Is it a world of pain trying to make an LP?

axisus

I'd love to have a go at an LP, but the thought of it really scares me, for two reasons - 

i) I've made 6 instruments now but all bolt-on necks. The thought of a set neck is very scary! no adjustment once fixed!

ii) Carving the top. I have no idea if I could make that work. Does one need a set of templates for it? I imagine that it would look terrible if you didn't do it close to perfection.

A third issue is that I have no workshop and limited tools and skills, it seems like more of a precision job than a bolt on - getting the neck joint right, neck binding, sorting the angled headstock etc.

I'm toying with the idea of making an SG instead so that I don't have problem (ii), but I'm more of an LP person than SG really, and I'm only planning on making one set neck guitar ever.

Thoughts?

WezV

its not too bad at all.  I put off doing a proper carved top for ages, but it is pretty easy to get a proper LP style carve with the contour template method. 

I would recommend doing a flat top with set neck first

this is a good step-by-step slideshow for a proper Lp style build
http://mountainwhimsy.com/projects/les-paul-guitar/nggallery/page/1

Kalimna

All my homebuilds have been set neck so far - but full width tenon and no back-angle to the join. So fairly straightforward.
My main concern with building a Les Paul (and I'd love to attempt one sometime this year) is getting the neck perfectly in line with the cutaway so the edge of one flows into the other. The back angle is relatively straightforward to do, and carving from templates is not too onery - although it isn't quick!

Adam

Funkfingers

axisus said:

The thought of a set neck is very scary! no adjustment once fixed!

Not so.

You can always heat the glue to remove or reposition a set neck. Obviously, this has to happen before any finish is applied.

It might be worthwhile practicing on the neck joint of a beaten up cheap guitar. It could even be one with a headstock break. Taking apart a set neck joint should provide insight into how to put one together.

dsgb

In November 2016, I got marginally obsessed with vintage burst Les Pauls and started analysing the body and neck shape then working up CAD design sketches. I was partly intrigued by the challenge of designing the contour and doing a nice flame maple top. I did some design feasibilty studies on the 3D top but it was a little beyond my 3D CAD capability at the time. I have since upgraded to TurboCAD 2016 a couple of years ago and have improved my skills such that I could probably do it now.

However, I have sickened myself of CAD design, CNC and manual build work on my Brian May Red Special project. One day I will return to the Les Paul project because I can't afford the £8,000-£10,000 that any kind of decent 1959 reissue would cost and.

Doug

Andyjr1515

axisus said:

The thought of a set neck is very scary! no adjustment once fixed!

But you have the advantage of a significant height adjustment range on a ToM bridge.  And, at the end of the day, it's basically geometry.

That said, I agree with @WezV ; - it's worth trying a flat top first to get the set neck tricks and techniques under your belt...

davros

I'm most of the way through my first carved top LP build but cut my teeth on a DC Junior. I'd recommend that as a first step, the neck pocket is very similar to a bolt on but it gives you some practice with angled headstocks and a small neck angle.

Look at some of the build threads on here, most guitars can be built with minimal tools, it's just better tools make it easier!

andy_k

I built a carved top LP body in my kitchen, from oak, scored when I worked at the Tower of London.
I also used a bolt on Kramer neck, and made the neck angle work with Araldite and clingfilm.
The worst than can happen, is you make a mess.
BTW, the body was routed for a Floyd, and came out quite nice, until a mate of mine smacked the headstock on a door frame and didn't tell me.
I still have the body.

axisus

Thanks for comments all. I fully appreciate the good advice of making a flat top guitar first, but I probably won't do that. I have limited funding for guitar building and limited space for keeping guitars. It is a bit mad that I am making any more at all! The bottom line is that I would really like an LP, but I can't afford the money or storage space for another guitar that I don't really want. I will have to dive in head first on the LP and make it work!

davros

Fair enough. It's not rocket science, just need to take it one step at a time.

To get an authentic carve, router templates definitely make it easier. There are some jigs you will need to make to get the top angles correct. Routing the binding channel will probably require an overhead jig or special tool. The jig can be made yourself.

Regarding the top carve I'd recommend the sticky post on the mylespaul forum in the Luther's Corner section.

I made mine with a full width neck pocket, more like a bolt on, instead of the Gibson style tenon. I think this makes is simpler and also allowed me to carve a smooth neck transition.

There is a video series "Building Les Pauls" on YouTube that goes through each stage.

I must say that building a set neck angled headstock guitar is more satisfying than a slab bodied bolt on!!

davros

Bear in mind though...If you just want a Les Paul, buying a guitar off the shelf is more resellable and may be cheaper. You'll probably lose less money if you move it on. It'll cost you at least £500 to build one from scratch. A kit is another option.

axisus

davros said:

Bear in mind though...If you just want a Les Paul, buying a guitar off the shelf is more resellable and may be cheaper. You'll probably lose less money if you move it on. It'll cost you at least £500 to build one from scratch. A kit is another option.

Not interested in buying guitars or kits! Once you've made your own guitars you never look back!

Thanks for the advice in the post above as well, most useful.

davros

With you there!