Advice for an absolute beginner
- Thread starter T89Rex
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Glimmer
Hero Member
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- 655
Street Avenger said:
Sage advice, no doubt, but I went ahead and did it myself (’cept for the wiring and final set-up), in spite of the fact that I had no skills or previous experience. Did my research here and at other fora / websites, asked plenty of questions, listened to the experts, took my time, and everything came out fine. If you'd like to see the build thread for the guitar in question, click on the banner in my signature.
Congrats on your PhD and Happy Christmas.
I built my very first build as a distraction during law school, so I think grad school could be a common starter for builders? Anyone with more Forum experience verify that?
I did my first build with Warmoth having done all of the routing, drilling, etc. except for the strap holders, tuning pegs, and other little/easy stuff. I mounted the parts myself, did the electronics myself, and have to say that while it was substantially less sweat equity than others, I am more satisfied with that guitar than any other I have flat out purchased.
I think it would help people in advising you to know how much woodshop/handyman experience you have. If you are a total noob who has only used hammers, screwdrivers, and drills to hang your posters.. you should take it a bit slower because drilling the wrong hole on your new $400+ guitar body... will really suck.
But then again, maybe that PhD is in mechanical engineering, and this is just application of your skills in another forum. In that case, I would give it a shot on your own and make sure to consult the forum for best practices or easiest method to do X or Y Task.
That is my two cents.
I built my very first build as a distraction during law school, so I think grad school could be a common starter for builders? Anyone with more Forum experience verify that?
I did my first build with Warmoth having done all of the routing, drilling, etc. except for the strap holders, tuning pegs, and other little/easy stuff. I mounted the parts myself, did the electronics myself, and have to say that while it was substantially less sweat equity than others, I am more satisfied with that guitar than any other I have flat out purchased.
I think it would help people in advising you to know how much woodshop/handyman experience you have. If you are a total noob who has only used hammers, screwdrivers, and drills to hang your posters.. you should take it a bit slower because drilling the wrong hole on your new $400+ guitar body... will really suck.
But then again, maybe that PhD is in mechanical engineering, and this is just application of your skills in another forum. In that case, I would give it a shot on your own and make sure to consult the forum for best practices or easiest method to do X or Y Task.
That is my two cents.
ccasion14:
screamin_conure
Newbie
- Messages
- 20
Lots of good advice here.
I built my first Warmoth guitar last year, and the video series presented here on YouTube was instrumental to my success...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqLfllURlo8
This was my first build and I had zero experience. My soldering looks like crap, but it's hidden inside the guitar and everything works flawlessly. Using the instructions and tips in these videos, everything else on my build came out superb and I now have a completely personalized Stratocaster that has exactly the components that I want, exactly the look that I want and feels and plays exactly how I want it to. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The only professional help that I enlisted was a local luthier to do a fret level (something I would probably recommend on any new Warmoth neck). I did my own setup as well.
The person who created these videos is obviously a pro luthier and is incredibly meticulous. The series is more than 40 videos long, but depending on the level that you're taking your build, you can skip over many of them. He goes deep into installing a nut from scratch, extensive fretwork, etc.
Just as a quick reference for a couple of simple things...
This is the video where he installs the screws for the tuners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLN4kV9uB-Q
And here is where he lays out the strap buttons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G935HoZhCmo
Like I said, the videos can be a little lengthy and tedious, but the stuff you'll learn will be worth the time invested.
A couple tips of my own gleaned from my experience and things learned in the videos...
* In the video, the guy talks about using a small countersink bit to put a very light countersink on the holes you drill. Highly recommended.
* Get yourself a good dial caliper. Be sure to measure the diameter of all of your screws and use that measurement to select the proper drill bit before you start drilling on anything. Once you create a hole that's too big for your screw, you have some frustrating work to do. Experience talking here.
* Be sure to measure the depth your screws will go into the wood. And be sure to take this measurement with the screw seated into whatever it is going to hold (i.e., put a pick guard screw in the pick guard and then measure the distance the screw extends beyond the underside of the pick guard). Wrap a small piece of masking tape around your drill bit at the measured length and use that as a stop guide. Seems like an obvious thing to do, but again speaking from experience here. Learn from my mistakes.
* Get yourself a bar of hand soap and press and roll the threads of your screws into it as a lubricant before drilling them home. This is especially useful for larger screws such as your bridge screws or your strap button screws. The screws don't need to be caked with soap, but just have some residue on them. Makes drilling much easier.
* TAKE YOUR TIME!
Have fun with your build, and congrats.
I built my first Warmoth guitar last year, and the video series presented here on YouTube was instrumental to my success...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqLfllURlo8
This was my first build and I had zero experience. My soldering looks like crap, but it's hidden inside the guitar and everything works flawlessly. Using the instructions and tips in these videos, everything else on my build came out superb and I now have a completely personalized Stratocaster that has exactly the components that I want, exactly the look that I want and feels and plays exactly how I want it to. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The only professional help that I enlisted was a local luthier to do a fret level (something I would probably recommend on any new Warmoth neck). I did my own setup as well.
The person who created these videos is obviously a pro luthier and is incredibly meticulous. The series is more than 40 videos long, but depending on the level that you're taking your build, you can skip over many of them. He goes deep into installing a nut from scratch, extensive fretwork, etc.
Just as a quick reference for a couple of simple things...
This is the video where he installs the screws for the tuners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLN4kV9uB-Q
And here is where he lays out the strap buttons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G935HoZhCmo
Like I said, the videos can be a little lengthy and tedious, but the stuff you'll learn will be worth the time invested.
A couple tips of my own gleaned from my experience and things learned in the videos...
* In the video, the guy talks about using a small countersink bit to put a very light countersink on the holes you drill. Highly recommended.
* Get yourself a good dial caliper. Be sure to measure the diameter of all of your screws and use that measurement to select the proper drill bit before you start drilling on anything. Once you create a hole that's too big for your screw, you have some frustrating work to do. Experience talking here.
* Be sure to measure the depth your screws will go into the wood. And be sure to take this measurement with the screw seated into whatever it is going to hold (i.e., put a pick guard screw in the pick guard and then measure the distance the screw extends beyond the underside of the pick guard). Wrap a small piece of masking tape around your drill bit at the measured length and use that as a stop guide. Seems like an obvious thing to do, but again speaking from experience here. Learn from my mistakes.
* Get yourself a bar of hand soap and press and roll the threads of your screws into it as a lubricant before drilling them home. This is especially useful for larger screws such as your bridge screws or your strap button screws. The screws don't need to be caked with soap, but just have some residue on them. Makes drilling much easier.
* TAKE YOUR TIME!
Have fun with your build, and congrats.
bagman67
Epic Member
- Messages
- 8,846
Great points from screamin_conure, but I would suggest, rather than using soap, which is basic and therefore has the potential to cause long-term breakdown of the wood with which it is in contact, use beeswax or paraffin wax instead. They are inert.
NB: This is just me talking from the standpoint of knowing a very, very little chemistry. I have no empirical evidence of screw holes breaking down due to soap being used as a lubricant. But if it were to happen it would likely just take the form of the screws losing grab very, very gradually over time.
NB: This is just me talking from the standpoint of knowing a very, very little chemistry. I have no empirical evidence of screw holes breaking down due to soap being used as a lubricant. But if it were to happen it would likely just take the form of the screws losing grab very, very gradually over time.
rgand
Epic Member
- Messages
- 5,934
I don't think it matters whether you use soap or wax. I have removed wood screws my father put in with soap some 50+ years before and they were as tight as the day they were installed.
That said, I put beeswax on the screws in my JM build recently. It's always on hand in my leather/loading/guitar/whatever room.
That said, I put beeswax on the screws in my JM build recently. It's always on hand in my leather/loading/guitar/whatever room.
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