Electric Guitar Construction

This book explains step by step, with over 1800 photos and more than 600 illustrations how to layout and build your own electric guitar. Build an entire guitar in a small room on a homemade multifunctional work table. Only a router and some easy-to-make jigs are required to prepare the wood.

In the past few years the market for electric guitar kits and parts has exploded. For every two enthusiasts, there are four opinions on how properly to fill woodgrain. In this book, Will Kelly cuts through all that noise and shows how, with a little patience and some inexpensive tools, the average person can turn a modest investment into a gig-worthy instrument and perhaps even a lifelong hobby. Kelly presents guitar-building in a progressive fashion, beginning with a simple Stratocaster-style kit with a bolt-on neck and continuing on to a "relic'd" Telecaster-style build, two Gibson-style set-neck models, and a custom double-neck mash-up. Because each build is more involved than the previous, the reader builds on his or her skill set and acquires only the tools necessary for the reader's level of interest. Kelly shows how to apply finishes, choose and install hardware, wire electronics, execute the final assembly, and set up the finished guitar for proper action and intonation.

The first choice of aspiring guitar makers for more than 30 years For some, it is not enough to buy a guitar--the challenge of designing and hand-making a unique, customized instrument is the dream. Since 1986, these people have turned to one book: Make Your Own Electric Guitar. Written in a clear, relaxed style, it covers every facet of guitar design and construction, as well as electronic theory and practice, and full woodworking and wiring techniques--all supported with plenty of photos and diagrams. Now in a revised and expanded third edition, Make Your Own Electric Guitar will enable any musician or enthusiast with basic woodworking skills to create a uniquely valuable instrument.

Presents detailed instructions for building a standard 6-string solid body model guitar and bass, using common tools and easy-to-order materials, and providing resources for obtaining electronic components and other hardware. Includes pictures and diagrams of each aspect of the construction: body shape, bridge types, neck and headstock, cutting and shaping, and assembly.

Aiming to take the mystery out of guitar making, this comprehensive book includes step-by-step colour photographs, diagrams and clear instructions for each procedure. Containing information on design, wood selection, hardware, tools and techniques, it allows you to select almost every element to create your own instrument.

General Reference

"A guide for the first time builder. The definitive work on the design and construction of a solid body electric guitar." --back cover.

Master guitar maker J.P. Laplante shares the joy of guitar-making in this book. Here is an illustrated step-by-step guide to Building an Electric Archtop Guitar. Building an electric archtop guitar can be a pretty intimidating project but, it becomes much less so if you're guided, step-by-step, through the building process. With almost 20 years of experience in custom guitar making, the author details the step-by-step making of an electric archtop guitar using commercially available laminated top and back plates. Laminated plates have been the standard used on the vast majority of electric archtops since the 50's, and definitely represent a cost and time effective solution, especially for those tackling a first archtop project. Complete and comprehensive, all aspects of the construction are covered, from the initial design stage to the very final setup. The text is supported by over 300 high-resolution colour photographs positioned throughout the 15 chapters of the book. These pictures were taken as the three guitars featured on the back and front cover of the book were being built. For more info/background, visit my website at www.laplanteguitars.com