1 st ever attempt

[Dexter]

Hi all. As you can see I m new here and I m about to try making my first Strat.

I will be buying the body from Warmoth and I already have a 3 hole Ritchie Blackmore signature neck waiting. I want the body to be lam top (Quilted maple will be the top).My questions are the following 2:

1) What kind of wood should I go for? My aim is to make the guitar ,tonewise , as flexible as possible.

2) Should I try painting the body myself , or is the process (handrubbing,spraying the lacquer) too much for a newbie? Where can I find info on painting?

Thanks in advance

[Dr. Jabsco]

Hey, welcome to the fourm.

We have had a few disscutions on most flexible wood, and usually alder comes out on top. Its very cheap as well. What wood is the neck made out of?

And if you do enough research, and practice you can deffinatly do your own finish.

If you want more info on finishes try using the search feature here, and im sure you will find a gerth of information.

-dylan

[Dexter]

Excellent . Thanks!

(I think its abit difficult for my chops )

[guitar_ed]

Hi Dexter,

With a bit of patience and some wood to practice on, finishing a body is not difficult. And read thru This section. Sometimes you can learn more from mistakes than you can from doing something right.

You can read my pieces on finishing guitar bodies Here. Also, there are a good many tutorials within the main Project Guitar web site. Also, StewMac and ReRanch sell the finishing supplies you will likely need, as well having some tutorials on "how to".

Lastly, checkout Warmoth some more. Look in their Showcase section as well their Gallery section to get ideas on what you can do. I use Warmoth when I need an idea.

Take care and take pictures.

Guitar Ed

[Dexter]

Thanks guys. I ll do my studying and I ll go for it. Not soon though . Do you beleive its better to start with something else than a figured top? It may be more difficult , but I really like it and I cant really afford making 2 guitars , one for "experimenting" and one for the real deal.

[guitar_ed]

Hi Dexter,

My original plan was two guitars, one low-ish end quilted maple, and one high end quilted maple. I over shot that just a "little" bit. But my intent was one to practice on, and one to show the public. I learned alot on #1 that I applied to #2. And I am one of those people who need to learn by my own experience, not by always reading other peoples experiences.

I did not answer your question, but there is a question that might: How do you learn best?

Take care,

Guitar Ed

[Dexter]

By doinf something with my own hands. I learn much faster that way

[Brian]

Welcome to the forum Dexter

[Curtis P]

By doinf something with my own hands. I learn much faster that way

ahh, another one like me!!

lol, i hear you on learning that way, once you do it once or twice by yourself, you can do it forever, like riding a bike eh?

anyways, finishing a body aint too difficult, it takes patience, persitance and lots of effort, but if you think you can handle it, great!!

i say give 'er, take lots of pictures and ask as many questions as you need too, dont second guess your self

Curtis

[Dexter]

I ll be back with pics (I hope )

[Wademeister]

Thanks guys. I ll do my studying and I ll go for it. Not soon though . Do you beleive its better to start with something else than a figured top? It may be more difficult , but I really like it and I cant really afford making 2 guitars , one for "experimenting" and one for the real deal.

Heya Dexter,

I would say just do the one you really want. As for myself, if I am making something "just as a practice run" I don't have the same feeling about really needing to get everything just right. If it were me, I would jump in and do the one that I had got my mind wrapped around in the first place to prevent losing interest and/or cutting corners.

And someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but with a maple top you can strip and refinish as long as you don't go crazy and drown the thing in stain. Working on scraps would be best to get it figured out for sure, but I wouldn't be afraid to give it a shot. Also I think I read something about Warmoth only offering a warranty on bodies they have finished? Sorry I'm lazy and don't feel like researching that one right now...

Oh, and uh...be sure to post some pics man! I like to see what everyone has going on