SSO build tutorials

[J_Mac]

As a beginner I have been eagerly absorbing everything I can about gtr builds. I've learned more at SSO than any youtube video or other website. There's a massive stack of talent here.

What I can't seem to find is a concise overview of how things are done from start to finish, in what order, potential pitfalls and recommendations. This would be a massive help for beginners.

I know it's a big ask, but could anyone be so kind as to give us their general approach when building a gtr?

 

[Kashmir]

A lot of good information and tutorials here: ProjectGuitar.com - Home

 

[JuliusJahn]

Its hard to do, because we all have and use different jigs, machines, and preferences. Through experience you'll learn what saves you time and with ever mistake you can re-order your list. Routing the Hs before you glue the FB is a good one that you dont know until you have to shim your template by 1/4" to stop the router from hitting your fretboard.

 

[pondman]

What's a router ?

 

[J_Mac]

Its hard to do, because we all have and use different jigs, machines, and preferences. Through experience you'll learn what saves you time and with ever mistake you can re-order your list. Routing the Hs before you glue the FB is a good one that you dont know until you have to shim your template by 1/4" to stop the router from hitting your fretboard.

Exactly my angle dude, I am curious about the methods of the SSO brains and how your general approaches differ and complement each other.

 

[J_Mac]

What's a router ?

 

[JuliusJahn]

Exactly my angle dude, I am curious about the methods of the SSO brains and how your general approaches differ and complement each other.

PM me your email and I'll send you a screen shot of my list. I don't really want to make it super public, so feel free to re-write it to match your needs then distribute that version.

 

[pondman]

I've often thought about doing a full vid of a build but cant even remember to take pics these days. My techniques would probably shock you as well...no templates, routers or any real deliberation. Its all or nothing, I fix the mistakes as I go along.

Hope that helps

 

[J_Mac]

Are you sanding the shape in by hand? And how do you do the pupholes?

Actually I reckon there's a lot of dudes here would all chip in a can of Carling to see a build vid from yourself

 

[pondman]

Only joshing I use a router for cavs etc.

 

[J_Mac]

PM me your email and I'll send you a screen shot of my list. I don't really want to make it super public, so feel free to re-write it to match your needs then distribute that version.

That's super kind dude!

And she is gorgeous

 

[J_Mac]

Only joshing I use a router for cavs etc.

Lmao, I was having visions of you sticking a slab of wood in a pond of Koi -> *pond bubbles and steams* -> fine gtr emerges like Excalibur.

 

[JuliusJahn]

That's super kind dude!

And she is gorgeous

Email'd

 

[Killemall1983]

I would post a lot of my methods and tutorials if they didnt make me pay to be a contributor...

 

[J_Mac]

I would post a lot of my methods and tutorials if they didnt make me pay to be a contributor...

Really? Is that true for all luthiers?

I really dig that blackburst SS man.

 

[ChAoZ]

Tele Home Depot | Telecaster Guitar Forum

 

[ElRay]

Only joshing I use a router for cavs etc.

Crap. The magic is gone. I just assumed you stared at the wood and it shaped itself to your will.

 

[DistinguishedPapyrus]

. Sorry double post.

 

[DistinguishedPapyrus]

Wow... where to begin... everything I know about guitar building is self taught over about 6-7 years of scrolling through many many web pages and lots of trial and error on a few dozen planks. Still nowhere near being a pro, and only 1 fully complete and playable build hanging on my wall.

But I've been wondering when this thread will pop up, seems like it may be a little more efficient if it were a "tips and tricks related to lutherie" thread, so as to pick out a particular step, or process someone is good at or has developed an interesting method for, and expound on it.

Here's at least a few points I could give:

Don't clamp a radiused fretboard with a flat clamping block.

Don't drop your pieces (or tools) on the ground.

For glue joints, make sure they are completely flat and sanded to about 80 grit just before gluing. Let the sand paper be the last thing to touch the wood before applying the glue - to keep oils from your skin off the wood

Always route with a guide or template of some kind in place, that thing will snatch our of your hands quickly if you don't maintain control of what it's doing.

If you want something super flat, sand it against a flat surface.

Try to orient the grain of your neck laminates in a quarter sawn pattern for good stiffness.

When picking out neck woods, simpler is better. Really long straight plain looking grain is what you want, not wavy, burl, curvy and short looking grain patterns.

Stick to the same plan beginning to end. Changing things up mid-build just causes problems.

Don't over think things.

Make sure you got plenty of clamps.

Buy nicer tools, not cheap ones.

Wear a respirator, and hearing protection.

When routing, take off a little bit at a time over multiple passes to make nicer cuts with less tear out. Routers are high speed and precise tools, so use things like a drill press, circular saw, band saw... etc. to take off the bulk of the material and let the router make the final fine shapes. Also, make sure your templates are as smooth as possible, because every little bump will get transferred into your piece you are working on. And where possible, cut with the grain, or get a counter-clockwise rotating router. (Trust me such a thing is avaliable, and easier to get than it seems.)

Put a strip of tape over the truss rod overlapping the edges of the slot a little bit before spreading glue for the fretboard, then pull the tape off last minute when you clamp the fretboard down - helps to keep glue out of the truss rod slot. The glue will still squeeze in to cover the area you taped off, and will probably still get into the slot some, but just keeps it to a minimum.

Don't have enough clamps to glue a top to a body blank? I have literally parked a car on top of it once to get enough clamping pressure over that large a surface area. I jacked the car up, positioned multiple blocks and flat pieces of MDF over the body blank, then let the car (front end with the engine) come down and rest on the wood. I calculated it out a few times after reading the sticker inside the door, the ammount of weight distributed to the front end of the car by the surface area of the glue joint came out to around 35 psi. Which still was not quite enough, but the glue joint came out great anyway. It was a Wenge top and Cherry body. I'll build something with it this year hopefully.

 

[Killemall1983]

Really? Is that true for all luthiers?

I really dig that blackburst SS man.

You arnt allowed to post anything that shows your work at all if you are a builder that sells or does it for a living. You have to pay for a subscription if you want to do that.