Finish Building Another Guitar

Its a Strat with a Clapton mid boost, Sperzels, Tonerider Pure Vintage PU's and a Gibson Goldtop finish. I played it tonight at a gig and it sounds and plays great. I'm also building a Gibson Firebird and a Hollow Bodied set neck Tele. Here's a couple Pics.

you built that? thats awesome, i am trying to learn how to build drums.

i was thinking once i start making some real money when i get outta college, i might buy the tools to start making guitars. is it a real hard craft to pick up? i know it takes skill to build a great guitar, but can you build ok ones you're first few times?

how did you pick up on this craft? someone teach you?

brendon420 said:

you built that? thats awesome, i am trying to learn how to build drums.

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I tried making drums ,, I played for close to 25 years,, after lots of attempts , I never produced anything that would withstand a 2 hr or more beating..... So what I did was just called DW (Drum workshop) and ordered my babys ... now they are just collection dust ..

I've refinished drums but building anything perfectly round is really tough. I built my first guitar in 1964 and have got in and out of this addiction many times. Now I have my son-in-law who has a fantastic cabinet building business with every tool imaginable. He was certainly a good catch for my daughter and me too.

yeah how is building guitars? I always wanted to make that my hobby when I'm more financially stable and could get a nice little workshop with some tools set up at my house. I love playing guitar and I think I would really enjoy crafting an instrument. So do you build them entirely from scratch like choosing the wood and shaping the body? I'm very curious.

a while back i was guna learn how to play but it became untuned so i never learned

WoW, that looks very nice man.

not to mention that beautyfull lawn

That is awesome man! I am a fender man myself. I want a 72 tele reissue. Lately though I have been looking at a Gretsch.

AchillesLast said:

yeah how is building guitars? I always wanted to make that my hobby when I'm more financially stable and could get a nice little workshop with some tools set up at my house. I love playing guitar and I think I would really enjoy crafting an instrument. So do you build them entirely from scratch like choosing the wood and shaping the body? I'm very curious.

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Yeah, I build them entirely from scratch. Select the wood cut it on a band saw. round it over, shape it, route the control cavity, cut the neck, shape it, install truss rod, cut and slot the fretboard, attach it to the neck finish shaping install the frets and level, crown and bevel them. Then SANDING, SANDING, SANDING. I spent about a month painting this guitar. It has 8 coats of various fillers, sealer, primer, color and 16 coats of clear nitro cellulose lacquer. Then its sanded with 7 grits of Wet-or-dry begining with 800 ending with 2500. Then its polished with 4 different grades of polishing compounds and waxed with carnuba. You know the old saying "Wax on Wax off".
Tonight I put a pinstripe on bottom edge of a clear Pickguard and tomorrow I'll shoot the bottom of the PG with Goldtop paint so I'll have a matching Goldtop PG that can't be scratched.
Its fun and you can start at any skill level you like. you can buy kits and assemble then finish. But after you've been there, done that, Scratch builds are the only way to go.

I have been in the talks with my Dad lately and we have intentions to start a guitar store, complete with a workshop in the back, showroom in the side, and of course a bar and private and public studio.

My Dad is great with the eletrical work. plus we have a shetload of floyd roses and emg's etc in the storage from his ebay days

brendon420 said:

you built that? thats awesome, i am trying to learn how to build drums.

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That's Interesting.Until now, I'd never thought of Building Drums Being a Guitar Guy it just never occured to me.How is it Going.? I've never even heard anyone talk of doing that among my drummer friends.

Amazing.... I saw a where this dude made a guitar in prison. It took him like 6 years, but it played exactly like a normal guitar.

CrazyChester said:

Its a Strat with a Clapton mid boost, Sperzels, Tonerider Pure Vintage PU's and a Gibson Goldtop finish. I played it tonight at a gig and it sounds and plays great. I'm also building a Gibson Firebird and a Hollow Bodied set neck Tele. Here's a couple Pics.

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WOAH man...now THATS a homemade guitar! I'm a bassman meself...I'll stick to buying them though - just can't imagine what damage I can do with a saw and soldering iron!