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I've wanted to build an electric guitar for a while, and am starting to get around to it. But I want to make sure I'm getting everything I need (electronics, wood, etc) at a decent price. The body style I'm gonna customize (hence why I'm building it instead of just taking apart one of my old guitars), but here is the stuff I think I'm going to use. I don't have a ton of money but I do have enough for this, otherwise I wouldn't even try. Besides, I enjoy building things and playing guitar, so why not do both? Anyways:

EMG H2-B (Neck) - $80.00
EMG H1-B (Bridge) - $80.00
S.D. Liberator 500k Pot - $25.00
3 Position Tele EMG Pickup Selector - $33.00
Ebony Dome Vol Knob - $3.15
Switchcraft Mono Output Jack - $3.64
Alder Body Blank - $109.00
Double-Locking Tremolo (Chrome) - $81.90
Blank Neck (Rosewood) - $136.71
Economy Covered Tuners - $16.44

That's what I've found. I want the solderless setup (hence the Liberator) so I can switch out pickups easier. And my brother always loses tools, and one of his favorites to use is the solder, so it's not always gonna be there . . . and I don't like soldering =P. The EMG humbuckers are just 'cause I like EMG's and want them on my guitar ^_^ lol. Since I have two humbuckers I have the 3 position switch, have the mono jack, you get the idea.

Anyways, is this enough to build my first electric guitar with out having to stop mid-build to order some parts (parts that I forgot to buy . . . I know I have to buy replacements if anything breaks). I know it's mostly electronic questions (really since I want to make sure that part works . . . the rest should be easy enough to carve out, file down, and sand + paint), and don't know if an electronic centered forum would be a better place to ask, but I want input on everything before I go out and buy this stuff, including good deals on wood and what not.

Welcome to the forum! Whether you have all the parts you need depends on some of the design choices you need to make. Here are some things you may be missing or hadn't considered. I don't mean to insult your intelligence if you have this things already or are aware of the things I'm pointing out. But I figure better to point it out just in case, so you don't find yourself missing something down the line. From the top down:

-if you're doing a scooped, Fender style headstock (as opposed to an angled headstock), you may need string trees or a retainer bar
-you need a nut
-fretwire
-fretboard
-any kind of inlay material you may want, or side dots
-if you're doing a bolt-on neck, you need mounting screws and a mounting plate (or ferrules) if you so choose
-strap buttons or straplocks
-another 500k pot, unless you just want a single volume knob and no tone control, which some people like
-if you're using a tele-style 3-way switch, you may want a tele-style control plate to mount it on
-if you decide to have a tone pot, you'll need a capacitor (unless the Liberator system bypasses it somehow. I've never worked with it)
-mounting plate for the output jack
-if you have a lumber yard nearby, you can probably find alder for much cheaper than that. If you have the tools and ability to make a two (or more) piece body, there is NOOOO reason to spend $109 on an alder body blank. For my current build, I spent $18 for two enormous pieces of alder for the body
-if you want to do this build on the cheap, I would not recommend using a rosewood neck. Plus, if it's your first build, I'd go with something simpler like maple or mahogany. Are you talking about Indian Rosewood for the neck?

Also, I recommend checking ebay for parts. Often you can find totally new, unopened products for less than retail. I bought a bunch of parts for my current build that way and saved a chunk of change. Lots of sellers offer free shipping too, so you're not paying for shipping on each individual item.

Hope that helps! Best of luck and keep us all posted!

Thanks! I put some stuff in bold, but basically the necks I'm looking at are already built. I don't know if they have the fret bars, a nut, etc, so I'll be sure to make sure on that. And I never really used the tone knobs, so I figure I just won't have one. Be easier to build and easier for me lol.

Also, I actually had a wood working question: Why do people glue the two pieces together for the base? Is it just easier on their wallet (because my dad was like, "let's just get a big piece so you don't need to glue") or is it actually make a better guitar? And I'm assuming, since I'm painting it anyways, that a top wood wouldn't even matter if I had it or not (I'm not too concerned if it "makes the lows juicier" or w/e. That's why I'm getting EMG's- to get a sound I want).

Thanks though! I'm looking forward to building this thing!

People glue pieces together for a couple reasons. One is cost getting wood wide enough for a body can get expensive. Two availability sometimes you cant get wood that wide, 14" is a wide board. It can also be hard to deal with if you dont have proper machinery. Three, stability, there is less chance of the body warping if you use two pieces. If you use two or more pieces make sure to glue it up with the growth rings going in opposite directions. To do this look at the end of the board, you will see curved rings, these are the growth rings. Make one board curve up and the other curve down. As far as using top wood, if you choose to do this, dont line up the joints of the top wood with the body wood. This will further reinforce the body. For example, I use a 3 piece body. I make my body wood out of 3 5" wide board for a total of 15". Then my top wood is two pieces 7 1/2" wide. The joints dont line up and everything stays centered. Hope this helps

Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for. So now I'll just find a lumber yard in town somewhere and get some pieces instead of looking for that huge piece my dad wanted me to get.

Also, I was thinking, would it be a good idea to make your own neck on your first build? I mean, I'm gonna do some research and decide if it's something I can do (including if we have the right tools) but if someone knows from experience . . . that'd be good too.

You need a stereo jack for EMG's unless the solderless kit version has the battery hooked up a different way. I've used several EMG 81/85 sets before, the 3rd lug on the stereo jack is used to disconnect the battery so its not draining while the guitar isn't plugged in.

As far as making a neck it's really not something I'd recommend trying for a first build. Don't get me wrong, out of the 6 electrics I've built I've made 4 of the necks from scratch, fretboard and all, it's very rewarding to make your own neck but it's very very difficult to get right the first time, it gets a lot easier but unless you have someone show you and walk you through it I'd recommend just buying a pre-made neck off of ebay or a kit type seller. most of them come with "paddle" headstocks that you can cut your own design into.

Warmoth is the king of kit guitars, and it's reflected in the price for sure. I promise I'm not trying to be negative on purpose but building guitars is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable process, the main thing you should come out at the end with is a guitar you'll actually WANT to play.

As far as a 2 piece vs 1 piece body, I personally like 2 piece bodies that way you have a permanent center-line to work off of while lining the neck, pickups and bridge up instead of trying to constantly redraw it or guess where it is on a 1 piece, and I like the end grain pattern more on a 2 piece body lol.

All that said for a 2 piece body remember to buy a board twice as long as what you need plus ~3 inches (lengthwise) since your cutting in in half. I usually get a 40x2x8.5ish board and that gives me more than enough for anything from a telecaster all the way up to just about any kinda crazy stuff I can come up with. Don't forget to get a dried board tho, kiln or air dried.

Also you don't need a top if your gonna just paint it a solid color, it won't affect the sound any. That's also a good thing about EMG's, you can install them in an ironing board and they'd still sound killer.

Any way that's just my 2 cents, I've only built 6 electrics (technically 5, I still have to carve the neck and rout out the body on 1) and 1 acoustic so far so take my advice with ever how many grains of salt you need to lol.

Good luck on your build tho!!!

Remember don't go overboard on the first one and you'll be fine. Your gonna make tons of mistakes and screw stuff up but just remember that's what superglue is for!!!

Thanks for this! That's 5.5 more guitars then I've build So I guess now I gotta get the wood and stuff.

Now I'm stuck . . . I've looked at some diagrams for both the humbuckers and Liberator and they should work fine, gonna get a pre-built neck, etc etc. But now I'm running into a problem . . . I can't find wood. The lumber yards here don't have any good guitar wood (and I've looked, trust me, unless you know of any yards in Denver, which is the closest place that would have a chance of having wood even though it's a bit far) and I'm having trouble finding some online that aren't expensive body blanks.

The wood I'm looking for is Mahogany, though I don't really have my heart set on anything. It's more like I figured it's the easiest wood to find that sounds decent, but so far, nope. What are some good cheap online places to buy? I'm looking but either I can't find a thick enough piece, can't find a big enough piece, or can't find it cheap enough (did find one that was 1-3/4" thick, 20" long and 15" wide after glued, but was like $100.00). Since I want to put good hardware on this, I want to save money where I can, and I know buying the wood is a place where I can . . . if I can find places that sell. Are the standard online rates going to be in the $100.00's? Are there any chains or anything that I know would sell the wood? Then I can start making my duck guitar (funny yet cool design I'm hoping I can pull off)!

You need to look for local hard wood dealers, not lumber yards. Hard wood dealers will sell more furniture grade woods, like mahogany, maple, so on and so on. Lumber yards sell 2x4s and such. I have no idea on prices in Denver but in Oklahoma city, I got an 8/4 board 10 1/2" wide by 15' long for a $100. Im sure prices vary on location though.

I'm glad I asked lol. Since my dad went to Home Depot or something and they told him to go to a lumber yard, so I figured that's the place to go . . . but I just googled hardwood dealer and got some place that has Alder, Basswood, Mahogany, Zebrawood, etc etc!

Alright, we got Black Limba to make it out of and a router for the cavities. Right now I'm just gonna draw up a template for the body (making it a duck since I haven't seen one yet and I think it would be quite funny). Probably won't start cutting until Thursday since my dad works and wants to make sure his equipment can cut through the wood (if you haven't guessed yet, I'm 16), I don't mess up the wood, etc.

I'll hopefully get some pictures up with my crappy camera phone so you can tell me everything I'm doing wrong so I can improve to the point where I can sell them to people (since that's really the only way to get enough money to continue making them- need good wood, we have basic tools so I'd use the money to upgrade, get good hardware and electronics, etc).

Im sure you are aware, but wood working tools are dangerous. They can end a guitar players career extremely fast. If you dont know what your doing with them take some classes. You might have a local woodcraft or rockler, they have classes all the time on how to use the tools safely. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you're not comfortable or dont know how to do something. I have seen accidents first hand, there nasty and done usually end well, there is no second chance. I dont mean to scare you and im sure you know all this, just be careful.

I've done it before lol, don't worry. Aside from woodshop in school, I've built other wood projects (like a hovercraft and bunkers for a paintball course). It's just the thickness of the wood might be too much for our available tools =\. But thanks though, I'm definitely gonna be super careful with this project.

thats good, im sure you knew it all but it still needs to be said once and a while. I am a 3rd generation woodworker, i have been doing it professionally for about 10 years, I know what can happen, and i know even pros need to be reminded once and a while

Always better to be safe than sorry. I still remember a kid who cut off the tip of his finger in our woodshop class even with all the safety precautions required.

Anyways, here's the template I'm using for the body:



It's about the same size as my Ibanez so should be fine regarding too big or small (and since I always use a strap I feel the bottom doesn't need to be "lap friendly"). Debating about using transparent colored paint so you can see the Black Limba underneath or not but I'll see when I get to that point.

DAY 1:

I'm gonna do my best to take pics and stuff during this build, and hopefully it'll work out nicely for me so someone else new to this can see how another "first build" went. We got clamps 'cause we misplaced ours. But we didn't get a saw blade 'cause we didn't know we needed one, but it was old and dull and started smoking so this is as far as we got:



Cutting this limba in half then we'll cut out the template (this weekend we're cleaning out our storage where I think we have a cool facemask that I'll use to keep everything out of my face). Doing the initial cutting with my dad (and with our limited supplies, you can understand why lol) and then I'll probably do the rest on my own.

Oh right, that cut will be finished tomorrow. We're gonna pick up a new blade tomorrow.

DAY TWO:

We replaced the saw blade and it cut through the wood like butter =D. Here is the piece we got cut to size:



Then me and my dad took turns cutting it out (because we're using a jigsaw since it's all we got). He did this cut while I held and took the picture:



And here is the rough shape cut out (not to the line of course):


The cardboard is so we don't dent the wood with the clamps.

Yep, it's turning out pretty good. It's just the rough shape right now of course. Next up is getting it down to the lines we drew with a router, file and sander, then rout the sides.

Good to see you are having fun, but there is a place not to skimp and that is tuning keys. Do not go economy but get something like Gotoh SG38 or kluson replica made by Gotoh. bot available from Allparts ,Warmoth,Best Guitar Parts and other vendors.You will be much happier with a guitar that stays in tune.
Have a blast and be safe.

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How long is that in luthyears?

Thanks!

Though really, tuning keys? I was thinking that would be a place where you can spend a little less . . . as long as the bridge is good and the nut (like a locking nut), I just thought they're all just basically the same until you start spending more $$$

Bridge, nut and tuners all come into play, a locking tuner will slightly make up for cheaper tuners but you should still get some decent ones, you can get a set of Grovers mini's for 45-55$ depending on where you go.

DAY THREE:

Not much today except getting it down to size. Routed the edges but saw that A) they were already pretty close to the guide lines, and B) I had to do at least 3 passes because the blade we had was too short, and C) I wasn't getting them all even and even chipping a few spots. Not a big deal, but wanted to see how well I can do it by hand. Worked a lot on the bill area with a file and sander. Anyways, pictures:




Now I'll be spending about a week shaping it then I can start doing some real sanding and what not to get it nice and smooth.

DAY FOUR:

No pictures. I've been doing this shaping all by hand (well, I've been using the router to get it down, but then the rest by hand) and realized the need for a powered sander. So tonight when we go to town I'm bringing some money to buy a sander so I can get a more uniform and quicker shaping done

DAY FIVE:

Didn't do anything because tomorrow we're going to get a sander (get a more even shaping quicker than using a router and files), but all my supplies shipped =). Most of it came from StewMac haha but some from MusiciansFriend too

DAY SIX:

Great day today. Yesterday we went and got a portable belt sander. So I got my wood to size now. Just gotta smooth it. Also, while I was working on it, my stuff from MusiciansFriend came!

Solderless Liberator pot and two EMG humbuckers- an H4A and H4, both passive 'cause I've only had bad experiences with active pickups.


Here's the portable belt sander:


And here's just the BS Duckitar getting sanded to shape (friend came up with Duckitar, BS is Blasted Silence):

DAY SEVEN:

Didn't get to work on it yesterday, but today I sanded it down so it's smooth. The edges at least. Coming along nicely. Since I've never used a handheld router (I've done the table router a bunch though), I'm waiting to route out the cavities with my dad some time on a weekend. But it's coming along great and now is smooth along the edges. Well, as smooth as we can make it with our 60, 100, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper

Just some before (top) and after (bottom) sanding shots (don't know if you can see how really smooth it is from the photos though):



Just comparing an area I've sanded down with an area that was yet to be sanded:


The guitar so far!


I've also noticed something really cool about it: The sides aren't straight, so it's asymetrical (the sides kind of go at different angles from front to back). I actually find it cool. And it'll be too hard now to go fix and take up too much time, though if I really hated it, I wouldn't be able to sleep until it was fixed, so it's a good thing I think it's killer. I'll try to get a picture next update.