Making Electric Guitars in Marley Grange, Dublin, Ireland 1981

Guitar maker and repairer Derrick Nelson describes his craft.
Aonghus McAnally visits Derrick Nelson at his workshop in Marley Grange in Dublin to find out how an electric guitar is made.
Derrick Nelson explains the process of making a guitar from a solid piece of timber through to the finished product. He generally uses maple or mahogany both of which give a slightly different tone to the guitar.
The making a guitar begins with a series of sketches detailing the specific requirements for the instrument. The shape of the body is then cut from the block of wood and the cavities are carved out. Work on the fingerboard then gets underway. Derrick Nelson finds ebony to be the best material to use. Alternatively, rosewood or maple can also be used depending on the requirements of the customer. The frets are positioned based on a mathematical equation which is dependent on the measurements using the Rule of 18. The next stage is the assembly process, when the pickups, the switches and the machine heads are positioned and attached.
Derrick Nelson also builds acoustic guitars and carries out repairs and alteration work. His work extends to all fretted instruments including mandolins and he has recently completed work on an electric bouzouki.
Aonghus McAnally takes the opportunity to get some recommendations and alterations made to his own electric guitar. Pickups to suit the sound that Aonghus is looking for are chosen and a few design tweaks include having his name emblazoned along the fretboard.
The report for ‘Anything Goes’ was broadcast on 14 March 1981. The presenter is Aonghus McAnally.
Anything Goes was a young people’s programme broadcast between 1980 and 1986.

[@ASTActionCam]

Derek added a Bigsby to my squire Telecaster some time in the early 2000's. The parts and labour were worth more than the guitar, but at 15 I couldn't care less. I still have the guitar and Derek was a gent to deal with.

[@RJH1971]

Yeaaa I hear ya, he re-fretted a US Strat for me around 2005, still the most expensive re-fret I've ever had done lol

[@neil2905]

hi, is del boy still alive do you know. thanks.

[@seanfinnegan1942]

@@neil2905 Still working from the same place in Marlay park last time I looked

[@neil2905]

@@seanfinnegan1942 wow. brilliant.

[@signalcabin]

17.817 is a magic number.

[@rocon86]

Is there no truss rod on these guitars to adjust the the neck? My guitar was laying around for a while and had to tighten it up because it bowed slightly.