PRSpoggers

1 hour ago, Bizman62 said:

There's a ton of tools that can be used for building a guitar. The big question is what the essential ones are.

Think what you are going to do. Then find out if you can do it with the tools you already have. If you find out you need something more, think if you can make it yourself (like a neck rest). If you find out that there's no tools in your rack to be able to do what you want to do, then and only then you'll have to get it. The essential tools are those that a) you can push to their limits and beyond and b) you have at hand.

I've often referred to the Malawi Refugee Camp guitar builder. What are the tools he's got? A hand saw, a hand plane, pliers, a ruler, most likely a chisel, possibly a scraper, some rasps and files and some sort of a drill. And he can build electric guitars with those.

Well I need a router, a bandsaw, glue, a truss rod, a saw rasp to shape the neck, chisels, a template for the neck and a bunch of other stuff. If I get this I think I could build a neck.

This is my first time building. I am getting a saw rasp off amazon (shinto) and I am going to get a template of a 57 strat neck from stew mac. Should I get a neck shaper and some other stuff? What is the essentials that I need?

I am preferably looking for a shinto saw rasp and I found one on amazon and it's 4.9 out of 5 stars but it comes from japan. Would my best route be amazon or some other place?

Just now, Bizman62 said:

If you get the Shinto Saw Rasp you won't need a spokeshave to remove material. It's one of the fastest hand tools for that purpose.

For planing you need a plane. A long sharp hand plane would be ideal.

So a rasp would be the better route for me? Those hand planes are in my budget! Is there anything else I need for this?

Hey y'all, this is my first time building a neck and I am going to start the build after Christmas (when I get some tools I am getting for Christmas) and here is my layout basically:

For the neck I am using White Limba. For the fingerboard I am using Honduran rosewood. I think both of these need to be planed and dried before use. I am on day 12 of drying both of these. I need to plane these but I don't know where to get them planed at.

I am going to be using a strat template from StewMac as a my neck shape. 

I have a general idea of what tools I need:

• Bandsaw, for cutting the wood to rough shape
• Router, for the truss rod cavity
• Wood glue for gluing the fretboard
• Spokeshave for shaping the neck
• Saw rasps for shaping the neck as well

I have radiusing blocks and sandpaper and things like that. Is there anything else I need for this project?

In 3 years, I am eligible to be of the minimum working age for working at PRS guitars in Stevensville Maryland, which is 18 years old, with a high school degree and a year of wood working experience. I am 15 years old and I am a sophomore in high school. I live 45 minutes away, Annapolis side of the bridge. I have a HUGE passion for PRS and guitar building in general. Heck, right now I am working on THREE projects! I am building a kit, refinishing/re radiusing/upgrading my first guitar (squire strat) and my BIG project is building an actual guitar neck! I have gotten to meet Paul himself before and he said he saw a bright future ahead of me. I think spending time in my little workshop in my basement gives me a sense of pride, knowing that when I'm sanding bevels or tracing lines or soldering or cutting or sanding in general makes me proud of my work. I got to visit PRS last year in August and since then the kool aid from PRS has been flowing through me! I have such a passion to build an instrument. I am sometimes spending time in school working out diagrams or lists of processes, whether that be drying of the wood, F hole designs, angles, how a truss rod works, how vibrations work and how something like cutting, gluing, carving and more will affect how to instrument resonates and vibrates. You can see that I know a lot about these things. I look up to Paul as a mentor to me, because I love his philosophy on guitar building. I love the quote he made "Everything that touches the string is God" and that makes me think honestly. But how do I get to there and build for them?

I have NEVER seen anything but maple, ebony, rosewood, purple heart and pau ferro for a fingerboard. Luthier's who actually build, why don't you use them?

Welp folks, I decided to order things close to christmas, and that means I cant use them till then! I was going to re radius my fretboard and set it up but I cant now!

I'm not trying to start a tone wood debate (I believe that yes wood does affect tone but we are NOT! getting into a debate) but I was merely observing something like acoustic instruments and how their bracing is carved and how that affects the tone sonically. How does wood and sound and physics work together? Would getting rid of material dampen tone or take away from it? Or would the way you carve a bracing one certain way will affect the sonic capabilities of it? I know there are so many things to take into account as a luthier and carving wood, but what affects the wood and tone?

1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said:

I highly recommend you get yourself a set of routing templates, I made the mistake of drawing round an existing neck on my first neck build and it ended up less than accurate... You can get templates for all of the common shapes online.

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/routing-templates/routing-template-for-56-tele.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2020-11-gp&pref_currency=P&shipcalc=UK&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqdP9BRDVARIsAGSZ8AnjfR3zpDYb85i0kzjSzGZ6eD75BjsgxicokIJsrJIpbm-Gc6DOt6EaAuEPEALw_wcB

Yea I was going to get an actual template from stew mac actually! Is the strat neck template any good?

So I am going to get a router, bandsaw, saw rasp and spoke shave and a truss rod this weekend! I have traced out my squire neck that I am refretting as a template and I am so excited! I have my basic design and I want basically put the truss rod in first, the rough cut, the mark out where the nut will be and where the tuners will be. Then I will glue the fretboard, carve the neck and we are in business!

On 11/9/2020 at 10:23 PM, komodo said:

Your enthusiasm is infectious, you clearly have the mindset for this work. It’s slow and methodical, there are some accepted truths (or just really good ways to do something), but lot’s of room to do your own thing. I can comment more later, but I’d say:

-don’t get too hungup on having the right tool. There are lots of ways to get a job done.

-Go slow and with purpose. Its not a race, more like a puzzle.

-Don’t be afraid to put some nice wood into it. People can get apprehensive about nicer woods, but you’ll be happy when you’re done.

- Most tasks - when you think you’re done, keep going, you’re probably only 1/2 way done. (sanding, refining, measuring, polishing, etc)

-do not be afraid to show and share triumphs, mistakes, and failures with this group. It’s a wonderful community, and many people will have been where you are. It’s a great support system.

Hi! Sorry for not responding to this! I got some wood! I got honduran rosewood for the fingerboard and white limba for the neck! I am going to get a router and a bandsaw hopefully this weekend!

5 hours ago, JayT said:

Oh, hey...we're practically neighbors!

Hey there neighbor!!

I got a weller soldering iron and I am desoldering a squire pickguard and some of the solder joints just wont melt! Do I need something better?

In my shop (basement downstairs) I have all my stuff laid out, masks, guitars I'm working on, wood I'm drying and all the stuff that comes along with luthiery. I have all my pliers and screws in one designated space, I have my razor blades  all put into the cartridge or in a pile. However my main concern is the dust and cuts. I am sanding off the finish of a squire strat and that stuff smells nasty, and I can occasionally smell it through my N95 mask, is that something to be concerned with? I keep a fan running, dust constantly being scraped up and a mask and gloves on and glasses as well. What else can I do to not first off get this stuff breathed in and two, what do I do to prevent cuts? And over all what is some general luthiery shop safety tips I can have as a blossoming luthier?

I am trying to find places that offer CNC machine use and either they're open two days out of the week or I pay a membership and learn how to code CNC (not really my forte) or I do it by hand. Neither of these I have ever done before, but I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars by the hour for CNC or CAM or CAD work when I can do it myself and learn as I go. I know the basic steps, plane the wood, cut a route for a truss rod, attach neck to fingerboard, shape neck and all that fun stuff. However, I don't have a solid guide for a step by step on how to build a guitar neck. Is there a PDF or article I can follow? I really need help and I am really anxious about this.

I am going to be working with White Limba for the neck and Honduran Rosewood for the fingerboard. This is my first time ever doing this and I need some guidance. I know I need some essential tools like a saw rasp for taking off material on the neck and a spokeshave for making the neck shape. I need to get a truss rod and I don't have a table saw that I can route a cavity out, but I can either rout it out with a chisel or something similar. I am going to list off questions of my concerns for this project:

1. The fingerboard is most likely already planed, but the neck blank feels very coarse, should I plane that?
2. I assume the wood (since it was already cut into sizeable blanks for my project) that it was dried, do I need to dry it any more or am I fine for now?
3. What are the ESSENTIAL tools I need? I am going to order today radius blocks, gauges that range from 7.25 to a 20 inch radius and I am going to get the saw rasp and spokeshave from either a hardware store (home depot or lowes) or order it. What else is necessary for this project?
4. Are there any guides or videos I can watch or read to guide me on this project?
5. Any templates anyone can provide for building a neck?
6. What would help me along in this process?

I hope this all goes very well! I am letting the wood acclimate right now and I have them stacked and divided on top of each other with dividers in between.

Thanks.

7 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

FWIW my younger daughter studies music in the LCCM London. It's ten grand a year for three years plus another annual 10k for the rent of a single room in a shared apartment. This semester they only have one day a week at the school because of Covid and half of the days have been canceled due to the teacher being ill. Further, the bachelor degree she'll get is basically worth nothing on the job market. Singing and composing lessons help to express your feelings but they don't bring bread on the table unless you're both very talented and very determined.

Ah you're across the pond I see! There are a lot of luthiery schools in America. quite a bit near me (In Maryland where I live and where PRS is located) and there's quite a bit on the east coast but I think the best in the states from what I know is Roberto Venn. I personally would love to become an apprentice to a luthier or tech or repair man. I was told by PRS that I could email them back in a year (next August is when I can email them again) and see if I could get an informational interview with them, maybe with someone from PTC which is the PRS tech center.

I would love to work at PRS because I know so many people that have family or cousins or nephews who work at PRS or who actually went to school with Paul! I live about 10 minutes from where Paul went to high school!! If that's not crazy then I'm a monkey's uncle! My school is also located about 5 minutes away from where Paul started building guitars, which (here's a little history lesson) is this bar/concert venue called "Ram's Head". Now, Paul had a little workshop above Ram's Head when he started in 1985, and every time I go down West Street and pass Ram's Head, I always look up at those windows and remember that it all started there!

32 minutes ago, killemall8 said:

I would support the thinner wood with something stiffer and flat. It will warp or twist if you dont.

Do you mean support by support while drying? Or support while on the guitar?

So I finally after a week of waiting I got the wood I wanted to build a neck! I got Honduran Rosewood and White Limba. Both ring like a bell and I am drying them right now!  This is the wood up close: https://imgur.com/gallery/6YyGxvP and this is my drying rack: https://imgur.com/gallery/E2FfDtN I am basically running a high powered fan on high and I have a dehumidifer going at medium and at 60% humidity. I am going to see how all this looks and I can't wait!

6 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

Roberto Venn has a good reputation and you most likely would learn on a five month course more than you would in five years by yourself. Consider that as a shortcut. Such a course could also help in getting a traineeship contract.

There's an old joke that is very true: What would a luthier do, should he win BIG in a lottery? Continue building guitars until he runs out of money.

There's two ways to earn a living in guitar building: Either you're one of the best builders and get orders from several big names who'd gladly pay five digit sums for a guitar with your name on it. Or you design very good guitars and build a factory to build them, trying hard to compete with the big traditional names. PRS has good products yet people would rather by a Fender or a Gibson if they have the money.

I considered looking into Roberto Venn but it's 10 grand for 5 months. I mean I wouldn't turn it down but I need to plan.

I am 15 years old and I'm an aspiring luithier, who is currently wanting to build guitars. I am in the best position currently for connections, being in Maryland, where PRS guitars are made. I have met Paul Reed Smith and since then I wanted to build guitars. I am learning my way into the the trade thru repairing things and making modifications and actually working on my guitars. I am refretting my squire strat and I'm building a kit guitar. Both projects are going well. I need to get some radius blocks from stew mac and some radius gauges from Music Nomad (it comes in a kit because no way am I paying that when I can buy a 6 in 1 package from the Music Nomad, which has two radius gauges, ranging from 7.25 to 20 inches and then truss rod and nut and action gauges, so it's a great deal.) Basically what I am wanting to do for a big project is build a neck. I am using White Limba and Honduran Rosewood, which in total costs about 20-25 dollars for the wood in total. So I can make from my losses. I know I am going to need a spoke shave and a saw rasp (shinto specifically) and I going to have to dry it, then plane it, and rough cut, then shape and all that good stuff.

But how would I make a career of this? I would LOVE to work at PRS but I want a liveable job. I want to work with instruments because that's my passion. Yet I think this would be a hobby more than anything. But I want to make money from this! What is the best way to go to be a luthier? I have already looked into Roberto Venn and that's very expensive for five months. Basically my plan is college, then get a job, then go to luthiery school and get certified and then work and have this as a hobby.  But where could I make money from it?

36 minutes ago, RonMay said:

The larger the radius the less noticeable or "flatter" the radius appears.  Compare the radius of a golf ball with the radius of a basket ball.

Radius is only the distance of a circle from the center to the outside diameter. The longer the distance the larger the radius.

This is coming from a machinist point of view .

 

Ron

 

 

So I was right on the larger the radius the flatter it is! I was just really confused because I was working with protractors today in school measuring to about 17 degree's and it looked like a 17 inch radius, fairly flat. I need to make a stew mac purchase this weekend

I am so confused on guitar radius's at the moment. I want to convert the radius on my squire strat to a super flat radius (think a shredder type guitar) but I'm confused... How does the radius work? Is it the smaller the radius the rounder, and vice versa? I don't have any radius gauges  currently (need to get sometime soon) and some radius blocks as well, but could someone explain?

2 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

I would expect so, as long as the wood has been kiln dried, it would be suitable for building your first guitar. I wouldn't worry too much about what the likes of PRS say about wood having to by 5% moisture content etc, most people aren't able to get wood that dry outside a humidity controlled factory environment. The wood for my first guitar came from a builders timber yard in rainy UK and that guitar still works  

Im pretty sure it was kiln dried but hey I could dry it a bit more if I need too