Things I learned whilst building my ______

[AutoBat]

The VIP I've been working on has certainly enlightened me on a few points.

1) Carved top VIP bodies don't need carved pickup rings.
2) Not all Floyd posts & inserts are the same.  I'm pretty certain I'll need to pull the black ones out and insert the chrome ones with my OFR (no idea what unit previous install used).
3) Being lazy and installing strings backwards in a Floyd is easy, but the wound strings still need snipped at the bare portion.
4) EMG solderless setup is amazingly simple to use.
5) an 11 watt battery powered soldering iron is useless.
6) a 25 watt plug in soldering iron is excellent (pup selector needs to be soldered for the 'solderless' EMGs).
7) mind torquing set screws on knobs or the pot posts will be crushed by your superhuman strength.
8 ) Chambered mahogany + maple cap is much lighter than an extra heavy Strat.
9) It's really easy to lose a string lock insert.
10) It'd be nice if something with moving parts came with even brief instructions.
11) Wenge/Bloodwood feels great.
12) I can't seem to ever remember which way to turn the tuning machines on the treble side of a 3x3 headstock.
13) Schaller strap locks can be very hard to install on a new leather strap
14) I can't believe I never lubricated screws before this build.
15) White side dots were an excellent idea.
16) Even with five strings and a non-intonated bridge that isn't high enough, it was so rewarding plugging it in and making actual sound with it. :sad:

Please share tidbits you've learned in the process of assembling your guitar/bass/amp/whatever.

 

[natthu]

Rear routed Tele bodies don't allow Fender 5-way blade switches to travel fully into positions 1 & 5. You can still use those positions but the switch will not quite be properly in position. The wood, although recessed for the switch, is still just a touch too thick.

 

[Cagey]

These are more along the lines of general-purpose advice for builders of anything...

• Don't fight with your tools. If you have to fight, it's probably the wrong tool, it's outlived its usefulness, or it needs maintenance.
  
• Don't cheap out on tools. It's false economy. Buy the best. It usually only costs a little more to go first-class, and you're rarely sorry.
  
• Patience pays. When you find yourself getting frustrated, walk away. It'll all still be there later.
  
• Keep an open mind. While the way something has always been done is a often a good starting point, that alone doesn't qualify as the best way to do it.
  
• Never underestimate the value of experts. No matter what they cost, it's often less than the cost of mistakes.
  
• Always keep plenty of beer in stock, and either include or do not ignore your significant other.

 

[swarfrat]

1) The ox is slow, but the earth is patient.
2) Electronics always takes longer than you think.
3) Near focus distance creep is a !@#$%
4) All guitars that I own will at some point in the future have locking tuners.
5) Kind of like a dog chasing cars, you can spend your whole life chasing tone, but if you finally catch it, and you still don't have your chops up, what are you gonna do with it?
6) Tremolos are fun but totally useless
7) BK looks gorgeous in oil. Anything else is an exercise in meticulous frustration and totally unnecessary.
8) I absolutely despise hum.
9) If you come up with too cool an idea for the neckplate, you're going to regret that it's on the side of the guitar that nobody ever sees.
10) Routing chambered bodies after the fact is nerve wracking.

 

[ezas]

You can't have too many clamps, or too much light
The $100US I spent on a 10" drill press was money well spent
5 Gal paint stirrers are useful for many things, like handles for hanging necks, test sticks for finishes, etc. (I get them free for the asking at Home Depot)
The right tool is always worth the money when the job goes smoothly
Cheap reading glasses make great magnifying glasses for close up work
I find paint/finishing is a lot more forgiving if you are at the low end of the temperature range for that product
Test Finishes. Don't trust what it says on the can from any product from a big box store/local hardware store
The sense of accomplishment makes all the work and money worthwhile
After building a guitar,  you will never be afraid to do you own setups (and it's really not that hard)
Paint overspray will spread a lot farther than you think it will

 

[Jusatele]

never rush the finish process, you will see it forever. Each stage of finish takes time to prep, apply and let fully cure.
always use a practice piece when learning a new process in the finish or experimenting
there is a fine line between flat sanding and sanding through

 

[erogenousjones17]

Don't start assembly until you have all the important bits, i.e., don't try and use a pickguard to determine bridge placement. :doh:

 

[mayfly]

Most important thing that I learned:  Know your strengths.  For example, I've got no issues with threaded inserts, electronics, assembly, setup, modifications to hardware, or even taking a router to the thing.  But finishing brings me to my knees.  Learn the stuff that you are not good at - and then get someone else to do that 

 

[drewfx]

1. Put a couple of shims under the LSR nut before you waste time stringing it up and trying to strum the open strings.
2. Double and triple check your wiring before installing the pickguard, etc. and stringing up your top routed instrument.
3. "A man's got to know his limitations" - Clint Eastwood (as Dirty Harry Callahan in Magnum Force).

 

[Jcurl02]

1) Don't be afraid to try
2) Don't be afrard to ask for help
3) There is a lot of information out there (on this forum, on youtube, books etc.)
4) Unless you did something drastically wrong, someone else probably can fix it.
5) Research if part of the fun.


6) Unfortunatley, the end product probably won't be worth what you have into it expect to you....  So do what you want!!!

 

[AndyG]

(For my guitar)  a Floyd shelf requires shims ... otherwise the strings buzz on the first 2 frets unless the action is insanely high.
(For my bass)  the Musicman pickup routes are tight!.  I put a pair of Duncan Music Mans into my Deluxe 5 Jazz double-bucker, and they would be difficult to remove ... not that its going to happen anytime soon.

 

[bagman67]

Eventually you have to shoot the engineer and go to production.  (Thanks, Cagey!)

 

[Kuro Uma]

I've learned "A fool can throw a stone in a pond that 100 wise men can not get out."

 

[Jusatele]

I've learned "A fool can throw a stone in a pond that 100 wise men can not get out."

so you have seen some builds go wrong on Ebay too arty07: arty07: arty07:

 

[Cagey]

Eventually you have to shoot the engineer and go to production.  (Thanks, Cagey!)

Hehe! Trick is knowing where the line is.

Oh, no! You did it just like I told you to!​

 

[Kei]

1. Tremol - no is really cool to play with.
2. Double check before drilling.
3. Nuts are effing hard to cut. But the installed nuts that comes with your neck, will not give you too much liberty on defining action.
4. Patience is virtue.

 

[Tipperman]

• Use only single coils that go bzzzz. They sound best.
• Never change from Alder/Maple/Rosewood.
• Don't use a 6 point trem - nobody loves them.
• Don't ever mention floyds around Cagey.
• Only get Tonar finishes (as learned on my Jaguar)
• Never buy Factory guitars again.

:toothy12: Warmoths are too fun.

 

[Jusatele]

I just got a new guitar tech
my last one moved from the LA area to a smaller town in Arizona, he is one of those doomsday preppers type.
anyway, I have researched a lot of guys and recently picked this guy who is around 60, dismantling a business ( no more employees, is moving out of his storefront to do business out of his house and be in semi-retirement) He took in my recent project and we talked for 20 minutes, During that time he admitted that most modern guitar manufacturers where doing partscasters. And that guys buying quality wood such as the big turtle were turning out better product than the big guys as the current trend in modern guitar business was to give pancakes for breakfast and peanut butter for lunch. they have it down to a science of what sells and the truly innovative stuff comes from guys in their dining rooms doing it because they have a dream. He stated most boutique stuff is just high end finish on deal of the day parts.
I was blown away when he told me the guitar he was going to do a fret dress and setup on was probably the most original idea he had seen in a few years. And All I had done was put the graffiti under the finish.
What I am trying to say is........... We here are learning to push the envelope with our ideas, and we should be proud of our work as we are producing what the big guys want too,
the wood we get from the big turtle sets us up with the quality of the big guys, from there it is our diligence that separates us.

 

[Strat Avenger]

...Warmoth; That all those years of disassembling/reassembling/modifying mass production guitars really paid off when it came time to build my own.

 

[Updown]

Some of my things, since I discovered Warmoth, some 14 months ago & 8+ counting, guitar builds later.  :toothy11:

... It's addictive.
... It's fun.
... It's self rewarding.
... Learned the insides of the guitar. (setups / adjustments etc)
... You get what you want.
... The excitement when opening a Warmoth Box (like a kid in the lolly shop) 
... How easy it is to do.
... It's a pain in the Butt, when you forgot to order the smallest thing. (& didn't have any on hand)  :sad:
... Forgetting where the tuners are on a reverse headstock.
... Don't look at the showcase, while in process of 2 other guitar builds.
... Ordering Humbuckers instead of Trembuckers. 
... Have a good soldering iron.
... Use earth lugs.
... Good collection of the quality tools & measuring devices for each job needed done.
... Raw necks are the best.
... Use strap locks.
... Having an excuse for buying another Body & Neck (when I only had an extra pair of strings & a input jack)  :icon_biggrin:
... Take your time.
... Don't look at the showcase, while in process of 3 other guitar builds.
... Work with a clear head.
... Take heaps of pictures as you go. (very helpful for future reference)  :icon_thumright:
... Don't be afraid to ask a Q. 
... If your NOT really sure, then put it down. (before you Stuff something)
... Wax of cause !! …… but I learnt that in the 70's, with a girlfriend.  :icon_biggrin:
... Dan Erlewine's (guitar bible) 
... Buying a showcase body that I really didn't need.
... Wasting money and time on shielding products.
... Credit Card gets a Bashing !!
... GK-3 internal install was heaps easier than I 1st thought.
... Dremels are fun.
... Optivisor was a great purchase.

Plus …
Many many other things from other helpful forum members here too that have shared their idea's and thought's  :icon_thumright: