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How to make a guitar body...


EmptinesOf Youth

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k, this is real simple question, but here it goes, say im making a guitar, just the body. Its two pieces correct? thats why this same maple top sometimes? im talkin about for LP style. thats how they get the spaces electronics and wires? and on strats they just hide it with a pickguard right?
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The two pieces of wood on a LP are a tonal/cosmetic thing and have nothing to do with space for electronics. Some Fenders I've seen have more wood scooped out than LPs do.

 

You can rear rout a strat body if you don't want to use a pickguard.

"You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer
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You're absolutely correct sir.

It's a cap. A cosmetic front. An afront to the lowly mahogany that makes up the other 2/3rds(roughly) of the body.

 

IF you can't get mahogany thick enough laminate it up beyond the proper thickness (plane it to specifications) and get the outline down on this base keeping in mind you want the center line of the guitar lined up with the lamination for appearance.

 

Rough cut the shape and then router it out.

 

Make the back first and route out the channels for the wiring and the pickup pockets, back control cavity (straight through side to side) & switch.

 

Laminate your cap out of two or three pieces of your favorite wood (maple or what ever turns your crank) (use a jointer)

 

If you use biscuits or dowels be sure they're not in an area you intend to router.

 

Rough cut to the same profile as the base & transfer the center line to the cap.

 

With the center line on the cap start to lay out the routing for the pickups and neck, holes for pot stems and the switch.

 

I do this router work after I have the cap secured to the base so there's something thick and solid to clamp down.

 

After this you can free hand or machine the contour around the outside for the raised profile.

(you can use a sanding disk on a drill if that's all you have available but it's hard to make anything pretty with hand tools because we're human.)

 

This is stupidly long but you can do this with only a router, jigsaw, drill and about 10 - 15 good sized C clamps, a pile of sandpaper and time.

(plans help but with a LP stripped down you can gather all of the required measurments)

 

(first guitar? - buy or obtain a neck!)

 

Always place something under the clamps so the wood doesn't get marked up.

 

My first attempt was made of MDF because it's great to work with and proved to be a terrific training ground for what can go wrong when man meets machine.

 

I wish you luck. :thu:

I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder.

 

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Originally posted by DeadlinessOFYouth:

k, this is real simple question, but here it goes, say im making a guitar, just the body. Its two pieces correct? thats why this same maple top sometimes? im talkin about for LP style. thats how they get the spaces electronics and wires? and on strats they just hide it with a pickguard right?

get "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" by Melvyn Hiscock.

Also: "Building Electric Guitars" by Martin Koch

 

Guitars are like shoes: I like the lowly mahogany without any top wood. No high gloss finishes for me. I like em with a hand rubbed tung oil varnish finish.

bbach

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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