Tips for Creating Your Own Guitar

There are music lovers and there are wood crafting enthusiasts; and sometimes the two are combined. Whether your love is for the sound that a guitar creates, or actually creating the instrument itself, the guitar is a magical instrument.

If you do have the passion for working with wood and building instruments, guitar making may just be for you. As with any project you’ve never before attempted, it may seem quite complicated for a beginner, but with a few practical tips, you can begin your journey in crafting guitars.

Designing Your Guitar

Before making any purchases, it is smart to begin with a design for your guitar. If you work with any type of building or engineering software like CAD, or something similar, it will be extremely helpful in working out the correct dimensions.

It is also a great idea to reference your design against some models of guitars online or in a book. This step will help you in knowing what types of materials and wood to purchase.

Gathering Your Wood and Supplies

Once you have completed your design, now is the best time to purchase your materials and supplies. Your design and the references for similar guitar styles will be your main guide in making this list.

There are certain woods that are common when it comes to guitar making, such as rosewood, which is perfectly fine and beautiful. Since this guitar making project will take approximately a couple of months to complete, you might consider splurging a bit on the type of wood you purchase.

East Indian Rosewood is common in guitar making and pretty economical, but if you do want to splurge, which many guitar makers suggest, consider Amazon Rosewood for your project.

Buy Quality Tools

As with any crafting project, the quality of your tools determines just how easily you will flow through your work and how well put together your item will be. It is no different with guitar making, as a matter of fact, it may actually be more important to the depth of sound and longevity of your instrument, to purchase quality tools.

The tools needed will vary according to your guitar design. You will find many instructional books online and in the bookstores, that will provide you with a list of tools. You will not need every tool you read about, but these books are great references for your next guitar project.

Building

Many books will guide you through building the neck of the guitar first, however, there are builders who choose to build the guitar body first. So this will instinctively be your choice. You must decide what feels better for you.

The best tip for building your guitar is that patience will definitely be a virtue. Also, it is wise, plus time and money saving, to compare instructions, plans, and books. Following just one set of instructions or plans may cause you to purchase something you may never need to use, or may advise you to purchase the wrong size or length of materials. Follow the guides that are the most similar to your original design, and if you feel it is best to alter your design, then take the liberty to do so.