New Builder Here, Starting in the New Year, Need a Start Point

[Leevis]

Hi

I am new to the forum, going to start building some guitars (electric) in the new year hopefully,

Ive watched many many videos so am reasonably up on the process etc.

Before I start I want to get together/build the jigs I will need to get this rolling. Anyone have a list of jigs I would need?

I want to start to build copies of classic guitars ie Frankenstrat, Red Special, Dave Gilmour Strat, SRV Strat, Vai JEM etc etc

Aim high I guess.

[curtisa]

Welcome aboard

Before piling up recommendations as to what jigs you could need, it might help if you provide a bit more detail as to what tools you have at your disposal and how (in a broad sense) you're planning on building. For example:

• If you're going to purchase a prefabricated template set there's no reason to suggest building some kind of neck pocket jig or pickup routing templates, although the assumption will be that you will have access to a router with template-following bits.
• If you're going to buy your fretwire pre-radiused there's no reason to make up some kind of fret bending jig, although the assumption will be that you'll have access to equipment that will allow you to install and dress the frets (hammer, cutters, files, straightedge etc).
• If you're planning on using pre-slotted/radius'ed fretboards you probably don't have a need for a fret slotting jig or radius sanding blocks.
• Drill press? Bandsaw? Jigsaw? Plane? Thicknesser? Clamps? Consumables (sandpaper, glue, sticky tape)? Drills? Chisels?
• Etc etc...

The list of potential jigs used in guitar making can get quite long, and will vary depending on how much you want to do yourself, how much you're willing to 'farm out' to others and what equipment and skills you have access to.

[Bizman62]

Hi and welcome!

As @curtisa said the list is endless if we don't know what tools etc. you have access to.

You said you want to start by building copies of certain guitars. That's a good starting point as there's good information about most of the iconic guitars. Studying them hopefully will make you understand how they've been built and why they're built that way. Let me help you with this tiny bit of information: The basic construction of many electric guitars fits within a 2x4" plank, 35" long. All guitars on your list can be built that way! The rest is for ergonomics (shape, bevels, belly carve...), usability (control cavities etc.) and looks. The sound is mostly made by pickups.

You can build such a 2x4" guitar out of one single piece or two pieces - the latter is more common. Guitars with a neck break angle (LP etc.) require a thicker block or two pieces. There isn't those on your list.

The main idea in this post is that if you are going to build instruments that look and feel like the guitars you've mentioned instead of exact copies, you can use the same neck pocket template for all of them! The shape can be copied from photos and cut even with a hand saw if needed. Similarly the neck can be carved to whichever shape you want to no matter how it's attached to the body.

Pickup templates can also be very simple, as a minimum you'd need one for single coils and another for humbuckers. You can then move them on the body where needed.

Control cavities can be very freehand as long as the cover fits. On a Strat the scratchplate is huge, on a Tele the tiny strip covers all the controls.

Tremolo systems require the most accurate templates as there's many levels within each other on both sides of the body.

[Leevis]

I will be purchasing templates for all of the different shapes, certainly to begin with.

I will be probably buying a fretwork bending jig (they are only around £50), will be manually hammering the frets in though as do not have a fret press

Planning to do the necks from scratch rather than buying these so will need a jig to radius and also to slot these

I have a router and a trimmer so can use these as a thicknesser. Also have a jigsaw and chisels.

 

[Bizman62]

Instead of purchasing templates you can make them by yourself. Buy accurate real size drawings and take them to a copying company for a few copies. Cut and glue the templates you need on a piece of MDF or plywood and use your jigsaw. Making templates is a big part of guitar building and can teach you some valuable lessons on cheaper materials than guitar wood.

[ADFinlayson]

Welcome. The best way to learn is by doing, so I would recommend getting the template for the guitar you want to build and just get stuck in. You don't need all the jigs or a workshop full of tools - You can do most of it with a hobby saw, plunge router and a hand drill. Take your time and remember Rembrandt's first painting wasn't a masterpiece. 

 

 

[curtisa]

@ADFinlayson is correct - if you're approaching these builds on a semi-kit basis using templates there's actually not many reasons to amass a whole bunch of jigs to put them together. The templates themselves (assuming they're well made) will largely steer you in the right direction without resorting to all manner of customised jigs and assistants for one-off functions.

The tools you have access to and how you use them will matter more.

[mistermikev]

not trying to be sarcastic... but honestly I think you'll know what jigs you need as you go.  we all think differently... and it seems to me that some use a jig for x while some don't... just depends on your point of view.  some use a jig to do truss rod channel while others just do that step before any other and do it on a square piece of wood... so they just use a straight edge.  some use a jig for cutting the tuner holes while some just mark them out and drill.  it's all good.

one jig I used a lot, and worked very well for me, was a router sled.  you can use it to flatten a piece (as opposed to a planer).  I used mine also to do any sort of cut where the router would be on an uneven surface or otherwise small surface.  ex, I used it to put in a gradient on the back of a neck to take a lot of the work out of carving a neck, then used it with a chamfer bit to put in my first 'facet' for doing the neck profile via the facet method.  (others just do this all with a file, or with a sander or with any number of other things).  I think the important thing is to have a job to do... and think about how it makes sense to you to accomplish.  there is no best way, other than the way that works best for you.