Building a Guitar

[Ndwolf]

I am thinking for my next guitar I will build my own. No I won't be cutting down trees any time soon but I was considering buying an empty body w/out the pickups tuners etc. etc. and seeing if this would somehow give me bang for my buck. What are some thing to keep in mind when doing a project like this? Not entirely sure what route I am going to take but its an idea I've toyed around with. I do no this I am wanting Barenuckle Warpigs in the bridge, not sure about the neck I will have to look at what high output pickups would be more suitable for high gain lead type stuff, but according to them bass response is pretty high for both the neck and bridge pickups. Probably an Ibanez body, love Ibanezes, Ive considering saving my pennies for a PRS but I don't know I just love the feel of Ibanez necks so **** much.

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

[RectoStudioGuy]

I've done similar projects a few times with mixed results. One in particular was a Fender Jazz Bass (circa 77) that I installed Bartolini's in w/ a Wilkinson Bridge. Bill Zolla in San Diego crafted, installed and set-up a P-Bass style neck with Gotoh tuners. That thing play as amazing, if not better, than the Alembic I was using as my main fiddle. Done it w/ various Strats, Carvins, and a Schecter w/ "OK" results...a vintage BC Rich that I later returned back to original. In my experience, taking the conservative approach and having realistic expectations is what you'll find yield positive results.
And if you love Ibanez necks so much...why not just buy one they way you like it. They're pretty "Flex-able"...if you know what I mean. :wink:

 

[Ndwolf]

Metal/Shred is the idea. I am going to do research on how woods affect tonal qualities of guitar.

I've considered pulling a body off of ebay
example
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guitar-Body-made-from-2-piece-African-Mahogany-with-bookmatched-Curly-Maple-top-/251011925286?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3a717a0526

And then sticking an Ibanez neck on it. Not sure about the trem, I guess it would inherent on what body type I go for. Any thoughts on these unbranded ebay guitar bodies?

I recently just bought a Dual Rec Roadster 2x12 which kinda broke me so Iwould not be doing such a project for a while, so there's plenty of time to research and toss the idea around.

 

[RectoStudioGuy]

Perhaps consider a body and neck from Warmoth and having your local Luthier assemble.

 

[Mister Joshua]

I've never dealt with an unbranded ebay body so i couldn't say. I would however look very carefully into the seller's return policy. You can usually spot a body with a few simple tests prior to mounting hardware so you can return a subpar body. One test of course is a general aesthetics test, looks, weight, etc. The other is to test the vibrations of the body by thumping it with your fist while holding it to your torso and timing the decay. You can actually tell the sustain, volume, and general tone of a body by feeling and listening to the acoustics of the body.

As for the Ibanez neck, those are great. I think you have a good idea about building your own and doing it within a budget. Let us know if we can help out.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[Ndwolf]

Thanks guys!
On second thought maybe buying a branded body isn't such a bad idea, that way I can idea for SURE what it might sound like, build quality, tone etc etc etc.

I probably should post this in another thread but has anyone ever used Seymour Duncan Invaders or BK Warpigs on Mesa dual/triple rectos and have raw sound clips to share?

I currently use EMG 81/85 and they sound ok but I'm not entirely sure how to explain it but I want something different. They definitely don't sound bad I am just wanting something that has a richer clean sound which but still gives me crushing distortion. I guess that's just high output for you though. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Ideally I eventually want to have a separate guitars for metal/shred and the other blues/classic rock. Money is somewhat of an issue.

 

[deaconschwaz]

Thanks guys!
On second thought maybe buying a branded body isn't such a bad idea, that way I can idea for SURE what it might sound like, build quality, tone etc etc etc.

I probably should post this in another thread but has anyone ever used Seymour Duncan Invaders or BK Warpigs on Mesa dual/triple rectos and have raw sound clips to share?

I currently use EMG 81/85 and they sound ok but I'm not entirely sure how to explain it but I want something different. They definitely don't sound bad I am just wanting something that has a richer clean sound which but still gives me crushing distortion. I guess that's just high output for you though. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Ideally I eventually want to have a separate guitars for metal/shred and the other blues/classic rock. Money is somewhat of an issue.

If money is somewhat of an issue, don't think that you're going to save any by building your own. I'm currently building two and not only has it taken forever, (I'm building from scratch, and I had a pretty nasty thumb injury in December) but I've had to learn a ton of new ideas, techniques and find patience. Going the rout you're talking about will certainly be easier than what I chose to do, but you will likely need tools that you don't have, (guitar tools cost a lot), space to build (may or may not be an issue), information on what to do (books, dvd's, online stuff) and will have to look at things like finishing the body which can either be cheap and fast, or expensive and time consuming depending on the quality level you're looking for.

It's not just the body and the neck you have to get it's the tremolo ($100 min.), tuning machines ($50-$90), locking nut (?), pots and jack($40-$100+), pup's (a set of warpigs will run you $300?), and more depending on how much stuff is pre made like fret's and whether the neck pocket is right for the neck you want to use (if it's not you'll need a router and possibly complex jigs if the body is pre-contoured). You could be over $600 in before you start talking about the cost of the body and the neck itself.

Factor in the time it will take and whether after all that time you feel confident that it will play like you will like and if you feel good about it, go for it. Just don't jump into it lightly or think it's going to be easy cause it probably won't be.

My best recommendation for you if you still want to do it is to buy all the parts from Warmoth, you can get a body with wood spec'd out by you, and a neck that you can get exactly the way you want it, (Scale length, number of frets, headstock, truss rod) and you know that it will fit into the body the way it should.

I'm totally stoked on building my guitars from scratch but I've discovered that I'm a bit of a masochist and a perfectionist and I am learning to have infinite patience. If you're looking to start getting parts and have this thing together right away you're probably better off saving your money for a factory built guitar, or as another poster above stated "get the parts and have a local luthier do it".

I'm not trying to discourage you as much as it sounds like I am, I'm really trying to point out some realities that might not occur to you until you're already committed to the project and find yourself too invested to pull away from and too overwhelmed to finish.

Good luck

 

[Mister Joshua]

Thanks guys!
On second thought maybe buying a branded body isn't such a bad idea, that way I can idea for SURE what it might sound like, build quality, tone etc etc etc.

I probably should post this in another thread but has anyone ever used Seymour Duncan Invaders or BK Warpigs on Mesa dual/triple rectos and have raw sound clips to share?

I currently use EMG 81/85 and they sound ok but I'm not entirely sure how to explain it but I want something different. They definitely don't sound bad I am just wanting something that has a richer clean sound which but still gives me crushing distortion. I guess that's just high output for you though. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Ideally I eventually want to have a separate guitars for metal/shred and the other blues/classic rock. Money is somewhat of an issue.

About the pickups, have you ever thought about Duncan Blackouts. I used them briefly in a few guitars that came stock with EMGs and found them to be amazing comparatively. Kinda like an EMG the way an EMG should be in a perfect world. Just a thought.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[olds_71_442]

:lol:

Interestingly, this thread was created when I got the final pieces for my build....which is a Jackson DK2. I bought everything off eBay. To be honest, it would have been cheaper to buy whole. Maybe.....The reason I say maybe is, there are no other DK2s with the George Lynch Screamin Demon pickup or a real Floyd Rose (black chrome hardware). I also ended up with a Jackson neck with the maple fretboard that are available with the DK2M. So.......in the end it wasn't cheaper, but I've got a DK2 that is awesome.

 

[diesil]

One thing to remember when buying a neck off ebay is first is it a bolton or are you after a set neck? if it's a set neck then there is a good chance it won't fit without a little "adjustment" so q is do you have the tools and skills to alter the body etc?
I've been a cabinetmaker for 20 years and I built my first one last year....alot of work prob _ about 30+hours
So keep that in mind-it's not difficult to do but it isn't easy either.

 

[gonzo]

i've built 4 strats.
here is a quick rundown of my latest and best build

my USACG strat project



USACG custom strat #2 (2nd version, more on that at end of post)

Original version:

tall version:
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9003/fullsideedit.jpg

(headshot)

(side headshot)

(jackplate)

(bill lawrence pickups, and the hipshot trem)

(backshot)


guitar shielding:

USACG body and neck.

body: lightweight Alder 2-piece, with a contoured heel, side jack, tummy route, fall-away cut out on the back side of the bottom bout for upper fret access.

neck: hardrock maple neck, with a pau ferro fingerboard. 6150 frets, 1-5/8" nut width. small fender-style headstock.
--Gibson scale length neck, 22 frets, fingerboard radius, of 12". the shape of the neck is a thin "C" shape, with a .78" neck thickness at the 1st fret, up to .85 at the 13th, mother of pearl dot inlays.
vintage truss with access at face of headstock.

headstock: tiltback design, 13 degrees, graphtech nut.

Bridge:Hipshot 6 String US Contour Tremolo Chrome with stainless tone bar.

pickups: humbucker-single-single, Bill Lawrence L-500L and L-280s (n & m)
Q filter for master tone, and a master volume. (500k pots)

Scratchplate: done by Warmoth, it's a slightly custom shape, with the 1st volume knob hole removed, and my luthier cut the hole for the Lawrence pickup (not a standard size) to match.

Paint: originally done by a local luthier. later slightly damaged in a flood.

the lighter version, done by USACG custom guitars, it's all NITRO, and very very thin. I instructed them to make it as thin as possible, wear is not a concern to me.

cost breakdown:
neck-$246
body-$170
pickups-2x40 + 1x50=$130
Q filter- $20
bridge w/steel sustain block-$120 (luthier's price)
custom warmoth scratchplate-$35
odd hardware- $40
custom finish-$300
Sperzel tuners-$65
sheilding - $20
__________________
$1146