1st DIY Guitar | 2017 | Telecaster
Back in my sophomore year of high school, I was taking a facilities management course 3 hours a day every other day. At the time I was looking to get back into guitar and was not financially comfortable with purchasing a guitar of my liking. I’d been playing instruments since I was 7, so I knew that I wouldn't be happy spending money on something cheap. However, I would find some fulfillment in building a guitar kit for a similar price and would potentially learn new skills. Not to mention, the project would be a graded assignment.
While already doing some wood work and electric wiring for primarily switches in homes, I did not know much of anything regarding building a guitar. This was a kit, so putting the pieces together was not the difficult part. I gave it a decent paint job, purchased a pickguard for what I thought would make it look better, and made sure to purchase my favorite strings. I quickly learned I didn't like wolves on my guitars.
My major difficulty was wiring. I managed to improve my soldering skills and get the signal flow correct after getting help from a family member who had a better understanding of electronics and got the guitar to work! Thanks Greg!
The end result… It wasn't good and after being gifted a Fender Telecaster of much higher quality, I sold the project. I learned some new riffs on it while taking lessons, but after receiving the new guitar, I quickly stopped touching it all together. The overall tone was bad, the frets would cut my hands when playing fast, and it just wasn't a fun guitar to play. Granted it was a functioning guitar and so worth the price and experience of building. I’m glad I spent the money and it was the beginning of my interest with the acoustic physics, quality and electronic influence on guitars.
I recommend to anyone to build a cheap guitar, no matter the experience of the player or builder. I say this because it is both a rewarding process and helps you appreciate the craftsmanship of a well made instrument. There are so many parts that go into making a good guitar and I discuss those in my second guitar build.
