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Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I hope I don't get "the fever". I don't have enough money to get the fever if you know what I mean. I never got the "Bieber fever" so maybe I won't get the "build fever".

I invision a midnight blue strat-esque guitar (like a san dimas) with either black or chrome pieces or maybe a mixture of both, a ebony fretboard with custom inlays done in oval shape, taking the idea from virgil I might just try to do some inlay on the body but nowhere near as elaborate as the dragon guitar, I might just inlay the name of the guitar (Media Nox) which is latin for midnight. The headstock will be a strat headstock flipped upside down. I've always liked upside down headstocks. And I'll have two seymour duncan distortion pickups and a floyd rose system. I'm thinking it will look pretty sweet when I'm all done.

Definately take some time and learn how to (and practice) inlay before trying it on your fretboard. I decided to try my hand at it/ I cut a simple design out of scrap maple and attempted to inlay it into a piece of spanish cedar. I had a successful inlay but it wasnt as pretty as I hoped it would be. I admit that i definitely rushed but its a bit harder to inlay than you might expect! I might do some fancy inlay on my next build but I will definitely brush up on it before I try it on a guitar.

If you haven't already, check out the Curlybear Sprucecaster build thread I posted, it shows just how straightforward and simple the actual woodwork can be. There's a million ways to do it, this is just my take.

I'm actually working on a Swamp Ash/Maple neck/Ebony fretboard Strat style guitar with a Floyd Rose for a customer myself, now, actually. This one is going to have 3 Seymour Duncan pickups, two full size '59 in the neck and bridge, and a Little '59 in the middle position. 5-way strat-style toggle switch. The middle pickup will actually be hardwired in parallel mode. The two outside pickups will be wired to a 12-pole double throw mini toggle that will toggle back and forth between series and parallel for those two pickups, a very versatile wiring scheme. Master volume, master tone.

The Allied double rods are very nice, and easier to fine adjust than the LMI version.

The deeper they are, the more fair the curve they impart, due to the thickness of the wood, but you only need 1/8th of an inch above or below the rod for, strength, to keep the rod from splitting the wood.

If you want your neck fairly thin, you need to plan for this. You can route for the truss rod channel in the neck shaft and leave the rod a hair proud of the neck shaft, and route a matching channel into the fretboard, as long as you plan for the final thickness of the fretboard above the rod to be 1/8th of an inch thick when radiused, so I would say 3/32nds of an inch if you use a 1/4 inch slabfretboard. This will let you shape the neck shaft a little thinner than otherwise. An alternative is to use a 3/16th thick fretboard.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I'll definitely practice inlay before I attempt it on my guitar.

My list of tools is considerably shorter than one's I've seen here and I've ended up with pretty excellent results. A lot of it is fine tuning in this way. Here's my list, if it's relevant still:

Drill press
Hand drill
Bandsaw
Fret saw
Router
Fret crowning file
Square
Straightedge
Home made patent applied for fret-leveling stick
Feeler gauges
Nut files

And that's all the main ones other than pencils, sandpaper and finishing. I highly recommend Robert O'Briens DVD on building an electric guitar. I watched about 5 or 6 times before building and ended up with a very nice guitar.

Hope it helps

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

I think this would be possible for you. I mean, my first one I kinda ad-libbed everything. I didn't buy my hardware first, so I couldn't line everything up to make sure it fit, and I had access to basically no tools except a saw and drill and sander, on top of the fact I have no luthier training (though this forum was really really helpful for that) and the only "woodshop" training I have is from middle school and just helping my dad with whatever he needs. All I can say is measure really well before you cut, and maybe lower your expectations on your first one . . . I just say that because I made a ton of mistakes on mine, but because my expectations for my first were quite low, that didn't bother me and now my dad is helping me set up a shop, because, hell, I caught the fever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWl_ED3_e5U
^Me playing the guitar. Don't know how well you'll be able to see all the imperfections but there are TONS!

Ok guys, I got the wood and the floyd rose. I'll post pics asap!

But first could someone tell me the best way to store the wood until I can get around to starting the project? I'm just keeping it in my house. Its beautiful wood. I'll post pics of it when I get a chance.

Just curious, what brand/model floyd are you going to be using and how much was it?

It's a schaller. The price depends on color. I bought from stewmac. Chrome=$156.30, black= $162.50, and gold= $186.75. Mine's chrome.

Keeping it in the house is your best bet as opposed to in a shed or something.

Store it so that all or at least the majority of the surfaces are exposed to air so that as relativity humidity changes, the wood can adjust. When gluing any 2 or more pieces together, be sure that they've been stored in the same place for a while so that each piece will be acclimated the to the same RH.

It's also a good idea to let wood settle after each time you cut it because you will typically relieve stresses and the wood will react by moving.

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Would you mind expounding on this? If I joint a plank I should wait to glue it up? How long is settle time? Days or weeks or more?
I just had a neck thru separate on me and I'm wanting to avoid this from happening again.
Thanks

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I posted here. So now I've got some time on my hands to finally get started on my first build. So if you didn't get to read the thread, I'll save you some time. I'm building a San Dimas with a reverse headstock, and a floyd rose. I have a swamp ash blank for the body, a maple blank for the neck, and an ebony blank for the fingerboard. About the only machine tools I have is a drill press, a mitor saw, and I think I've got a grinder somewhere around here. My main concern is tools. I have a very slim budget. Just purchasing the wood spent up most of what I can afford. I'm going to have to get creative about finding tools to use. I was wondering first, can someone please tell me what tools I can get by with. If you can just tell me the tools that are essential, that would be great. Are there machine shops that I could go to? What would be the least expensive way to gain access to tools? I have most of the materials. Are the places to buy cheap used machinery tools?

I DO want to make my guitar good quality. I want it to be a well-playing and sounding instrument. I'm willing to try different approaches to achieveing this goal.

Thanks to anyone who answers.

I'm on my 4th build now. Nothing fancy, but I'm paying attention to detail.
This forum is the place to be: I've received may great tips and advice.
There's lots of conficting ways of doing things on other websites. I have found that the fellows here give good and correct advice.
My biggest challenge is making good, tight joints. You will need good woodworking skills.
My advice is to take the advice fellows give on this forum.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I don't think you got many replies to your latest question because you keep essentially asking the same thing over and over, and seem to get offended whenever someone tells you that you need more tools and might have your expectations a bit high.
You need a lot more tools than what you listed, you need templates as well, and I don't know of any machine shop that has full on wood working tools, much less some of the specialty ones required for lutherie.
If you want to do this build you need to stop where you are at, and save the money to invest in good tools, even if you plan on this being a one time only sort of deal. That, or find a friend that has all the tools you will need, the ones you listed are not going to get you there.
This is not going to end up well for you as you are doing about 99% buying dream parts and woods, and 1% planning on how to perform the build. Take your time, step back, and plan a lot more. Unfortunately we don't know people in your area that are going to let you use their tools and we don't have the time to find them for you either.

Jimmysux,

I'm sorry for wasting your freakin' precious time asking my unworthy questions. That will be the last thing I ever ask on this forum. Every single person on this forum is pure ASSHOLE! period. You could have given me the advice without the hateful comments. I'm sorry I'm not good enough to ask your majesty questions. All those posts were months ago, I come back with an esquisitely simple question months later and you answer with this smart-ass post. I guess no one is good enough for you. You are a self-righteous asshole, nothing more. I know plenty of people like you that hang out on forums. You try to act tough and smart on here, but in real life, you're just a chicken poop arent you? Exactly! Quit thinking you're the only person in the world who knows anything. If you wish for me to stop asking questions, wish granted. I'd rather eat dirt then to take help from a dick head like you who thinks he's the smartest thing on the dang planet. That goes for every asshole on this joke of a forum.

For the rest of the people on this forum. I hope this forum gets shut down tomorrow. If you don't like what I'm saying then kick me off! Make my freakin' day. Otherwise, post kind helpful comments or DON'T FREAKING POST AT ALL!!!!! Your dang right I'm offended. You think I'm overreacting on here? HAHA ! I'd love for you to act this way to me to my face.

Glad to see you proved me wrong.

Eli,

Jimmysux slipped you some bad-tasting medicine, but he's right. I think you're waiting for that one special response that sums up guitar building and answers everything, but it doesn't exist. It's like love or parenthood in that sense. It's the journey, it's different for everyone.

I'd love to see what Stradivarius would put on his "essential tool" list for building a guitar. It would shame 90% of us.

Almost all of my goals have never been reached because I suffer from a severe case of perfectionism. And it hurts to be 32 and still not have a guitar built, watching these high school kids cranking out guits they're proud of. I can't seem to bring myself to drill into a "perfect" piece of wood, or commit to a contour because there might be a better one I haven't thought of. But I had to combat that by building a Lowe's oak dummy guitar and taking my nervous novice energy out on it. Don't shoot for Virgil-first-build territory and end up like me, just tear into it with whatever you have. (router & drill are my essentials, btw) This guitar won't be, and doesn't have to be perfect. Undoubtedly it won't be your last, undoubtedly it will have oversights and errors. What did DaVinci's first painting look like? Who cares?

But this is a great forum and it will love you back. Just don't get the blues, start cutting.

I found a great woodshop in my last city that charged $40/hr to do all the cutting, planing, thickness sanding, jointing I could dream up. Have them cut it, then you glue it, then have them square it. The rest you can do with the drill and router, until it gets to fretwork. Here are some shops in your town who might be open to making some money:
Williams Cabinet & Woodworking 931-232-5863
A C Custom Millwork (931) 232-4917

**edit - lots of woodworking resources in your neighbor Clarksville. Give it a google.
This is a list of woodworking classes in TN that might be worth travelling to:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... x?id=28165

I wasn't even really snide or rude to the kid.

Just new to the building game. but I seen Jimmysux list of tools on the first page and that sounds about right to me. I dont have one guitar built yet (3/4 done my first) and already spent enough money on tools to buy a nice les paul. I know you want to build this guitar yourself. It just doesn't make sense to build one guitar to save money. it just doesn't work that way.But then again why take advice from a "Chicken Poop"

Whoa???!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Having a bad day? I dont think that JImmysux really meant anything offensive - just a matter of fact response.... On forums like this one Eli I find its best to assume everything said was meant with the nicest and most helpful intention... and you'll probably be right 99% of the time -
Alot of woodworkers and especially craftsman type woodworkers tend talk to those listening as though they understand perfectly where they are coming from ... I find, while this can lead to misunderstandings sometimes ... its great to avoid a bunch of superflous comments sometimes
So... "If" this forum isnt closed tommorow -Im sure all us ***holes on the OLF will be happy to help you however you can...
I recently read an article with Randy Parsons who makes some pretty fine guitars in his own right - says all you really need to make a guitar is a knife... and if you can learn to do that then you'll be set with any tools you may acquire - heres the free digital edition of that issus - if you look through thier other back issues you'll find they
have many other builder profiles as well as many other helpful info on mods, effects etc

http://digital.premierguitar.com/premie ... 1?fm=2#pg2

this is the same philosophy as Wayne Henderson considered by many to be the finest builder of flattop guitars today... Im sure that most of us here prefer a few extra tools than that but most of us have had to make do with a less than ideal setup for building at some point in our enterprise ...
So mabye if you can overlook "our" flaws - you might get some good advice!!
If you cant ... bon voyage
Cheers
Charliewood

Couldn't have said it better.


I'd love to see you give that little speech to room full of guitar builders.

I'll ignore the rest of that post as it was obviously ill-advised, but in terms of tools, it really depends on your method. Think through every step, and buy the tools you will need. I would say you should consider a router, a long hand plane for jointing the body, some sanding drums for your drill press, and a jigsaw or preferably a bandsaw for cutting out the body. You can save some money by seeing what you can get on craigslist, and sometimes really great deals will come along. For example, I recently bought a 1950s beaver lathe (12" swing, 36" between centres) for 25 dollars.
Good Luck, and try not to burn too many more bridges on this "joke of a forum".

You just couldn't help yourself. You had to make smart-alec comments. I know too many people like you. You'd rather be a smart-alec and a know-it-all to someone than to actually help someone. So don't sit there and tell me you didn't mean to be a smartass jerk 'cause I know (and you know) you did. I'm sorry if my goal is to make a great instrument and if any of you have a problem with that. It seems to bug the snot out of y'all that I want to build a good instrument. Regardless, I'm done. I'd rather go outside and eat dirt by the spoonfuls then to take advice from any of you. You are all buttholes. Yes, thats intended as a direct insult to every one of you. I'm done.

I'm sorry, but I'm just finding this hilarious. Have you even read this thread? It is full of people specifically trying to help you. Some of their answers you like, some you didn't like, but they were all sincere answers. But then you start acting as if you can control what people can post and things go downhill from there. You claimed it was because you had already noted and agreed to the point we were making, but you never did admit the possibility that your first build might not meet your sky-high expectations. So, since you are obviously done with considering whatever we have to say, I am done trying to be constructive.
As to whether you can be successful, its not impossible, but this article says it is important to be patient, which you obviously are not:
http://ultimate-guitar-building.com/build-your-own-guitar-are-you-up-to-the-task/
But then again, it says self confidence (which you seem to have by the bucketful) is also important, so you may be alright!