Thinking of building a guitar from scratch... HELP!

GuitarNoob

So I've watched a few videos, well alot of videos on guitar building, I'm quite new to guitars and havent even built a picture frame in my life, havent done any wood work and the bug has bit of trying to make something from scratch and why not do a electric guitar lol ... so I've been doing my research on guitar building and the tools needed etc and I'm up for the task.

Has or does anyone build electric guitars from scratch that could give me some good advice before I start this hopefully wonderful journey. What tools you use, router bits, woods etc?

wern101

GuitarNoob I'm up for the task.

You are a better man than me! I agree with @V8 and @Tuckstir . Maybe take the 'safe' route and get a kit or do a building course. I consider myself quite DIY competent, but I won't be tackling a guitar build for a loong time. Very technical and I reckon, not as easy as it seems.

Good luck anyway! Let us know how it goes!

guidothepimmp

GuitarNoob whereabouts are you? Ive built a few, 4 to be exact.. with varying degrees of success.

The biggest difficulty for me is sourcing equipment.
For wood I use Silverton houthandelaars. Good selection.. well seasoned. You can buy a plank and get them to cut it to size. Normally a blank size that does tele and or strat.
Equipment i use includes copious amounts of clamps. 3 of the big ones are handy for glueing your own blanks.
A drill press is handy for getting rid of wood in cavities
A router for cleaning said cavities and routing the actual shapes
Router bits.. either with a top or bottom guide
An electric saw for quick cutting
A plane.. to get lines straight for glueing.
Screws and scrap wood to make jigs that help do other jobs.
Wood glue, long drillbits for drilling wire channels, templates.. easily downloadable from the interwebz.
Equipment id love to get that would make life super easy... router table, band saw

Tools for a neck... fretting saw.. fretting hammer... radius block is handy. Pliers for cutting fret wire. Little gizmo to radius fretwire.

Actual equipment like pots, pups, truss rods, binding, fretwire, bridges, tuners etc etc can all be had either locally or internationally via sites like raru, takealot, ebay, stewart macdonald etc..

You can get away with making a guitar without some of the fancy tools.. but be prepared to go slowly and painfully..
Chisels are handy too.

If you intend to do spray work.. a spraybooth or dust free area is handy. I just opt for finishes like truoil or sealer..

Hope this helps. Shout if you need help

V8

Got a thread on all the projects GuitarTalk member's have done : https://community.guitartalk.co.za/d/25403-buildmodrefurb-threads/11 - check out lapdawg's LP build.

Thought about doing a course with a builder close to you? Pricey but worth it - possible to spend more on the tools you need.

Tuckstir

Hi..
its something I'm also building up too..
there are a ton of YouTube channels worth subscribing too, and if you haven't seen it yet, go visit crimson guitars on YouTube.. awesome guide to how to build a guitar..

Maybe start with a kit guitar something like from Black beards den, that should give a you a good idea of what is involved..

guidothepimmp

wern101
Plus 1. A kit is a very good idea without burning yourself on cutting out wood and all of that. It also has the benefit of having all the bits you need. Ie.. easy on the admin of ordering in everything and varying lead times

GuitarNoob

Thanks Gents, And guidopimmp. Ps where do you get your fret wire?

The main reason I want to do it is to build my own body out of blanks, selecting the woods, creating the neck etc not interested in the whole kit guitar tbh. Like they say you have to build something from scratch once in your life and why not start here hehe..

I'm moving to CPT soon so will get setup there, just trying to get my ducks in a row before starting the build.
Crimson guitars are pretty cool yea watched a bunch of their videos aswell as some other ones.

So far I've racked up a list of tools I'll be needing and correct me if I'm wrong or missing something:

Jig Saw
Router
normal hand drill
a few hand planes looking at nr3,4 maybe 5 aswell
a few chisels
long drill bit
orbital sander(optional)
files & rasps
soldering iron for the wiring
couple of big clamps (3) and 5-6 smaller ones
Caliper
Level(could be used for leveling frets aswell)
hand saw preferably japanese for fret slots (dont know where to get a fretting saw)
The fret wire jig (also no clue where to get that)
I'd be using oils and dyes probably instead of spraying

you think I'd manage with that?

V8

GuitarNoob I'm moving to CPT soon

In Cpt, chat to:

Graeme Hayward (aka lapdawg): https://www.facebook.com/HaywardCustomGuitars/ - aside from running courses, he's usually happy to help builders out.

Francois Traut is another really helpful fellow: https://www.facebook.com/TrautGuitarWorx/

Brain Fanner is last that comes to mind atm: https://www.facebook.com/fannerguitarworks/, but he's up the west coast and I'm not sure how much time he has. He really is pumping out the uke's like crazy!

Tuckstir

GuitarNoob

fret wire can be bought through Raru.co.za..

list of tools I'd get for (many are already on your list)
Body

jig saw
Router
router sled ( something you can DIY)
pedestal drill
hand drill
orbital sander.. ( trust me sanding by hand is a pain.. and a lot of sanding needs to be done)
mouse sander
rasps and files.
clamps.. can never have enough
work bench

For Neck and frets
1. nut files.
2. fret files.
3. fret saw
4. fret hammer
5. fret wire bending jig
6. fret puller pliers
7. fret vice/ clamp with radius-ed inserts
8. radius sanding blocks
9. large hand planer
10. templates
11. fret rocker

misc
soldering iron.
drill bits
setup kit (essential)

nice to have but not essential
bobbing sander.
router table.

for most of the fret stuff you can get off ali-express but be prepared for at-least 4 month wait period.
I would get the fret saw off stewmac.

P.s forgot to add
straight edge,
notched straight edge. ( for set up)
dremel ( nice for drilling small holes).

I Suggest start reading up on how to build a electric guitar.. there is a bit of a science behind scale length, how high to make the neck in relation to the body etc.. and then to start off slowly, take time in getting the tools you need as you need them, as this can be a costly affair.

guidothepimmp

GuitarNoob
Fret wire you can get through raru.. stewart macdonald, or approach one of the local luthiers and buy from them.
Regarding the saw for frets.. important that you buy one with the correct width for the fret tang to fit properly. Most saws are too wide. I bought mine through steward macdonald and got it shipped.
The fret jig you can make. Lots of how tos on the web.

I would suggest getting a radius block. It also helps with fret leveling but is key in radiusing your neck

GuitarNoob

Thanks so much guys, lots of usefull info there, I'll be in touch when the time comes, I'll maybe make a couple of youtube vids on the first build so you can have a laugh!