Part 2:  How I make a guitar

Cut out the body from a block.

 

Rout out any body cavities before the neck is attached.

 

Cut out the pick-up plate.

 

Fit the pick-up plate to the neck and measure / mark pick-up and component locations.

 

Clamp the neck to the body.

 

After the neck is attached to the body, radius the fret board with

an abrasive contour tool... really, this is how I do it.

 

Grind out the rough body shape with a carbide power tool.

 

After the power tool comes a series of rasps and files to achieve the final body shape.

 

Contour the neck with rasps and files.

 

Look ma, no CNC machine. This is why it is called hand-made.

 

More filing.

 

The sanding starts with a power tool...

 

and finishes by hand.

 

You might want to grab a sandwich, this takes a while.

 

The fretting process starts by pre-curving the fret wire.

 

Fret segments are pressed in place where the special tool fits...

 

and hammered in where it doesn't.

 

Hand File the fret ends.

 

Filing a bevel on the fret ends.

 

De-burring the fret ends.

 

Dressing the frets gets rid of any sharp edges.

 

Oil it.

 

Paint any electronics cavity with conductive shielding paint...

 

including the pick-up plate.

 

Wire it.

 

Install all components and hardware.

 

File the nut, make many adjustments to set up the strings.

 

Tune it and get the intonation right.

 

Take it for a test drive.

 

follow this link to see pictures of this instrument:

 

ww.petermalinoskiart.com