing dumbass! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

It's: "You're a dumbass to such an extent that it's not even worth my time to bother elaborating upon that determination."

Also, by not using the exclamation mark it gives no indication of emotion being present in my assesment of you and implies that 'dumbass' is simply a statement of fact, not an opinion.
Title: How to build a guitar in many, many easy steps*
Post by: Sandwich on March 13, 2005, 04:37:55 pm: Ok, guys, enough elaborating how much disregard we have for each other. Mega-bump or not, 'tis still a darned good thread. Matter of fact, I just showed a friend of mine this very thread not one week ago. :)