Arcade Cabinet and Hello

[minorhero]

Hello folks,

There does not seem to be an introduction area to the forums, so I figured I would just post the last thing I built, which is an arcade cabinet. This arcade cabinet was a really fun project and if anyone has the least inclination towards it, I highly recommend it. As for me, unlike the vast majority of folks here, I am very much a beginner guitar player. I have some intermediate abilities with woodworking, so when I started learning guitar, I almost immediately wanted to build my own. I've spent the last couple of weeks just learning how its done and will spend a few more doing the same, but I'm definitely looking forward to the process. If anyone has any tips for someone who has a pretty decently stocked shop, but is only just starting off with guitar making, I'm all ears.

Meanwhile I figured I needed to show some of the arcade cabinet build, so here are some pictures:

 

 

 

 

Thank you all for reading! 

[henrim]

Welcome! Looks like your shop is well equipped for guitar building. 

And a nice arcade cabinet! Years ago when I found out about Mame I wanted to build one but I guess I never got to it. Maybe some day…

Is it electric or acoustic you have in mind?

[minorhero]

1 hour ago, henrim said:

Welcome! Looks like your shop is well equipped for guitar building. 

And a nice arcade cabinet! Years ago when I found out about Mame I wanted to build one but I guess I never got to it. Maybe some day…

Is it electric or acoustic you have in mind?

Definitely electric. I currently have a pretty basic telecaster. I haven't decided on the style I want to make yet, Such as whether it will follow an established design, or diverge. 

[Bizman62]

Hi and welcome!

As @henrim said, your workshop seems pretty well equipped for guitar building. For what I've learned space is one of the most crucial things to have and if you can build such a big item something small like a guitar would be no issue. I say space because it would be convenient to leave your build waiting for the next spare time. The communal workshop I'm using on Saturdays restricts the workflow as you can't leave anything clamped overnight. Everything has to be unpacked when you arrive and repacked when leaving, all clamps back in the rack etc. Of the five hours half of the time gets used to wondering how to continue.

Regarding the style of your guitar I highly recommend testing various designs at your local guitar store. The silhouette is just about the looks. Instead figure out what makes a guitar feel good on you. A Tele is basically flat, a Strat has a forearm bevel and a belly carve. An offset body like on a Jazzmaster also reduces pressure against the right forearm. A tall bridge like the Tune-o-Matic on a LesPaul adds space under the strings so you don't rake the top that easily. Due to the tall bridge they also have the neck at angle which makes the guitar sort of wrap around you for better accessibility. The scale length also matters, when I started the longer scale length Fender used (25.5") felt very uncomfortable compared to Gibson styled 24.75". That's not only because the frets are farther apart, there's a difference in stiffness as well. And then there's the variety of neck shapes from triangular to flat with various roundovers in between.

All that said, when testing various guitars also bear in mind that if one guitar feels smooth as butter to play, it's not only about the shape and scale length. Some guitars simply are better adjusted either at the factory or at the shop. That's one part of building a guitar and often a good starting point. Fret ends that rip your fingers are easy to fix. Finding the right string gauge for your style and intonating the guitar accordingly makes a huge difference in how you sound as does adjusting the action. Lots of minor things that combined can make an expensive guitar feel crap and a cheap one feel like it's playing by itself.

[minorhero]

6 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

Hi and welcome!

As @henrim said, your workshop seems pretty well equipped for guitar building. For what I've learned space is one of the most crucial things to have and if you can build such a big item something small like a guitar would be no issue. I say space because it would be convenient to leave your build waiting for the next spare time. The communal workshop I'm using on Saturdays restricts the workflow as you can't leave anything clamped overnight. Everything has to be unpacked when you arrive and repacked when leaving, all clamps back in the rack etc. Of the five hours half of the time gets used to wondering how to continue.

Regarding the style of your guitar I highly recommend testing various designs at your local guitar store. The silhouette is just about the looks. Instead figure out what makes a guitar feel good on you. A Tele is basically flat, a Strat has a forearm bevel and a belly carve. An offset body like on a Jazzmaster also reduces pressure against the right forearm. A tall bridge like the Tune-o-Matic on a LesPaul adds space under the strings so you don't rake the top that easily. Due to the tall bridge they also have the neck at angle which makes the guitar sort of wrap around you for better accessibility. The scale length also matters, when I started the longer scale length Fender used (25.5") felt very uncomfortable compared to Gibson styled 24.75". That's not only because the frets are farther apart, there's a difference in stiffness as well. And then there's the variety of neck shapes from triangular to flat with various roundovers in between.

All that said, when testing various guitars also bear in mind that if one guitar feels smooth as butter to play, it's not only about the shape and scale length. Some guitars simply are better adjusted either at the factory or at the shop. That's one part of building a guitar and often a good starting point. Fret ends that rip your fingers are easy to fix. Finding the right string gauge for your style and intonating the guitar accordingly makes a huge difference in how you sound as does adjusting the action. Lots of minor things that combined can make an expensive guitar feel crap and a cheap one feel like it's playing by itself.

Thanky! Taking over the garage as a shop was definitely one of the better 'wins' I've had. When I first started woodworking I essentially had no money. So I ended up buying a lot of very old machines for scrap value and restoring them. For a while it was a hobby onto itself. My oldest machine is a 1905 mortiser. My newest is a sawstop tablesaw, but other then the sawstop, all of my floor machines are at least 60 years old. 

I was reading one of your threads semi-horrified you were required to remove clamps after only a few hours. Before I had my own shop I was member of a coop woodworking space. It was admittedly, super nice having access to extremely large machines, and also not being the one responsible for calibrating them. It was also absurdly convenient having a literal woodworking store attached to the shop... sometimes, too convenient. Ours was setup a bit better then yours though. We were not required to remove clamps before we left, but other people would remove them the next day so they could make use of them. But, having my own space I can work in at my own pace without others waiting in line for the tablesaw or some such is definitely better. 

I strongly suspect my first guitar build will not be my last because you are obviously right, Each style of guitar will feel different and I am such a newb I don't know what that will mean for my playing. I would frankly also feel quite awkward going to a guitar store with no intention of buying their instruments just to see what I like, but maybe I just need to get over myself

[Bizman62]

9 minutes ago, minorhero said:

I would frankly also feel quite awkward going to a guitar store with no intention of buying their instruments just to see what I like, but maybe I just need to get over myself

As far as I know it's common practice to hang around guitar stores and test various guitars. It's similar to buying anything that's a bit expensive, including cars and houses. You don't go to a car dealer and buy the first car you see. Nor do you buy the first house you're offered. Well, sometimes you do, sometimes it's a match made in heaven. But in any case you would most likely check everything thoroughly before the decision. It's the same with guitars. It's impossible for you to know what you like until you've tried a dozen neck profiles, several scale lengths, a few string gauges, different fret sizes etc. While visiting the shop you may also find out whether or not they do any adjusting to the guitars they sell. And of course it would be polite to buy a set of strings and a couple of picks every now and then to justify your test noodling.

A salesperson once told me that she'd consider every visitor in the shop as a potential buyer. The date of purchase may vary from now to next year or longer, but a person who has been treated well would most likely remember the shop and vendor whenever they're in for serious business.

[minorhero]

1 hour ago, Bizman62 said:

As far as I know it's common practice to hang around guitar stores and test various guitars. It's similar to buying anything that's a bit expensive, including cars and houses. You don't go to a car dealer and buy the first car you see. Nor do you buy the first house you're offered. Well, sometimes you do, sometimes it's a match made in heaven. But in any case you would most likely check everything thoroughly before the decision. It's the same with guitars. It's impossible for you to know what you like until you've tried a dozen neck profiles, several scale lengths, a few string gauges, different fret sizes etc. While visiting the shop you may also find out whether or not they do any adjusting to the guitars they sell. And of course it would be polite to buy a set of strings and a couple of picks every now and then to justify your test noodling.

A salesperson once told me that she'd consider every visitor in the shop as a potential buyer. The date of purchase may vary from now to next year or longer, but a person who has been treated well would most likely remember the shop and vendor whenever they're in for serious business.

You are definitely correct. I just need to do it