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