G'day,
I am a self taught hobbiest Luthier based in Auckland NZ.
Showcased here is my first attempt at a build from scratch (except for a preslotted fingerboard). This is the third guitar I have built and my previous experience was a Strat type kit and badly mismatched Tele body and neck. The second one was my introduction to woodworking so I decided to challenge myself to build a guitar from scratch. 9 months and many tool investments later I am excited to be able to share this with you.
I built this guitar in my 3x2M garden shed using a jigsaw to roughcut eveything.
I based my design on a double cut tele by making templates off the second guitar I built and making the cut outs symetrical. At the time i didnt know a DC tele was a thing but I thought it would be cool.
Although this would be my first time routing a body and carving a neck, I decided to step in up a notch and try my hand at making a set neck and binding.
The design evolved over the course of the project - mainly to fix mistakes. Lets just say I know all about router tear out now and that thin CA glue stains like a b.........
The laminated headstock was a result of a miscalcuation when working out how much to take off the blank. I am glad I did because I think it looks way better with the walnut veneer.
I inherited most of the wood from my Grandfather and we cant be 100% certain but I believe it was a mahogany shelf and walnut left over from a gun stock he made.
The neck is from a maple blank from Stewmac and the fingerboard is rosewood.
All of the gold hardware made by Gotoh and I used a switchcraft switch, CTS pots and a truetone jack all hooked up with vintage cloth backed wire.
I have a Gotoh pickup in the neck and a Fender pickup of some description in the bridge.
The nut is Nubone and it is also the first time I have made a nut from a blank.
I finished the guitar with TruOil and gunstock wax to highlight the beauty of the wood and it feels amazing in hand.
Anyway, I am stoked with the way she came out so I hope you like it.
