SGL Guitars Portsmouth’s Premier Luthier

If all the parts aren’t measured carefully, the guitar may not sound very good. You can either make solid body, or hollow body electric guitars. Solid-body guitars tend to be a bit easier to make as the process of creating their body isn’t as complex as a hollow one. Copy a popular design and you’re walking in the footsteps of the masters. This way you get an insight into some of the nuances of their guitar designs.

Step 10: Fingerboard

Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary tools and materials, including a soldering iron, solder, wire cutters, and a wiring diagram for your specific guitar model. This is where you can really customize the feel of your guitar to suit your playing style. Using a saw, carefully cut out the shape of the neck from a solid piece of wood.

For instance, if you have a fondness for the feeling of a Stratocaster neck, the information about fretboard lengths and dimensions is often listed on the manufacturer’s website. Premade fretboards have the fret slots cut and fret wires installed, also the inlays and binding are often included. Pre-slotted boards have the fret slots cut, but not filled, so the fret wires and binding will still need to be installed. Now you need to select a material for the logo, this could be anything really, maybe a contrasting wood color, or some shiny abalone or mother of pearl. The logo material is then precisely cut into the desired shape, which should hopefully slot into the hollowed area. Ideally, this material will be the same depth (~2mm) as the hole.

I made a paper template from my plans and checked the distance of the hole locations from the side of the peg head with a ruler. The peg head was extra long so I cut it shorter and added a bit of decorative contour top the top. Next came a step that involved the router and potential damage to all my work so far if I did not proceed carefully. I needed to cut a channel along the edges of the soundboard and back for binding strips.

When choosing the woods, make sure the pieces are large enough size to be worked from a single piece, joining wood together should be avoided where possible. Some common wood textures include Quilted, Flamed, Striped, Curly, Spalted, Bookmatched. These affect both sound and aesthetics, as the texture is a result of the quality and growth of the wood.

I chose after, because I wanted to use my drill press as a McGuivered fret wire press and I need the board to be flat. I read lots online about this step, went back and forth on my decision before I actually did it. I decided, finally, to use a bending fixture made from the scrap pieces cut out of the mold plywood, which, just happened to be, the shape of the guitar body. I build the fixture with 2 pieces of the shaped plywood separated by spacers.

• They consider factors like tonal qualities, playability, and aesthetics to create a blueprint for the guitar.
• The measurement from the top of the bridge, to the top of the nut, and the bottom of the bridge, to the bottom of the nut, should be identical.
• Keep reading for our full guide on how to build an electric guitar from scratch.
• You can create a traditional shape or experiment with unique and creative designs.
• These affect both sound and aesthetics, as the texture is a result of the quality and growth of the wood.

Common woods used for guitar necks include maple, mahogany, and rosewood. When it comes to constructing a guitar body, the first step is cutting the body shape. This is where the overall design and contours of the guitar are established. Start by selecting a piece of wood that suits your preference and desired tone. I made a tool to use in my drill press for a method to press in the fret wire.

Step 8: Neck, 1.03, Fret Markers

On some guitars, kenmillerguitars.com the backwoods are joined together, which can leave a visible construction seam. Not only does this hide the construction lines, but it adds a central focus point, and is an area for extra artistic detail. Again, use a paper or plastic template to mark out where the soundhole needs to be cut.

Checking and Adjusting the Nut

Among seasoned players, picks made from rich woods like maple, ebony, and rosewood tend to make the cut. Their natural density and texture offer a unique tonal quality that synthetic picks often fail to achieve. The alignment of sound quality and sustainability makes wooden guitar picks an appealing choice, naturally segueing into their occasional drawbacks and types. This consideration complements the holistic exploration of wooden picks throughout our guide. In selecting wooden guitar picks, their unique advantages are evident to anyone seeking a blend of sonic warmth and environmental consciousness.

Lay these along the opposite edge of your book matched set, and screw down the top piece. The other piece will become a wedge that will press the two halves together. Use packing tape on the face of the plywood, under the seam, so the book matched pieces don’t get glued to the jig.

The good news is that you can create your electric guitar using hand tools only. However, you will make things easy and free of hassle if you can do yourself a favor to acquire an electric drill, router, and a jigsaw. At the same time, it’s also important to remember that building a guitar requires a lot of hard work and patience. The process involves precision construction, a lot of attention to detail, and proper tool handling.

I also added a rounded piece of wood with eye-bolts and wing nuts, to help hold the side wood against the mold at the deeply curved waist in the body. To create the steam I built a small square box with a hole in it for steam to enter. Steam was created using an old coffee pot, with a small piece of copper pipe replacing the glass bubbler, which sat on a small camp stove. Once the neck is attached, the guitar hardware and electronics can be installed. This includes the bridge, tuners, pickups, volume and tone knobs, and wiring.