Building your own guitar

[robert]

Have you guys ever tried building your own guitar?

There are books and DVDs with instruction, and it's easy to get good parts.

You can buy a kit for low dollars and put it together yourself -> http://amzn.to/1gxBiRU

I actually have a book about how to do this. One of these days I'd like to give it a try!

[creekster52]

If you do it, don't use the kits. You would be throwing money away on the hardware and electronics, which are usually sub-par. There are plenty of bodies and necks out there, in varying degrees of completion, from bare wood to fully finished. You just have to watch heel/neck pocket dimensions to ensure they match.

For a slab guitar with a bolt-on neck, it's pretty simple.

[zagatron1]

I'd prefer the "bodies and necks out there" approach like creek said. That way you're in control as far as what you want. You get a chance to hand pick components (if you're particular about that sort of stuff) among other things. I've done a few that way. However the first one (some 35 years ago) was about as crude as you can get. I made my own body (no template!) and used a neck from a cheapo SG. Cheap hardware, Dimarzio pickups! It worked. Didn't play that well, but it was good enough to get stolen. The last one was an already finished Strat body and neck (from Picker's Parts) that happened to be Fender Mex stuff, Callaham hardware, electronics from RS Guitarworks and Fralin real '54 pickups. Best thing about doing it that way is you don't have to worry about finishing the body or neck (if you get a close to new one) if you're not into the finishing thing. All I had to do was assemble the thing, do some soldering, do the set up, etc. Sold that one about 6 years ago.

[DetroitBlues]

I've assembled and refinished several, not made any from raw lumber. It's a fun process, I enjoy it when I have time.