HelloWorldGuitar

Ever considered trying your hand at building a guitar?

I’ve always loved the Gibson Les Paul but couldn’t bring myself to spend the money to get a real one. The StewMac LP Style Kit at $229 seemed like the perfect way to get a Les Paul style guitar and all the hardware to build a functional guitar.

Stewmac claims you can build this guitar in a weekend. If all you plan to do is glue on a neck and put on the hardware you are good to go! Chances are you’ll be successful in your quest to build a playable guitar.

However… if you plan to do any finishing. If you get nervous and excited when the instructions mention how the frets come undressed…it’s gonna take you some time…and it’s gonna cost ya.

I started this guitar in August and finished it in November. Truth told I could have probably done it in a month had I not insisted on perfecting the sunburst finish, but really it can’t be done any faster. The lacquer can only be applied in 3 light coats per day and each coat needs at least an hour each to dry. All told you need to put on something like 21 coats of lacquer in between rounds of dry and wet sanding to get a nice glossy finish. This process simply can’t be rushed if you want good results.

Also, aerosol lacquer contains some highly toxic VOCs so you’ll want to wear a respirator and spray in a controlled environment with some ventilation. I was able to build a makeshift paint-booth in my garage which worked out well.

Here is a list of materials I used to seal and paint the guitar:

• Naptha and Shop Towels – $45
• Sandpaper, you’ll need 220, 320, 400, 600, & 800 grit to get the job done. Some will come with the finishing kits so read the description before buying – $50
• Finishing Resin – $20
• Vinyl Sealer – $20
• ColorTone Aerosol Finishing Set for Cherry Sunburst, For Mahogany – $120
• ColorTone Power Polishing Set – $127
• 12 Spray Nozzles – $16

Oh yeah, Fret dressing, Necessary? I don’t really know but here’s what that stuff will run ya:

• 8″ Radius Blocks, 16″ radius – $13
• StewMac Z-File Fret Crowning Files, Original Z-File – $72

All in, I spent $1,100 to get it the way I wanted which included some Grover Vintage Tuning Pegs and an obscene amount of additional lacquer because of mistakes I kept making. While less than a Gibson, it was way more than I had anticipated.

Here are some other tips that will save you time and frustration:

• Grain filling is tricky The powder that comes with the Finishing Kit doesn’t seal the guitar. Buy Finishing Resin and apply it everywhere you intend to paint (even on closed grain tops like flamed Maple). It dries clear in about 3 hours will keep that pricey lacquer from soaking into the wood grain which will make the finish look blotchy.
• Go light on each coat of lacquer Overspray will ruin your finish. Thick wet lacquer will run and melt through to any layers of lacquer you have placed below it. If you do overspray, DON’T WIPE IF OFF… wet lacquer will crack the finish in a way that looks horrible. Let the mess dry and go back and sand lightly to try and remove any blemishes.
• Paint one color at a time Buy a bunch of spray nozzles and drop them in some paint thinner after use. Dedicate one nozzle to each color and always do a test spray to clean it out before aiming at the guitar. Nothing is worse than grabbing a clean looking nozzle and finding an errant bit of another color lacquer ruin a nice looking finish. Also, keep your fingertips clean and out of the way because the lacquer spay from the can will melt any other color you may have on your finger and transfer it to the guitar. Yeah, that happened.
• Avoid scratching Avoid moving the guitar while you are in the process of painting. I’ve had a few scratches just from moving it around the house that I just couldn’t live with and resanded the guitar to fix.
• Keep it simple I really wanted to do the cherry sunburst because it’s such a classic Gibson finish. Sunbursts are miserably difficult to do with a aerosol spray can and get right. I wish I had instead opted for a single color on each surface. I probably sanded the top 4 or 5 times to get a finish I was happy with and there are a few small areas where I sanded through the flame top. While most people won’t notice this, I do.

And that’s it! Overall I’m really happy with how it came out. It is not the best playing guitar in the arsenal but I’ll keep tweaking the frets and neck until I get it how I like.

Hopefully this post has helped you decide if building a guitar is right for you or if it might just be easier to go buy an Epiphone and scrape off the logo.

Cheers!