Need Feedback On First Time Project

[82cabby]

Hi all-

I am a long time woodworker / furniture maker about to take on my first guitar build and I could really use some feedback / input / critique of what I am planning here. I am trying to make a very bluesy sounding stratocaster type guitar that is not too complex for a first time build. I have the scale drawings from the download section here and several good books to guide the build. I have printed out the drawings full size and made the templates and here is my tentitive plan:

Body: Ash. Shaped based on the downloaded drawings. Routed to accept a pickguard loaded with 3 single coil pickups and a bolt on neck. The body will be painted using a sanding sealer then automotive primer, two-part automotive paint and an HVLP gun. I'll rub it down and buff it out.

Neck: Figured maple (I just happen to have have a beautiful piece in the shop), Stewart Macdonald's Fender compound radius finger board and hot rod truss rod. Finished in lacquer on the maple portion.

Nut: Black Tusq nut for fender style guitars, again from StewMac, pre-sloted 1-3/8" string spacing

Bridge: Washburn hardtail roller bridge - strings go through body. (I can get one for $10)

Pickups: maybe either stock USA fender or the Tex-Mex style.... here I really need some help.

So what do you think? The woodworking doesn't scare me, but I want to make sure I'm not setting myself up somehow with incompatible or poorly choosen parts.

Any thoughts?

[low end fuzz]

it 'sounds' like your on the road to sucsess; guitar pickups for their sound isnt my thing, for sure;

but your wood selection is standard; you have all the drawings in full scale;

just have your parts all handy during the build so you can mock it up completely if you getnervous about something, and you'll be fine;

post pics when you get started;

good luck!

grant

[Drak]

Skip the sanding sealer, it's softer than your other finishes, you never put a softer finish under a harder one, and it's a pretty useless product anyway.

Other than that, carry on!

PS, I will actually give you some advice I think is warranted if you want your project to come out nice.

Take some crap scrap wood and build a mockup that is always one step ahead of the real thing...

everything you plan on doing to your REAL guitar, do it on your mockup first, and take it seriously.

This will be your 'insurance' guitar, so when (not if, but when), you make a mistake, you don't blow it on the real thing and you have a chance to recover with no loss.

You can toss it when you're done if you want, but you will be THANKFUL that you did it.

[82cabby]

Take some crap scrap wood and build a mockup that is always one step ahead of the real thing...

everything you plan on doing to your REAL guitar, do it on your mockup first, and take it seriously.

This will be your 'insurance' guitar, so when (not if, but when), you make a mistake, you don't blow it on the real thing and you have a chance to recover with no loss.

You can toss it when you're done if you want, but you will be THANKFUL that you did it.

Good advise!!! I hadn't thought about doing that but I definately will. Thanks.