DIY or get a Pro?

[AxeGuru]

Hey Guys n Girls? , need ya'll hellp!.
Seeing that theres alot of guitar enthusiasts jumping on the bandwagon of building there dream guitar and seeing that i have alot of free time on my restless hands at the moment (could change soon tho ) I've thought about (and would love to) build my own Maple/Ebony "30 baritone neck for my RG7321 Note: without having any luthier knowledge whats so ever . But, I'd just like to know from anyone who has built there own neck, guitar etc whether they felt they saved money by going down the DIY route?. In my case its only a neck i wanna make, not a hole guitar so obviously it would be a bit cheaper, but seeing that it would be my first and the fact that I could easily f%*k up in the process plus i'd have to get the woods, frets etc makes me think whether i should get someone to build me one. Then again i'd love to make it myself, what do you lot think? (IS IT REALISTIC!!, specially my budget lol) - £200GBP if not cheaper ($400USD)...

 

[sqol]

You could probably get the timber (including fretboard) for about £100, fretwire is only about a fiver for enough for a neck. Where the cost ramps up is the tools- unless you can borrow them, you'd be starting to push your budget. A fretsaw is about £20-25, rasp/file/spokeshave: £10-£15 or so each, nut files: £50+ for a set of six. If you plan on inlaying anything other than dots, expect to add more to the cost. Personally, i'd say go for it (make sure you work everything out before you even touch the wood so that you don't make a silly mistake- it's not like you could just move the bridge back if the fretboard isn't quite where you'd planned because it slipped during glueing/clamping!), but my advice would be to get the nut cut and slotted (or perhaps just slotted) but a local luthier, as it'll probably be circa £40 (about an hours' work), which'll be cheaper than the £60+ it'll cost to do it yourself

It goes without saying that there's quite a lot of work involved in building a neck from scratch- you're turning squared lumber into a nice elegant shaped item, the most complex piece on a guitar!

Any more questions and i'll try and answer them

 

[Skeletor]

I'm lazy and sucky with tools, so I'd go the route of finding a luthier to do it.

 

[Ancestor]

Good luck either way!

 

[technomancer]

I think for a neck, given the level of attention to detail and tools needed, I'd have a pro do it.

 

[supertruper1988]

You could easily make it a 26-fret 28 5/8" scale and it would bolt right on, but if you are set on 30" scale I can give you some specs but I'll need some measurements from you.

Those measurements are:
from the front of the bridge to the butt of the neck
from the 24th fret to the butt of the neck

 

[Ishan]

Making it 27 frets would be 30.325'' scale, sounds good to me.

 

[RGGR]

If you are in for the adventure. Have the want to learn about guitars and how to make'm. If you are willing to invest your time and money to learn. If you like to be able to say......HELL YA! I BUILD THAT THING.....then opt for DIY route.

But some things to remember.

1. DIY is not cheaper then going the PRO ROUTE.
2. Most first attemps in guitar building end-up as expensive firewood.
3. Your first guitar is probably not a playable instrument (see #2.)
4. You will never just build one neck.......soon you want whole custom guitar.
5. Most builders start with the body...as neck is considered more difficult.

If you are willing to try, learn, attempt.......sign up with projectguitar.com and ask million of dumb questions like most of us who jumped into this guitar building craze.

And you want custom neck on old body. That's fairy difficult route. Learn more about scale lengths and how bridge position on body and length of the neck and position of the neck in relation to the body work together. Cause your in for some figuring out. Noooo easy job for a newbie.