Build Your Own Guitar

You will need some space to build your guitar - please read the info in the resources section for more info.

This is a very brief lecture on wood and parts for your first guitar - for more information on this subject check out the 2 part lecture on wood in my other course - Design Your Own Guitar.

Wood for your first guitar - In a nutshell I recommend:

• Rosewood for the fretboard
• Mahogany for the Neck and Body

I have chosen these because they are easy to work and sound great.

Top Tips:

• Buy a pre-slotted board if you want to make life easy for yourself!
• Try to buy 'ready to work' neck and body blanks

Patterns, Jigs, and Cauls

If there is a secret to guitar making then this is it...

In this lecture I explain the difference between the three with examples.

Making the Patterns

This is how I make most of the Patterns - This is great practice and a good place to start getting your hands dirty - if you go wrong you can throw it away and start again. MDF is cheap - especially if it is re-claimed!

What you need:

• Tracing Paper
• Masking Tape
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 10mm
• Bandsaw
• Sanding Block/s
• Sandpaper: 60g or 80g

Neck Angle Jig

What you need:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• 1m Ruler
• Centrepunch
• Clamp
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 3mm (1/8")
• Drill Bit: Countersink
• 18mm MDF: Base Board and Angle Board
• Two Blocks of wood: Guide Rails
• Hinge: 100mm (4")
• 8 screws: 16mm (5/8") for hinge
• 4 screws: 50mm (2") for guide rails
• Hardboard strips: 6mm x 450mm (1/4" x 18")

Dimensions:

Baseboard and Angle Board

The Baseboard and Angle Board are cut from 18mm MDF:

• Base Board: 200mm x 600mmm (8 x 24")
• Angle Board:100mm x 450mm (4 x 18")

Guide Rails

The guide Rails are made from 100 x 50mm (4 x 2") - you could glue two pieces of 50 x 50mm (2 x 2") together to make up the pieces:

• Two Guide Rails: 180mm (7") long

Hardwood Strips

I cut these from a 1/4 sheet of hardboard - there was plenty left over to use for a drawing board.

• Hardboard strips: 6mm x 450mm (1/4" x 18")

Wedge

The wedge is made from an offcut of 18mm MDF:

• Wedge: 200 x 100mm (8 x 4")

Headstock Angle Jig

What you need:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• 1m Ruler
• Centrepunch
• Clamp
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 3mm (1/8")
• Drill Bit: Countersink
• 18mm MDF
• Double Sided Tape
• Sanding Block
• Sandpaper: 60 or 80g
• 8 Screws: 40mm (1 1/2")
• Screwdriver

The Base Board and Guide Rails are both made from 18mm MDF the exact length is not important - it needs to be long enough for your neck.

• Baseboard: 150mm x 760mm (6 x 30")
• Guide Rails: 70mm x 760mm (2 3/4" x 30")

Headstock Thickness Jig

What you need:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• 1m Ruler
• Centrepunch
• Clamp
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 3mm (1/8")
• Drill Bit: Countersink
• 18mm MDF
• 4 Screws: 40mm (1 1/2")
• Screwdriver

DIMENSIONS:

Base Board

The Base Board is made from 18mm MDF - the exact length is not important - it needs to be long enough for your neck.

• Baseboard: 230 x 600mm (9 x 30")

The Guide Rails on my jig are made from scrap wood about 40mm (1 1/2") thick - you could stack up 2 pieces of MDF to make these.

• Guide Rails: 40 x 200mm (1 1/2" x 36")

Fretboard Caul

The Fretboard Caul is used for gluing the fretboard - it helps spread the weight of the clamps for more even pressure and the hardwood strips ensure it presses down along the edges.

What you need:

• Pencil
• 18mm MDF: 60mm x 450mm (2 1/2 x 18")
• Hardwood Strips: 6mm x 450mm (1/4" x 18")
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 10mm (3/8")
• Superglue
• Accelerator for superglue (optional)

If you have a pre-made Fretboard you can simply draw round that - if not measure it out by hand.

Router Baseplate

You will need to make or buy one of these to use the Neck Angle, Headstock Angle and Neck Angle Jigs.

As every router is different I have not included a plan.

Patterns - Outro

Please let me know what patterns, jigs and cauls you want added next!

This is an introduction to some of the machines we use here in my workshop - I don't expect you to have any of these but I wanted to show them to you and tell you what we use them for.

If you have ready to work blanks you can skip this lecture!

In this lecture I demonstrate how to prepare the gluing surfaces for making up the body blank from two or more pieces.

Marking the Frets and Cutting the Fret Slots - by hand.

If you are not using a pre-made fretboard already with a radius you will need to check the fret slot depths again after creating the fretboard radius, this is easier done after the neck is glued on.

For your first guitar I highly recommend using a pre-made fretboard. I don't think there is any shame in that - at least you know it will play in tune!

If you buy a pre-made fretboard from us, then this is how we did it. Most of the machines used here are way beyond the reach of your average home builder, but if you make a lot of guitars like I do, they are invaluable.

Check the resources in my other course Design Your Own Guitar - lecture 31 'Where to get Stuff'

Mark out and route the Truss Rod Slot.

You will need:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• Set Square
• Two Clamps
• Router with edge guide
• Router cutter: 11mm (7/16") - make sure to test you have the correct size for your Truss Rod

Marking Out

To mark the position of the Truss Rod Slot we need to know where the nut is - You may notice I use a Headstock Template to make sure I leave enough space - If you do not have one don't worry just measure from your drawing.

Routing the slot

The diameter of the cutter will depend on the truss rod you are using - mine fits perfectly into a 11mm (7/16") slot.

The depth of the slot should be about 1-1.5mm deeper than the rod itself - The rod I use here measures about 10mm so I route to a depth of 11.5mm.

Mark and cut the headstock angle.

You will need:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• Set Square
• Neck Angle Jig
• Bandsaw
• Router with Baseplate
• Router Cutter: 16mm (5/8") - Any standard cutter will work but a larger cutter will cover more area and take less time. Mine is 16mm but you could use your truss rod cutter to save having to buy another one.

You may notice I use a Headstock Template to make sure I leave enough space - If you do not have one don't worry just measure from your drawing.

Cutting the Angle

Like most cutting out jobs, I do this in two steps:

1. Rough cut on the bandsaw
2. 'Surface route' using the 'Headstock Angle Jig'

Skip Tip!

If you prefer working by hand you can skip the second step and simply clean up the headstock face with a plane or sanding block - check with a set square to make sure the surface is kept flat and square to the edge.

Mark and Cut Out the Neck

In this video I demonstrate how to mark out and cut out the neck using the Bandsaw.

You will need:

• Pencil
• Long Ruler or Straightedge
• Fretboard (or your drawing for marking out)
• Bandsaw

Marking Out

Here I use the Fretboard and Headstock Pattern to mark out the front profile of the neck - If you do not have a Fretboard you can measure and mark out from your drawing.

Cutting Out the Neck

The Side Profile is cut first and then the Front Profile - you can do this either way round but I find this easier. Whichever way you do it there are some tricky bits to watch out for - watch the film carefully to make sure you understand before you start.

Route the Headstock to the correct thickness

What you will need:

1. Headstock Thickness Jig
2. Router with Baseplate
3. Router Cutter 16mm (5/8") -
4. Router Cutter: 16mm (5/8") - Any standard cutter will work.
5. Double Sided Tape
6. Blade
7. Clamps

This is the same 'Surface Routing Technique' I used earlier to route the Headstock Angle.

There must be a flat area for the tuners to sit on but make sure you don't go any further than necessary - you don't want to be routing up the back of the neck!

Headstock Thickness 15 to 15.5mm

If it goes wrong

Don't worry if you go a little to thin - I have seen Headstocks as thin as 12mm (1/2") although I would not recommend thinner than 14mm.

Drill the Tuner Holes

What you need:

• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 10mm
• Clamp
• Headstock Pattern (optional)

In the film I am using a 'Headstock Pattern' as a 'Drill Guide' - If you do not have one use your drawing to carefully mark out the positions, centrepunch, and then drill by hand. Clamp it up the same way and try to keep the drill as square to the bench as possible.

Check!

The size of drill will depend on what tuners you are using - drill a test hole in a piece of scrap first!

Profile the Neck

What you need:

• Cordless Drill
• Dril Bit: 10mm
• 10mm Pin
• Neck Workboard
• Neck Taper (or Neck Profile Pattern)
• Double Sided Tape
• Stanley Blade
• Clamp
• Router
• Top Bearing Router Cutter
• Bottom Bearing Router Cutter

Profiling with the Router

'Profiling' with the router saves a lot of time and makes copying shapes accurately and quickly a breeze. It does however require some extra tools, a Neck Taper or Neck Profile Pattern and quite a bit of setting up.

You could also use the same technique to Profile the Headstock, but it is a little fiddly so I prefer to do it by hand, which is why I took a little more care in that area when cutting out with the bandsaw.

Skip Tip!

If you prefer working by hand you can skip this step and clean up the sides of the neck with a plane or sanding block - do this AFTER the fretboard is glued on.

Install the Truss Rod

What you need

• Truss Rod
• Fillet
• Glue
• Clamps

You will need to make a fillet to go over the truss rod and take up the space between the Truss Rod and the Fretboard - if you are lucky you can use an off-cut from your neck or you will have to find a suitable piece of scrap.

The fillet is deliberately made to sit proud of the neck surface - it will be planed or sanded flush in order to glue on the fretboard in the next step.

IMPORTANT

Make sure you have the truss rod the right way round!

Glue only on the sides of the fillet - any wood glue will do.

You do not need a great deal of clamping pressure - I use spring clips.

NOTE: it is easier and quicker to use a fretboard to mark out the body - I suggest you skip forward to the next lecture and mark out the body before gluing the fretboard - then you can be making the body while it is drying.

Glue the Fretboard

What you Need

• Plane
• Sanding Block/s
• Blade
• Straightedge
• Fretboard
• Fretboard Caul
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit 1.5mm
• 1.5mm Pins
• Hammer
• Clamps
• Glue

You might be surprised that I use no protection on the back of the neck - I am not using enough clamping pressure to damage the wood and it will be carved later anyway so that is fine.

IMPORTANT

If the Fretboard moves while you are putting the clamps on then you may be left with a large step where it overhangs the neck. This could result in the neck being too narrow.

After clamping check very carefully to make sure nothing has moved - if it has then you have ONE CHANCE!

If it goes wrong

Quickly remove the clamps, carefully pull out the pins and use a palette knife, ruler, or something similar to carefully prise off the fretboard. Use a damp rag to clean off all the glue, wait till it dries and try again. You will have to scrape the surfaces again to remove all the glue.

Mark out the Body

What you need:

• Ruler
• 1m Rule
• Pencil
• Body Profile Pattern
• Fretboard
• Drafting Square
• Pickup Pattern
• Control Cavity Pattern

I use my Patterns and the Fretboard to mark out the body - you could trace from your drawing.

It helps to lay out your parts where you have marked them to check the position.

Making the Body Intro

What you need

• Grippermat

A brief introduction and overview of the body making process - I explain why it is important to do the jobs in the correct order and which cutters you will need for your router.

It is a great idea to keep your body on a piece of Grippermat - it protects the body from acquiring dents and helps to stop it slipping around while you work.

Drill the Control Holes

What you need:

• Centrepunch
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 10mm (3/8") for volume and tone pots
• Drill Bit: 12mm (1/2") for switch

In this lecture I demonstrate how to accurately centrepunch and drill holes for the controls.

Note: I would normally do this using my pedestal drill but I wanted to demonstrate that you do not need one to make a guitar so I used my cordless drill.

CHECK

The size of drill will depend on what controls you are using - drill a test hole in a piece of scrap first!

Route the Control Cavity

What you need:

• Control Cavity Pattern
• Double Sided Tape or clamps
• Router
• Top Bearing Router Cutter - 12mm x 12mm (1/2"x1/2")

The Control Cavity is routed to a nominal depth of 14mm. This is to make sure we can use the same method to continue routing down to the final depth later on.

Route the Pickup Holes

What you need:

• Pickup Pattern
• Double Sided Tape or clamps
• Router
• Top Bearing Router Cutter - 12mm x 12mm (1/2"x1/2")

IMPORTANT

The pickup holes are both routed to a nominal depth of 14mm. They will be routed to final depth AFTER the neck socket has been routed full depth.

This is to ensure that we can use this same simple method to continue routing the neck socket down to its final depth later on.

Carve the Neck

What you need:

• Pencil
• Clamp
• Rasp or surform
• Calipers (digital)
• Scraper
• Sanding block/s
• Sandpaper: 80g

NOTE: I use a variety of tools to carve the neck - see the Tools PDF in the resources section for more info.

Carving the neck

I ALWAYS carve my necks the same way - concentrate on making the facets nice and flat. If you can achieve this then blending in is the easy bit - watch the shape emerge before your very eyes!

1. Carve the side facets
2. Carve the top facet
3. Refine the side facets
4. Blend in

Radius the Fretboard

What you need:

• Neck Workboard
• 10mm Pin
• Adjustable Support (10mm Bolt or foot from a desk)
• Clamps
• Pencil
• Straightedge/s
• Radius Guage
• Sanding Blocks
• Sandpaper: 60-80g
• Radius Block (optional)

Important

NOTE: Working a radius into an Ebony Fretboard can be very hard work - that is why I chose Rosewood for this build and recommend using a premade fretboard for your first.

If you are not using a premade fretboard which already has a radius on it then you will have a lot more work to do but the methods are exactly the same.

I do not recommend using a plane for this job unless you are very proficient and the plane is super sharp! Stick to 60g sandpaper on a block.

Install the Front Dots

• Ruler
• Straightedge (or long Ruler)
• Pencil
• Centrepunch
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 5mm Brad Point
• Inlays: 5mm Round Dots Mother of Pearl

Note: I highly recommend simple round dots for fret position markers as they are by far the easiest to install. Smaller sizes are also easier than larger ones and Mother of Pearl stand out clearer than anything else - in the video I use a 5mm Brad Point Drill Bit and 5mm MOP dots.

Brad Point Drill

These have a point at the end which locates into the centrepunch - this helps to keep the drill from moving out of position for more accurate drilling of holes than a standard twist drill.

Prepare for Fretting

What you need:

• Fretslot cleaner (or Fret Saw)
• Small Triangular File

There are various tools you could use to clean out the fretslots - I like to use my fretslot cleaner and fretsaw for the awkward ones but a vacuum cleaner helps. A fret slot guage is also useful to check the depth of the slot.

IMPORTANT

Every job you do can make your next one easier or harder.

Take your time!

The success of your FRET JOB depends on it...

Install the Frets

What you need:

• Fretwire
• End Nippers (flush ground)
• Neck Support
• Hammer
• Superglue
• Radius Block and clamps (optional)

For more information on fretting tools see the 'Tools' PDF in the resources section at the end of this course.

Install the Side Dots

What you need:

• Inlays: 2mm white plastic rod (or 2mm MOP or ABA)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Centrepunch
• Cordless Drill (or hand drill)
• Drill Bit: 2mm
• Superglue
• End Nippers (flush ground)

IMPORTANT

Remember to put two dots on the twelth fret! Don't worry if you forget - just put three in a line and call it a custom job.

Clean Up the Sides of the Neck

What you need:

• File
• Straightedge (or long ruler)
• Nut (optional)
• Set Square
• Sanding Block/s
• Sandpaper: 80g

This job cleans up the excess fret and side dot material sicking out from the sides of the neck. It is better to start with the file as the sharp metal will rip the sandpaper.

During this operation we can also set the width of the nut - if you do not have one yet then you could take the measurements from your drawing - mine is 43mm.

It is important to remove any steps where the fretboard meets the neck and make sure to keep the heel square to ensure a good fit in the body later on.

Double check that the neck is straight and remove any high spots as necessary.

Try to do your best but don't get too hung up about it - We will repeat this job when we fit the neck into the body.

Before we go ahead and route the neck socket into the body it is a good idea to fit the neck into the pattern. If you have not yet made a neck socket pattern then now is the time. Please see the resources section for your downloadable PDF patterns

What You Need

• Neck Socket Pattern
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Bandsaw (or hand saw)
• Sanding Block

IMPORTANT!

DO NOT ROUTE THE NECK SOCKET YET!

Unfortunately I am not perfect and managed to get my notes mixed up which resulted in me doing this in a order other than intended - making my job of sanding the edges more difficult. If you would like to avoid that:

Skip to Lecture 41: Cut Out The Body

...and then return here to carry on...

However - it is not much of a deal really. If you cut out the body first it will make sanding easier - but you will have less support for the router when performing step 3 below - routing to final depth. I will leave it to you dear reader to decide.

Route the Neck Socket

What you need:

• Ruler
• Pencil
• Neck Socket Pattern
• Clamps
• Router
• Router Cutter: Top Bearing 12mm x 12mm (1/2" x 1/2")
• Router Cutter: Top Bearing 12mm x 25mm (1/2" x 1")

This is way too deep for one step so we use three:

1. Route as deep as possible with short cutter
2. Route as deep as possible with short cutter
3. Remove pattern and route to final depth with short cutter

Never let the bearing go under the pattern or you will end up with a pickup shaped neck hole - or worse!

Routing Final Depths

What you need:

• Ruler
• Grippermat (or Clamps)
• Router
• Router Cutter: Top Bearing 12mm x 12mm (1/2" x 1/2")
• Router Cutter: Top Bearing 12mm x 25mm (1/2" x 1")

• Pickups: 18mm
• Pickup Ears: 25mm
• Control Cavity: Body Thickness minus 6mm (1/4")

CHECK!

If you have followed my recommendations then you will already have all your parts - check each one as you go to make sure it fits OK - your parts might be different to mine.

When Routers Attack!

Make sure your cutter is tight - listen for unusual noises and you usually get plenty of warning that something is amiss. If in doubt - stop and check.

If you came here from Lecture 39: Route the Neck Socket - well done! Do this first and then return to continue building - I think it is easier overall that way.

Cut Out the Body

What you need:

• Bandsaw
• Body Profile Pattern
• Top Bearing 12mm x 12mm (1/2" x 1/2")
• Router Cutter: Top Bearing 12mm x 25mm (1/2" x 1")
• Router Cutter: Bottom Bearing

This is again a two step process - you can skip step 2 if you prefer to sand the edges by hand but it is hard work.

1. Rough cut on the Bandsaw
2. Route the Profile

IMPORTANT!

If you have already routed the Neck Socket (like me) you will have to be very careful to make sure the bearing does not go under the pattern at any time!

Radius the Body Edges (optional)

What you need:

• Router
• Router Cutter: 6mm Radius (1/4")

IMPORTANT

Make sure the bearing does not go into the neck socket!

Make the Belly Carve

What you need:

• Pencil
• Clamps
• Rasp (or Surform)
• Sanding Block/s
• Sandpaper: 60g or 80g

Drill the holes

What you need:

• Ruler
• Pencil
• Centerpunch
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 2.5mm (Strap Stud)
• Drill Bit: 22mm (Jack Socket)
• Pickup Link Holes: 10mm EXTRA LONG

TIP

Clamp the body to stop it moving while you drill the holes and you will avoid what happened to me...

BONUS!

Of course I snapped the drill on purpose just so I got the chance to show you guys how to fix it :P

Fit the Neck

What you need:

• Sanding Block
• Sandpaper: 80g
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Bandsaw
• Neck Angle Jig
• Router with Baseplate
• Router Cutter - any standard router cutter will do

There are two parts to this job

1. Fit the neck
2. Set the Neck Angle

To fit the neck we sand the sides of the heel until it slides in comfortably without too much force. Once this is done we can set the angle by routing the back of the heel.

IMPORTANT

The strings must arrive at the right height for the bridge - make sure to check!

Final Shaping

What you need:

• Clamp
• Rasp or Surform
• Sanding Blocks
• Sandpaper: 60g or 80g

Sanding

What you need:

• Sanding Block/s
• Sandpaper: 80g, 120g, 240g

Learn to love it.

Glue the Neck

What you need:

• File
• Radius Block (optional)
• Scrap of wood
• Clamps
• Masking Tape
• Pencil
• Ruler
• 1m Rule
• Glue
• Glue Spreader (an old phone top up card is perfect)
• Water
• Toothbrush (or rag)

CHECK!

Make sure you have done all these BEFORE you glue the neck.

• Check for sanding scratches
• File the angle on the side of the frets
• Fill the Fret ends
• Level the frets
• Check the pickup link holes are drilled

Double Check!

Use a long ruler or straightedge to check the alignment of the neck and the neck angle.

Drill the Bridge Holes

What you need:

• Masking tape
• Ruler
• 1m Ruler
• Pencil
• Centrepunch
• Cordless Drill
• Drill Bit: 11mm (check)

IMPORTANT

Wilkinson Wrapover

The bridge I am using is a wrapover style which mounts on two Bridge Mount Posts - this is great - we only need two holes!

They are spaced 82mm apart and 6mm behind the scale length line.

The bridge must be centered on the lines which extend from the sides of the neck.

CHECK

You must check your bridge to make sure you are drilling in the right place and with the right size drill - it may be different to mine.

TEST

Drill test holes in scrap wood to find the best size drill for your Bridge Mounting Posts (or screws).

Note: I normally use my pedestal drill for this job but I wanted to demonstrate that it can easily be done by hand.

DOUBLE CHECK!

Everything twice (that's three times!)

Finiting

Nobody likes this word, it is a silly guitar makers word meaning knocking the sharp edges off, checking for glue where there shouldn't be, and filling any holes that shouldn't be there.

What you need:

• Sandpaper: 240g, 320g
• Superglue
• Accelerator for Superglue
• Masking Tape
• Wood Filler
• Abrasive pad (artificial Wire Wool)

Last Chance

This is your last chance to achieve perfection before finishing (applying a finish).

Check

Before you go any further double check that all the parts fit.

NOTE: On a complicated build sometimes it is worth completely assembling the guitar to make sure everything is OK before finishing it - there is nothing worse than doing major alterations on a freshly finished instrument.

Apply the Finish

What you need:

• Clean Bench
• Finishing Oil
• Rags
• Gloves

IMPORTANT

Sit back now and enjoy your handy work - if you got this far you have earned it. Why not take a picture and post it on the course dashboard for us all to drool over?

Fret Dress - Part 1

Level the Frets

What you need:

• Masking Tape
• Straightedge (notched is better)
• Truss Rod Key (5mm Allen key)
• Marker Pen (optional)
• Levelling Tools

For more information on tools for fret dressing please see the Tools PDF in the final section of this course - Resources.

The Fret Dress

There are a few steps to this procedure - this lecture covers the first step - levelling the frets:

IMPORTANT: Before you start trying to level the frets - set the truss rod to get the neck as straight as possible

1. Level the Frets
2. Re-crown the Frets
3. Dress the Fret Ends
4. Polish

Fret Dress - Part 2

What you need:

• Re-crowning file
• Stanley Blade
• Fret End Dressing File
• Sandpaper: 320g or 400g
• Wire Wool
• Lemon Oil
• Rag

For more information on tools for fret dressing please see the Tools PDF in the final section of this course - Resources.

The Fret Dress - Final Stages

This lecture covers the final stages AFTER levelling the frets:

IMPORTANT: Before you start re-crowning the frets they must be as level as possible! If you still have high or low spots go back and repeat the previous lecture.

1. Level the Frets
2. Re-crown the Frets
3. Dress the Fret Ends
4. Polish