First time guitar build?

[Carl.B]

I want to try my hand at building my own guitar but I am just not sure which rout to go. Do I buy a kit guitar if so which one? Or do I buy the pieces individually from Warmouth, AllParts, or other such places. I guess I am leaning towards a strat or possible telecaster. Any suggestions, opinions on which way to go would be helpful.

Thanks

Carl

[marcnorth]

I would buy peices instead of a kit. Even better go buy some boards and do it yourself.

[jaberwock]

I've built three guitars using Warmoth necks, and bodies, sourcing pickups and hardware from elsewhere, they all worked out really well, and one of the Teles is exceptional, probably used that guitar for more live shows than any other guitar I own.

The wood recipe is maybe the most crucial part, in my experience alder/maple/rosewood is a great combination for Strats, and swamp ash/ maple for Teles; I normally swap around pickups to find the set that best suits that guitar, my current favourites are Bareknuckle for Strats, and Don Mare for Teles, but the joy of building your own is you can adjust the recipe if you prefer a brighter, or darker sounding instrument.

Neck profile is very important, find a neck you really like , measure it very carefully, and find the profile that's closest; bear in mind the Warmoth double acting trussrod is bigger and heavier than a standard Fender one, and can sound a little shrill in a standard slim, or thinner neck . The fretting is decent from the factory but will need dressing if you want a low action.

There is a ton of info on the Warmoth forum.

Good luck Jaberwock

[stonge]

Be careful about the quality of kits; there are a lot of low-priced kits that will produce low-quality instruments (getting exactly what you paid for, or less). If you know basically what you want for wood and features, Warmoth, Musikraft, and USA Customs are pretty safe bets for bodies and necks (I'm not really impressed by Allparts; they're a partial step up from cheesy kits but not in the same league as the above imho). Getting a good finish can be tricky, but I used Birchwood Casey gunstock finish (wipes on easy, steel wool most of it back off so the surface feels smooth). One thing to watch for is to make sure that the wood and hardware match (make sure the tuner holes in the neck are the right size for the tuners you want to use, and that the trem mounting holes in the body match the mounting holes and spacing for your trem. Some of the import parts do not fit vintage-sized routes etc).

It is a lot of fun to build your own, and it can be an addictive hobby lol.

Just remember to drill pilot holes for the tuner mounting screws; it's impossible to just drive those tiny screws into rock maple necks without snapping the head of the screws off (and then you get to learn about drilling out around the broken screw shaft, doweling the hole, and doing it the right way. Not that I know anything about that...)

[Jem]

Kits are a cheap way to get you started but as mentioned you do get what you pay for in terms of hardware - lots of people start this way as everything is included and if you can always swap out electrics and hardware at a later date. If you're going the assembly route rather than boards from scratch i would advise getting the neck and body from the same place as even 'Licensed by' stuff from different manufacturers rarely matches.

Making from scratch isn't perhaps something you've thought about but depending on your circumstances don't discount this route, it is THE most satisfying thing to get up and strap on something that you and you alone created.

Project Guitar is a site i would recommend your side of the pond if you want to dig a little deeper.

[Hamerhack]

How about Carvin kits?

[hamerhead]

Buy Strat or Tele.

Dis-assemble.

Put parts in box.

6 months to a year later, find odd dusty box in corner.

Re-assemble.

Done.

[Steve Haynie]

One dream has been to build a simple star body guitar much like an original Charvel Star. Going through the Warmoth web site the price for a complete guitar gets within a couple hundred of a used Wayne Charvel original. The thrill of assembling "my guitar" starts to balance with the "what will it bring used" price if the guitar turns out to be less than imagined.

A wenge necked bass is another instrument that would be nice to try out. If a Fender Precision ever lands in my hands it would be worth buying a wenge neck to switch with the factory neck.

[Punkavenger]

I've been wanting to do this for years but at $1200 or so for my version of the ideal Tele or maybe hartdtail strat that project has been put on the back burner for awhile ...

[zenmindbeginner]

American Special neck - $300

Decent ash or alder body - $100-200

Hardtail bridge - $50

tuners and other hardware - $100-200

Pickups - $100-200

Electronics - $20-50

Without finishing supplies, this should cost under $900. You could theoretically get it down to $800 by getting good deals

A used set of Fender CS '69, Texas Specials or Fat '50s shouldn't set you back more than $120. I've seen whole Fender CS harnesses go for $100.

The hardware could easily be had for under $120 with room for premium Schaller locking tuners and a fancy Callaham neck plate.

I've seen great painted ash or alder bodies for under $100 (FYI, perfectly routed three single coil bodies are more expensive that HSS HSH or swimming pool routed bodies)

If it's all decent licensed Fender stuff, it should all come together pretty easily. Since you're building a hardtail, you won't even have to set-up your tremolo.

Don't be afraid of Mighty Mite.

Warmoth's prices are the absolute highest in the world. Warmoth's typical maple necks and bodies are no better than anybody else's but where they shine is in uber-expensive AAA to AAAAA figured wood and hard to find body designs.

So, if you are not going for a flame neck or quilted body, I'd steer away from them 'cause you will pay a lot more at Warmoth.

Personally, I'd buy all USA Fender parts with the cheapest high quality aftermarket licensed body that you can lay your hands on. Good luck

[aknapp]

Just remember to drill pilot holes for the tuner mounting screws; it's impossible to just drive those tiny screws into rock maple necks without snapping the head of the screws off (and then you get to learn about drilling out around the broken screw shaft, doweling the hole, and doing it the right way. Not that I know anything about that...)

+1 Grrrrr....

[mudshark]

Here's where you'll find the aces on guitar building:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/index.php

Everything from kits to starting out with hunks of wood. They even stage contests, with many archived. There's also a subforum (Tele Home Depot) dedicated strictly to home builds.

[jaberwock]

American Special neck - $300

Decent ash or alder body - $100-200

Hardtail bridge - $50

tuners and other hardware - $100-200

Pickups - $100-200

Electronics - $20-50

Without finishing supplies, this should cost under $900. You could theoretically get it down to $800 by getting good deals

A used set of Fender CS '69, Texas Specials or Fat '50s shouldn't set you back more than $120. I've seen whole Fender CS harnesses go for $100.

The hardware could easily be had for under $120 with room for premium Schaller locking tuners and a fancy Callaham neck plate.

I've seen great painted ash or alder bodies for under $100 (FYI, perfectly routed three single coil bodies are more expensive that HSS HSH or swimming pool routed bodies)

If it's all decent licensed Fender stuff, it should all come together pretty easily. Since you're building a hardtail, you won't even have to set-up your tremolo.

Don't be afraid of Mighty Mite.

Warmoth's prices are the absolute highest in the world. Warmoth's typical maple necks and bodies are no better than anybody else's but where they shine is in uber-expensive AAA to AAAAA figured wood and hard to find body designs.

So, if you are not going for a flame neck or quilted body, I'd steer away from them 'cause you will pay a lot more at Warmoth.

Personally, I'd buy all USA Fender parts with the cheapest high quality aftermarket licensed body that you can lay your hands on. Good luck

I have to agree Warmoth is expensive, but everything I've had from them has been excellent; finishing the body yourself can save a lot; last time I bought a Goncalo alves / pau ferro neck with a slight crack near the tuners for 175 bucks, requiring no finish it feels it feels wonderful in the hands.

The main reason for building yourself would be to get something unique, ie a thinline Tele with p 90s, a Koa top, and a bigsby, if you just want to build a sunburst Strat, you would be better off buying a Fender and going the Murkat route, taking it apart, putting it in a box, and six months later putting it back together.

Jaberwock

[Carl.B]

Thanks guy's for all the input. I see US Customs has some web specials on bodies, necks and planks that look interesting. I have some ideas running around in my head I just haven't finalized anything as of yet. I know I want a all maple neck and fret board. As for body colors that is where I am stuck, either a Black or Blue burst, Emerald metallic green and maybe add binding to it. I just found out from a friend of mine who manages a circuit board shop that we could use one of there CNC machines if I decide to go the slab of wood route.