canuckguitarist Posted July 10, 2003 Report Share Posted July 10, 2003 Hey, this is my first post (second but who's counting?).....so here it goes..... Yea, I'm 14 years old and wanted to do something to take up my spare time, guitar building sounded like an idea, so, as you may have guessed, thats what I'll be doing. I was looking for some suggestions about wood, electronics, etc. Keep in mind that, being my first guitar, I don't want to spend that much money on it, considering it will probably turn out like crap. Thanks, Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_ed Posted July 11, 2003 Report Share Posted July 11, 2003 Hi Aaron, Don't bet on it turning out like crap. If you get good stuff, parts, to begin with, the result will be better. My first rule: Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Get a kit or something like that. Try Warmoth or Stewmac. You can get all the pieces from them, so that it is more or less a bolt together job. My second rule: Keep is Simple S*&@ head (KISS). Simple does not mean ugly or non-functional. The simpler it is, the fewer things can go wrong. I might also suggest checking out my web site, Eds World, and seeing what I have done and been through on my own guitar making adventures. In order, I built Yellow, Blue, Orange, and Walnut. Each more complex and requiring more of me. Another suggestion is see if you can find a local friendly luthier, guitar tech/builder, who can help you. I have one and he has saved my butt several time. Last thing: Take pix with a digital camera, if you have one. Tell your story and have more fun with it. Good luck, Guitar Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted July 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2003 I was wondering if I should buy a prefabricated neck and build the body myself, I have access to a woodworking shop, or buy a prefab neck and body. I know that building the body myself will be more rewarding, but I am wondering what you guys think. What were your first guitars? Thanks again, Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 12, 2003 Report Share Posted July 12, 2003 Actually I started out by taking apart and refinishing factory guitars myself. I also learned a lot about swapping out electronics that way. After awhile I graduated up to kits, which was direction most folks don't take and from there went on to doing both plus building from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted July 12, 2003 Report Share Posted July 12, 2003 I'm currently building my first guitar, which at the moment is only a hand made body, which will have a factory made neck, until I have the time and money to build my own neck. I would recommend you to get some rather cheap wood and stuff, and build both the neck and the body from scratch, so you get some practice. If you're lucky, you'll have a nice guitar made from cheap wood. If you're not that lucky, you'll have experience of the whole process, not just parts of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted July 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2003 Do you guys think I should go for a Strat? (Front routed) like Tsl602000's? or ..... I dunno what else... any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted July 12, 2003 Report Share Posted July 12, 2003 If you've got any ideas for weird body shapes, now is a good time to try. The body I'm building is going to be back routed, and it's kind of a mix between a BC Rich Warlock, and a Jackson RR3. Kind of... It's not harder to do a back routed guitar than doing a front routed guitar, so don't let that block out your creativity/taste. Just decide on something that you think you'll like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.