Newbie looking for some advice/help about a first project

[racerdk]

Hi-

First time poster!  I'm a life long musician and have recently thought about tackling my first guitar build. 

Are there certain guitars that are easier than others for a first time builder?  I was thinking about building a guitar that complemented the guitars I already own... leaning towards a firebird-body/tele-hardward or Mustang project. 

Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[mayfly]

Guitar builds are all fairly similar. But some things will make a difference:

choice of bridge.  Any vibrato bridge you should avoid. A floyd is notorious to get working correctly.  Bigsbys have a special circle of hell it seems.  They all are annoying.  A TOM bridge can be annoying because of the stud installation.  Flat top tele bridge is about as simple as it gets.

Electronics.  Complicated electronics can be difficult.  Active electronics, ghost systems, and that Jimmy Page switch mechanism should be avoided.  For that matter, sure you want more than one pickup?  Really need a tone control?  Simplify here.

Finish.  Unless you want a tie-die/paisley/silver swirl/hand painted/freaky finish, just get warmoth to finish it.  This will make this MUCH simpler.

Tools.  Get a set of nut files.  Get some feeler gauges.  Get a good drill and sharp bits and a centre punch.  get a straightedge.  Get a good tuner.  A set of whatever you need to intonate your bridge and adjust the truss rod.  A good soldering iron.  A soft pad to set the instrument down on. Think of everything you'll need to get the job done and get it in advance.

Knowledge.  Get a copy of the Guitar Player Repair guide.  Read it before you buy the parts and maybe even the tools.

 

[racerdk]

Thanks.  I have that book.  I also just bought another book on Amazon.  I was looking at the mustang configuration Warmoth has that uses the toronado bridge to avoid the tremolo.

I appreciate the tips.

 

[vikingred]

A floyd is notorious to get working correctly.

Notoriously (difficult?) for you?  Or for the newbie?

 

[rgand]

Finish.  Unless you want a tie-die/paisley/silver swirl/hand painted/freaky finish, just get warmoth to finish it.  This will make this MUCH simpler.

A lot of truth in this. I consider a self-finish a last resort and only for something you can't pay someone else to do.

 

[musicispeace]

Good luck on your build. And don't hesitate to post questions on the forum. Folks here know their stuff and it's a good place to pick up information or troubleshoot things.

 

[Vallhagen]

Finish.  Unless you want a tie-die/paisley/silver swirl/hand painted/freaky finish, just get warmoth to finish it.  This will make this MUCH simpler.

A lot of truth in this. I consider a self-finish a last resort and only for something you can't pay someone else to do.

I actually disagree. There are very easy ways to finnish a guitar, and to do your own finnish adds a lot of personality. Checkout Wudtone. (This is of course strictly my opinion. I like to wait and watch when color dry!)

Also: Go with a bolt-on, not glue-in neck. If you get your stuff from Warmoth, its not even a question though; they dont have glue-ins.

And... i like to pass on a hint i got myself before my first build (not too long ago): Go for "the guitar for your life" build. Don't go the "buy a cheap China-kit just to try" route. It will only be a half-ass guitar that you neither want nor need anyway. But this was maybe obvious ?

Good luck!