Can I do this at all?

[Topper28]

Hey

I´m one of those people who think that guitars are pieces of art and I would really like to start building/assembling my own guitars.

I´ve been reading up on the tips and tricks and other helpful material to try to get a basic understanding of the process.

I have a basic question for you guys:

Can anyone build these Warmoth DIY type guitars?

I have no craft skills.  I´ve never repaired or disassembled guitars. I don´t have any tools. I don´t have a workbench or a shop.

What does it take to build these babies? Tools, space, know-how, craftsmanship?

I really want to get into it but I fear I don´t have the skill set, tools, space for it.

Any help will be appreciated

Cheers

Torben, Denmark

 

[Day-mun]

Welcome to the forum! The right answer to your question is: "Only if YOU believe you can". If you wish to do something, -anything, it is only with your own power and vision (and nobody else's) that you accomplish... whatever you choose. Once you set an intention, of course, there will be guides along the way. there are more than a few here that are willing to help.

I personally recommend starting out with this book:

It will answer all your other posted questions about tools and such other things. the rest of the package is your own desire, patience and determination... -oh,and a willingness to make mistakes and forgive yourself.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Surf n Music]

I did my first (the one in my little thing below) with very little tools. A lot I bought as I went. If I wasn't sure how to do something I would read up or start a post and ask. Everyone is so helpful. My 2nd turned out cleaner. I should go through my first and clean some things up but I am on my 3rd already. This neck I got turned out superb and is looking like this will be my best build yet. My setups are getting easier for me and the playability is better too. You can do it  :toothy10: believe!!

 

[Strat Avenger]

You definitely need "craft skills", and you need to know about guitars. Of course these are all things you can learn, but don't expect to just start building guitars and have them turn out decent if you don't have such knowledge.

 

[zebra]

I haven't done a parts-build yet (working on my first) and I'm in a similar place:  Not much experience with tools and techniques, few tools and little space to work with, etc.

But I have tinkered - re-wiring pickups, adjusting action, replacing bridges, etc.  If youré worried about ruining nice parts, buy a couple of garbage guitars and mess around and make mistakes on those.  I'm just as drawn to the prospect of bringing new life to a garbage guitar with a new finish job, a few upgraded components and improved setup as I am building a partscaster from scratch. 

Also, you might not have tools or know-how, but there are people around you who probably do.  Some towns have lending tool libraries (which may also have a supply of how-to books as well), some cities have communal workshops, where you can pay a fee to be a member and have access to the shop, tools, and knowledgeable people. 

Whatever you end up doing, show us some pictures!  Good luck!    :icon_thumright:

 

[zebra]

Welcome to the forum! The right answer to your question is: "Only if YOU believe you can". If you wish to do something, -anything, it is only with your own power and vision (and nobody else's) that you accomplish... whatever you choose. Once you set an intention, of course, there will be guides along the way. there are more than a few here that are willing to help.

I personally recommend starting out with this book:

It will answer all your other posted questions about tools and such other things. the rest of the package is your own desire, patience and determination... -oh,and a willingness to make mistakes and forgive yourself.  :icon_thumright:

Oh yeah, and I second Day-mun's suggusted re. the Dan Erlewine book!

 

[mark1178]

Welcome!

I've been there before, we here probably all have. The way I started though was going to pawn shops and finding the cheapest beater guitars and fixing them up with very inexpensive parts. I used to pay 40 bucks for a guitar body and neck that weren't exactly pretty, but, I'd clean them up swap them out with cheap pickups (at the time EMG Selects were my choice) set them up as best as I could, brush finished them, then found people who wanted a starter guitar cheaper than a squire strat. Nowadays though Craigslist is a great place to go.

I did buy the Guitar Player Repair Guide but I've always been terrible at retaining anything I read (I'm also a bad test taker, or as Daniel Tosh says "You mean you're stupid..."), but, I learn really fast when I get hands-on. During that beater guitar time I think I fixed up 8 guitars, and after about the 4th one i learned what intonation was, neck relief, string pull, truss rods...etc. I also broke a few guitars due to my eagerness and "Hmm I tightened this nut at the headstock as tight as it goes...who the hell put this metal rod in the middle of this now broken fingerboard."

Probably the best advice I could give is do the exact opposite of what I did and research and learn and practice before you build. Buy a beater guitar, tweak it, carve it, break it, set it up, break the headstock off then glue it back on. And take your freakin time, I'm an impatient bastich so my first Warmoth guitar could be a lot prettier but daddy wanted to play it now. As far as a workbench, a large desk or kitchen counter (if the wife, mother or mistress is ok with it) can server as a perfect workbench.

I highly recommend watching this Strat, build if you haven't already:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL82F87E351853722B
This guy is extremely (overly as well, but it's a good thing) detailed about the build, I learned about the science (and unknowingly the math part) of guitar building due to this build.

These are other good channels to go through:

Sully's Guitars - Dallas based luthier, funny guy too. I should take one of his classes one of these days.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1hRIvB3cniv2UXmIfNk9gw

Dave's World of Fun Stuff - Cranky old fart, funny as heck to watch, not recommended to have children around.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOXNPo7CtnzzZ9A4GyQ6Tog

StewMac - Great vids, pricey tools, but he is a knowledgeable ol cat so these videos help a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdr6rJVSSx54ByuY5U2ohTQ

O'Brien Guitars - Mostly acoustic guitars, but he shows some nice cheap ways to grain fill and such.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvdnXN3z_66jPTJBXMD9QIA

Freddy's Frets
https://www.youtube.com/user/FreddysFrets/videos

Will's Easy Guitar - I like this guy, and not just because of the certain people who does intro for his videos...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0VKj1mUP9m1_cGc5avxhA

As far as tools though, you'll definitely need screwdrivers and I recommend these:
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Screwdrivers/Guitar_Tech_Screwdriver_Set.html
I'm sure someone will say just get a cheaper set at a hardware store, but I like to have a set of tools dedicated to my guitars.

Guitar nut drivers, or you can get a set of sockets with longer shafts. Again, I like having tools specifically for guitars and it makes my workbench look cool:
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Wrenches/Guitar_Nutdrivers.html

Allen wrenches for your neck/bridge. Get the right size, make sure the bolts/screws are either metric or imperial. Again a trip to the hardware store for these will work just fine.

The Strat build guy uses a screw lube you can buy, but you can use candle wax. Some have said to use soap, but I've seen people get stabbed for bringing that up.

Ok I think I'm done rambling. You came to the right spot to learn about putting a guitar together, this place in the last year or two has taught me A LOT.

Good luck!

 

[rgand]

Welcome to the forum, Topper. I agree with the buy-a-cheapo-and-start-in school of thought. You'll experiment and learn your way around a guitar. What you can't figure out, ask questions on the forum. Do searches on youtube and follow the links provided by Mark1178. Most of all, have fun with it. Besides, you may find that your first try turns into something quite nice. My first project was to put a humbucker in a lawsuit Fender copy. It came out just fine.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

+ 1 to the Dan Erlewine book, lotsa good info there. There's also this tutorial from Ron Kirn, which is the most helpful thing I've read when it comes to understanding the whole build process.

I was also a tinkerer, but what really got me started building & modding was building a bass from a Carvin kit. They pre-drill everything, and if you're getting one of the bolt guitar kits, there's almost no soldering at all. Very detailed instructions on assembly & suggested finish.

I'd say start with one of those, and if you say, "what was EASY", you're ready for a custom partscaster.  :icon_thumright:

 

[musicispeace]

Welcome to the forum. I can attest that there is some very solid advice and support here and folks have been really helpful as I have gotten into playing partscasters. You are ahead of me on the actual hands on yourself part but I would agree with those experienced folk here who suggest starting on beater guitars. Its likely someone will buy them off you after you fix them up and you get to learn as you go.

One thing I would like to pass on to you about guitars from parts is that they enable you to end up with a guitar that is exactly to your specs and wants. Its almost like your own custom shop for arguably a third of the investment. I have one done and two coming together this spring. As I said, I have not yet started to do my own work. But I am 100% sold on playing DIY guitars from parts. You can barely get me into a brick and mortar store at this point. Good luck to you and welcome. Be prepared to sort through the seeming 1500 people who make pickups these days but in the end the resulting guitar is truly part of you.

 

[KaiserSoze]

Short answer:  Of course you can.  I assembled my first on my living room floor with minimal tools.
Long answer:  See the comments above and take advantage of all resources available.  Theres everything in the world you would ever want to know out there.  If you're a player you should learn basic setup and maintenance skills anyway.

Have fun.  Its a blast.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum, a lot of good advice above.

If you follow the links in my signature there a couple of builds complete and one in progress with lots of pics and discussion.

Also one point to bear in mind some folks do the whole build themselves and others have the fret work and basic set up done for them. 

Basic tools at a minimum would be some screwdrivers, soldering iron, some old towels and go from there. A good idea to get a second hand squier and take it apart and put it back together.

If you decide to go ahead there's lots of help and advise available.

 

[Alfang]

You don't need any special skills to assemble a guitar, You just need to do one thing at a time, and think it through take your time, watch you tube videos. When your done  assembling you do a setup to turn it into an instrument, again one step at a time. You will be so happy you did it yourself

 

[Cederick]

It's not hard... But you need a few tools.

I put together my first Warmoth with a Floyd Rose without any real knowledge about either guitar assembly or those fancy tremolos but I did it, and it was playing great and the Floyd Rose was in tune for days of constant divebombing... Crazy stuff.

So yeah, especially if you're going for a hardtail guitar, it shouldn't be hard to do at all. :icon_biggrin:

 

[jay4321]

Short answer: Yes, but expect to screw something up. Go slow and use hand tools and not power tools.

 

[zebra]

OK, I know I posted before (two times) but one last thing:  Some design concepts are easier to execute than others - so if you want to get your feet wet with a project (I'm pretty sure you're from Denmark, so I'm hoping that there's enough similarity between our respective linguistic heritages that the maxim works...) pick an easier one, that's is less technically demanding.  For example, setting up a Floyd Rose involves a bit more of a learning curve....Good luck! (From another noob..)