Building Your Own Guitar?![help]

  • Thread starter Thread starter AntScars
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AntScars

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Hey, my name's Anthony...I'm new, you probably noticed already though. uhh I'm 15 and I was wondering around how much it would cost to build your own guitar, and the amount of work it would take...
My plan was from June28-July28 go to Ecuador, come back, and use the last month to possible learn and build a guitar...

that being said, is there a guide of some sort you can give me, over the time, cost, materials needed, etc. preferably, using a kit, with a finished body...just to learn the basics with this first one, then eventually if I like working and if the tone comes out halfway decent, I'd make more guitars for myself...

thanks,
ant
 
To build one from scratch with zero experience will be tough and take a long time, much longer than your time frame. You mentioned a kit, I can recommend this kit from personal experience.

https://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=gk1

It comes with everything you need, cut to precision, and once put together sounds and plays great. It compares to guitars that cost a lot more.

Here is how mine turned out. I used a tung oil finish.

http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/cnix50/?action=view&current=CarvinKit2015.jpg

Good luck, Charlie
 
There are a lot of options. You can get kits from a variety of sources. First, though, what kind of guitar do you want to make? Acoustic or electric. You can get kits for either one from Stew-Mac or Luthiers Mercantile, though the electric kits from LMI will take a lot more work, and I would not recommend them if you have not already got some experience. You can also get parts from other sources. For an electric, I would highly recommend parts from USA Custom Guitars (I have one of their necks on the Strat I recently built myself - I could have made my own, but given the cost of my time it was cheaper and faster to buy it from them). Warmoth is another high quality source. Cheaper, but also lower quality, parts can be had from Mighty Mite, WD Music products, and Allparts. Frankly, they are not that much less expensive, and their quality is significantly lower. If you buy from USA Custom Guitars or Warmoth, I HIGHLY recommend that you have them finish the parts for you. They do an excellent job, their rates can not be beat, and a good quality finish is one of the hardest things to do, particularly for a first timer. A "Parts" guitar, as they are frequently called, is a very good learning experience, and can help you get some of the most important skills needed. It is not, however, inexpensive. Then again, there isn't really a way to make a good quality DIY guitar which is inexpensive.

The first thing to do, however, is read up on it. The internet is a poor source for information on this stuff because there is a very high amount of bad information. I would suggest a couple of books. There are a number of good ones out there. If you are thinking an electric, Electric Guitar Construction and Make Your Own Electric Guitar are good. If you are thinking acoustic, Guitarmaking is good (though their neck making method is awfully fussy, and you would be well advised to ignore their distaste for rasps, files, and sandpaper), and either of Irving Sloan's books Classical Guitar Construction and Steel String Guitar Construction are classics of the trade (though Sloan's stuff may be a bit outdated. Art Overholtzer's book is also a classic, though also a bit outdated, fairly controversial, and as far as I know out-of-print.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask here, and either Muttley or myself (both of us are professional guitar builders) will be happy to answer your questions. (At least I know I will, and I assume Muttley will feel the same, as he always has).

Most of all, though, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. It is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do (at least, if you like guitars), and a lot of fun. Just remember two things - you will NOT save money over buying a comparable quality guitar (no kidding here, it will not happen, so don't even think about doing it to save money), and there is a high chance that you will not get everything perfect. Don't think of it as a way to get a great guitar cheap, think of it instead as a fun learning experience. If you think about it that way, you will not be disappointed if things don't end up perfectly, and if things DO come out perfectly, you will be that much happier.

I think that is probably enough for now.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I agree with cinx you need to start out with a kit in order to learn the basics of assembling a guitar before you get into carving out your own body and neck.
Grizzily industries has some very nice kits, Hardware and lots of good books on the subject if Lutherie finishing and guitar setup go here to order a catalogue http://grizzly.com/catalog_requests.aspx although Grizzly has very nice kits I would start out with something less expensive to get the feel of finishing and assembling your first guitar

here is an online store that sells great beginner kits.
I would start out with a strat kit this way you can also get the feel of cutting out the head stock and will not set you back too much if you mess up too bad.
http://www.onlineguitar.com/index.php?id=479
you will also want to read some books on how to finish your guitar but you can pick up a lot of good info right here on doing prep work however getting a book with illustrations wil help you to visualize the process.
here is an excellent resource for the DIY without spending a lot of money on painting equipment. http://www.paintyourownguitar.com/index.html

here are some resource links to get you started learning a little about the craft of Luthiery

http://www.buildyourguitar.com/index.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar!/
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/kitbuild.html

Good luck.

EDIT: I would also learn as much as you can about properly setting up a guitar because no matter how the guitar looks if the setup is no good the guitar will be hard to play and sound like crap.
I would much rather have a ratty looking guitar with a good setup than a pretty guitar that has a poor setup.
oh and I would also like to welcome you to the forum young Anthony:)
 
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All I'll add is, get a kit as suggested, plan well ahead, work out what specific or specialised tools you need, don't expect to have it done in a month if it's your first. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
 
cnix said:
To build one from scratch with zero experience will be tough and take a long time, much longer than your time frame. You mentioned a kit, I can recommend this kit from personal experience.


It comes with everything you need, cut to precision, and once put together sounds and plays great. It compares to guitars that cost a lot more.



Good luck, Charlie
Click to expand...

thanks, i really digg the way your guitar turned out...i'm more of a sucker for Les Paul style guitars though, but after seeing yours...i might consider changing that. :)
 
muttley600 said:
All I'll add is, get a kit as suggested, plan well ahead, work out what specific or specialised tools you need, don't expect to have it done in a month if it's your first. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Click to expand...

thanks guys, i really like all the great advice, but i have a question...i want to build an electric, maybe through a kit from the links all you guys sent to me, but i'm just wondering, around how much money its gonna cost, and how much time its going to take...so i know how much to save up. and uhh muttley, you said specialized tools...what tools are we talking about, exactly? :confused:
 
I would agree with Light that it's a very worthwhile and rewarding learning experience, no matter what the outcome. Building guitars was a popular project for people back at school when we were studying Craft Design and Technology, and Electronics. Although I never built any guitars (I made effects pedals instead as I kinda suck at woodwork and do better with electronics), I assisted in a few peoples projects and it was good fun.

I can't really offer any advice, rather encouragement. Just to say, make sure you keep us posted with what you're doing. I really enjoy reading about the projects people have been working on here.
 
yea, umm i just want to see if this is going to be an 08' or an 09' project, because of what muttley said, saying that its going to take over the time span that i said i was willing to dedicate to that porject...and since i'm the perfectionist type...it might just really take extra long, i figured it wouldve taken maybe a week at the max...and i might need a job, after seeing how much the kits you guys recomend cost...the one i saw, was like $300, but i rather go with a pro's opinion in what they believe to truly be the better buy...cause i dont want to pay $300 and feel like i bought a $50 First Act from Toys R Us...

so i might just wait until i'm 16, find a job that'll hire me since the stores around here (all chain, almost no local stores) like to hire people under 16... get me some money, then dedicate a whole summer to the guitar making process, see if i like it, and then consider making more. :)

i wish the local guitar shop owner that's like 2 miles away didn't have a store that creeped me out, otherwise I'd ask him if I can just like work for free, like apprentincing to learn how to luthier....over the summer...
 
AntScars said:
thanks, i really digg the way your guitar turned out...i'm more of a sucker for Les Paul style guitars though, but after seeing yours...i might consider changing that. :)
Click to expand...

Anthony
if you like the Les Paul models Saga makes a very nice little kit for a very reasonable price and dispite the cost the electronics are decent
the top is book matched flamed maple Veneer top. blocked and bound the tuners are good but the knobs are cheesey plastic so you will want to change those out for some nice tuner knobs.

the instructions are vague but any problems you may incurr someone here will be able to give you advice.

https://host175.ipowerweb.com/~onli..._id=33&osCsid=9e4142e35f5e8903a881dfbc1d86a7b
 
Roguetitan said:
Anthony
if you like the Les Paul models Saga makes a very nice little kit for a very reasonable price and dispite the cost the electronics are decent
the top is book matched flamed maple Veneer top. blocked and bound the tuners are good but the knobs are cheesey plastic so you will want to change those out for some nice tuner knobs.

the instructions are vague but any problems you may incurr someone here will be able to give you advice.

https://host175.ipowerweb.com/~onli..._id=33&osCsid=9e4142e35f5e8903a881dfbc1d86a7b
Click to expand...

thanks, any word on about how much time it would actually take to build that? and how much cash it would take to change those knobs?
 
AntScars said:
thanks, any word on about how much time it would actually take to build that? and how much cash it would take to change those knobs?
Click to expand...

I don't mean to be rude here, but dude seriously, it's obvious you have a computer and an internet connection (you're posting here after all). Can't you Google guitar parts and find some knobs?

It's one thing to ask for some broad topical help here (I know I do it enough) but quite another to say "Hey, how much do knobs cost?" Just a little forum etiquette tip for you.

BTW--good luck with your project. I work on guitars a lot, and it's a blast. Take the advice of the above posters to heart--they know what they're talking about.
 
WhiteStrat said:
I don't mean to be rude here, but dude seriously, it's obvious you have a computer and an internet connection (you're posting here after all). Can't you Google guitar parts and find some knobs?

It's one thing to ask for some broad topical help here (I know I do it enough) but quite another to say "Hey, how much do knobs cost?" Just a little forum etiquette tip for you.

BTW--good luck with your project. I work on guitars a lot, and it's a blast. Take the advice of the above posters to heart--they know what they're talking about.
Click to expand...

i was just asking to see what a good knob would cost seeing how they vary in prices, such as the guitar kits i was looking at that range from $200 - $600 from what i saw so far...and i've been posting from my sidekick, since i've been walking around town with my friends since we left school, and uhh was planning on looking around for knob prices later on...
 
AntScars said:
i was just asking to see what a good knob would cost seeing how they vary in prices, such as the guitar kits i was looking at that range from $200 - $600 from what i saw so far...and i've been posting from my sidekick, since i've been walking around town with my friends since we left school, and uhh was planning on looking around for knob prices later on...
Click to expand...

the prices on knobs will vary depending on the material they are made from, since you are not buying the whole tuner the knob should be substantally lower unless you are buying gold bug knobs then the knobs will cost more than the guitar.:eek:

if you go pick up some formbys tung oil and tear up an old t shirt to rub it into the guitar the finish will not cost but about 6 bucks.
you should be able to build that particular kit for less than $190.00
the kits are already preped and ready to finish.

if you decide to build the Saga Strat kit you should be able to build one for less than $100.00

you will want to invest in some basic tools such as a set of small flush cut pliers, end cutters, good set of screwdrivers and a soldering iron all this equipment can be bought thru harbor freight for a lot less than you would pay for it from stewmac or Luthiers Mercantile.

although it is not necessiary to purchace a lot of tools for these kits you will want to invest in some basic Luthiere hand tools such as a good strait edge,Radius gauges, string relief gauge, fret file, nut slotting saws and files, end cutters,
just buy a piece at a time this way you will not be out a large chunk at one time
you will want to invest in some power tools once you decide you want to build a guitar from scratch.

I strongly suggest doing a lot of practicing getting to know your saws, routers and sanders with cheap pine boards before you start cutting into expensive tone woods that way if you mess up on a piece of pine you are only out a couple of bucks compaired to a couple of hundred for a nice piece of tone wood.

I can save you a little money with some radius gauges and a string relief gauge if you want.
they are not metal, they are made out of laminated card stock they also come with a complete setup guide on how to set the relief, action and intonation of your guitar for optimal playability.

I can send that to you for 4 bucks paypal:D
 
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looks like you really know your stuff, huh? :)
thanks for ALL the help. I really want to see how this turns out...hopefully I'll be able to start this summer, if the guitars like $200 like you said...then I'd just need to buy the tools which cost about what? $100 more? maybe $200 tops...which I'll probably buy used(shouldn't really make a difference in the end product, right) and I'll just save up again for the Ibanez ART300 I was planning on getting...and since ill be home from august till september, I'll probably just go to my dad's house and use the work area he has set up in the garage...metalhead said it took him like 120 hours to complete his, on some other thread...so I'm guessing that was after work/when hr had a day off...where as I'll probably just work on it from sunrise to sunset for like 2 weeks straight, which is a little over the 120 that he said it took him. this should be a really fun learning experience for me, I can't wait to get started!
 
No, lutherie specialty tools are not cheap but un necessiary for a kit guitar.
If you have a screwdriver set and a bottle of tung oil you will have eveerything you need to finish and assemble a kit However once you get the building bug (and you will get it) you will want to start acumulating the specialty tools I mentioned.
however there are some tools asociated with building guitars that are basic hand dools and power tools that are asociated with any other types of wood working that can bought for a lot less than they would cost from a specialty shop like stewmac.

as far as building from a kit you are looking at a lot less time compaired to building from raw material.

you should be able to build a kit guitar and playing it in a couple of weeks time and that is doing it really slow and taking the time to do it right.

laying out a neck fretboard and body, cutting out the design, Routing all the compartments for the electronics and neck pocket. cutting the channel for the truss rod installing the truss rod, shaping and slotting the fretboard, installing the fretboard to the neck installing the neck, cutting the frets, installing the frets, mocking up the guitar, disassembling the mocked up guitar, sand and preping for finishing the guitar starting the finishing process then more sanding and preppuing then morepainting so on and so forth... and I left out a lot of stepps.
I just wanted to give you a basic understanding of the difference of the time involved between assembling a kit and building a guitar from raw materials.
Big difference.
you can assemble this guitar kit with a natural tung oil finish and have it look this good in a couple of weeks time.
take your time and do it right.
RTEmagicC_de9456ef3a.jpg.jpg
 
AntScars said:
thanks, any word on about how much time it would actually take to build that? and how much cash it would take to change those knobs?
Click to expand...
Just from looking at the pic,I would say that that guitar will be a POS, no
matter who puts it together.Les Pauls have a flaw in that the string angle
from nut to tuner is drastic on the D and G strings.Even high end models
wont stay in tune like guitars with a better design.If I were you I would look for a kit with a PRS style headstock.The tapered design allows the strings to pass thru the nut without any angle.
Good luck.
 
Roguetitan said:
No, lutherie specialty tools are not cheap but un necessiary for a kit guitar.
If you have a screwdriver set and a bottle of tung oil you will have eveerything you need to finish and assemble a kit However once you get the building bug (and you will get it) you will want to start acumulating the specialty tools I mentioned.
however there are some tools asociated with building guitars that are basic hand dools and power tools that are asociated with any other types of wood working that can bought for a lot less than they would cost from a specialty shop like stewmac.

as far as building from a kit you are looking at a lot less time compaired to building from raw material.

you should be able to build a kit guitar and playing it in a couple of weeks time and that is doing it really slow and taking the time to do it right.

laying out a neck fretboard and body, cutting out the design, Routing all the compartments for the electronics and neck pocket. cutting the channel for the truss rod installing the truss rod, shaping and slotting the fretboard, installing the fretboard to the neck installing the neck, cutting the frets, installing the frets, mocking up the guitar, disassembling the mocked up guitar, sand and preping for finishing the guitar starting the finishing process then more sanding and preppuing then morepainting so on and so forth... and I left out a lot of stepps.
I just wanted to give you a basic understanding of the difference of the time involved between assembling a kit and building a guitar from raw materials.
Big difference.
you can assemble this guitar kit with a natural tung oil finish and have it look this good in a couple of weeks time.
take your time and do it right.
RTEmagicC_de9456ef3a.jpg.jpg
Click to expand...

so what would you say the hardest part for building a guitar is? I would assume its getting all the electronic components working right? thanks for all the great help and advice. really counting down the days until I can start this thing up, if I had the kit already I would've worked on it this week that I'm off, and the week after finals...which I think mightve been enough time...if not a few extra days when I would've came back from vacation...but I guess its too late for that plan.
 
SHEPPARDB. said:
Just from looking at the pic,I would say that that guitar will be a POS, no
matter who puts it together.Les Pauls have a flaw in that the string angle
from nut to tuner is drastic on the D and G strings.Even high end models
wont stay in tune like guitars with a better design.If I were you I would look for a kit with a PRS style headstock.The tapered design allows the strings to pass thru the nut without any angle.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
What on earth are you talking about??
 
SHEPPARDB. said:
Just from looking at the pic,I would say that that guitar will be a POS, no
matter who puts it together.Les Pauls have a flaw in that the string angle
from nut to tuner is drastic on the D and G strings.Even high end models
wont stay in tune like guitars with a better design.If I were you I would look for a kit with a PRS style headstock.The tapered design allows the strings to pass thru the nut without any angle.
Good luck.
Click to expand...


I can only think of one response to this.

No.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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