This is a small guitar I designed and made. I did all the woodwork and my father did help me a bit with how the braces should go. I designed this somewhat experimental guitar, specifically of note is the headstock shape and bridge shape. The blueprint shown in the video, note that the difference in the headstock shape, still the upper part is correct... I eventually went for a straight sided and angled shaped of the headstock (the actually blueprint of that is in the pile of design papers I guess). The body is a bit thicker than most small guitars. The top is somewhat more thicker than I would like due to the fact I made this in an apartment, with few tools, and in the summer of 2005. A good amt. of wood dust got around, especially for the sanding of the top and back...do this heavy sanding outside or at a shop if you can. Still, the top could be thinner. I didn't even have a fret saw so I flattened a 3 inch long piece of hacksaw blade that was the right thickness and used that.
For the top, it's width is "built up" from thinner pieces. Take a small board of material, perhaps 2 to 3 inches thick and make slices about 3/16 thick. First sand the sides of that initial block of wood flat where they will joined up. It's a lot more joints than normal, however smaller precut blocks of wood are more readilly available and cheap. The back was regular maple wood specifically cut for a guitar I ordered from the catalog several years previously. Backs can also be "built up" from smaller pieces. It is possible to "build up" sides, however I don't even know where to begin with that method...nor most people.
The side material is about 1/16" (3/32" is also good for regular shaped guitars) thin birch (very similar to maple, but maby not as hard) plywood from a harware and crafts shop. I have the common side bending iron that you see around..check Google Stewart MacDonald's luthier supplies, there's several other places that sell it too. You can also use a hot pipe (maby heated with a propane heater) maby 2 to 3 inches outside diameter, usually hollow. Clamp the pipe down firmly.
The neck is mahoganny. The heel is glued on. Actually you can glue the headstock on also, and it would save so much wood and be cheaper than a thicker piece. For the main part of the neck, behind the freboard, you only need 1" thick piece of wood, and the heel and headstock can be "built" up on that. Built it up and then cut the shape out. Neck wood only needs to be about 2and1/2" wide and the headstock's "ears" can be glued on to build it up. Like many guitars today, the neck is bolted on at the neck joint; that is the 2 screws go into the neckblock in the guitar and into the heel of the neck. I'll try to get a photo of that up sometime if anyone is interested. Why bolts instead of glue? Necks can change, etc and need to be reset or taken off for some reasons, and you don't want glue because its very difficult removing it.
The freboard is rosewood, however if your making an electric you can use commonly available maple. Even electric guitar bodies can be glued up pieces of maple. Rosewood and Ebony are expensive as compared to maple and othe woods, and rosewood and ebony are like "sanding glass" when it gets flat.
I used a small band saw (1/8" blades..from Sears) for most of the wood cutting. I have seen in a video here on YouTube, someone use a "jig saw" to cut out the top and back shapes...of course rememeber to leave some extra for filing and sanding.
I used a dremel (rotary tool) for routing the maple binding inlay area on the top side. It was hard since I didnt have the right bit. I guess a regular router and bit would be better, but the dremel is very good for other things.
The nut is ebony, but bone or some kind of graphite would have been ok also. Metal, maby aluminum or brass can be used, after all, the frets are metal.
I haven't been making any guitars really. The one in the vid is of my first and only acoustic guitar I made; I do have a regular sized acoustic guitar also. If you make a any guitar, electric or acoustic, you need to know quite a bit of things and have some tools (some you can just borrow or have access to, such as a bandsaw). Get some books, watch some youtube videos. Design your parts on paper. Think it out a bit, do tests, etc. Many years previously, I have tried making an electric type (strat type) guitar with one "humbucker" pickup, it played. This video is meant as a publishing of my design for who knows what...I seen many simple designs "patented" so I figured I better at least publish mine since someone else can say that they have the exact same thing and I copied them.
Thanks for viewing the video.
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