How to Build a Guitar in 62 Easy Steps!

Body	Discussion	Purchase
One piece or faced with veneer	Pretty or exotic wood costs a mint. That’s why you won’t see the whole body made of flamed maple; you just waste too much “pretty” on the backside of the guitar which no one sees. If you prefer the simple grain patterns of mahogany, (plain) maple, or ash you can go with a single chunk of wood from which to carve your body. If you go with a neck-through design, some like to see the neck on the face of the guitar where it can be embellished with multiple bands of different colored woods.	Body wood Front panel Back panel Side panels
Solid body, semi-hollow, or hollow	● Solid bodies are typical for modern electric guitars. It’s basically one chunk of wood with space for your electronics scooped out. ● Semi-hollow bodies add resonance chambers which involve more routing. This adds a different character to the tone. You will often see a penetration on the face of the guitar like an “F” hole. ● Hollow bodies are akin to acoustic guitars and involve a whole different method of construction. The inside of the guitar is one big resonance chamber and is made from thin pieces of wood bent around to form the shape instead of starting with a single mass of wood and carving out the profiles.
Edge-banded or not	This is personal preference. Edge-banding the body of the guitar frames the top. For this look, it simply adds another step to the process. You often see banding made up from several thin layers of plastic, wood, or shell material (mother of pearl or abalone).	Edge-banding material
Body style: sculpted or flat	Sculpted or carved tops look great, but this will add another whole technique you will need to master. Flat tops can sometimes be embellished with a routed edge or an arm rest relief to give it some flair if you want to keep it simple.
Cavity cover: plastic or wood	You don’t have to buy the expensive plastics sold in the guitar catalogs, you can just cut up a cheap plastic trash can! Or you can make one from some scrap wood.	Plastic or wood
Cavity cover: wood screws or threaded inserts	Threaded inserts will never strip out. It’s probably worth the extra 3 dollars to go with the inserts.	Screws, inserts
Cavity, copper foil shield or paint	You need to control any outside electrical interference from getting to your electronics. You can purchase adhesive-backed copper shielding or use a special impregnated paint. Insulating all your wire runs should help as well.	Foil or paint Wire insulation
Neck	Discussion	Purchase
Bolt-on, glue-in, neck-through, or set-in	Most of this is personal preference. A bolt-on neck is easier to replace, but how many necks do you break. I find that the other three glue-in neck options look better and offer better sustain. ● You know what a bolt-on neck is. That was what your first guitar had. I find them very cheap looking. ● A glue-in is like a bolt-on with a neck tenon glued into a mortise on the body instead of bolted on. This option will allow you to gracefully shape the neck to body transition. ● Neck-through is where the neck continues through the body all the way to the end of the guitar. You can see the neck wood intersecting the body on the back and sometimes on the front of the guitar. ● A set-in neck is kind of like a neck sandwich where the body has a top and bottom panel with the neck nested in between. The neck stops short of the end of the guitar and is not visible on the back of the body.	Neck wood Neck plate (if bolt-on)
Tilt-back neck or flat	This will somewhat depend on the bridge you buy. If the bridge sticks up pretty high off the body, keeping the neck parallel with the body will result in an awkward looking arrangement. Tilting the entire neck back will make neck construction a little more involved, but will give you a cleaner appearance. Drawing a section of your guitar with your actual components will start to reveal what will look best. You will usually see the neck tilted back from the body from 2 to 4 degrees.
Scale length	Scale length is the distance from the nut to the bridge. For a standard guitar, this is usually between 24" and 25 1/2". I’ve heard of players who use dropped tunings opt for up to 27" scales to keep a reasonable tension on the strings when they loosen them up. You will also want to employ a “compensated” scale length. This will compensate for the amount the strings are stretched when you press them to the fretboard changing the pitch slightly. Also, your saddles will be staggered to compensate for wound versus unwound strings. I found that your scale length plus 2mm from the inside edge of the nut to the center of the frontmost saddle works.
Truss rod	Including a truss rod will give you an adjustment option if the neck starts to do things. It also helps keep the neck from twisting. There are several types available from a traditional threaded rod with a nut to double-acting units.	Truss rod
Integral fretboard or applied	Fenders have a one piece neck with the frets laid directly onto the wood with the truss rod cut into the back of the neck. Other guitars have a separate fretboard applied onto the neck covering the truss rod cavity.	Fingerboard wood
Radius on fretboard	Try to stick with something standard. Most electric guitars have a 12" or 14" radius to crown the top of the fretboard. If you go with something different you’ll have difficulty matching up a pre-made nut or bridge.
Radius on back of neck	How chunky do you like it? Some prefer a very slender feel while others like to hold a log (probably a masculinity compensation). The thicker the neck, the more stable it will be, but don’t try to make it too thin or you might weaken it. Remember, routing a channel for the truss rod removes a lot of structural wood.
Frets	There are a few sizes out there. I found one with a tang which matched up with a saw I already had. Width and height of the crown are personal preference.	Fret material
Edge banded fretboard or not	Edge-banding the fretboard covers the sides of the saw kerfs of the frets. It’s a little more professional to cover these up and will help keep moisture from intruding there, but it is another step to add to your production schedule. Lapping the frets over the banding is also another issue to consider.	Edge banding Wood or plastic
Neck width at nut	How far apart do you like your strings? We found a nut with a similar dimension to a guitar which felt right and bought it. This is critical to know when designing your neck. Even a couple of millimeters can throw things off. You can also buy blank nut material to make your own custom spacing.	Nut or nut material
Passive nut or locking	A locking nut helps keep your guitar in tune better. It basically clamps the strings directly behind the nut. You see these on guitars with tremolos. If you’re getting locking tuners, you don’t need a locking nut.	String clamp
Fingerboard inlays or dots	Dots are easier to put in, but inlays look cooler and let you personalize things a bit. It depends on what you’re up to. You can also purchase pre-manufactured shapes, but they still have to be routed and inlayed. You only need a drill bit to add dots.	Inlay material
Neck side dots	Reference dots are the norm on the side of the neck.	Inlay material
Headstock	Discussion	Purchase
Flat headstock or tilted back	Fenders have flat headstocks which are parallel with the fretboard. They usually need those ugly string trees to hold the strings down on the nut. You’ll use a little less wood, but I think the flat headstock style just looks bad. Tilting the headstock back (usually 10 to 15 degrees) will pull the strings over the nut and help with sustain. Another option is to add a veneer of pretty wood over the headstock, usually something to match the body of the guitar.	Face veneer wood
6, 7, or 8 string	Stick with the standard 6 or go for the exotic. When you make it yourself, you can do as you choose. But straying from the standard 6 will reduce your options on tuners, nuts, and bridges.
Tuners: 3 a side 2+4 1+5 6 in a row	3+3 or 6 in a row are the combinations in which you’ll find tuners packaged. Going to a 2+4 or a 1+5 will require you to buy two sets of tuners and have leftovers (presumably for the next guitar). 3+3 sets have larger blades and the straight 6 tuners are smaller so they fit.	Tuners (left/right)
Locking tuners or non-locking	I prefer locking tuners since you do not have to wind the string around the post numerous times. You just pull the string though tight and clamp it. Locking tuners also hold your tuning better. You’ll narrow your options some with the locking tuners, so just browse the catalogs and see what you like.
Truss rod adjustment cover	A very minute choice to make, but it will still require you to buy something so I’ll list it. You can find many pre-made covers, but for a one-off guitar, you might as well just make one from some scrap wood.	Plastic or wood
Headstock inlay	A great spot for some personalization. You can also print out your logo on clear film and lacquer it into place.	Inlay material
Finish	Discussion	Purchase
Stained or natural	Your choice; the possibilities are endless. Stain your wood or paint it. Add glossy top coats or keep it a natural satin finish. Some prefer the natural feel of a neck that’s only been oiled.	Stain, paint, lacquer
Hardware	Discussion	Purchase
Single or electric/ acoustic output jack	You can go crazy with electronics. It is possible to have six outputs to control each string individually. You can also find guitars with computer circuit boards and MIDI outputs. I like to keep the guitar simple and use pedal effects to embellish my tone. Or you can go the BC Rich route with 48 or so on-board switches. I own a Carvin with separate electric/ acoustic outputs which does come in handy for separately amping them. Pick something that you think you are capable of tackling. You will have to read schematics and do some soldering.	Output jack(s) Output jack cover plate
Fixed or tremolo bridge	Fixed bridges are easier since tremolos require more routing. But go with whatever you like on your dream guitar.	Bridge
String ferrules or tailpiece	Some bridges hold the string balls; some require a separate tailpiece. You can also run the strings all the way through the body which will require something to trim out the holes on the front and back of the body (string ferrules).	String ferrules or tailpiece
Strap locks	There’s no choice here; buy them. You won’t want to be dropping your beautiful new guitar.	Pair strap locks
Electronics	Discussion	Purchase
Controls through the front or from back	Fenders have the wiring from the front; Gibson’s from the back. Either route is viable; however, when going through the front, you will need a large pick guard to cover up your wiring channels.	Pick guard
Active or passive electronics	Active electronics offer a few more tone choices and a little extra punch to the volume. Active electronics require room for a 9 volt battery.	Battery compartment
Potentiometers	Volumes and tone use the same kind of potentiometer. You will also need some capacitors for the tone pot(s).	Volume pot(s) Tone pot(s) Capacitors
Knobs	Pick what you like or make your own out of wood.	Knobs
Switches	Pick what you like. The only thing to consider here is not to pick a bulky switch that won’t fit in your control cavity. Whenever they offer a lower profile model, buy that one.	Switches
Single-coil pickups or humbuckers	This is the age-old debate that’s been going on since electric guitars first came out. Fenders use single-coil pickups and lend a thinner, twangier tone. You’ll find humbuckers on Gibson’s which give a fuller tone and less noise. Humbuckers can be wired with a coil-splitter option which will emulate a Fender sound. Again, this is personal preferences.	Neck pickup Bridge pickup
Acoustic pickup	There are some nice peizo pickups out that give great acoustic tone from tiny pickups mounted in the bridge saddles. You’ll have to do more wiring, but it might be something you’d be interested in.	Acoustic pickup and associated switches and knobs