If you aren’t a beginner, you can likely distinguish which wood a guitar is made of by its sound. Perhaps you have even considered making your own guitar, taking advantage of materials that will create the perfect sound.
Having Your Guitar Made
According to The Electric Herald, a blog that focuses on electric guitars and other stringed instruments, making a custom guitar is definitely not for someone who wants to save money. Then you should ask yourself what you mean when you say “custom”. It can be a few features that you would like to add to an existing guitar – or, it can be creating a brand new musical instrument. The latter process may take 6-8 months, so be patient.
Making a Guitar on Your Own
As a blog in “Lichty Guitars” advices, If you want to make your own guitar from start to finish, you may be interested in buying a guitar kit. This is the best choice if you are afraid to mess up while fretting the neck or building the nut. With a guitar kit, you won’t have to spend a vast amount of money on special tools. You will still be able to create your own musical instrument with love and care. You just need to be industrious and neat, and you should have some basic hand-work skills.
Things to Remember
When you are trying to create your own guitar, there will be hundreds of questions to consider. First of all, you should think about where you are going to get decent quality wood blanks, tuners, bridge, fret materials, saddle blanks, output jacks, all the wires, and electronic devices. Then, you need to think about smaller details – such as a strap, strap buttons, strings, a pickup, special colors, and maybe lacquer.
On top of that, besides considering all of the guitar parts, you need to write a list of the tools you will need for assembly. The workshop Instructables Circuits says that you will have to obtain the following tools: a CNC router (or plunge router), a table saw, a jointer, a planner, a palm sander, a drill press with a hand drill, a soldering iron, a fret saw or backsaw, a hammer, and a fret crowning file.
In Conclusion
Are you still trying to decide if designing your own guitar is worth the effort?
You should decide the answer on your own. The key factors here are money (it’s definitely much cheaper to buy a new or a used guitar which will meet your demands), time (having your guitar done takes more than 6 months for sure), and knowledge and skills (add some time for learning and failing).
On the other hand, what a joy it is to hold in your hands something that has been made by you with care and love for music. If you are a fan of DIY and keen on playing, go for it. We wish you luck – may your guitar satisfy all your needs!
