My Guitar and How I Built It

This is a slideshow of all the steps I took in order to make my own guitar.

I chose a classic Les Paul design and used mahogany for the neck, ebony for the fretboard, ash for the body with an amazaque cap, hardware all gold, I had wilkinson humbuckers and a gotoh trem system.

This guitar was made by me with help from Mark Bailey of Bailey Guitars and Billy McMillan who did an amazing spray job.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Guitars
• DIY
• making
• built
• own
• electric
• les
• paul
• wood
• humbuckers
• wilkinson
• trem
• tremalo
• ayr
• scotland
• bailey
• mark
• byo

[Virgil605]

Great Job! I also made my own, check out my videos. It's way more satisfying playing something handmade as opposed to store bought. It takes a long time but the payoff is well worth it.

[Demahlguitar]

I couldn't agree more i've played some amazing guitars before I decided to build my own including Patrick Eggle, Epiphone, Gibson, Fender and Washburn but having your own tops the lot. For instance I decided to put on a trem on which a regular Les Paul doesn't have.

[Jerry11606]

when it comes to making the body is it best to start from a single large block of wood or have many thin pieces joined together?

[Demahlguitar]

It's certainly easier with a single block if you can get one, you won't get the nice effect of bookmatching as it can bring out some amazing wood grain effects like the cap on this guitar. It takes a while to get the bookmatching perfect but it can be worth it if you have the right wood, it's really up to you.

[trb1914]

How long did it take to build the guitar? I'm building my own guitar at the moment. Doesn't look like anything anyone will have ever seen. But I'm just curious how long it took the build the guitar....

[Demahlguitar]

It took me 5 days to build but I had one of the best luthier minds telling me what to do so it would have been a lot longer without his amazing help.

[EpicGibsonLover]

FUCKIN EPIC STEVE VAI!

[guitarz418]

Love the choice in music. Steve Vai is a BEAST!!!

[TangeClown]

at least be creative with the body and headstock....

[HRHAF]

@Demahlguitar lol..yeah....you can find tremolo in a gibson.....it just costs 6.000e......i wouldnt buy it....i would make my own...on my style!

[stefandobes85]

wow les paul with floyd rose...... looks great !

[Sk8tboard123]

the music is so fucking booring!

[DECIFERTHIS09]

you make neck building seem easy im in my garage practicing on 2x4 and I just keep messing up I cannot cut that angle how exactly did you do that then again i am limited by tools just a circular a skill and a table saw i still cant make that cut and how many degrees should it be angled

[Bes4]

@deobud123

It's not a real Les Paul guitar, is it?

That's probably why it doesn't have a real Les Paul bridge.

[beefcake0354]

Les Paul style with whammy bar, it always looks weird to me, other than that, great job :)

[s9h9a9b9u]

beautiful.



[akhajem123]

how much?

[lmc06g]

How do you know how big each of the frets need to be? Did you use a a pre-existing template to make it?

[crazykid12325]

fuck that

[crazykid12325]

@bulletstain1 haha



[crazykid12325]

trergnhu

[bulletstain1]

nice guitar!:)

im actually doin a similar build right now and was wondering what your width at the nut and 24th fret were and what scale you used?:)

[1CREATURE100]

@1CREATURE100 *job

[1CREATURE100]

I'm hating on your guitar because its petty badass but i wouldn't put a tremolo system.......just saying.....but good jod.

[cosg9531]

It would have looked much better with neck block inlays.

[nuaurea]

very nice indeed.. from where did you got the mesurements?

[punkeratheart]

I want to cut a LP style body out of ponderosa pine and chamber it out about 3/4" deep, then put on a one piece ash burl cap and a bolt-neck (maple, rosewood) with an ashtray bridge with brass saddles and a GFS AlNiCo Fatbody 10K and a surface-mount at the neck. Kinda like a hybrid of early broadcaster/nocaster, Les Paul, and semi-hollow. Strat scale (25.5) with a chunky satin finished strat neck, 22 super-jumbo frets, and 2 volme controls, no tone control, 3 way switch. It's gonna be great!