Guide your flush bit router around our templates without second guessing. How to build an electric guitar from scratch lovetoknow. For the sanding block, use a couple of 18 thick, 4 x 8 sheets of hobby plywood and a 2 thick, 4 x 8 block of wood. One cigar box styles vary one set of strings 3string cigar box guitar pack, acoustic medium. You can draw inspiration from a classic model like a fender telecaster or a gibson sg, or make your own unique design.
If you choose to put a bookmatched top on your guitar, the back should be about 35mm with a 5mm thick top. The tool crib 11 free guitar plans, 20 guitar building. Every step of construction is fully covered, from choice, selection, and preparation of woods, to consideration of size. Eight mistakes to avoid when building your first guitar. Most guitarists dream of building their own custom guitar. You can also make your own sanding block and template.
This book is not the complete guide to building and setting up your own custom guitar as this title suggests, but more of how to put together guitar kits and apply finishes and set up, which is what the title should say. Make your own electric guitar free ebook download as pdf file. Diy guitar pedals building guitar pedals for beginners. Preparation 9 general introduction 10 sustain 85 workshop. Building your own pickup is not only a fun learning project, but it also gives you the ability to fine tune the sound of your guitar and build your own unique tone. In this book, will kelly cuts through all that noise and shows how, with a little patience and some inexpensive tools, the average person can turn a modest investment into a gigworthy instrument and perhaps even a lifelong hobby. As the name would suggest guitar kits are preorganized assemblies which contain everything you need to build your own custommade guitar, including all hardware, electrical parts, and instructions. Guitar templates pdf guitar templates pdf from pdf to mdf. Preparation 9 general introduction 10 sustain 85 workshop 92. In that, it is good info, but even in this, narrow in its scope and certainly not complete. If you purchased or are planning to purchase a ready. Every guitarist dreams of owning a handmade instrument, but for most, the cost is likely to be prohibitive. This book shall provide you with the basis and the knowledge to build your own electric guitar. Have a look at some of the guitars from different stars around.
Go to the site and purchase the es 335 type guitar plan. Pdf building electric guitars how to make solidbody, hollow. Jig saw any good jig saw and fine tooth blade for cutting the plastic. Simply add your own 1 x 2 x 34 hardwood plank for the neck. Areas that are more difficult to get to, such as the cutaways, can be sanded using smalldiameter sanding drums. This one was done using normal power hand tools that were not made to. Perfect for the full time luthier or part time novice guitar builder.
It is all about trying to consume less and creating something of your own. Released in 2004, the book quickly became a bestseller, and in the process, helped cement paint your own guitar as the d. The front of the guitar is bookmatched so youll want to choose which book. The science of electric guitars and guitar electronics. Beginning with a bolton stratstyle kit,continuing on to a telestyle guitar, a setneck lp juniorstyle and finally a color shifting metalflake doubleneck.
If you like the world of kitbuilt electric guitars,then this book is very good but remember. All the guitar effect devices presented in this book are intended to be powered by a regular 9 volt battery, which is safe to be used as a power source in almost any condition. Youll see many different shapes, some even with a hole in the body to carry the guitar. This book outlines the process of building an electric guitar and bass. How to make an electric guitar with pictures wikihow. For every two enthusiasts, there are four opinions on how properly to fill woodgrain. From wood selection to completion, though could have more on finishing, this book is first class. A guitar pickup is an amazingly simple device that consists of wire wrapped. For your own safety, never use any power source that connects to the mains outlet. Trying to build your own neck is difficult and requires more tools that you might be willing to buy. Aug 31, 2016 the truth is, building your own effect pedals can be a glorious experience, and we would recommend it to anybody who is a guitar pedal enthusiast.
The pros and cons of building your own guitar the hub. Comprehensive stepbystep procedures show both novice and experienced guitarists how to build their very own unique, highspec custom stype instrument, tailormade for their needs, for far less than the cost of buying a factorybuilt equivalent. If you build a guitar on your own, you should enjoy working with wood, sawing, sanding, refining, soldering, assembling and adjusting your masterwork. How to build a gibson les paul style guitar in 10 mins. Pdf build your own electric guitar download full pdf. You can enrich your own instrumentmaking experience in the following ways.
Jun 15, 2012 will kelly is a highly respected guitar builder and vintage guitar expert who owns and operates hard knocks guitars in cary, north carolina. A good quality guitar kit will have all holes predrilled and all electronics preassembled ready to go. Slowlygrown hard rock maple is ideal for this purpose. Hal leonard build your own electric guitar book hard cover. If you choose to put a bookmatched top on your guitar, the back should be about 35mm with a. Before you begin, youll want a solid idea of what you want your instrument to look like. Okay, with that out of the way, we can focus on carving out the body. Written in a clear, relaxed style, it covers every facet of guitar design and construction, as well as electronic theory and practice, and full woodworking and. Martin oakham has hit the mark and is a great text for building the electric guitar.
The pros and cons of building your own guitar the hub the hub. Fenders mod shop gives you the chance to create a factorycustomized electric guitar or bass thats as unique as you are. In the past few years the market for electric guitar kits and parts has exploded. C and adventure audio the creators of the fuzz peaks pedal. Jun 15, 2012 this book is not the complete guide to building and setting up your own custom guitar as this title suggests, but more of how to put together guitar kits and apply finishes and set up, which is what the title should say. From the big name brands like boss and electroharmonix, to the lesserknown boutique effect pedal brands, such as big ear n. The alternative building your own fine guitar is not as difficult as you might imagine, given some skill, patience, and the expert guidance of a master luthier. Download make your own electric guitar pdf ebooks by hiscock. Most necks of electric guitars are made of either maple or mahogany. Its construction is also one of the biggest factors in how your electric guitar will ultimately sound. How to build a gibson les paul style guitar in 10 mins youtube. It contains all the hardware, strings and even the cigar box. Make your own electric guitar book by melvyn hiscock.
Pit bull guitars build and customise your own electric. You could draw your own plan by borrowing an existing instrument from a friend and copying it, but it turns out the work has been done by jamie uniden at he has drawn the full scale plan and that is what we will use, because his plans are excellent. Wheelguided sanding drums sanding drums with endmounted guide wheel are very useful as you. Martin oakham helps every guitarists dream come true with. Unfortunately, it seems like for every two builders, there are four opinions on how to properly execute each step in a successful build.
Or thought to yourself, i bet that i could build my own guitar, but never actually tried it. When youve completed the project, youll have a greatsounding diy distortion pedal, but thats not all. Written in a clear, relaxed style, it covers every facet of guitar design and construction, as well as electronic theory and practice, and full woodworking and for some, it is not enough to buy a guitarthe challenge of designing and handmaking a unique, customized instrument is the dream. The complete guide to building and setting up your own custom guitar pdf epub. Jan 01, 2000 this is a great solid body guitar building book. Paint your own guitars, how to create a factory guitar finish with just a couple of spray cans. There might be one or two more, but the only ones i got to know so far are melvyn hiscocks make your own electric guitar and roger simminoffs constructing a solidbody guitar. You can tune your guitar by using an electronic tuner, or you can tune by ear using the other strings of the guitar, or you can tune to a keyboard. Tuning with an electric tuner many electric tuners come with a built in microphone for use with an acoustic guitar.
For the sanding block, use a couple of 18 thick, 4 x 8 sheets of. These templates save hours of guitar building time. As you can read in the comment of zenguitar below, it might change the sound. Beautiful ideas electric guitar building plans free 3 pdf blueprints on modern decor guitar. Make your own electric guitar pdf free download epdf. Have you ever looked at a guitar and wondered, how do they make that. Jan 03, 20 this allcolour, fully illustrated practical book brings the unique haynes build your own approach to a new audience. Lots of useful stuff for guitar makers like guitar building related links, supplier. That is why we wanted to bring you this guide to show you everything you need to know to succeed in building your first diy guitar pedals. A professional guitar builder uses big pin routers, band saws, drum sanders and big buffing machines.
Choose your own preferred guitar body style for your next diy project from over 50 kits available. If you do not have a thickness sander, you will need to plane your stock to final thickness before glueup. Build an electric guitar yourself the process step by. Jun 15, 2012 if you like the world of kitbuilt electric guitars,then this book is very good but remember. Free pdf guitar blueprints with images guitar building, music. Fortunately, in recent years, the market for affordable electric guitar kits has exploded. He is author of the popular monthly shop of hard knocks repair column in vintage guitar, a consultant to several manufacturers, and the author of how to build electric guitars 2012 and electric guitar repair 2014, both from voyageur press.
To compliment this book i would get tom hirsts electric guitar construction book. This guide walks you through the process step by step. Kindle download free how to build electric guitars. Diy electric guitars are made easy with our kits that contain the essential materials you need to build your very own electric guitar gear4music electric diy guitar kits cover all the most popular looks, from rounded cutaways to jagged doublecutaway and offset models. If you feel like building an electric guitar, you should just do it. This allcolour, fully illustrated practical book brings the unique haynes build your own approach to a new audience. Build your own electric guitar using our diy guitar kits. Make your own electric guitar and bass pdf free download epdf. Written in a clear, relaxed style, it covers every facet of guitar design and construction, as well as electronic theory and practice, and full woodworking and for some, it is not enough to buy a guitarthe challenge of designing and handmaking a unique. Making your own electric guitar body is not as difficult as you may think. This first step in making the body of an electric guitar is preparing the blank.
This allcolor, fully illustrated practical book brings the unique haynes build your own approach to a new audience. Building your own guitar is a mark of pride in your craftsmanship and a sense of accomplishment. Buy books, cdroms and plans on how to make electric guitars and lap steel guitars. Build your own guitar guitar bodies and kits from byoguitar. The official luthiers forum is a great way to connect with both professional and amateur luthiers across. Our blog dedicated to bringing the highest quality resources and latest news in the world of guitar kit building. Vintage guitar replica how to build an electric guitar or at least my version of it guitar making tutorials 5 electric guitar building videos how to build an electric guitar part 1. Once youve settled on a design, draw the body, full scale, on paper, and cut it out.
Tools needed plunge router and router bits i use a skill router with a 14 bit, a 12 bit with ball bearing guide and a 12 round over bit drill and drill bits a basic electric drill and bit set with an optional 6 sanding disk for carving down the body, and a 12 forstner bit for counter sinking the neck ferrules. Guitar kit world is for anyone interested in making their own electric guitar but isnt an expert and doesnt have years of woodworking skills to draw on. Here is a complex project on building an electric guitar from scratch. Suppliers mentioned in the book 233 additional instruction materials 234 acknowledgements 235. Experts in teaching people of every skill level how to properly and. Written in a clear, relaxed style, it covers every facet of guitar design and construction, as well as electronic theory and practice, and full woodworking and wiring techniquesall supported with plenty of photos and diagrams. This vast sea of guitar pedal manufacturers makes sure that if there is a tone or sound you are looking for you can. For some, it is not enough to buy a guitarthe challenge of designing and handmaking a unique, customized instrument is the dream. A hard, stiff neck will favour a quick attack while a softer neck will make the guitar sound warmer. This is a process that takes many many hours and patience to complete. Make the hole the size it needs to be so your fingers easily fit into it. For the novice builder who wants to craft a stratocasterstyle guitar, build your own electric guitar approaches the project in a stepbystep manner thatll help you get all your ducks in a row before you get started. Hal leonard build your own electric guitar book hard.