Guitar Building with HS students

[andracke]

I have several students in my classes that have interest in building electric guitars. Does anyone have any recommendations on places to buy parts? I have the basis started for the body, but my main concern is with the electronics and where to buy.

Does anyone have a rough basis of the cost to make would be?

Any help I can get would be great.

Thank you!

[bleeth]

Stewmac has everything you need and then some.

[jhedlund58]

Here is stewmac list i use for electrics..... about 300.00 plus shipping.
I ended up making the fretboard after purchasing.

Other things u may need:
.023 end mill for fret slots
.25 extra long end mill. mine is 4" long with about 2" cut depth
I built my own fret bender from a u-tube video



Item# / Description In stock Price Qty

1802 Wiring Kit for 2-pickups with Toggle Switch - With chrome toggle switch Yes $32.65

0053 Metal Jack Plate for Gibson® Les Paul® - Chrome metal, with screws Yes $7.78

5404-S Golden Age Overwound Humbuckers - Black exposed coils, neck & bridge 1-3 days $84.50

1507 Plastic Mounting Rings For Humbucking Pickups - Low, black Yes $3.99

0170 Strap Buttons - Chrome, set of 2 Yes $3.52

0131 Neck Mounting Plate - Chrome, with screws Yes $7.98

1062-R Slotted Fingerboard for Fender Guitar - Rosewood Yes $21.65

6004-VS Slotted Unbleached Bone Nut - Shaped Fender 7.25 Flat Bot Vntg Bone Nut - Slotted 1.4" String Spread Yes $14.98

0148 StewMac Medium Fretwire - Medium/medium, 2 ft Yes $3.86
(will need 2 of these)

1385 GHS Guitar Boomers - Light (.010-.046) Yes $5.92

0915 Gotoh Oval Knob Tuners 6-In-Line - Chrome, 6-in-line Yes $35.91

0179 Gotoh Hardtail Bridge - Chrome Yes $44.53

0171 Traditional Fender-style String Retainers - Chrome, set of 2 Yes $3.03

0465-B Strat Knob - Volume, black Yes $2.36

0466-B Strat Knob - Tone, black Yes $2.36

0173 Guitar String Ferrules - Chrome, 5/16" dia., set of 6 Yes $6.96

0975 Slotted Nut Hot Rod Truss Rod - 18" overall length Yes $17.67

18778

[genek]

you can also get parts and kits at this location www.harpkit.com

they have some free plans... also if you are interested can send you a picture and instructions on a tin can banjo.

I made these for years... dropped it for a while to give market time to forget will be bring this one back this year.

[bleeth]

I have a bit more time now.
Jeff-That's a great looking flattop!
Eric: I checked your previous posts looking for what software you are using but couldn't find it. If you are using Aspire (full version-Not PW) there is a great video series done by a guy named Scott Green on designing and cutting a body in Aspire with a Shopbot. He never got around to the neck part but still sells the video series on the body. Here's the link:

http://www.rmgvideos.com/

Since your use is educational he may let you have it for free if you ask nicely. It is based on an Aspire version that is older now but will work fine with the new releases as well. I actually adopted what he was teaching to Artcam Pro for my use and designed a guitar based on an Ed Roman designed body.

There's also a guy on the forum named Karl Hoyt who teaches guitar building. Here's a link to a thread:

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16902

[bearcat]

I do consulting work for Luthiers Mercantile International and they carry a wide range of electric woods and hardware.

www.lmii.com (http://www.lmii.com) 1-800-477-4437

Ask for Dan as he handles the school accounts (discounts) and also builds electrics.

Ed

[gundog]

I don't know about quality or price but Grizzly Tools sells parts and kits. I have always thought about making one for my son he plays.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/category/235040

Mike

[andracke]

We run Aspire 4.0 on the shopbot - It is a 4x8' alpha with spindle.

[Hoytbasses]

We run Aspire 4.0 on the shopbot - It is a 4x8' alpha with spindle.

Hi:

I've been teaching acoustic and electric guitar building at a high school on Cape Cod for 13 years now: Stewmac has everything you can want.... HOWEVER you can do way better cost-wise. Our average cost for parts per electric is about 175 bucks for an electric, a little more for basses, and 150 for acoustics (not counting woods)

WD music in Ft. Meyers (www.wdmusic.com) is our go to supplier for nearly everything guitar part-wise. Contact Larry Davis (owner) and tell him I sent you. Since you're a school he will probably set you up with an OEM account so you get to pay wholesale for guitar parts. Their Armstrong pickups are killer and very reasonable cost-wise.

As mentioned before, Luthiers' mercantile (www.lmii.com) is our go-to place for guitar tops, rosettes, fretwire, specialized tools . As said before, Dan is the Man you'll want to contact there. They also have lots of second quality guitar parts that you might be able to tap into to save money.

we re-saw all of our woods for guitar building with the exception of Sitka spruce for the tops, and fingerboards. It's easier for me to get my fingerboards from LMII and I pay the extra 7 bucks each to get them pre slotted.

finally, please feel free to contact me (hoytk@nausetschools.org) if you'd like to compare notes. We just got a desktop 'Bot and I know I'll need some backup when it comes to switching from router templates to cutting bodies and guitar tops/backs (and building molds) on the 'Bot...

attached is a small snapshot of some of the instruments we built last year: most years we build about 20-22 electrics and about 20 acoustics every year..... do I have a great job or what?

Karl Hoyt

[andracke]

Karl - That picture blows my mind - How exciting for all of those students!!!

[jhedlund58]

This is MY fretboard pattern. I made it from the fretboard calculator on stumac using the nut to fret calculations. .25" stock... the contour on component is 12 inch radius... so 24 inch circle. I don't see the piece I used for two rail sweep. make your own by creating 24 inch circle and then adding nodes at width of fretboard and delete the rest in node editing mode. and as always check your speeds and feeds.... yada yada yada


from this pattern. I create another using the outline of neck plus a couple of thousandths and cut out. fretboard should fit neck. The middle fret should be mounted in the middle spot between head nut and bridge. I usually cut off or profile around the bottom two frets... leaving me with 22 on a 24 scale... the guitarist I know don't use the bottom two...so close together not much difference in play. This should at least show the process I used to create part.

good luck to you and your H.S.

18797

[jhedlund58]

look into layer called component vectors to see how 2 rail sweep component was made.... I knew it was in there... been busy this morning and wanted to get this out to you... and now the world... someone will probably copyrite it and I wont have permission to use my own work.... ahhhhhhhhhhh

Good luck
_jeff

[richard_saylor]

If you use Sketchup, or have someone in the school that does, this is a handy plugin. http://www.guitar-list.com/download-software/conical-tapered-fretboard-plugin