woodworking

[axo151]

Hey. I know next to nothing about the actual wood, and how to craft the wood, of guitars. I knwo a pretty good deal about the parts, specs, that sort of stuff. But I can't tell one tool from the next. Are there any books you guys could reccomend? Thanks.

And also, things like glueing wood together, sanding, making fretboards, everything. im clueless

[Devon Headen]

I'd recommend checking with your local high school/community college for woodworking classes...might mean taking a shot to your pride, but it'll be worth it.

[lotass]

Hey. I know next to nothing about the actual wood, and how to craft the wood, of guitars. I knwo a pretty good deal about the parts, specs, that sort of stuff. But I can't tell one tool from the next. Are there any books you guys could reccomend? Thanks.

And also, things like glueing wood together, sanding, making fretboards, everything. im clueless

I love the book i got, "make your own electric guitar" by melvyn hiscock, he goes in depth in every aspect of making your electric guitar, tools you'll need, woods, fretting, electronics and wiring, inlays, pickups, bridges. He even goes step by step through building three different types of guitars that he built, this book has lots of pictures and is very easy to read fast. It's about 200pages and cost me 25$, get it, it will be worth it.

[Devon Headen]

That is a very good book, but you'll want to practice everything LOTS before you take it to your exotic, expensive wood.

[axo151]

before i get into this, how much money are tools going to cost me? and can you eventually make guitars that are better than stock guitars? how long!? thanks

[Devon Headen]

That really depends on how complex your work is gonna be, how much you are gonna be trying to produce, and whether you're ok using hand tools instead of power tools. I've gotta go now, but I'd say get the book lotass mentioned, and it'll give you a fairly specific idea of the tools you'll need, and the experience you'll need to biuld a good guitar. For the second question, the answer is absolutely, just look at some of the guys' instruments around this forum.

Hope this helps,

Devon

[KeithHowell]

and can you eventually make guitars that are better than stock guitars?

Absolutely! But you need to practice, practice, practice your wood working skills.

I always say I've been lucky enough to have had a 47 year apprenticeship in the use of tools, under my father (He's a retired Blacksmith) which is still going on.

Keith

[Guitarfrenzy]

If your plan is to make a guitar better than a stock one right off the bat you might be setting yourself up for dissapointment. Especially if your making not only the body, but the neck as well. The neck is the hardest part to do right, but can be learned. If your in it for the long haul and try to improve each time, yours should be better than stock guitars at some point. It all depends on your determination, patience, knowledge, and application of that knowledge. So my advice is to read all you can, watch all the videos you can, and practice what you learn as much as you can. That way, your fully understanding what you need to do, before you start cutting out that expensive exotic wood and making such a bad mistake that you end up throwing it away. There is a wealth of information out there about guitar building nowdays, and Project Guitar can be of great help when you run into problems and don't know what to do. I'd recommend you at least get Melvyn Hiscock book, "Make Your Own Electric Guitar", It will help you out alot.