The PDF plan I used is attached; plans for pretty much any other body style can be found online. We craft quality guitar and bass parts for trade and hobbyists around the world. Touch up as needed. Cut your lumber to length (20") and get a good smooth, straight edge on 1 long side of either piece. Neck screws are typically #8, 1 3/4"; I'm using #10 on this one, because that's what I grabbed by accident, and 1 1/2" because I'm countersinking the screws. Again, be very careful here, it's very easy to ruin the whole project with a slip-up here. Order a matching scratchplate and we will make a scratchplate that matches the body you are purchasing. So once the one I ordered from Warmoth arrives, we'll see. I use a combination of the round end of my belt sander for roughing down open areas, and drum sander drill attachments (2" and 1/2") with my drill press for tighter curves. A good multi-temp soldering iron can cost around $40, and a multi-temp heat gun that much or more; this provides both in a compact package. Standard Strat wiring diagrams are all over the place online, but I've included the one I used. on Introduction. Follow the instructions for whatever glue you use; for most wood glues, leave the pieces clamped for an hour, then let the combined piece sit for minimum couple of hours more before doing any work on it. Polyurethane is easier to apply and is more durable, but I wanted to "relic" it, and lacquer's much easier to do that with. (Maple is extremely heavy, probably one of the heaviest woods normally used for guitars.). Carve the forearm, belly, and right bout (the area to the right of the neck at the top of the body, where your hand sits while playing on the high frets) divots: If you want to make the neck join a little more comfortable, use the same process to add a slope to the body portion of the joint. Be careful around the neck pocket. Contact Us. The soldering iron likewise heated up fast, and the temperature control made fresh and re-soldering really easy. Make Guitarbuild.co.uk your source for custom guitar & bass parts. This can also be done (more quickly) with a router, preferably on a router table. We have been in business since 1999. We also carry Guitar parts and finishing supplies. Clean all the sawdust off the body, then apply the color coat. Good luck! We have been in business since 1999. Spanish Cedar Body Blank. We will send you discount codes & updates. THEY ARE TAPED OR SCREWED DOWN TO THE BLANK AND ROUTED TO SHAPE. We craft quality guitar and bass parts for trade and hobbyists around the world. Sand back the finish in spots where there would be wear naturally (the arm "rest", around the jack, the middle of the back, etc. Or just make one up! Just router for the pickups, bridge and neck pocket yourself or get a quote for us to do it by emailing a drawing … Install the string ferrules on the back, the bridge, and the strap pegs. Don't overdo it. After the clear coats, if you're not going to relic the body, let it sit for a week or so and cure. You can route the entire thing after you cut it out if you want, but at least route the neck pocket before cutting. Be careful not to cut inside the line. Make Guitarbuild.co.uk your source for custom guitar & bass parts. The dimensions given are for this body only; if you want to make a Strat or Tele or whatever, you may need more or less wood accordingly. There are several instructibles on this general topic already, but this is just the way I did it for this style of guitar. I routed out more wood than is strictly necessary in order to bring the weight of the final product down. The cavity for the Strat-style jack plate is approx. Theres an ad in the local paper with a guy selling pine from a 200 year old warehouse.. he says it 3x12 with lengths up to 16 feet. And go play. There are some examples below to help you. I've got all the hardware for a Jazzmaster (except the bridge) -- pickups, pickguard, controls, tremolo. If you need custom work on a scratchplate please get in touch first for costs. Be sure you get all the dust and steel wool bits off before spraying again. 5 years ago Make sure you order the correct size material for the scratchplate you require. Doing a hollowbody or Les Paul-style guitar takes different steps and techniques, so this won't work fully for any style of guitar other than a flat-top, solidbody, bolt-on neck guitar. Did you make this project? Once the body's cut out there's not much wood up there for the router to sit on, and you won't have a straight edge to use for a router guide. After the first couple coats, start lightly dulling the finish with the steel wool between coats. Bodies can be found for relatively cheap, if you're not worried about going name brand. Install your neck, install your strings. If you're new to soldering, this instructable, while not specifically about guitar wiring, is very, um, instructive. We will never send spam emails or share your details. Install your pickups and electronic bits into the pickguard, and wire it up. Design and 3D Print Your Own Phone Case (in Fusion 360), Wood: 2 pieces, 8/4 (~1.75" finished) lumber; 8 x 20", Take a piece of your body cut-off and attach the bridge to it with the mounting holes/screws, Drill the string holes all the way through the block with the drill press, With longer screws of the same size, mount the jig block to the body, Drill the string holes with a hand drill; this way the bit is deep enough in to not wander once it actually hits the body wood (be careful not to start drilling a new channel while moving the bit through the jig; easiest way to avoid this is to run the drill in reverse while inserting it), Using a 1/4" router bit, carve a series of "steps" to rough out the shape and depth of each area, Use the belt sander to grind the slopes smooth on the forearm and belly cuts; for the right bout, I'd use a dremel on it to rough it, then finish with a rasp—it's too easy to get carried away or for the belt sander to get too eager and ruin your neck pocket. Some made in the USA in our custom shop. You did a great job I wish I could make something like that i'm not that skilled haha. Clear coat it; I used gloss Minwax lacquer. Before drilling the various bridge screw holes, check your layout. And some grunge by putting some brown or cordovan show polish on a paper towel, wiping it on, immediately wiping it off, then clean it up by spraying Windex onto another paper towel. The neck in the pics is one I built from scratch that wound up not working out (hence the lack of instructions on making one). The central unit is about 4x6x8", making storage very easy. I used the heat gun to fix some finishing issues and to speed glue/wood filler curing, and the soldering iron to solder the electronics. If using a standard Fender replacement neck, the scale length (distance from nut to bridge) should be 25.5"; you can verify it by measuring nut to 12th fret, then doubling that (for example, a standard Strat neck will be 12.75" from nut to 12th). I brushed on; it was very cold, though, so the paint was thicker than it would be normally, and brush marks were an issue. 5 years ago on Introduction. Bought it from a guy who found a Jazzmaster with a broken neck in a dumpster...too bad he threw the body, etc. Been looking into both manufactured bodies, and DIY. TELE Dimensions. BYO-BLANK-POP $55.00 * * Pine Body Blank. Humbuckers need a deeper cavity than single coils, and P-90s or Jazzmaster-style pickups actually mount to the bottom of the cavity, not the pickguard or pickup ring, so need to be pretty close to the pickup specs. Sand the color coat smooth with high-grit sandpaper (400). On the ground wire hole, put a couple layers of tape down so the drill's chuck doesn't chew up the wood if you slip. I did, and it created an issue (as you'll see in later pictures) that had to be corrected. If you have a drill press, make a jig: Cut out the body with a band or jig saw. The heat gun is remarkably quiet and heated up fast, and the wand style makes it really easy to control, as compared to the traditional hair-dryer shape of most heat guns. New Stock every week - Worldwide Shipping. If you get a body blank or a piece of lumber wide enough to not have to do this, skip to the next step. choice of: Std. Set it up. Drill the strap post and neck mounting holes, and make sure everything's good for fit. translation missing: en.products.notify_form.description: Notify me when this product is available: Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …. BYO-BLANK-SP $65.00 * * Poplar Body Blank. New Stock every week - Worldwide Shipping. We will never send spam emails or share your details. The shape of this one is a hybrid of a Fender Jazzmaster and Stratocaster. Tele shaped Guitar Body Blanks for Luthier Projects. The dimensions given are for this body only; if you want to make a Strat or Tele or whatever, you may need more or less wood accordingly. But this is pretty much the easiest kind of guitar body to make. Obviously you can get a heat gun and soldering iron for less individually, but if you want something that takes up less room and does both jobs well, this does the trick at a very fair price.