Building an electric guitar

In January 2021 I started building an electric guitar using only hand tools. I used to play in a band when I was younger, these days I don’t play as much but I still occasionally enjoy it. After watching way too many YouTube videos by Ben Crowe it was off to the hardware store to buy some lumber and start sawing and planing (in our kitchen):

I decided on a multi-laminate, neck-through construction: I cut, planed and sandwiched pieces of oak and beech

then carved a channel for the truss-rod (the all-important screw that permits neck adjustments) and started shaping the headstock and neck contour. With the rough shape of the neck done, it was time to work on the body, loosely inspired by a Gibson Les Paul. The body is constructed with three pieces of Douglas fir: one for the top and two “wings” for the back, with the neck passing through them.

Having roughly cut the body, it was time to move to the last - and most important - piece: the fretboard. I built this out of a piece of oak, stained with a concoction of vinegar and steel wool which reacts with the tannins in the wood. This piece needs to have a radius (for smooth playing) as well as precisely cut slots to accommodate the metal frets.

With all the pieces cut to shape it was time for the big glue up, which involved lots of clamps and blocks of wood I recycled from a pallet found in the street.

Then it was on to final shaping, carving, sanding, drilling, fixing mistakes, wiring the electronics, staining the wood, more sanding, oiling, finishing … you get the picture.

And there it is, after three months of occupying the kitchen with tools, wood shavings and dust. Time to play now.