How to Custom Design Your Own Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic guitar kits are readily available to those inclined to build their own acoustic guitars, but for the serious guitar enthusiast, the answer to finding your perfect guitar may not lie in a pre-designed kit. Learn how you can design and build your acoustic guitar from the ground up to give yourself the stamp of originality.

Things You'll Need

• Wood Tuning Keys Bridge Nut Truss Rod Wood Lathe Super Glue or Epoxy Stain Paint Lacquer

Instructions

How to Custom-Design Your Own Acoustic Guitar

1. Design your acoustic guitar. Decide on the unique shape you want. Decide the type of wood you want to use for the neck and body. What kind of fingerboard will you use? Do you want gold- or silver-plated hardware? Study a variety of manufacturer's specifications and decide which of the specifications will suit your needs.
   There isn't a single set of dimensions for body depth or thickness of an acoustic guitar neck, but the style specifications you adhere to will dictate the tone and playability of your guitar in greatly different ways. It's best to pick a pre-exisiting manufacturer's style and work from those dimensions, changing them to suit your design as you see fit. Draw a set of templates to use as a guide. Keep in mind a bigger body will give more volume, but a smaller body design is more comfortable to play. Strike a balance between playing comfortably and getting quality sound out of your instrument.

2. Use a wood lathe to cut the rough shape of the neck. Attach a routing tool and cut a channel for the truss rod. You can drill the tuning keys into the head stock at this time. A wood lathe is a handy machine to have if you want to make guitars.

3. Sand the neck, then apply stain, paint and lacquer. Let the neck dry, then seat the truss rod in the truss-rod channel. Do not glue it in place. The fit should be snug enough to prevent rattling. You can add a little silicone caulk if needed. Place a strip of tape over the truss rod, then glue the fingerboard to the neck.

4. Put the neck back on the wood lathe and drill the holes for the inlays. Change to a cutting tool and cut the fret slots into the fingerboard. Remove the neck from the lathe and cut, fit and glue a laminate cover to the headstock.

5. Fit the frets into the fret slots and tap them into place with a rubber fret tap hammer. Check to make sure the frets are level. You can actually use a level, or you can lay a long file on top of the frets and check to make sure they all connect evenly. File away the rough edges from sides of the frets, ensuring that they are flush with the sides of the guitar neck.

6. Cut the front, back, and sides of your guitar and glue the pieces together. Secure the entire body with clamps and masking tape until it has thoroughly dried. Cut the neck slot in the body of the guitar and attach the finished neck with a strong bonding agent.

7. Stain, paint, and lacquer the body. Add any custom paint designs before applying the lacquer. Consider painting your signature or initials on the headstock.

8. Install the bridge, the nut, and the tuning-key hardware.

9. String the guitar and tune the strings with an electronic tuner, alternating between them as you bring each string up to pitch. Set the action and make sure there isn't any fret buzz. Once the action is set and the strings are stretched, you're ready to play your one-of-a-kind custom acoustic guitar.

Resources

• Project Guitar
• Build Your Guitar
• Build an Acoustic Guitar in Ten Seconds