about to start making my first guitar - electric guitar

[floody_85]

The same thing happened to me when I built my first LesPaul, if it's only 1/2 a mm over and you're using a tune-o-matic tail piece the posts will have a little flange on top just big enough to cover it up. If you don't have the correct size hard wood dowels and you don't have a lathe to turn some, you can clamp a good sharp chisel in a drill press vice and clamp the vice to the drill press, jam an appropriate lump of wood in the chuck, set your speed to high and use the drill plunge to turn up a dowel. I have done this many time with great success. Or you can go with the over size feature thingy as suggested by simso, that'll work well too.

regards

Wal

Gee you're a bloody resourceful bugger Wal! That's brilliant

Sent from your mums house

[Larkan]

If it's any consolation I did exactly the same thing. A mate had a set of core plug drills and we drilled a plug the identical size and sorted it that way. I just got lucky with someone around who knew how to fix it. Wal also helped me with various suggestions along the way.
Moral of the story: I never did it the next time around. We're hanging out for some photos......

[walcen]

Gee you're a bloody resourceful bugger Wal! That's brilliant

Sent from your mums house

Yeah well you know what they say, when all you got is a drill press every thing looks like a nail or some thing like that.

[Pauls321]

Thanks Wal, that's an genius idea, never thought to turn a piece of timber that way. And I don't have a lathe anymore,

Paul

[walcen]

Hey Paul, Just wondering how the guitar is coming along.

Wal

[Pauls321]

Hey Wal, and others who have been patiently awaiting more news on my guitar making venture,

I hadn't checked this site for a while now and only just noticed your post tonight. Co incidently enough I was going to put up a reply within a few days, my long awaited guitar is all but finished, but it's been a bit of a long story. I'll do pics in the next couple of days. I originally purchased a pre made neck for my guitar but when it arrived I could see there was no way it was going to be compatible with my body I had already cut out from queensland maple. I purchased the neck and all of the accessories from "guitaraust.com.au". A very helpfull chap named Nello.

So after a phone chat with Nello he/we swapped the neck over for a premade neck and body. The one I selected was his replica 1959 Les Paul Gibson. I purchased all the accessories from Nello, finished the body/neck with 6 coats of danish oil and about 4 coats of wax, worked out/fitted all the accessories and I ended up with a extremely nice guitar.

This then left me with my original body from queensland maple. But after making the above one I then felt very confidant of making another totally from scratch. Which I did. I've been away a bit in the meantime, family visiting etc, but that guitar is now all but finished. It was completely finished a few days ago but I was not happy with the profile I made at the back of the neck. Just didn't have the right curve on it. I had the guitar all finished, lovely finish of danish oil and wax, everything fitted, wired etc, and stringed. But decided I wanted to work more on the back of the neck.

So I wrapped a towel around the body very tightly, put a glove over the head and attacked the neck again. I've now put a few more coats of danish oil onto the neck and tomorrow will start to wax it again (back of neck).

So Wal, rest assured within a few more days I will take some pics and complete my story. Also tell you what sort of timber I used. I must say though, it does look amazing, (of course). I'll take a pic of the Les Paul I referred to also.

Regards, Paul

[Blackstar1099]

I'd love to see some photos too.

I've found carving the back of the neck to be one of hardest things when just starting out.

[Pauls321]

Hi all,

Just one photo here of the results of the Les Paul pre made body and pre made neck guitar. It has turned out a very nice guitar, love it. The body is from mahogany with about 16mm of maple on top. Neck is mahogany and the fretboard is rosewood.

My next post will have my own guitar I made from scratch,

Paul

[Pauls321]

Here we go folks, my long awaited guitar. The body is queensland maple, about 37mm thick. The neck, scratchplate and truss rod cover are rosewood. The fretboard is tasmanian myrtle.

It took me a lot of fumbling about trawling through youtube videos etc, but I am pretty happy with the final result. I purchased all accessories on ebay, everything from hong kong except for the electronics, pots etc. They come from the USA and very happy with those. I made the neck from a nice length of rosewood and I didnt slice the head off and glue it back on again. I cut a profile of the head angle and laminated a few pieces of the rosewood together to give me the head and neck all in one.

The frets I purchased (which took about 6 weeks to arrive,..hmmm), had a slot for the timber of about .85mm. So I used my hacksaw in my mitre box (the blade is .75mm) and allowing for my slight movement of sawing they fitted in pretty perfect. The neck has a 12 inch radius and once again, very happy with the outcome of that.

I made a nice contour on the back of the body to fit up under my ribcage and another contour on the top of the body for my forearm rest (similar to fender strats).

Maybe my knobs could have been a tad further back,,,...but,.!

And best of all it sounds veryyyyyy nice,

Paul

[Sebastiaan56]

Nice axe!


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[walcen]

Very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!! well done mate.