DIY Guitar Therapy: Walnut Guitar Build Pix

Walnut logs from trees taken down in my back yard

Rough cut slabs air drying with a dehumidifier

After 1+ year of air drying, walnut slabs are planed and glued into a body blank

Glued up body blank. Oversized so final shape can be cut out avoiding the snipe from the planer at each end

All the parts. Used 5 different sources for parts.

Trying shapes. This is a tracing of my 1981 Matsumoku Skylark

Almost there

Final shape: Synthesis of the Skylark and a PRS SE Custom 22

1st step is laying out and routing the neck pocket. Everything else is placed in relation to this. STEWMAC template a bit oversized, so I I traced the actual neck I was using and then hand cut a template from MDF. A pain, but worth the effort: the neck fit is very snug.

Neck pocket routed. Flat bottom, but I install a 1degree walnut shim for a slight angle

Eye, ears, and breathing protection a must!

Rough cutting the body shape

Finishing the rough cut of the body

Starting to look like a guitar! Just a bit of sanding to get a perfect neck fit

Using the router with a pattern cutting bit to start the final shaping. I then used a long flush cut bit with bearing to cut the pattern for the full body thickness (1 11/16")

Drilling holes for the bridge studs. Using a Gotoh T.O.M. style bridge, recessed into the top, with the strings feeding through to the back. The blue tape is where I marked the string spread as I was locating the stud location.

Neck pocket ready for drilling. I used threaded inserts in the neck for a true "bolt-on," rather than screw-on construction

The best laid plans... Apparently my measurements were off slightly, so I had to fill and then re-drill the bridge stud holes. Luckily, this was hidden by the recessed routing for the bridge

Starting the edge profile by rounding over with the router. The heel and tummy contour on the back I shaped by hand with a rasp and then sanding

Correct stud holes drilled!

Using a forstner bit in the drill press to cut out the bulk of the pickup routs. STEWMAC template and double-sided tape worked great

Two pikup rots done, bridge recess rout done

All top routs, drilling completed

My own MDF templates for routing out the control cavity and control cavity cover from matching walnut. Same process as pickup routs: Forstner bits to hog out the bulk of the hole, then a pattern bit with the router to finish things off

Control cavity, vol/tone pots, 3-way switch and panel jack holes completed

Matching walnut control cavity cover

Recessed, shaved body stub for attaching neck. Countersunk holes for neck bolts with ferrules. I wouldn't try this with any wood, but walnut is very strong

Shaved heel on a Mighty Mite CR2900 9 1/2 - 12" compound radius neck. MM's are good starting bones: I check and level frets as necessary, smooth all fret ends, replace stock nut with an Earvana compensated nut, and finish with a coat of Tung oil

Brass threaded inserts installed

Bolting neck to body

Grain filler on back

Grain filler on front

Grain filler on cover. I go through a ton of Daisy sour cream containers: mixing grain filler, dyes, etc.

soldering a ground wire to the bottom of a bridge stud before installing stud. This is a step often overlooked by 1st time DIY'ers

I wince everytime I see someone hammering in a bridge stud: too many possibilities for something to go wrong. I PRESS in the studs. A drill press works great. I use the alignment tool that came with the drill press, but an old bit of the right diameter, reversed so the cutting flutes are in the drill chuck also works.

Close up of pressing in the bridge studs

Everything laid out for final assembly. A piece of 2x4 wrapped in foam shelf liner makes a handy neck support

Panel jack installed

Copper shielding tape installed.I use an extra piece of copper tape folded up with holes punched in it for a grounding "bus."

Installing STEWMAC Golden Age pickups, top string ferrules and Gotoh bridge

Green wire is ground wire from bridge stud. Wires are looped to avoid being caught by pickup adjustment screws

.022uf Sprague orange drop caps for the 2 tone controls. I use a multimeter to check actual value of all pots, then write the value on them with a Sharpie. This allows for best match to guitar/function. 500k is rarely 500k: even with good CTS pots. The neck tone control is a push/pull pot for coil tapping