Been woodworking for a bit now and always thought building a guitar would be cool but the project always intimidated me. Finally got the guts to do it and this is how it turned out! Was definitely NOT without its bumps in the road. Got ahead of myself with the epoxy stuff and routed the design and poured before knowing where the hardware needed to be. So ended up making an entirely new body. Same with the neck and fretboard. Routed the truss rod channel on the wrong side of the neck and messed up cutting the frets on the fretboard. So I have essentially an entire second guitar worth of “lessons learned”. First time doing a cerused finished, first time working with epoxy, first time building a guitar, but absolutely not the first or last time I learn a few lessons while working on a project! Body is red oak, neck is maple, and fretboard is purpleheart.

Hobby builder. Bought a couple of planks of pau ferro, an old chunk of Honduran rosewood and a walnut board with an interesting grain. Resawed the pau ferro and added ears for width. Carved a walnut neck and made a Honduran rosewood fingerboard and bridge. V-braced a redwood top. Tung oil finish. Fortunate to have my friend Suzanne Frank playing it. Recorded on my phone. https://youtube.com/shorts/zBCgYNDH6YM?si=jrBbInCVNFhC_otG

I got this poor telecaster body from a student. After some retooling I was ablek to get it back to the classic telecaster body shape. Before I got it the guy had not paid attention and didnt glue the book match correctly.

Since its already a reject I decided to customize it. Im adding some extra thick binding to both the front, and back. So far the front is done. Im working on the back.

Once its done im going to do a 1/2" round over instead of the standard 1/8" roundover

OG = Old Growth Fir reclaimed from decommissioned Canadian Grain Elevators.

This was one of the oldest pieces of Fir we have found to date. The growth rings telling a story of many hundreds of years.

One of a kind.

Any advive for a noob would be much appreciated, its my first time doing this kind of body work, am just figuring it out as I go

its covered with a spray on putty, since the wood was shit anyway I just roughed it out with files then covered it with the spray on putty so i can finish it without worrying about removing to much material, as i can just put it back on, it also gives really clean edges and is fairly easy to work

what action and measurement on the 12th fret for 1st high e and 6th low e the best on eletric guitar?

Hi! Having some electronics issues, would greatly appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. I followed the attached wiring diagram for an SH configuration. I used the option shown in the box, and also added a resistor (going from neck pickup to ground) so the single-coil pickup sees the pots at around 250k.

The issue:
- It was working fine for a few hours and then started acting up
- All positions now sound like the high end has been filtered out, as if the tone knob is rolled all the way down. However, that’s with the tone knob wide open, and it gets darker as I roll it down (tone pot behaves normally, but overall tone is incredibly dark and muddy, not how it was at first)
- Volume does not completely cut when I roll the volume pot all the way down. There is still audio coming through when the guitar should be completely silent

Relevant observations:
- The middle position (and the humbucker) are noise canceling as expected
- Because the guitar sounded normal at first, I don’t think it’s a matter of wiring it incorrectly. it’s not the cleanest job, but I made sure all connections are secure and used heat-shrinking tubes (and some blue tape) to keep any exposed wires from touching each other

Has any of you encountered this particular set of issues before? I’m wondering if the volume pot is broken internally, which could account for it not going silent when all the way down, but could that also be darkening the tone of the guitar?

Thanks

Hey everyone, I'm struggling to find a plate joiner jig that fits backs for acoustics. Many of the backs I've bought are 230mm x2 each, but the joiner I have from Guitars and Woods only takes up to about 215mm x2.

I know i can just cut them but I'd prefer not to cut, join, then cut again. I'm hoping to find this style of joiner which has a much wider possibility. I can only find it from US sellers. Anyone have a good source for plans for this?

Saturday night, the gig was going great! $20 a head included a drink ticket, a run through the haunted house, a night of great costumes, good company, plus some pretty good live music: A solid rhythm section, two strong guitarists and decent four-part vocal harmonies.

Nearing the top of the hour, I made a call out for Honky Tonk Women to close the first set, so I quickly hung my FMT Tele on the stand and grabbed an axe from the opposite side of same stand that was tuned to open G (for, ya know, Stones) and slung it on. As I readied myself, I watched in slow motion as the Tele took a head dive off the stand onto the concrete floor. It made a God awful noise, mingling with the crowded room, without even being plugged in.

I wonder if the weight difference factored in on a stand anomaly - Tele is very light, while the ‘G guitar’ was a large, solid slab of mahogany. Prob >10 lbs.

Band took a moment before the song while I regathered my ‘Blondie’. She was hurt. Bad.

I shrugged it off (professional dissociation for “The show,” right?) and sang the Stones song, just as if I was into it. Then we took a break as a couple of bandmates gathered around, offering their condolences and their $.02.

I spent the break loosening and clipping the strings off to eliminate the tension. I put it in the case and played the second hour… as if everything were fine. I’ve never seen any issue with that Salvori guitar stand, so am baffled. This morning I removed the tuners, assessed the damage and am rather sad. I think it must have impacted right where the bottom E string set in the nut, ‘cause when I removed the string, it was somewhat crimped by the nut slot. I suspect I may need to replace that nut, or maybe just file. (Any recommendations for the nut?) I’ll also need to fill the little finish crater above the nut, to regain playability. It’s precisely on the thumb’s default position, which means I need to really smoothe that out! What would that process be: super glue and fine sanding? Or drizzle some urethane, then sand and buff?

Yeah, broke out the clamps and the Titebond, but she was CLEAN. Cleanest electric I’ve owned in years, and my all around go-to guitar for flexibility and playability. I’ve got another gig next weekend that I’d love to have her fixed for. Probably won’t happen if I swap nuts.

You know a spooky coincidence? The next morning, my best buddy who traded me this very Fender Tele for a ‘64 acoustic Gibson 12er, just got hauled off in a Life Flight helicopter.

May they both recover fully, to make music again, soon!

Picked up a cheap DIY SG kit to get into building guitars. Used an enamel spray paint that’s refusing to cure. Will baking at 170 degrees F cause issues on the fretboard? Have let it sit for about 2 weeks and still have a tacky feel to it.

Thanks and don’t roast me too hard, just starting out lol.

I have this telecaster body that i want to refinish. I wanted to refinish it like those photos but I’ve never refinished a guitar before, how hard is to achieve those clean edges?

Need some help repairing my electric, brought it into a shop and got a simple setup and to level the frets. I requested to have my volume pots swapped, didn't like the new setup so I swapped them back.

Ever since then my bridge pickup hasn't worked. I tried re-soldering the wiring, since the positive one looked damaged. No luck, but today while practicing I noticed there is some sound being picked up from the bridge. (FYI neck pickup works perfectly)

Don't have a multi-meter so can't check the continuity, but I suspect the issue is the 3-way switch I have. Any input before I put money down to fix this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Edit.
Have always had a problem with the pickups since I first got this guitar.
Meaning I would swap the position of the switch and it would go silent. Would wiggle it for a bit and then produce sound.

Hello, I have a 60’s fender Strat that we picked up cheep. The reason was it has been refinished with a paint that is chipping off really bad. I think it’s a 61 or 62. I found two dowels on it one by the input jack and one by the top horn of the pick guard. The paint is coming off so bad that I want to remove it carefully but mostly under the neck joint. I’d love to be able find something delicate that will help keep in tact anything written under it. There are streaks of the old paint under it that look like Olympic White. I’d like to remove the chipped paint and see how much of the original is left underneath. Any ideas?

I built this one a few years ago and never got the chance to get decent photos. It came back in for a checkup and I finally was able to get some pictures.

Hello. I'm a collector of banjo ukuleles, and I've recently been working on one with a sunburst neck, possibly maple, finished in what appears to be nitrocellulose lacquer.

While adjusting the nut, I put some hobby masking tape on the back of the neck, assuming it would be safe. Unfortunately, when I removed it, it pulled off two small paint chips from the black section of the sunburst. Thankfully the chips were quite small.

To repair them, I used a Hycote Gloss Black Touch-Up Paint (brush applicator) to fill the chips. After it dried, I lightly levelled the repairs with very fine-grit sandpaper, but this has left a few lighter patches around the repaired areas, as shown in the photos.

I'm wondering if there's a way to improve the appearance of the finish now. The original "sunburst" wasn't particularly refined to begin with, so I'm open to carefully blending or refining it rather than simply hiding the repairs. Given that the finish appears to be nitrocellulose lacquer, I'd appreciate advice on the safest way to restore the gloss and blend the repaired areas without causing further damage.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently 19 years old and studying violin performance (Bachelor, 5th semester) in Germany. My current German level is around B1.
Lately, I’ve been realizing that neither the concert stage nor teaching is the right path for me. However, having played the violin for about 14 years, I have a very deep connection to the instrument itself. I find myself increasingly drawn to violin making (Geigenbau)—I love the idea of working with wood, creating something tangible, and getting immediate, physical feedback (unlike endless practicing).
I have a few questions for the luthiers and apprentices here:
1. The Transition: Are there people here who switched from violin performance to lutherie? Does our musical background actually help, or is it a completely different world?
2. Worry about hands: My mother is very worried that woodworking and tool use will ruin my hands and make it impossible to ever play the violin again. How do working luthiers protect their hands?
3. The path in Germany: How realistic is it to find an apprenticeship (Ausbildungsplatz) with a music background and B1 German?
I would be hugely grateful for any advice or personal stories. Thank you!

Hallo zusammen,
ich bin 19 Jahre alt und studiere derzeit im 5. Semester Violine (Bachelor Musikperformance) in Deutschland. Mein Sprachniveau ist zurzeit B1.
In letzter Zeit merke ich immer mehr, dass weder die Konzertbühne noch das Unterrichtenzimmer der richtige Weg für mich sind. Da ich aber schon seit rund 14 Jahren Geige spiele, habe ich eine sehr tiefe Verbindung zu dem Instrument selbst. Mich zieht es zunehmend zum Geigenbau – ich liebe den Gedanken, mit Holz zu arbeiten, etwas Greifbares zu erschaffen und ein unmittelbares, physisches Feedback zu bekommen (im Vergleich zum endlosen Üben).
Ich habe ein paar Fragen an die Geigenbauer und Azubis hier:
1. Der Wechsel: Gibt es hier Leute, die von Musikperformance zum Geigenbau gewechselt sind? Hilft uns unser musikalischer Hintergrund, oder ist das eine völlig andere Welt?
2. Sorge um die Hände: Meine Mutter macht sich große Sorgen, dass die Handwerksarbeit und der Umgang mit Werkzeugen meine Hände ruinieren und es unmöglich machen könnten, jemals wieder Geige zu spielen. Wie schützen arbeitende Geigenbauer ihre Hände?
3. Der Weg in Deutschland: Wie realistisch ist es, mit einem Musik-Hintergrund und B1-Deutsch einen Ausbildungsplatz zu finden?
Über Ratschläge oder persönliche Geschichten würde ich mich riesig freuen. Vielen Dank!

This all I got made currently, like half the body and a neck

A google image search brings up lots of similar options but can’t get an exact match. Thanks!

Hey I think I have sanded too much. 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500 , 4000, 8000.
Have I actually sanded the crowns off? Or are the crowns still there, and I’ve just smoothed over the ridges to an excessive amount?
Please note: the sanded lines in the wood on both sides of the frets was done by someone who previously re-fretted it.

Hey! I’m hoping this is the right place to get advice - searching online for answers has been hard to navigate.

I ordered a custom from a seller in Europe (I’m in the UK - I would rather not name the business to avoid any grief on their side). I formally requested a refund and agreed a date with the trader (which is today). They have told me that they do not have the funds to refund me.

I had offered a reduced amount for them to process to try and make things easier on their side, but have them being adamant on the refund being in full. They’ve stated that I can proceed with going through court if needs be, but with being located in the UK, the way to go about the situation is confusing.

Has anyone else had a similar situation and would know how to go about this?

I recently bought an older Traveler guitar and I want to add an arm carve and fret access cutaway to make it a little more comfy when I play it for longer periods of time. I am all set with tools and experience removing the material, but I do have some questions for refinishing the exposed wood afterwards.

I have reached out to Traveler to ask what finish was used, but haven't heard back. I assume it's a thin satin poly of some kind over a black stain. I might use a dark or black grain filler of some kind then I was going to put clear back over it.

I prefer to use home-mixed shellac for finish and I am wondering if I can butt this right up to the existing poly (given that there will likely be some overlap at the edges of the carves). Will this work or will it cause interaction issues?

If it might, could I simply sand off the poly on the entire top and then use shellac over it?

Also, this guitar has seem some rough painting and scapes/dents already before I got it, so perfection is not necessary, just want to get it more comfy and then protect the wood afterwards.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.