Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - Building My First Ever Guitar

Irving: Thanks for that advice, I will check that clearance and see how it looks.

theguitarwhisperer: Originally I was going to use a pickguard, but I have decided that I love the colour of the Mahogany and will just go for a totally natural look with clear laquer. But thanks for the advice, it's not something I had considered. Worst case, I could have cut some of the pick guard away if it was an issue.
Yes, I would not cover the nice mahogany with a big chunk of plastic. I'd rather have scratches and wear rather than a cheesy piece of plastic covering the top. Looking great! Any plans for type of finish yet?

General Question to all I have a plate and wood screws to attach the neck with. How far into the neck should the screws protrude to ensure that the strings wont lever the neck away from the body? At the moment, a general guess is that they will go in approximately 0.750" including the tip. I might be just paranoid, but it doesn't seem quite long enough. Can someone re-assure me that I'm worrying a bit too much?

Looks like its coming along quite well. Maybe if it turns out well you could try making a replacement for that gross yellow neck

.
I think the screws usually stop an eighth of an inch or so below the bottom of the fingerboard.

What is the general consensus on truss rod position at fitment? Should I wind it all one way, then the other way counting the turns, then back to half way (neutral position) before fitment?

[:Y:] VERY cool! Routers come in handy for all sorts of things with guitar building - BUT, they can be very dangerous, so read all the safety stuff in the manual, wear safety glasses, etc... slightly easier than a chisel I would imagine!

I think the body looks too nice to have a neck made out of recycled tennis balls. Just my opinion.

I am thinking about doing a Strat-like comfort shape shave on the body for my right forearm, as well as the back of the guitar where it rubs against my lower chest. Any tips on what shape to conform to? Should I just plane and sand away until it feels right to me?

Author:	puckster44 [ Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Building My First Ever Guitar
Hi all. I thought I would share with you some pics of the Tele (loosely based) I am building. As this is my first guitar I have built, it looks a bit scrappy I know, but hey, I have to start somewhere. I was given some Swamp Mahogany for free from a guy I met at a saw mill here in Perth, on the proviso I show him the finished product. Nice bloke. I then bought all the hardware, including a 22 fret Yellow Maple neck from ebay (I know, I know, but like I said, this is my first crack, I wasn't spending megabucks). The neck makes this build a 25.5 inch scale. Feel free to comment or ask. Remember it looks ordinary now because I am still going, plus I don't have a router (I have to use my Father-in-law's router) so a lot of things are done with forstner bits and chisel. Attachment: 100_3597.jpg Attachment: 100_3598.jpg Attachment: 100_3609.JPG Attachment: 100_3613.JPG

Author:	puckster44 [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:04 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
I did these parts yesterday. Attachment: 100_3842.JPG Attachment: 100_3843.JPG Attachment: 100_3844.JPG Attachment: 100_3845.JPG Attachment: 100_3846.JPG Attachment: 100_3847.JPG

Author:	puckster44 [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:12 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
I have created a nice fitting neck pocket, however I feel the neck may need to sit lower than this. What depth should the pocket be? The neck is 26mm high, and the pocket is currently 18mm deep. Should I go lower based on the pictures? Attachment: 100_3848.JPG Attachment: 100_3849.JPG Attachment: 100_3850.JPG Attachment: 100_3851.JPG Attachment: 100_3852.JPG Any comments or ideas are appreciated. How will I know it is at the right height? Alignment is not an issue, I've got some good literature on how to assure that. Should the fretboard overhang sit flush on the body or just above it, if so by how much? I just don't have the experience to know.

Author:	RogerC108 [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
looking good so far. As for neck pocket depth, a standard tele neck is 1" thick at the heel with a 5/8" deep neck pocket. this leaves 3/8" above the body. It all depends on your bridge though. I would get your bridge on there and see how high the strings sit above the fretboard. If you have to raise your saddles ridiculously high, then you know you need to deepen your neck pocket.

Author:	dzsmith [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Looks great! It looks like you know what you are doing.

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Author:	puckster44 [ Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Thanks for the comments. Looks like I know what I'm doing? Ha ha, I've fooled at least one person then... I actually have no idea, other than some lessons learnt along the way, and a LOT of thought and research in books and on websites like this one. I decided to shave another 2 mm off the neck pocket, which is pretty much done, however I'm going through some minor frustrations trying to level it out now, shaving off the little imperfections using a chisel and eyesight with a straight edge. I've told the wife, that I will NOT build another one without a router!!! However, I can say that I think I'm better off for the experience doing it this way, because I know I can make minor adjustments to things I route in the future. When I get the neck mounted and I'm happy, I'll post some more pics of it.

Author:	Irving [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:23 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Hold a straightedge off of the fretless fretboard so that it is hovering over your bridge scale length line. I go for 12/32" of clearance above the body top for hardtail tele type bridges.

Author:	theguitarwhisperer [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:02 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Also, if you are using a pickguard, you must be aware that the fretboard overhang must clear the pickguard, otherwise the neck may not seat properly in the pocket, and you may even crack the fretboard extension.

Author:	puckster44 [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:08 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Irving: Thanks for that advice, I will check that clearance and see how it looks. theguitarwhisperer: Originally I was going to use a pickguard, but I have decided that I love the colour of the Mahogany and will just go for a totally natural look with clear laquer. But thanks for the advice, it's not something I had considered. Worst case, I could have cut some of the pick guard away if it was an issue. General Question to all I have a plate and wood screws to attach the neck with. How far into the neck should the screws protrude to ensure that the strings wont lever the neck away from the body? At the moment, a general guess is that they will go in approximately 0.750" including the tip. I might be just paranoid, but it doesn't seem quite long enough. Can someone re-assure me that I'm worrying a bit too much?

Author:	VirgilGuitar [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:28 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Welcome David! This looks really cool - nice piece of wood too! Keep them pics coming!

Author:	muskr@ [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Looks like its coming along quite well. Maybe if it turns out well you could try making a replacement for that gross yellow neck . I think the screws usually stop an eighth of an inch or so below the bottom of the fingerboard.

Author:	dzsmith [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
puckster44 wrote: Irving: Thanks for that advice, I will check that clearance and see how it looks. theguitarwhisperer: Originally I was going to use a pickguard, but I have decided that I love the colour of the Mahogany and will just go for a totally natural look with clear laquer. But thanks for the advice, it's not something I had considered. Worst case, I could have cut some of the pick guard away if it was an issue. Yes, I would not cover the nice mahogany with a big chunk of plastic. I'd rather have scratches and wear rather than a cheesy piece of plastic covering the top. Looking great! Any plans for type of finish yet? General Question to all I have a plate and wood screws to attach the neck with. How far into the neck should the screws protrude to ensure that the strings wont lever the neck away from the body? At the moment, a general guess is that they will go in approximately 0.750" including the tip. I might be just paranoid, but it doesn't seem quite long enough. Can someone re-assure me that I'm worrying a bit too much?

Author:	puckster44 [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:51 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
muskr@ wrote: Looks like its coming along quite well. Maybe if it turns out well you could try making a replacement for that gross yellow neck . I think the screws usually stop an eighth of an inch or so below the bottom of the fingerboard. In that case the screws are probably about where I want them to be. Thanks. I will mount the neck this weekend and see how the action is. I have some Aluminium tape here, so I can shim if needed.

Author:	puckster44 [ Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
What is the general consensus on truss rod position at fitment? Should I wind it all one way, then the other way counting the turns, then back to half way (neutral position) before fitment?

Author:	puckster44 [ Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:14 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Well after many weeks on deployment (I'm in the Royal Australian Air Force) I have finally been able to spend a day working on the guitar. My goal today was to sand it and put the first coat of sealant onto it. I used 60, 100, 150, 240 and 400 grits and she came up beautiful. There are cracks in the wood as well as stuff-ups, but I decided not to try to fix them as it adds to the character of the build, after all it's my first crack at it. Here are some pics of it drying after sanding and first sealant coat. Attachment: Photo0099.jpg Attachment: Photo0100.jpg Once I have the final gloss coats on I'll take some more photos, then it'll be built and the final pics for you guys to see.

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Author:	Mattia Valente [ Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
puckster44 wrote: What is the general consensus on truss rod position at fitment? Should I wind it all one way, then the other way counting the turns, then back to half way (neutral position) before fitment? It doesn't matter, as it's adjustable anyway. I do install a small fillet over the allied rods (as described on Allied's page) which compresses the flat bar of the dual action rod slightly, but I don't tension the rod in either direction prior to installation.

Author:	puckster44 [ Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:20 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I managed to use a hand chisel to take a little more out of my neck pocket, but it was still not right. So I spent the money and bought a Router and a pattern following bit, and took a little more (approx 0.5 mm) out, which also leveled the pocket quite nicely. The result is below. I think it looks good, the action will be better once I assemble it after finishing and adjust the saddles and truss rod accordingly. So overall pretty happy with my first crack at this. Lesson for all those playing at home: Use the right tools for the job the first time..... Attachment: 100_3855.JPG Attachment: 100_3856.JPG Attachment: 100_3857.JPG Attachment: 100_3858.JPG

Author:	VirgilGuitar [ Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:01 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
VERY cool! Routers come in handy for all sorts of things with guitar building - BUT, they can be very dangerous, so read all the safety stuff in the manual, wear safety glasses, etc... slightly easier than a chisel I would imagine!

Author:	puckster44 [ Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:11 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
VirgilGuitar wrote: [:Y:] VERY cool! Routers come in handy for all sorts of things with guitar building - BUT, they can be very dangerous, so read all the safety stuff in the manual, wear safety glasses, etc... slightly easier than a chisel I would imagine! I'm definately richer for the experience though! I know how to the chisel for minor adjustments when needed now. Great experience.

Author:	Chameleon [ Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
I think the body looks too nice to have a neck made out of recycled tennis balls. Just my opinion.

Author:	puckster44 [ Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:20 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Chameleon wrote: I think the body looks too nice to have a neck made out of recycled tennis balls. Just my opinion. LOL thanks for that... I have used only cheap parts for this build because it's my first (neck included, $70 AUD off eBay). I have already thought about replacing all the parts, neck included, down the track when I am better at this and can better afford it.

Author:	puckster44 [ Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:24 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
I am thinking about doing a Strat-like comfort shape shave on the body for my right forearm, as well as the back of the guitar where it rubs against my lower chest. Any tips on what shape to conform to? Should I just plane and sand away until it feels right to me?

Author:	alan stassforth [ Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:01 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
puckster44 wrote: I am thinking about doing a Strat-like comfort shape shave on the body for my right forearm, as well as the back of the guitar where it rubs against my lower chest. Any tips on what shape to conform to? Should I just plane and sand away until it feels right to me? Yup. Nice job on the Tele!

Author:	puckster44 [ Tue Aug 21, 2012 7:40 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Building My First Ever Guitar
Hi all. Sorry it's been a while. I have been extremely busy, plus I have been building a lapsteel for a friend... I have routed the edges of the guitar. I decided against the "comfort" angles, as it feels nice enough now the edges have been rounded over. Have a gander at the 2 pictures below. All I have to do now is take a little more out of the bridge PUP pocket and sand and finish it. I have to go away to Darwin (Northern Australia for all you USA residents) for all of September then hopefully smash it out in October, with a good amount of time for it to dry. Attachment: 100_3882.jpg Attachment: 100_3883.jpg So when I have more to report I shall...