Guitar Making Community - Recent Posts

Advice needed for first time builder.

Rib-f — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:12:18 +0000

Hello.

I'm just about to embark on my first guitar build & am seeking some advice. I'm planning on building a Tele because I'm thinking that might be simpler for a first time builder & also I have a Tele already which I can compare to as I build. I'm doing this on a bit of a shoestring budget with many things I have already.

Questions:

1. I have a poplar body blank & also some 1mm booked matched maple veneer which I was thinking of using on the front. Is veneer wise to use on the top of the guitar or is it better to use something thicker to avoid tear out with the router.

2. I want to add some fake ivory binding round the body & was looking at rebating router bits. I realise that stew mac do some router bits designed for this job but they are expense (to me at least) for a first time builder & this may be the only guitar I ever build. I see other cheaper rebating bits, which I get aren't going to be as good because "you get what you pay for", but they make too big a cut for the binding I have. Is there an easy way to make them take less of a cut ? Maybe wrapping something round the bearing or packing out the guitar body to get the bit further away from the body.

3. When I look at my neck side profile template the part that bolts to the body has a depth of 23mm. I plan on using a finger board glued on this. When I measure my Tele (maple neck) the thickness here appears to be about 27mm. This implies that the finger board would only be about 4mm thick in the centre, which when considering the radius would mean that at the edges the depth of the finger board would only be 1-2mm which just seems wrong because the fret tangs must be deeper than this. I've been looking at plans but there doesn't ever seem to be any info on these dimensions. Could anybody shed any light on this for me please ?

Please excuse these probably basic questions, & thanks in advance.

RE: Renaissance Lute

nethanpaul86 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:20:30 +0000

This renaissance lute is really worth the wait. The people making this renaissance lute pay a lot of attention to details from history. They do a lot of work by hand. This makes the renaissance lute builds very special. Thank you for sharing the update, on the renaissance lute. It is great to follow along and see the renaissance lute come to life slowly.

RE: Thinline tele

nethanpaul86 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:19:07 +0000

That’s a mix of materials.

The yew and resin body with a sipo mahogany top must look really cool.

The flamed maple neck and ebony board is a touch.

I can see why you like the P90s. They are good, at being clear punchy and having a lot of character.

The double f-hole design really finishes off the thinline look.

It looks like an instrument!

RE: Getting started...

nethanpaul86 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:16:44 +0000

Mahogany and cedar are great, for making a guitar that sounds warm and nice. Mahogany and cedar guitars are very responsive. When you start building your guitar it helps you understand the things you are learning. You can try out the things you learn away. The grand concert style guitar is a size. I am excited to see how your guitar develops. Your mahogany and cedar guitar will be great.

Answer to: Acoustic building tools

Brian Walker — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:28:23 +0000

@nethanpaul86 Hi, and thanks for the advice👍😃 My cam clamp production line continues !! I’m up to six now a couple of them longer than the original ones I made, I know you can never have too many clamps, so the work continues 😂😂. These home made ones may not be as good as the shop bought ones but boy are they cheaper. Once I start on the guitar build itself, as it’s my first acoustic build, I will be following Mark’s excellent Build your own acoustic guitar course and it seems sensible to use one of his kits but I might decide to use some different hardware e.g. tuners and fret wire. After all if you have bits left over at the end of one build, it gives you good reason to start the next one (wouldn’t want to see things going to waste would we).

All the Best,

Brian👍😃🎸

RE: Acoustic building tools

Brian Walker — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:57:49 +0000

@Robin Thanks for that Robin, I will probably have a go with the scaffolding tube but will keep looking around for something with a bigger diameter. I will heed your advice and seal the end of the tube👍😃 don’t want to go roasting my nuts🤪😂😂

RE: MMOexp Monopoly Go to invaluable strategies and insights

nethanpaul86 — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:38:02 +0000

Good overview. One strategy that often gets overlooked is the value of flexible trading. Sometimes completing a color set through a fair trade can be more valuable than holding several unrelated properties. I also agree about the orange properties—they seem to generate consistent traffic in most games. Monopoly is as much about timing and negotiation as it is about luck, which is what keeps it interesting even after countless games.

Answer to: Acoustic building tools

Robin — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:34:19 +0000

@brie Hi Brian, I've not done any guitar building since I moved to Clydebank. I've got a workshop now but still to build a workbench. I want to build another acoustic but never seem to find the time. I think my bending tube is 70mm diameter, I don’t see why 50mm wouldn't work. I think you'd need to cap the end of the tube though or you're likely to burn yourself. Robin

RE: What would you like to see next?

nethanpaul86 — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:30:40 +0000

There are some great ideas on that list, but I'd really like to see a course on recovering from mistakes and wood defects. Every builder, regardless of experience, eventually runs into issues like tear-out, warping, or routing mishaps. Seeing practical repair techniques and ways to salvage parts would be incredibly valuable. Learning how experienced builders solve problems is often just as useful as learning how to avoid them in the first place.

Answer to: Acoustic building tools

nethanpaul86 — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 19:25:15 +0000

You are off to a start, Brian. Your cam clamps will handle tasks but it is a good idea to have a few shorter cam clamps and a few longer cam clamps. This will make life easier during stages of the build.

For bending the sides of your guitar, a steel pipe setup can work really well. You do not have to spend a lot of money on this.

Since you are building your guitar from scratch it is also worth thinking about guitar parts. A made bridge and a well made nut and a well made saddle and good tuning machines and good fretwire can make a big difference in the tone of your guitar and the tuning stability of your guitar and the playability of your guitar.

Choosing the guitar parts for your guitar is one of the easiest things you can do to make your guitar better. Guitar parts, like a bridge and a good nut and a good saddle and good tuning machines and good fretwire will make your guitar sound better and be easier to play.