How to Build a One Piece Guitar
- 1). Draw the shape of your one-piece guitar onto a slab of maple wood, two inches thick, with a pencil so that you can erase any mistakes you have made. This size will give you ample material for the body and the neck. Pick whatever shape interests you, but some popular shapes include the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul. You can create your own custom shape as well, just remember that it should be comfortable to play while standing as well as sitting.
- 2). Cut out the entire shape with a vertical band-saw or a jigsaw. The vertical saw will make the job easier as you can use two hands to guide the wood, but a jigsaw can get into corners easier than a vertical band saw, so you may want to use both. Stay to the outside of your markings, and use an orbital sander to finish the overall shape. If you go too far on the inside, you will not have enough material to finish the project correctly as drawn.
- 3). Sand the entire roughed one-piece guitar. Using the orbital sander, you can make the guitar to the exact dimension drawn directly on the wood. Use the sander to create contouring on the body as well. Most guitars have contours on the back so that it sits comfortably on the body and also on the front area where you arm will rest while playing.
- 4). Rout the cavities for the pickups, and control cavity. Make sure the pickup cavities are deep enough to accommodate the pickups and allow enough room for the shafts of the pots to stick out through the front of the body far enough for knobs. Start the routing by drilling starter holes with the area to be routed and insert the router bit to remove the wood.
- 5). Use a slotting saw to cut the neck for the frets. After you have cut the slots, use tin snips to cut frets for the neck. Tap them into their slots making sure that they are all even.
- 6). Paint or stain the guitar, taping the neck to make sure you do not get the paint or stain in this area. You can also paint or stain the back of the neck and the head stock for a completed look. Auto body shops can paint guitars as well, so call around and see if any in your area will do this step for you.
- 7). Drill holes in the head stock for the tuners and install the rest of the hardware, including the pickups, bridge and electronics. Simply drill the bridge in using the supplied wood screws in line with the neck. Attach the strings when you are complete and plug it into an amplifier to hear your creation.
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