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Step 8SUMMARY
Now that you have made it through, if you chose to build a guitar, you are probably going to want to make more. Hopefully some of the info as well as links I have provided has helped to get you started in the right direction. Guitar building is fun and chalenging at the same time, and if your like me you will always want to improve your skills and find something else to try out on your next project. I have added some pictures of some of the guitars that I have made down at the bottom so you can see my progression. So here's to having fun and building a piece of art that you don't just have to look at. Though they do look good hung on a wall!
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I build this one myself when I was 15. I wasn't alowed to buy one, so I asked my parents "what if I build one myself?" They said "OK", but they thought I couldn't do it. Man, were they wrong... :)
I only know that it wasn't half as much as a good ready made guitar would have costed me.
Later on I bought me a couple of other guitars. Not that my own build wasn't good enough, but just because I happened to love the ones I bought.
And to have a spare one of course... :-)
One of those, a guitar made by hand by a professional guitar builder, cost me a minimum of 4 times more than the one I put together myself.
Maybe you could make a list of the things you need and look around in the guitar shop. You have a good chance of finding all the pieces in a shop that has a repair service.
For the wood, you can inform yourself at the local carpenter's. Maybe they have some leftovers they don't use anymore. If you're lucky, you can get that for free. Just check the quality of the wood. Don't use wood that has cracks in it.
I used Meranti for the body. The neck is made out of beech.
Have fun building your own guitar.
Just a tiny little bit. Most of the sound is determined by the pickups.
If the guitar has a hollow body, the sound is influenced more. Especially if you play with a microphone eventually combined with the pickups.
That's because with a hollow body the body acts as an amplifier, not so with a solid guitar.
Since this is a solid guitar, the sound influence of the wood is practically zero.
The different woods give different looks, that's their main influence. ;)
That is why pick-up manufacturers are always careful to explain that their pick-ups will sound different depending on the woods and construction of a guitar. Seymour Duncan (among many others) has written about this a lot, a you can read more on the Seymour Duncan website. You can also study more at the FRETS website, GAL (The Guild of American Luthiers), StewMac, and LMI (Luthier's Mercantile International).
You are correct, insofar as the pick-up can only pick up the string vibrations. But those vibrations are substantially modified by the materials and construction. In an acoustic the hollow box is the amplifier in combination with the height of the saddle, but the tone comes from the woods by a similar mechanism to that of the solid body guitar.
Andy
will that change how it will sound
The good news is that an oil finish is a very good option for finishing a guitar, and a lot of guitarists actually prefer the oiled finish on the neck. Danish Oil and Tung Oil are both suitable for a guitar. So if you are happiest using Danish Oil, go ahead.
One oil finish that many luthiers use and recommend is Tru-Oil, which was originally formulated for finishing gun stocks. It is the oil finish that Luthier's Mercantile carries, and if you Google for Tru-Oil you will find plentry of information about using it on guitars including some very good instructions. And those instructions will help you with Danish Oil as well.
And congratulations on making your first guitar, I promise you that you will feel amazing the first time you play it. And every time someone says 'WOW!! You made it yourself?' you will feel great.
Andy
I am a machinist i plan on making everthing from the body to the pickups even the tuners so this will take awhile but will be fun
thanks vern
Being a machinist will be a real advantage for you. The woodwork on guitars is actually pretty basic, but has to be very accurate. Many years ago one of my luthiery teachers described it was working wood to the tolerances usually found in engineering.
If it helps, Schaller have very accurate drawings of all their hardware on their website. You can also get very good drawings of all Gotoh parts as well, but theirs are harder to find (hidden in the parent company's site and I can't recall the full details). It is worth having a look at those, and pay attention to the way the tuning posts are shaped. That radiused section turned into the post is important , it really helps lock the strings firmly.
Best of luck and I promise two things. There will be frustrations along the way, but once you are finished it is deeply satisfying.
Andy
So much fun to build instruments
I love everything about it. Good job Merlin. :)
The body is covered with satin varnish to give it a soft shiny look.
And you're right, the body is based on the Gibson SG.
There's all kinds of colors in varnish, but I used colorless one.
The body is made of Meranti and the colorless satin varnish makes the grain of the wood more visible.
If you did build a guitar out of aluminum cans, than why don't you post a pic of one?
Please read the comments and replies in the correct order.
- Use your imagination
- Check out some books or sites on guitar schematics.
- Check out some books/sites on woodworking
The only limitation a person has is located between his ears. (unless you're gifted with two left hands ;-) )