Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey everybody, i've been lurking for a while and decided to join.

I've spent a lot of time looking here and in MLP and have decided that I want to try an amateur build.

I was thinking either LP DC Jr. or a nice Tele.

There's always the possibility that both of these are completely out of my league, and don't be afraid to tell me that...

What I know:
I need a lot more tools than I have (I have some clamps, a drill, typical tool kit components, soldering iron.)
Setting a neck is not easy, but I feel like I want to do it that way.
I know nothing about finishing, but with the right tools, I am determined and can finish a project.

What I don't know:
Everything else.

I'd like it to be a no-frills, easy starter first build (i.e. no binding, simple electronics, minimal/no inlay.)

Thanks guys.

Jim

There's no reason you shouldn't try a Tele or LP (without binding!), and you could use a bolt-on or glued-in neck on either one. It's not that difficult to do a set neck, all you need is a router. Cutting out the body can be done with a coping saw and a lot of work, or a bandsaw and less work.
More and better tools make most tasks quicker and easier, but time and effort can make up for the lack of tools.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

So, I've been thinking about getting a tele deluxe or custom lately to fuse LP and Tele (at least aesthetically, sonically i'm not sure), so I have an idea:

Make a telecaster, bolt neck is acceptable for that.

One piece alder body, maple/maple neck, no inlay on neck (I like no inlays on maple fretboards, not just settling.)

The kicker: two ESP humbuckers, master volume, and instead of a master tone, a killswitch disguised as a tone knob, and a typical tele 3 way switch.

Stain the body blue, tru oil finish, keep neck entirely natural.

Standard tele bridge for humbucker, locking kidney tuners, strat shaped headstock (tele custom style)

I have a very amateur knowledge of wiring, I had a killswitch in my les paul but took it out.

Does this sound realistic?

Nope. Better give up hope.

Just kidding. Sounds good to me. Get on craigslist and start looking for a router, bandsaw and drill press and get hackin.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Haha i'm not sure about a bandsaw seeing as i'm 16, but a router is doable and a small drill press is as well.

I found a good 2 in 1 router for $50 (I say good as in good enough for my purposes) and am still looking at drill presses.

EDIT; found a decent drill press for $40 but it's too far away for them to deliver! Bummer. Cheapest one in my area is $250.

You should probably know then that a router is much more dangerous than a bandsaw. I think most people would agree. Watch some videos on youtube on setting up a bandsaw, something you will most definitely have to do at some point. Luckily it's relatively easy, typically all you need is an allen wrench.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Benchtop models for the bandsaw and drill press would be OK to start out, a 10" bandsaw is fine for cutting out solid bodies.
+1 on the router being more dangerous, not only to you but also to the wood you're working on. Every piece of wood I've ruined was with a router. Check everything twice to be sure it's tight and doesn't slip!

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I use a $100 Ryobi 9" bandsaw - works great for cutting body outlines and other thin wood cuts.
X-mas is coming soon - make your list and check it twice!

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

My humble suggestion is to start by buying Melvyn Hiscock's book and studying everything in it. He covers building three classic styles - a set neck/carved top (LP style), a bolt on flat top (tele) and a thru body neck bass. He talks about all of the tools you will need and how to use them, covers finish options and has a great chapter on wiring theory and methods. He also covers all the elements of design - scale length, neck angle, bridge height, etc - unless you are going to copy an existing design you will need to deal with these things.

You might find that there are some steps of the build that you would rather not do or rather not buy the specialized tools - mitering the fretboard, shaping the neck or even cutting out and routing the body. You can buy premade parts for each of these from StewMac, Warmoth or many other suppliers.

At 16 you might also be able to build a guitar in a wood shop class - that would provide the tools (and safe instruction in how to use them). But seriously, start with Hiscock's book and go from there.