Brian's Guitar from Conception to Birth or How to Build a Guitar in 62 Easy Steps!

Some Background on Me

Hi, I’m Vince and I met Brian when we recruited him to join our band, Idiosyncrasy. The band was a lot of fun and we played a lot of shows, but as with everything in life: all good things must come to an end. Though the band stopped playing, Brian and I (and our wives) still hung out together. I had milked every last drop out of the band experience I could, and I guess I got out of it what I wanted from playing in bands for about fourteen years. I was also getting old and basically outgrowing our target demographic. What young crowd wants to go and see old people on stage? Someone please tell Mick Jagger that. So I sold off all my band equipment and bought woodworking equipment. We had recently built a house and were looking to do a few upgrades ourselves so it made sense. I always had an interest in woodworking and I took it to the next level by enrolling in classes at a local vocational school, Ranken Technical College. After a year of school and a bunch of small projects, I finally got up the courage to attempt one of the most demanding projects requiring rigid precision, tight joinery, and a combination of just about every woodworking skill imaginable: building an electric guitar from scratch. Since I wasn’t playing much guitar anymore, I needed someone to make it for. Brian had asked me a couple of times to go for it, so I eventually called his bluff and accepted his challenge. The deal was that he would buy the materials and I would donate my time and cover the cost of any tools needed. Game on! The following text will probably sound like an instruction manual. While researching this project, I found others’ stories of their build experiences invaluable. It is my intention to post my experience on the internet as well so someone else can muster the courage to build their own guitar and avoid as many mistakes as possible along the way. I’ll cover all of the steps I used in making Brian’s guitar, some of the thoughts and considerations involved, and some things to watch out for. You can bounce back and forth between some of these steps, but there are times when you will need one thing done before moving on to the next. Please be advised that I am not a professional luthier. I have some experience in woodworking, but this is my first guitar project. I may advise something at which a seasoned guitar maker might scoff. But hey, it worked for me. Use this as only one resource from which to gather information. There are many web sites showing different techniques and processes. Stewart MacDonald (www.StewMac.com) has many articles of enlightenment as well as all the specialized tools you’ll need. You Tube (www.YouTube.com) has many videos stepping you through various tasks.  Project Guitar (www.ProjectGuitar.com) has a host of information from tutorials to design ideas and links to various boutique component suppliers. There are many steps which lie ahead of you. Don’t try to finish the whole guitar off in one night. Take your time and think things through before you commit to something. And above all, have fun.