New solid body electric guitar

[Prashun Patel]

As a woodworker, you probably have a lot of the tools.

Solid bodies require a good set of mortising bits.

Check out LMII, Elmer, and Philadelphia Luthierie. These are alternatives to Stu Mac - which is the Rockler of luthierie. They have a jig for everything - most of which you really can get by without.

The most tool specific part of the build is the neck. It requires a radius and delicate fret cuts and leveling files that use probably $100-200 in tools. That said, you can buy a pre-radiused and pre-slotted fretboard for way cheaper. I have found this the best approach - even after having used these tools on several builds.

The fretboard is rewarding to make….once or twice. If you are really doing it professionally, you’d want powered solutions for this anyway (imho). And besides the dot placement, there is no creativity allowed here. Buying a pre made from LMII gives you a perfectly made one - at any radius you want - in any wood you want.

As you can imagine, guitar building is so much about the design, if you do multiples you will find the fretboard slotting and radiusing tedious.

You will also need soldering tools . Even if you buy prewired harnesses, they usually require soldering to the pickups. Soldering proficiency is a useful skill and gives you flexibility in customizing.

Oh yeah, Two other great sites; byoguitar and guitarfetish. The fetish site is great because for your very first build you might consider buying a “blemished body” for your first build.

When you get to component shopping like tuners and nuts, lmk.


Last and most important, check out tdpri. They have a tele Home Depot forum that is to elec guitar building as smc is to woodworking. Maybe even better. Never met anyone there who was less than 100pct gracious and willing to teach.

[fred everett]

As a woodworker, you probably have a lot of the tools.

Last and most important, check out tdpri. They have a tele Home Depot forum that is to elec guitar building as smc is to woodworking. Maybe even better. Never met anyone there who was less than 100pct gracious and willing to teach.

I'm going to need "100pct gracious" when I get to my build. I know you guys will be there for me lol...

[Jim Becker]

I'll also suggest the TDPRI forum and specifically the "Tele Home Depot" discussion area. You don't need to be building a T-type to hang out there, either...the builds are very, um...diverse. And the help is outstanding!

[roger wiegand]

So through this process my son has (finally) gotten interested in what goes on is the woodshop, and is making instruments on his own to get different sounds. His approach is actually a pretty good way to get going. He has purchased finished necks, mostly from Warnock, I believe and then made the bodies for them. He has a source for seconds that are very reasonably priced and have only finishing flaws that are readily fixed by sanding and re-spraying. He says he will make the neck for the next one, I'd still encourage him to buy a slotted, radiused fingerboard. Here's what his first one looks like:

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Though it is certainly possible to buy a lot of tools it is not necessary. The basics are sawing, routing, drilling and sanding. I use my StewMac Foredome micro-router a lot, on both instruments and other projects. A purfling cutter is great if you are doing bindings. A set of fret files and a flush-cutting nipper are important if you install your own frets. I pounded my frets in with a hammer for a long time, a fret press that fits in my drill press is a wonderful upgrade. The list goes on and on, as with all hobbies. Splurge on beautiful wood, spend time thinking about shapes unless you are doing a close copy of an existing instrument.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Fred, Yes I agree. I am not an accomplished player. The electric sounds I like are most often A Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul. These have been studied and copied to an extraordinary level. The players I know feel that every aspect of a highly sought after guitar matters. From every gram of weight to how much coffee the person who wound the pickups had. To me the biggest factor in how a guitar sounds is who is playing it. Roger has certainly paid attention to every aspect of his sons guitar. : )

[fred everett]

Fred, Yes I agree. I am not an accomplished player. The electric sounds I like are most often A Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul. These have been studied and copied to an extraordinary level. The players I know feel that every aspect of a highly sought after guitar matters. From every gram of weight to how much coffee the person who wound the pickups had. To me the biggest factor in how a guitar sounds is who is playing it. Roger has certainly paid attention to every aspect of his sons guitar. : )

Roger's build is beautiful and his post has both inspired and deterred me from doing a build....I fear the complexity of the neck/frets. Roger is also an amazing woodworker. Me, not so much....and I'd want a build that's 100% playable. I could buy a complete neck, but I'd feel lake an assembler vs a builder. That said, I'm now spending more time woodworking....I'll get there.

I worked in a music store in the 70's. When a new Fenders arrived the owner called an old blues/rock player who'd come in. He'd knock on the bodies then play contenders unplugged. He'd say, "They speak..." or something. I learned later they spoke to HIM. Believe it or not my 77 hardtail sounded best to me. It weighed more and no jangly resonance of the springs, but the sound. Traded it for a Floyd Rose Kramer in '84....I blame that mistake on EVH.

Never owned a Les Paul mostly due to the cost but I also prefer the strat sound/feel. Modeling strats get's close to LP sound so why deal with the rigid shape and extra 5lbs. That's a controversial statement lol.

To your point, we have an amazing local player that gigs with a $180 acoustic that looks to be mostly plywood....he still sounds amazing. He records with his old Martians but they never leave his house.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Build kits from Stew Mac and All Parts are popular. Quite a few folks who start with a kit go on to become great builders.