total cost

[scot88]

im planning on building a tele/mustang hybrid once i pay all of my debt for my G&L asat classic. i dont want to be in debt again so how much would it cost to completely build a guitar from scratch. building the templates and all. and i dont have much of the tools neccessary. so take that into consideration. uh yeah, so thats it.

i know that different wood types would cost more than others, so can someone also reccomend a good type of wood for a bluesy/rock sound. thanks in advance

[krazyderek]

alder, poplar, bass wood are going to be your cheapest body woods, neck.... probably just go standard maple and fingerboard.... well that's your choice.

for templates you'll need half a sheet of ply wood, a router, and some straight edges (which you can make out of some hardwood like purple heart if you have a jointer)

you can probably get a pre sloted FB for 15$... do that! lol

you'll need a nice roll or double stick tape... the good stuff... as wide as you can find...

the router is probably the most important tool of all...

Drill press is pretty important but you can get away with a hand held drill if you take your time. Drill bits. Titebond wood glue.

as far as fretting... hmm.... leave that up in the air for now.

lots and lots of sandpaper 100-120-220-320-400-600- at least

then... finish... well... one thing at a time me thinks

[Jehle]

Derek is right about all that stuff. A router is a must. You can cut templates, cut the body, pickup cavities, binding channels, and more.

I would also suggest looking on ebay. I've been able to get some decent parts from auctions that would have cost 3 times as much had I bought them new.

[guitar_ed]

Howdy,

If you want to know the truth, by the time you buy the tools, make templates, buy parts, and ruin a piece or two, it might be cheaper to buy one from a pawn shop. Building ain't cheap if you do it right.

If you want to know what I am talking about, go HERE, click on Standard Tele and then click where it says to. Keep in mind that this does not include tools and what not. Only stuff that actually goes on the guitar.

Have fun,

Guitar Ed

Advice worth what you paid for it. Nothing.

[Guitarfrenzy]

Very good suggestions so far....

But your probably only gonna try to build a guitar two ways.

1. Buy the neck, build the body. Least expensive way.

2. Build neck and body. Costlier but more self gradifying.

Considering you picked #1... Then you won't need the costly fret working tools. Basically borrow someones bandsaw to cut the body shape out and templates. You will also need to borrow a plunge router to cut out the pickup cavities, bindings, neck pocket, round off the corners of the guitar, etc. A dremel, jewelers saw will help you do inlay work. Buy alot of glue(titebond II, hideglue,epoxy, superglue), various grit of sandpaper(220-2000), and a good small orbital, palm sander will help alot. Spokeshave, surform, will help if you want to carve the top of the guitar any. Clamps, clamps and more clmaps. You can build a good glue press if you get into veneering. There are alot more things to consider also, different router bits for different jobs, and many more I can't think of at the moment.

Let's say you pick #2..... First off, your gonna want to find someone with a bandsaw, this is critical if you want precision work with alot less hassle. You'll need a bandsaw for cutting out the neck shape. Find someone who has a drill press if you plan on drilling the tuner holes at the peghead. If your gonna press frets in, you'll need some arbor press radial cauls from StewMac, neck support caul to hold the neck without hurting it and you can use drill press to press them in or buy a arbor press. You'll need a Fret Bevel to make the fretwire edges smooth, you can make one by using Brian's instruction in the Tutorial section. Radius Sanding block to get radius the neck.. you can get by with just one type.. for instance I bought a 12" since I like the feel of a Gibson neck, read the tutorial section you can learn how to save money by making one. Fret Slotting Saw and read Brian's tutorial on refretting to see how to cut the slots. You'll need a way to slot the nut slots.. quickest way is to either buy 3 from StewMac or just take a set of feeler guages and rough up the edges so they cut and they work great (plus cheap)!!! You'll need fretwire, truss rod, nut, and inlay material. If you buy a preslotted and radiused rosewood top.. you can get by without buying some of the tools above. Then your gonna need to buy either a piece of wood big enough or laminate some together to cut out a neck. Mahogany, maple, purpleheart, etc. etc. Make sure if you get enough wood to make a one piece.. say a 3x3x30.. that it is quartersawn and not flatsawn, since it will make it alot less likely to twist, bend and warp on you. UMMM wow.. this is getting to be a long post..

The END..

lol

P.S. Hope this has helped.

[scot88]

i am deffiently NOT building my own neck, at least for my first time (after that, who knows?). so ill need tools and wood. does anyone know some doos places to buy wood? and also do you absolutely have to glue two boards of wood together, or will one be fine? thanks alot

[westhemann]

one piece bodies are actually nicer in my opinion.the piece of wood just has to be big enough.for bluesy rock i would go with poplar or alder.that is what is most commonly found on strats,but i wouldn't use basswood.not enough mids for blues.