Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi guys, im new to this forum so i guess i'll take this chance to say whats up?


Here's whats up, ive been playing for a few years now and am very interested in making my own electric guitar, i thought about starting with a kit but find it would be much more rewarding to start from scratch
is this a mistake? ive never done this before so i dont know how lost i might end up.

i was thinking about having a flying v body, how much wood will i need to create this? leaving room for error.

any comments and opinions you could share on tonewoods and good reliable suppliers.

and lastly, if i started from scratch, what tools will i require to complete this task.

Thank you for your time people,
CMH

Hi,

Your question of "how much wood" ... well it tels me that you realy don't have a clue...and thats not a bad thing...neither did I once apon a time...still don't.

Garage size room, band saw, router, and assorted hand tools gonna run you close to a grand.

So my suggestion is ....go find a luthier who is willing to teach you or a luthiers school...Is gonna be cheaper than all the tools you gonna need to build from scratch pluss you got expert help all the way.


good luck

blessings
the
padma

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Chris,

I started in a closet of the spare bedroom of my first apartment - 3.5x7'. All I had was a little bandsaw, a little benchtop sander, a little drill press, and some hand tools. It worked out - not as well as I would have liked, but it planted a seed.

To make a standard flying V electric, you are going to need:

-a router with straight cut bits (for control electronics routing, neck mortise)
-a bandsaw or jigsaw
-a drill press/gun for holes (tuners, etc...)
-a pre-fabbed fretboard (because you don't want to have to buy all those tools)
-sandpaper/ sandpaper/ sandpaper
-glue
-clamps
-basic hand tools - screw drivers, handsaws

You need enough wood to glue up a body blank about 1.5" thick by 18"x20" give or take depending on your body size, and a piece of wood (maple, quartersawn) about 4" wide, 0.75" thick and 6' long to glue up the neck blank.

This is a rough estimate. there is a lot of helpful material here and around the internet to get you started, but if it looks like you could swing the above list - you have most of what you need to get moving.

Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

also check out www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com

i believe they have a template for a V body and neck. There are tutorials all over the internet, and you can probably go to guitar center and find one to measure so you know how big a piece of wood to buy. Alot of times the body wood will come in 2 or 3 pieces and you will need to join those to make a solid slab. Make sure you get wood from a reputable source, so you know its dry and won't warp on you (ie not Home Depot, etc).

Good luck, lots of resources and helping hands here!

adam

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