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need help on building a body


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Ok this is my first project.And i want to make a bodie that like my ibanez rg so im gona use that to cut out the wood.But i just wanted to get some tips and how hard it actually is and if someone can name me some good tools to use.My father can also hellp me his very good with makin stuff he made a crazy big boat out of wood just with a knife in a month.And it looks crazy so any help. :D

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We'll your talking to someone who just spent close to five hundred dollars on tools and some wood, so it's not a cheap hobby by no means and if anyone tells you any different is only building 1 a year.. lol So that being said, it's not that hard if you read read read and test test test on scrap wood. But mostly you'll have to learn patience, which on my first guitar made me mess up a great paint job. So please read up alot before you start. If you are serious about building guitars there are some tools you'll want to use to make the job easier. I recommend that you find someone who will let you use them until you get ready to buy them one at a time. First off, you'll need to find someone with a bandsaw who can cut the shape out for you. Also, a planer, jointer, drill press, router, and orbital sander will be needed. Borrow, Borrow, Borrow.. lol.. But I'd recommend you reading all the tutorials on the main Project Guitar page before you do anything.. Good Luck

Matt

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I don't know how much money you are willing to invest but a bandsaw is very helpful when cutting a body shape. You can get by with a jig saw (I'm not very good with a jig saw so this is a bit biased). You'll probably want a plunge router but you can also use a non-plunge. Snag a small ruler (one that has 32nds and 64ths or mm if you're a metric guy) - they are usually available in 6" lengths which is ideal for this type of project. You might also need a long drill bit (12" length) to create the passage for the pickup wires.

Are you planning on building a neck also?

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Hey GuitarFrenzy, can you list the tools you've just recently purchased?

Sure thing.. This is a list of just some of the stuff I bought recently.

Guitar Building Tools List:

1. Hex allen wrenches - $12

2. Adjustable Fret Slotting Saw (#5320) stewmac - $24.90

3. Neck Support Caul - $8.90 (#4479) stewmac

4. Fret Arbor Set - $44.45 (#4365) stemac

5. Diamond Fret File - $54.90(#4455) stewmac

6. Fingerboard Leveler - $37.98(#4578) stewmac

7. 8" Radius Sanding Block with 12" radius - $14.50 (#0417) stewmac

8. Dremel tool - $70 (walmart)

9. Dremel Router base - $25

10. Dremel Carbide 1/32" inlay bit - $15.95(#5150) stewmac

11. Fret Cutters - got something similar at Lowes for $15 dollars

Total ------- $323.58

Wood and Inlay List:

1. 3x3x30 mahogany neck blank ... Exoticwoods.com.. $30 x 2= $60 I went ahead and bought two since I'll probably mess up.. lol

2. Ebony Peghead Veneer 4"x8" $15

3. Inlay material $30

4. Ebony preslotted fretboard with 12" radius.. $25.90

Total --------- $130.90

Grand Total -----$454.48

But I've spent alot more than that in the last 2 months.. That's just the last 2 weeks of buying. lol

3.

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Frenzy-

I don't know if you noticed (maybe you don't care?) that the fret cutters from Lowes don't extend all the way out to the edge. In other words, there will be more fret wire left after cutting than the ones I saw on stewmac. I have the lowes version at home and noticed it the first time I fretted. It's not a big deal but I prefer to not have to grind that left over x 48. Maybe they are selling the stewmac version now?

What did you think of the wood from exoticwoods? When I bought from them a while ago, I had to do quite a bit of work to get the boards usable. I was expecting them to be s2s at least but they were just rough cut on all sides. Even the fretboard blanks were like that. On top of that, the wood was a bit warped as well (3 different types of wood). Luckily I have the tools to deal with it but I think there are many who would be very unhappy with this. Let me know what condition your wood was in please.

Dave

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