[First time builder] How much "woodwork" is needed?

mealteamsix

Newbie
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1
Hi friends,

I'm excited at the idea of assembling a guitar from scratch, but a little confused about some of the process. I'm comfortable poking around the electronics of guitars, since i've upgraded pickups, pots and caps before, but i've never done anything more serious than that. I'm particularly nervous about anything involving drilling, cutting or sanding wood.

Assuming I get everything pre-routed and pick the correct matching parts, what kind of work is needed to complete a Warmoth build aside from the usual set-up (action/truss rod/intonation)? I see a disclaimer about nut work and fret finishing for some necks and don't know what that involves.

I haven't actually found any beginning to end build guides on YouTube that answer those q's.

Thanks!
 
You are in the right place!  Go over to the work in progress section and there's lots ... To get you started here's my Nashville build ...
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=29494.15
 
And my jazzmaster build
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30424.75

By the way there are no guides so to speak ... It's sort of like motorcycle and car builds...  you have to make sure yourself that the parts mate.  If you're up to the challenge it's a lot of fun and very satisfying.  Plus you can make something that suits you.
 
Yep.  It's not terribly difficult, but not cookbook either.  But we can walk you through it as you go. 

If you know what you want in an instrument, we can help you get there!
 
Welcome to the forum.

Check the two builds in my signature below. Pretty much has most things you might have to do and more if you want to.

 
The amount of woodworking is entirely up to you.  You can buy a prefinished body, mate it with a neck, install the electronics and bridge and voila, you have a functioning guitar.

On the other hand, you can do your own finish, reshape certain features of the body, you can buy a body blank and custom shape your guitar, and so on.

Entirely up to you.

If this is your first, I've seen most folks on this forum recommend something on the easier side, and I agree.
 
These are not "kits" - you have to get everything you need together from Warmoth or mix/match between what they sell and what you can get from other retailers - but once you do it's largely an assembly/setup process. Very little woodworking involved other than drilling a few mounting holes for things such as the pickguard, possibly the output jack plate, strap hangers, and possibly some anti-rotation screws for the tuners. Neck setup can be a source of anxiety if you've never done it, but it's not terribly difficult. Warmoth's necks are very high-quality, and really only need attention to get to perfection as it suits your playing style. I suspect many folks just use the neck right out of the box, and they're nicer than many "big box" OEM guitars with no attention at all. But, that final 10%-20% you might want may require some attention from a luthier or someone experienced in such things. It's not particularly difficult, but if you're only doing a few or less necks, it's tough to justify the tool cost.
 
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