Thanks. I don't use any fancy tools. I started building by making templates out of 2x4s glued together to get a feel for how to do it. It's all in giving it a shot.

My next builds are going to be korina and I'm really excited about that~!

wow, thats pretty amazing. I wish I could build my own like that. And about you selling them, how much would a carved top version of the NTV (les paul shaped) with some emgs or other active humbucker cost if you were to make one for a customer?

1- You could not do a front pickup on the NTV.

There is an extremely long neck tenon that was designed to give the neck added strength and also more sustain. This is more expensive to build because you need a neck blank that is 4 inches longer than what most would use.

If you look at the pictures you can see the tenon extending beyond the end of the fretboard here:

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii275/gbnguitars/?action=view¤t=17.gif

If you wanted a front pickup and a carved top it would be a different design because the carved top would change the neck angle and routing of the pocket. Active pickups would add cost because of the additional routing, etc....

I could do it for you, but if you're going with active pickups most of the things that make my guitars sound good would be lost on this model. It would be cheaper for you to buy something else and drop the electronics into it.

where do you get the wood for your guitars at

I buy directly from a sawyer. Since I buy my wood rough (it is not square and still has some remnants of bark on it) it is much more affordable then buying blanks - plus you get much higher quality stock.

If you look at the first pic in my first post here I believe there are pics of how wood comes to how it looks when I start.

I am in the process of putting the yellow on a NTV model today. Here is a pic of the first few base coats.

This will be filled, re-sanded and shot with some nitrocellulose before being delivered.

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii275/gbnguitars/?action=view¤t=tvYellow.gif

you use one solid piece for the body right?

ok thanks.... and any advice on building my own guitars? Ive really been thinking hard about making one for myself

I usually buy one piece of wood that becomes the body and neck. The neck is one piece in that there are no seams - aside for two pieces glued on the side of the headstock for ornamentation - like Gibson does.

The body is made from one tree but two pieces are glued together.

I do this for a few reasons:

1- It is much stronger and gives the neck more support

2- Since I am using one piece of wood I can match the grain perfectly and you can not see the seam

3- I like to keep things affordable and this knocks the price down because a piece of mahogany 7" wide is cheaper then one 12" wide. I built a few out of bodies with no seam and there was no difference in sound or look. There was a big price difference.

Here are some pictures of the build starting to come together. The parts are just resting on the body. It still needs some filler, sanding and nitrocellulose.


http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii275/gbnguitars/?action=view¤t=gbn-2.gif

http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii275/gbnguitars/?action=view¤t=gbn-1.gif

As for advice on building your own:

I would say try as many handmade guitars as you can. Disregard all new PRS, Gibson, Fender, etc... and look at some older models.

There is a certain feel to a handmade instrument that can not be explained. As I build a guitar, I am constantly tweaking the neck profile, body shape, contours, etc.... I believe that doing this makes each individual guitar come out better.

When building guitars we deal with wood, glue, stain and lacquer. All these things have variables and need to be adjusted to make the best instruments.

You do not need a lot of fancy tools. Companies like Stew Mac sell impressive tools, but I do all my fretting with a pair of cutters that were $20.00 @ Lowes, a small file set from Sears ($20.00) and an Exacto saw.

I built a jig for cutting different scale length fret boards out of plastic cutting boards boards and parts from an old Apple printer from the Salvation Army ($8.00 total).

I make all my own dyes. My sunburst Surf-7 cost $4.50 to do the finish on the top (not including lacquer).

I make all my own pick guards. I can make a pick guard for about $1.00 instead of paying $12.00 for a sheet of material to make one pick guard.

This is where I keep costs down and how I can make a guitar that will rival a $1000 - $2000 guitar from a big company for $650.00

Also, buying wood rough saves a lot of money. A mahogany blank from a parts supplier is $100.00 (approx). I pay a lot less because I have the knowledge to buy wood rough.

The minimum tools you need are:

1- Scroll saw or band saw
2- Palm Sander
3- Set of chisels
4- Drill
5- Spokeshave