This thread will be a drawn out, largely photographic commentary showing you how not to build an electric guitar(s), assuming I don’t give up of course.
The core topics I’ll be covering, in no particular order are…
Lack of planning
Poor technique - with both power and hand tools
Basic errors - focusing on how to make the same cutting mistake at least 3 times.
If things progress as I expect, there’ll be mini tantrums culminating in throwing work pieces in the wheelie bin (and retrieving them later).
A fret slotting jig. I didn’t want to spend £150+ on a fancy prebuilt one and I didn’t fancy taking my chances with an online calculator and a marking knife so I paid £25 for a precision fret slot spacing template and basic plans to build a jig.
Pics should explain this better than I can. The small pin locates into the template to which the fretboard is attached with masking tape, cut the slot, move template on one notch and repeat.
The stop prevents over cutting and creates consistently deep slots, washers allow for fine depth adjustment. It worked.
Scale length is 25.5 inches (Fender standard).
Most guitars have some sort of radius on the fretboard. This one is going to have a 12" radius (very common). If you don’t have a guitar factory, a curved sanding block and 80 grit paper become you best friends.
Tape fretboard to a work bench and add guides either side. Set about sanding a curve into the wood.
Going to make a telecaster shaped guitar. As simple as they get - ideal for a first attempt.
I’ll construct the body out of scrap wood, becuase I am going to bugger this up. Will invest in some decent wood If I get good at this.
Looking great Graham.
Even a ‘simple’ guitar is quite a challenge on all sorts of levels.
Given your normal attention to detail and determination I am expecting great things
Made some decent progress with the neck this afternoon.
21mm thick Maple neck blank from that ebay (£20 delivered). Not quite the right size (a few mm too narrow), but close enough that it doesn’t really matter.
For anyone that doens’t know, the long blue thing in the picture is a dual action truss rod. Truss rod’s are housed within guitar necks so any movement in the neck, due to humidity and or string tension can be adjusted. Tigthening the rod (with an alen key) in either direction casues the rod to bend, pulling the neck in the desired direction. The Aim is for a very slight concave neck to prevent string buzz while playing.
Marking out the neck blank. The Centre line though a guitar is critial an the key reference point, have to get this right.
Another DIY, money saving jig for my router.
This helps cut the channel for the truss rod, keeping the router dead straight It is taped down precisely onto of the neck blank. Pencil curves either end are the stop markers.
After fine adjustment with some chisels, job done.
Very small holes to mark tuner locations, before removing that part of the headstock.
The internet says to attach a template and use a router table to shape the neck to it’s final outer dimentions. I decided not to use a router, instead I set about using a plane, files and the amaing Shinto rasp to do the work by hand. The benefit is that this more or less eliminates the risk of tear out. It does take an hour or 2 rather than 5 minutes but there’s no rush.
I buggered up the fretboard while I was sanding it during last week so had to bin it and start again, I had a spare blank so no big issue.
This one is going to plan (so far). Will post a few pics later.
The fretboard error was hiding in plane sight from more or less the moment I started. You don’t radius thefretboard and simultaneously aim to thickness it.
Thickness accurately and then radius, two separate procedures, always (imo).
Anyway
I made a new fretboard, correctly this time, and set about marking and drilling fret dots.
Cocktail sticks make for excellent alignment pins, one at either end of the fretboard & neck to stop it sliding around while the glue sets. Sinking them into a fret slot means they will never be seen once the frets are installed.
Don’t forget the truss rod (I nearly did), masking tape to minimise any glue from sticking to it while spreading it around.
Making a basic guitar neck like this isn’t particularly hard, what is tricky is managing the process to insure you do things in the correct order - I’ve watched numerous YouTube videos over the last 6 months they all offer their own methodology, some incredibly skilled luthiers out there…
I should probably write down what I’m doing in a note book, I haven’t so this blog thread will be a good future reference I guess.
I’ve been chipping away at small jobs for 30 mins here and there over the week.
Fret markers are a resounding success along with the curved transition from fretboard to head stock. Even drilling the truss rod access hole of doom produced an acceptable result for a first attempt. Bugger up any of these steps and it’s very hard if not impossible to correct or hide.
300mm long drill bit, better get this right…
Bingo - the allen key fits and the neck moves in both directions
