My first guitar build

[Darrell Baschak]

Firstly, I want to say what a great site this is, exactly what I need for this winter project I've taken on. I have decided to build a Strat copy. I am a carpenter by trade and have been dragging some cherry wood all across Western Canada for 30 years. So, some questions for the experienced builders out there. Do you feel my choice of Cherry is a good one for the guitar body? Secondly, I am purchasing the neck and other parts from Stew/Mac which are selling a pick guard called the Golden Age Hotwired. Is this a good choice for this guitar? Should I include the Tremolo in the setup, not sure I would use it that much. Anyways, I would like to post photos of my progress and would really appreciate any type of feedback from the members. Thanks!

[Gordon Bellerose]

Firstly I would like to welcome you to the forum. I too live in western Canada. Edmonton to be a bit more exact.
There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here that's for certain.

Your choice of cherrywood for a Strat body is a good one. I have a cherry Strat body that is just waiting for me to get to it.

The necks from stewmac are good from what I've heard. I do not have any personal experience with them. Whoever you buy from, I would buy a neck that has headstock access to the truss rod. That way you don't have to remove the neck to adjust the rod.

If you do not want to put a tremolo bridge on your guitar, there are a lot of choices of bridges you can use. Either hardtail or string-through the body. Stewmac is a good place to look, as well as a few other sites. If you're getting into building you're going to spend a few dollars at stewmac anyway.
Some say that the tremolo springs in the rear cavity help make the Strat sound so unique.

As for the pre-wired pickguard, you would be pleasantly surprised at how easy soldering really is. For the same money you may be able to upgrade your pickups if you do your own electronics.

If you want, feel free to contact me through the site PM. I might be able to give you some help.

[Mark Swanson]

I will echo Gordon's welcome...and his opinion too. Cherry is a good wood to use. I would suggest no tremolo, unless you already play a guitar with tremolo. They can be troublesome, and you can save that for the next guitar(s).
Consider also making your own neck. we can help with that, and for an experienced woodworker it would be easier than you might think.

[John Kingma]

Consider also making your own neck... ...it would be easier than you might think.

This is so true. I bought the necks for several of my first guitars because making the neck seemed so intimidating to me. But once I built my first neck it became my favourite part of building a guitar. I don't look at those first guitars with the same affection that I do for all the ones I built completely.

[Darrell Baschak]

Gordon, Mark and John thank you for your replies to my post. I will be picking your collective brains for sure. There is something in me that wants to build the Strat neck but for the first one I ordered from Stew/Mac. I am hooked on guitar building already, feel I've learnt so much about an instrument I've played off and on for many years. Glad to hear you guys think the cherry will work, I thought it might have good tone. I have a plank of birds eye maple that I've been carrying around for many years, good chance it is going to be transformed into a neck!

[Pete Halliday]

This is truly a great site and I admittedly read more than I post, but the level of expertise and willingness to help each other out is fantastic. I also agree with the previous comments about your build--I think that you'll be quite happy with the cherry and will find after attempting things that there is really nothing that complicated about building an electric guitar. Necks are fun and rewarding to make and you'll be surprised how quickly you can do it. I find that building in general more about taking care to be as accurate as possible, not rushing through your steps, and thinking through your order of operations thoroughly so that you don't get yourself in a bind. I would actually go one step further than some of the other suggestions here and encourage you to build a guitar that is functionally a Strat if that is what you want, but change up the body shape and peghead a bit so that it's unique to you. My first guitar was/is a Les Paul copy that I helped my dad build 25 years ago and I will always love that guitar because of the experience building it and really learning to play on it, but it bugs me that it's a pretty straight copy of someone else's design and I don't really play it that much any more. Maybe this is just me and some need to be contrary or different, but I take a lot more pleasure in building something that is completely my own. (If you are reading this and feel differently this is not at all intended to be a criticism of what anyone else chooses to build.)

[Darrell Baschak]

Pete, I take your point. I am the type of person who attempts to do things my own way. It drives my wife crazy when we are shopping, say for furniture, and I say that I can build it far superior. The same with the homes I've built over the years, probably would have been easier to just buy something already built, but wheres the fun in that? As for the guitar you have a really good point and I think I will keep that in mind when I shape it. I have already learnt so much about the mechanics of electric guitars, makes it so much more meaningful when you play. Looks like my package from Stew/Mac will be here tomorrow and I can get into it again. Thanks.

[Gordon Bellerose]

Darrell, aee you near Edmonton? If you are I would really like to get together.

[Darrell Baschak]

I'm probably about 7 hours from Edmonton but if I'm in the area we could possibly meet.

[Darrell Baschak]

My guitar body finishing is coming along quite nicely, I will post some pictures shortly. I decided to do what I understand is called a "poor mans burst". I used some air brush colours I had around my studio, black and red, and after some trepidation, went for it. Seemed to work quite well, just some elbow grease involved. I am now brushing on a crushable lacquer, probably up to around 7 coats and it is starting to look like its getting there. My question now is about shielding the routed cavities, in particular I'm wondering about grounding the bridge. I am building a hard tail version of the Strat, do I bore a hole through to the control cavity and somehow attach a ground wire to the bridge? This is all new to me I confess, but I sure am enjoying the process, the wife comments that I seem to be smiling a lot these days (might be the lacquer fumes) Any help on this shielding issue would be appreciated. Merry Christmas to all!

[Darrell Baschak]

My guitar is pretty much finished now, just have some adjusting to do with the set up. I am quite pleased with how the project went and want to thank people on this forum for their input as well as the numerous other resources on the net that made it possible to build the guitar. I am having a blast playing it in my Art Studio that is rapidly becoming a Music Studio as well. I purchased a Fender Blues Junior III amp and I play out there every day, learning the blues, which I love. Here are some pictures of the job.

[Darrell Baschak]

Here are some more photos of the finished guitar. I think it plays wonderfully and seems to have great sustain as well. Its been a blast and I'm thinking I'd like to build another, even though I don't need another guitar!

[John Sonksen]

Nice work, it looks great!

[Warren May]

Looks really good and great job on the inlay.

[Bob Francis]

That is really nice and your inlay is great!

[Darrell Baschak]

Hey, thanks you guys. Theres nothing like playing something you built yourself. My son gifted me with an Epiphone Les Paul Studio for Christmas and as nice as that guitar is I can't seem to put the Stat down.

[Markku Nyytäjä]

Its been a blast and I'm thinking I'd like to build another, even though I don't need another guitar!

That's a beautiful guitar, Darrell! Nice clean work all over and I especially love the bird inlay. Now that you now what you can accomplish, why stop? You can never build or have too many guitars.

[Darrell Baschak]

You know Markuu, you just may be right. Friends have suggested I build another. If I do I'm going to dream up my own design, probably attempt building a neck as well. Of course when you are just starting off there are so many specialized tools you have to purchase to do it right.

[Darrell Baschak]

That is really nice and your inlay is great!

Thanks Bob! I was a bit intimidated about doing the inlay, being totally new to it, but I got over it quickly and just went for it. The tricky part was getting into the sharp corners.

[Gordon Bellerose]

Darrell. Nice work. I really like the color you gave that cherry body.
The inlay is very nice.
Of course Markuu is correct. Once you build the first, the second, third, and fourth are a foregone conclusion!!
It's a terrible addiction that we all suffer from. Fortunately you've come to the right place. We will help you here.