Can you do a video building a guitar (one that's not super complex) using these hand tools that you're promoting? So we can see how each one is important or what we have a chance of already having. That would be very interesting.
You helped me start building guitars due to being constantly layed off. I was nervous at first but you soothed that by showing mistakes can be better. I started making my own block planes and blades. You are an inspiration to others. Thanks. I'm over 60 and have 21 guitars but still don't know how to play yet. I'm not overly concerned about that because I think of it as an art.
Here are some other things not covered, but often overlooked 1) engineer square. For setting up precision lines, and accurate markings, holy crap do not forget this tool. 15$ for a good one. 2) high quality pencils (Drafting pencils) 10$ 3) machinist scale 36" (not mandatory but again, the precision and time savings come in handy!) Johnson sells them for decent quality for not a whole lot of money, 10$ or so. 4) a good marking gauge goes a long way. 10$ here 5) digital calipers 30$ tops, dont go crazy here. 6) shop vac. go as big as you can fit/afford here 7) Its safer to get a cheap router with a high quality bit. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON BITS. A GOOD BIT WILL LAST A LONG TIME, CUT CLEANER (SAFER!!), and is well worth the money! 8) you can go cheaper with sandpaper, but you're ultimately wasting money. Good sandpaper lasts longer, cuts cleaner, and works better. Mirka makes the best cost-effective sandpaper for power sanders, and 3m makes some higher quality hand paper. A box of mirka multi grit (from 80 to 240 grit) costs 15$ on amazon. 9) use the right bit for the right job. Don't be using a small router bit for a large surface area. Its unsafe, wastes time, and ultimately wastes money as youre gonna dull em out in a heart beat. 10) good drill bits. Omg I hate using cheap drill bits now. Spend the money, they will be worth it.
what a great video you made. I was a carpenter for 20 something years, I almost always did renovations on homes. I found many very cool, very useful tools at yard sales. some of my favorite things were my Stanley Bailey planes, I've used tools every day that I know are at least 50 years old, and their still able to make money for me. thanks for a great video.
I may be a little late posting this but anyway I'm very impressed with the care and free exchange you have for your customers and even viewer's here in the US we are overly blessed there is a tool store on every corner ive built custom furniture for about 40 years and I too started with hand tools,,, it makes you appreciate the bigger, better, hi performance equipment ....this yank if that's the way you say it ( southern yank ) thoroughly enjoyed your post thought it was very instructional thanks Steve USA.
Just finished my first ever electric guitar build from scratch (although just the body, the neck came from a donor guitar). It’s taken a while and all I had was a chisel, a detail sander and a cordless drill. Many mistakes made along the way and a far from perfect guitar. However it works and plays well. The point being, you don’t need many tools to actually make one. Having done it I’m now happy to start building up a set of tools so that the next guitar I build will be of a much higher quality and finish. This video is a great starting point for what I need to look for. Thanks Ben.
Ben, thank you for your tremendous efforts to teach us the art of the Luthier. And thanks for validating my obsession with planes, and as a matter of fact, all high quality tools. We become tool junkies as our knowledge and talent progress.
Outstanding channel, definitely appreciate the list provided. As a teen I apprenticed as a gunsmith (focused more on the stockmaking side than metalwork), but also dabbled in valve amp building and basic luthiery. My father has a workshop that is an accumulation of easily 40+ years of various wood and metalwork so I was absolutely spoiled haha Now that I'm out of the military and no longer moving every few years I'm definitely going to work on building my own workshop up.
Hi Ben, greetings from The Netherlands. Thanks for taking the time to make these vids. I enjoy making Cigar Box Guitars, (I even try and play 'em). I like to keep my builds as uncomplicated and rustic as possible. I try very hard to do this without compromising on the tone, or the beauty of the instruments. I also keep my tools as simple as possible. They're basic and good quality. The trick is, I look after them. They in turn, look after me. I can't work without Japanese pull saws though. These are my weakness. I love them. Even though your vids are not CBG specific I still find them very useful and informative. Again, many thanks
I've now caught the bug.. I've been playing guitars that other people made for years and now I really want to build one myself... I probably have half (if not more) of the tools needed. Granted, my first project will probably be a kit guitar that I can experiment with just to dip my toe in and see how it is. I've never really been interested in wood working but now I have a really good reason to be interested.
Basic tool requirements are basically saw, rasp, knive to sharpen your pencil and a good set of chisels. I do agree with the tools you mentioned as they would save a lot of time and time is something that non of us has unlimited.
I don't know if anybody suggested already, but if you build a neck you'd make good use of a nut slotting file set. Also if you buy a cheap neck, the nut is usually not set correctly so it will be useful then, too. I know it's quite expensive though.
We're working on a budget but slotting file set.. Well, relatively budget.. They are pretty damn time consuming to make so tend to cost quite a bit in relation to other tools we make.
''...and now you're wondering why there's usually blood on my floor''.... hilarious, this man slips in witty, dry humour every chance he gets, what a character, I could listen to him speak for hours, and when the topic is guitars, its even that much more enjoyable! Just love this channel, informative AND entertaining...
Hey now. Don't badmouth DeWalt. I work for them. Ahh, but you mention Stanley. You like their planers? Stanley Black and Decker owns DeWalt 8) Thanks for the videos. I love playing guitar. Rather than laying out $2500 or so for high end (Ibanez, Vigier, etc.,) guitars which may or may not have the specs that are perfect for me, I'm seriously thinking of taking up luthiering. You are an awesome craftsman and your videos are appreciated. I'll tell people about Crimson guitars. Maybe you can mention DeWalt's new DC brushless angle grinder some day. I'm on a small team of electronics engineers developing the motor controller for that baby.
Mike, I love the DeWalts I have had the pleasure of using, I found the DeWalt metal cutting Dropsaw the best for ergonomics because the handle is side on to the disc (that's just one example), No one else seems to have caught on to the awkwardness of straight handle Dropsaws. DeWalts electric tools always seem to have lots of grunt too.
Watching this I'm wondering how I've managed to build all my guitars with only a fraction of these tools. Looks like I'll have to expand my collection.
We share the tool problem - many do, including super fine makers who can make just about anything. A friend, George Wilson, is 75 (76?) and just about worn out but he still has the tool bug bad. (same george wilson who can be seen in a video making violins and spinets by hand on youtube "Colonial Violin and Harpsichord Making"). He's got the making and buying bug bad (he's a toolmaker, too, but it doesn't keep him from buying) - still overflowing with wants to make and build.
Haha. I am making my first violin from scratch and it can be also done with fraction of usual tools. Lot of essential ones can be made or bought cheap. So if I were you, I would not worry about your limited toolspan.
This video has been such a great help! I know its older now but thanks! Luckily i have most if not all of the non-specialist bits in the hobby shed- I bet it would cost a bit more than £500 today! I do love that you talk so much about second hand prices and such, its just how i built up everything i own. I have a collection of ashley isles, sorby and henry taylor chisels that would make most life long pattern makers blush and i spent no more than £150; i dont think any where ever used before i got them, sitting in sheds for decades. School shop machinery was a blessing when HS regs changed a few years ago, wadkin, startrite and meddings stuff came penny's to the pound for a little while; my partner had to accept i love her and my startrite 352 equally 😂 Would you consider doing an updated version of this kind of videos now its closing in on a decade ? I imagine you can easily replace something like the second hand stanleys which or going up in price with a electric planer from Aldi for £30 for instance
Thank you sooooooo much for this video, I have wanted to start building as a hobby but had no idea how much it would cost, this has been Great! All you're videos are awesome, entertaining and educational, keep up the good work, thanks again
Thank you.. Since I made this video I ended up opening a Vintage Tool Shop as well as Crimson.. Check out www.vintagetoolshop.com it should have some of what you need at very good prices! B
Crimson Custom Guitars I've already checked out the vintage tool shop when I started watching you're videos because I'm absolutely positive I'll get a quality tool no matter what I order, you are always honest so I can't go wrong really
Most of the tools I have from union apprenticeship and buying tools as needed/wanted, even before I was a carpenter and I built several hand made guitar/basses with a rented band saw and my router and rasps borrowed at first family tools then slowly built up to more tools than I have room for In my 2 car garage which is mostly storage.
I haven't seen you even mention the oh so mighty Shinto rasp ! Well, on this video at least. I've discovered that "saw rasp" thanks to you, and I just love it for neck carving, and other stuff like that. Thanks for the video, I'll be looking for some planes since I only have the nr 4 one.
Thank You for this video on TH-cam I m planning on making a stracoasters type guitar body and a telecaster body and finish them My self .I have two with great necks I'm going to use My existi g necks they perfect frets I leveled recrowned My self.Thank You for making this video. You and Yours be more blessed.
If you have very little woodworking/engineering skills then i would say its best to buy/build a kit guitar first, just to get a good "feel" of what is involved. Then move onto making the body and buying the neck. Building a guitar from scratch in my experience requires a lot of accurate skills and experience in marking out, measuring, cutting, machining, forward thinking, timber structure etc, and is NOT a "beginner woodworkers" project. Unless you want a guitar that's purely for decoration because its unplayable!! You will need to be able to work to tolerances of + - 0.5mm or less for it be be in tune and look good. Having said that, anyone can do it but you need the basic experience first. :-)
Well said Rodney! I have a metal engineering trade background but I think even kit guitars are a bit daunting. I would have a go at a repair job though. Tolerances are not a problem, it is more working with a material which is quite foreign to me, that I find intimidating.
I bought my first router at Home Depot for $59. It's a Ryobi 1-1/4hp model with just a 1/4" collet. It's cheap, but it's still going strong, 3-1/2 years and ~10 guitars later. I also have a couple of Craftsman router and a Porter-Cable router set up for various tasks. I use the Ryobi mostly on a sled for routing scarf joints. My first bass was made with the Ryobi router, a Ryobi 3/8" hand drill ($49 I think), a small crap drill press ($69 at Harbor Freight), and an oscillating spindle sander ($160 from Grizzly). I also got a Black & Decker random orbital sander at some point. I think it was $30. That was the extent of my power tools. I also had numerous borrowed files, rasps, gouges, and planes. It took me about 8 months, but with a months long break for summer, as my shop isn't air conditioned. My favorite power tool that I've added is my 6x36" WW2 era jointer. I got it for $20 on Craigslist. I had to build a stand and add a (scrounged free) motor, but it works beautifully.
25 years ago i needed to cut brick and concrete with a angle grinder. I did not wan to use my expensive Bosch and Hitachi's for this, afraid i damage the tools beyond repair because the dust which would polish the motor to kingdom come. So i bought the cheapest angle grinder i could find made somewhere by brand Unknown. 25 years later, still cut tiles and bricks, cleaning with compressed air after every job and sone new lubricants every now and then. The whole thing had the same price as an Bosch diamond disk for stone cutting.....
A great video Ben. Most tradesmen are only to happy to advise on tools. As you said "find a friend". Most guys won't lend tools, and that's understandable since they often don't come back. I would advise only buy exactly what you need (in good quality tools), even if they are second hand. A quality second hand tool will do a much superior job than a Bodgy el cheapo Taiwanese tool. Quality steel! Imagine if there was no power tool, how would you do the job? So take time and use a hand tool such as a chisel or spoke shave. As you said Ben, a Jigsaw will do the job for a while, but buy top quality blades for it (less likely to flex). Don't buy sets of tools to start out with, only get what you actually need to do the job!
I'll caveat this post by pointing out that I haven't looked at your webstore, but have you considered putting together a "Hobbyist's Starter Tool Pack" (Clearly not including the power tools)
I built My own guitar work bench and guitar neck jig with adjustable heigth s to go under with necks shape to keep steady and straght necks so can fret level and do refrets.
Also a respirator is necessary when making dust. And gloves help keeping fingers attached when working with power tools. That was a pretty good basic set. Of course the bare minimum to build a guitar is much less yet. For example you can, and people do, build a guitar without any power tools. You can make cavities with just a chisel and mallet, although a drill helps a lot. And you can quite well drill wood without a power drill. A chisel, saw and plane are pretty much a must. And rasp, file and sand paper. And ruler and caliper. And pencil.
gloves are actually more of a threat than a protection when it's about power tools a colleague lost two fingers and the tendons up to his elbow because his glove got caught in the lathe about 3 years ago also they are quite magnetic to drill presses and everything that rotates just don't wear gloves around power tools
Gloves can get caught, and in such metal work tasks gloves need to be loose fit, so they come off easy. Without gloves your fingers get cut off so that's no good either. In wood working gloves are also necessary to avoid splinters. Some tropical woods cause nasty infections.
I'm going to have to sit down and think about this even more.. You are right of course.. I suppose it could be done entirely without power tools if we wanted to.. Mmm, I sense a new video series don't you?
esa062 gloves are nice to protect your fingers while carrying around sharp stuff and so. But as soon you are working with something like a spinning spindle (which includes most powertools) you ABSOLUTELY should take them off. As already mentioned, gloves are a hughe thread for your fingera, even more if they are loose-fit! That's a basic protection rule that i learned the very first day of my apprenticeship!
At first I was think kiwi and then I recognised South African. You have the most perfectly blended south african and english accent I have ever heard. Blended accents usually sound terrible, yours is awesome.
If you buy a pre-made neck (recommended both because it's the most-finicky bit to make and because it requires specialized tools), you can get by minimally with a coping saw, rasp, chisel, a soldering iron, and some clamps. And some good-quality measuring tools. (Starrett rulz! Or something)
+Wolf Lahti Eh, depends. The hardest part is the fretboard, you can buy slotted fretboards from plenty of vendors for not a lot of money. The neck is actually the easiest part to make honestly.
Harbor Freight in the US is a great source of cheap stuff to get started with. Especially clamps. I picked up my 1920s Sargent VBM jointing plane on ebay for 40 bucks shipped and boy am I happy to have it. Don't always stick to the Stanley Bailey name, there's many other brands that are equally good and most of them are copies of that SB design any who.
Hey Ben, No kidding the #1 Stanley-Bailey planes are expensive. I saw one online, circa 1870 type 3/4, going for $1650 USD. And I for one don't think your obsession is a problem. In fact, a number 1 is just aching to take a place on your shelf.
I would love to own one.. There is a picture somewhere deep in my social media feed of me holding one and I was almost crying! Expensive indeed but in the end an investment.. Or at least that's my excuse ;)
Crimson Custom Guitars Funny, I can imagine you getting one and putting it in a special-built lighted case, and mounted directly behind you on the wall. The case would have a biometric sensor to keep all the other shop mates' hands off, and a Rottweiler sleeping just below & out of sight.
:) there are some of my tools that have NSFW written on our near them.. Everyone understands that they are definitly 'not safe for work' and punishment would be dire.. The rottweiler though.. I hadn't thought of the rottweiler... mmmm
Angle grinder for carving a neck? I would think a 1” wide hand held belt sander with the backing plate thingy removed so it is slack would be much better (but what do I know). I have a Makita and it hogs wood off with 80 grit.
Love your videos. When I was 16 I didn't know what I was doing, couldn't play hardly at all. I decide to build a guitar body and use a neck I had from a cheap guitar. I traced it out and copied all measurement from the old guitar onto the new body. Some how it became an AWESOME playing guitar. Looked like shit because I was no pro at it. I ended up selling that guitar to a friend of Mark Slaughters for $200.00. He loved the 1 bridge pickup and sounded like Eddies guitar weird enough. Well now I have been playing for about 34 years. I want to start building a few guitars maybe to sell or of my own? You have been very informative of tools I need to do it. Some I already have, some i need to get. Now I need to find a cheap place for wood and type? Mahogany, Basswood, Swamp Ash? Not sure yet. Also finishes on the guitar? So much to choose from. Well sorry about the book here. But all in all thank you. Your videos are awesome!
Ben thank you. personally i am driving my wife nuts. snicker. health broke and had to retire earlier than i intended. so now i am looking for something to do. thinking about learning to build acoustic guitars. looking at tools hand and power it will all add up. oh i can see it now all the shinny new tools to come my way again . pardon the drooling
I was like yiuwn I worked on boats and the outboard motors, and I built motorcycles on the side and couldn't walk into a supply place without walking out with new tools. Do you ship to America? And where do I go online to your tool catalog. Thanks so much for the video it was inspiring.
Could I use this technique to adhere a light weight frame to glass? Or Could i use it o put light weight chair rail? Could I susbtiture liquid nails intead of super glue? I want to be able to change it later. Barbara I think neat rick. Just wonderling if i could use it in my application. Thanks!
Hi Ben, I am considering building a multiscale 7-string guitar and I am unsure how to angle the headstock. With the nut no longer at 90 degrees, would you recommend cutting the headstock back at a compound angle? If so, how would you approach cutting this angle?
Templates can be homemade quite easily using the tools mentioned. And templates are necessary for repeatability, but not absolutely necessary for buildingz
Excellent question at 1:00 I come from a family of woodworkers and love it! Just in the last 2 years I have been dying to make about 3 guitars and considering trying to start making money making guitars! My question is how tough is it to make money at it as it is probably tough to get “noticed”.
Ben is a professional Luthier. So be reasonable in your expectations of your own ability. I find it a bit intimidating myself (not being a woodworker myself). I thought I might start with a piece of crap guitar and see if I can practice some simple mods. Maybe pick up a broken guitar at the Markets etc. and fix that. Buying a kit first off would probably a bit of a reach for me, I don't know about other first timers. Start small I figure. Of course Ben wants to sell lots of Kit guitars, that's his income. HazardSports If you already know how to use tools you may be way ahead of the rest of us. I hope you don't over invest to get started.
I made a gibson sg standard replica with just, stanley sweetheart chisels, wood mallet, hand drill, drill bits, hand belt sander, sand paper, rasp, knife, pen and combination square
Crimson Custom Guitars The guitar is awsome, has some really minor mistakes but plays great! I still have to paint it, order another pickup, make a push/pull setup but all in all im really happy because it is my first homemade guitar
Hi Ben, I'm looking to build my first guitar soon, and am absolutely loving your channel! I have one question though - how would i rout the fretboard for inlays? Thanks!
I know this is an old video but is there any chance that you could tell me what 4 main hand tools are essential? I have a nice chisel set and a dragon rasp and a couple nice ibex planes. What should I get to take it to the next level? Thanks
Thank you for this video, it is exactly what I've been looking for :) 5 years on from this video, would you add anything to this list or change anything?
Ben I love you to bits but your prices are way out. A good second hand Stanley No.4 can be easily bought for £10. The No.6 is actually known as a Fore-Plane & is an extra long Jack plane. The No.7 is called a Try-Plane & last but not least the No.8 is the Jointer-Plane. For most guitar making tasks you Nan get by with a No.120 Block-Plane, a No.4 Smoothing-Plane & a No.5 1/2 wide Jack-Plane. You are right though, No.6's are lovely & comfortable to use. I have made guitar-necks on a lathe, 2 at the same time; hee hee. Best wishes: Glenn
Reminder for everyone: GLOVES ARE DANGEROUS WITH POWER TOOLS. They can get stuck and pull your hand through with them. A guy I know had an accident with a milling machine due to his gloves. It ended very, very badly.
Cheers, nice rundown, especially since I already have most of them other than the specialist stuff. Question: do you think a 250W bandsaw would handle 50mm ash?
I saw this video in my suggested list but I can't watch because it's almost 1am, I don't have to work tomorrow and I know if I go down this rabbit hole it'll be 7am before I know it. I did this yesterday after watching the left-handed Gibson build. I had to talk myself out of emptying my bank account to buy a shit load of chisels 😂
I went to a deeply religious school (don't worry none rubbed off on me) but they thought lefties were Satans doing and forced my mate to write right-handed. Whether Satan is behind it or not, I do think left-handed guitars are guitars for the criminally insane. I mean, they play the guitar backwards. You can't be normal and do that ;)
I don't know if you've heard about it, but dremel has an attachment now that mounts onto the multi-tool and cuases it to handle like a plunge router. Would this be sufficient for routing pickup cavities and such, or is something more substantial still an absolute necessity?
it would take ages to rout and probably blow the motor after a few guitars.. also I'm not sure it would get the depth required for most electronics cavities.. sorry, but a bigger router is definitely required.. B
Personally I’m in for £1000 already and probably am only 1/3 of the way to having everything I need to build guitars properly. My advice is to struggle through a few builds and you will KNOW what tools you need :)
lol Ben so you are saying breaking in new ppl takes blood on the floor? so spare the rod spoil the worker! sorry could not resist. thanks for all the work ( videos ) you put out. keep up the good work.
Hey man looking to build my first guitar not a clue where to start. Would you recommend buying a pre cut kit and having a go ? Your videos are great. Any help is appreciated would love to start
Kits are a great way to start. I built half a dozen from kits before doing any full on build. Kits give u the opportunity to familiarize yourself with all the components. Tweeking, modifying, upgrading, finishing, setups etc., can all be achieved with a kit.
Hello Sir I am from India I want to start to making my own guitar but I don't any idea about these all tools, but I'm very interested to make my own guitar, where I buy tools for beginners
Scarf joints save wood and are stronger, unless it is a multi-laminate neck.. one piece necks are the best in one piece and one piece necks the weakest, but still viable.. build what you want and don't drop it! ;) B
Me spending the whole video going "did he say pillar drill? I think I heard him... wtf is a pillar drill" then loudly going "OOOOOOOHHHHHHH" and getting dirty looks from my wife when I search it up on google.
My brother-in-law is a luthier and he has thousands of dollars worth of tools. He just builds acoustic guitars, no electrics. I'm interested in building electrics. I just want to get a kit and put together the guitar I want with the stuff I want on it. Anyway, your video was very interesting but I get confused with all this pounds and quid stuff. I don't have the slighest idea what all that is. Anyway, informative video.
Ok I have a question regarding stain, have you ever seen a guitar, or in my case a bass, with a white fretboard? Well I'm fairly obsessed with the idea and only one bass guitar I've ever seen actually has it, it's the ibanez k5 bass guitar, how would I go about either staining or painting my fretboard white?
Your best bet is a 2k white paint, specifically one that does not need lacquering over.. A car paint supplier will be able to help you there. Paint on over the frets the scalpel down the sides of each fret and pull the paint off.. Done. You will need a pro setup to paint it though as 2k stuff is nasty to work with!
Can you do a video building a guitar (one that's not super complex) using these hand tools that you're promoting? So we can see how each one is important or what we have a chance of already having. That would be very interesting.
No he can't
I’m convinced this is Bill Baileys long lost brother!
Ben Crowe , you’re my hero!
he looks like a rugged biker and sounds like he should be narrating the signing of important documents
Four years later but he looks to me like a mix of normal mood Jason Statham and Russell Crowe in a good mood.
nah he looks like surge from Thor ragnarok
Bill Baileys well natured nephew
You helped me start building guitars due to being constantly layed off. I was nervous at first but you soothed that by showing mistakes can be better. I started making my own block planes and blades. You are an inspiration to others. Thanks. I'm over 60 and have 21 guitars but still don't know how to play yet. I'm not overly concerned about that because I think of it as an art.
Here are some other things not covered, but often overlooked
1) engineer square. For setting up precision lines, and accurate markings, holy crap do not forget this tool. 15$ for a good one.
2) high quality pencils (Drafting pencils) 10$
3) machinist scale 36" (not mandatory but again, the precision and time savings come in handy!) Johnson sells them for decent quality for not a whole lot of money, 10$ or so.
4) a good marking gauge goes a long way. 10$ here
5) digital calipers 30$ tops, dont go crazy here.
6) shop vac. go as big as you can fit/afford here
7) Its safer to get a cheap router with a high quality bit. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON BITS. A GOOD BIT WILL LAST A LONG TIME, CUT CLEANER (SAFER!!), and is well worth the money!
8) you can go cheaper with sandpaper, but you're ultimately wasting money. Good sandpaper lasts longer, cuts cleaner, and works better. Mirka makes the best cost-effective sandpaper for power sanders, and 3m makes some higher quality hand paper. A box of mirka multi grit (from 80 to 240 grit) costs 15$ on amazon.
9) use the right bit for the right job. Don't be using a small router bit for a large surface area. Its unsafe, wastes time, and ultimately wastes money as youre gonna dull em out in a heart beat.
10) good drill bits. Omg I hate using cheap drill bits now. Spend the money, they will be worth it.
JgHaverty good bits?
what a great video you made. I was a carpenter for 20 something years, I almost always did renovations on homes. I found many very cool, very useful tools at yard sales. some of my favorite things were my Stanley Bailey planes, I've used tools every day that I know are at least 50 years old, and their still able to make money for me. thanks for a great video.
I may be a little late posting this but anyway I'm very impressed with the care and free exchange you have for your customers and even viewer's here in the US we are overly blessed there is a tool store on every corner ive built custom furniture for about 40 years and I too started with hand tools,,, it makes you appreciate the bigger, better, hi performance equipment ....this yank if that's the way you say it ( southern yank ) thoroughly enjoyed your post thought it was very instructional thanks Steve USA.
Just finished my first ever electric guitar build from scratch (although just the body, the neck came from a donor guitar). It’s taken a while and all I had was a chisel, a detail sander and a cordless drill. Many mistakes made along the way and a far from perfect guitar. However it works and plays well.
The point being, you don’t need many tools to actually make one. Having done it I’m now happy to start building up a set of tools so that the next guitar I build will be of a much higher quality and finish. This video is a great starting point for what I need to look for. Thanks Ben.
We are glad to help. DC
Ben, thank you for your tremendous efforts to teach us the art of the Luthier. And thanks for validating my obsession with planes, and as a matter of fact, all high quality tools. We become tool junkies as our knowledge and talent progress.
you sir , have a voice like melting butter
+mattinahat Why, thank you.
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars I can't place your accent, born abroad and educated in the UK? Please do tell.
Hint of South African? Probably completely wrong
Outstanding channel, definitely appreciate the list provided. As a teen I apprenticed as a gunsmith (focused more on the stockmaking side than metalwork), but also dabbled in valve amp building and basic luthiery. My father has a workshop that is an accumulation of easily 40+ years of various wood and metalwork so I was absolutely spoiled haha
Now that I'm out of the military and no longer moving every few years I'm definitely going to work on building my own workshop up.
Hi Ben, greetings from The Netherlands. Thanks for taking the time to make these vids. I enjoy making Cigar Box Guitars, (I even try and play 'em). I like to keep my builds as uncomplicated and rustic as possible. I try very hard to do this without compromising on the tone, or the beauty of the instruments. I also keep my tools as simple as possible. They're basic and good quality. The trick is, I look after them. They in turn, look after me. I can't work without Japanese pull saws though. These are my weakness. I love them. Even though your vids are not CBG specific I still find them very useful and informative. Again, many thanks
I've now caught the bug.. I've been playing guitars that other people made for years and now I really want to build one myself... I probably have half (if not more) of the tools needed. Granted, my first project will probably be a kit guitar that I can experiment with just to dip my toe in and see how it is.
I've never really been interested in wood working but now I have a really good reason to be interested.
Basic tool requirements are basically saw, rasp, knive to sharpen your pencil and a good set of chisels.
I do agree with the tools you mentioned as they would save a lot of time and time is something that non of us has unlimited.
I don't know if anybody suggested already, but if you build a neck you'd make good use of a nut slotting file set. Also if you buy a cheap neck, the nut is usually not set correctly so it will be useful then, too. I know it's quite expensive though.
We're working on a budget but slotting file set.. Well, relatively budget.. They are pretty damn time consuming to make so tend to cost quite a bit in relation to other tools we make.
Your most experienced trained be more blessed.You Sir accomplished lots.I can hear and see.
''...and now you're wondering why there's usually blood on my floor''.... hilarious, this man slips in witty, dry humour every chance he gets, what a character, I could listen to him speak for hours, and when the topic is guitars, its even that much more enjoyable! Just love this channel, informative AND entertaining...
Hey now. Don't badmouth DeWalt. I work for them. Ahh, but you mention Stanley. You like their planers? Stanley Black and Decker owns DeWalt 8) Thanks for the videos. I love playing guitar. Rather than laying out $2500 or so for high end (Ibanez, Vigier, etc.,) guitars which may or may not have the specs that are perfect for me, I'm seriously thinking of taking up luthiering. You are an awesome craftsman and your videos are appreciated. I'll tell people about Crimson guitars. Maybe you can mention DeWalt's new DC brushless angle grinder some day. I'm on a small team of electronics engineers developing the motor controller for that baby.
Mike, I love the DeWalts I have had the pleasure of using, I found the DeWalt metal cutting Dropsaw the best for ergonomics because the handle is side on to the disc (that's just one example), No one else seems to have caught on to the awkwardness of straight handle Dropsaws. DeWalts electric tools always seem to have lots of grunt too.
Wait Stanley and Blacl and Decker own DeWalt? Ok, I will never buy another DeWalt tool ever again. Thanks for that.
Watching this I'm wondering how I've managed to build all my guitars with only a fraction of these tools.
Looks like I'll have to expand my collection.
:) I think that I really do have a bit of a problem though, we'll, actually a tool addiction of epic proportions is probably the best way to say it..
We share the tool problem - many do, including super fine makers who can make just about anything. A friend, George Wilson, is 75 (76?) and just about worn out but he still has the tool bug bad. (same george wilson who can be seen in a video making violins and spinets by hand on youtube "Colonial Violin and Harpsichord Making").
He's got the making and buying bug bad (he's a toolmaker, too, but it doesn't keep him from buying) - still overflowing with wants to make and build.
CSGuitars so... what tools do you have?
CSGuitars
Haha. I am making my first violin from scratch and it can be also done with fraction of usual tools. Lot of essential ones can be made or bought cheap. So if I were you, I would not worry about your limited toolspan.
This video has been such a great help! I know its older now but thanks! Luckily i have most if not all of the non-specialist bits in the hobby shed- I bet it would cost a bit more than £500 today!
I do love that you talk so much about second hand prices and such, its just how i built up everything i own. I have a collection of ashley isles, sorby and henry taylor chisels that would make most life long pattern makers blush and i spent no more than £150; i dont think any where ever used before i got them, sitting in sheds for decades. School shop machinery was a blessing when HS regs changed a few years ago, wadkin, startrite and meddings stuff came penny's to the pound for a little while; my partner had to accept i love her and my startrite 352 equally 😂
Would you consider doing an updated version of this kind of videos now its closing in on a decade ? I imagine you can easily replace something like the second hand stanleys which or going up in price with a electric planer from Aldi for £30 for instance
I ended up fabricating almost all of my hand tools. saved me loads of money.
Thank you sooooooo much for this video, I have wanted to start building as a hobby but had no idea how much it would cost, this has been Great! All you're videos are awesome, entertaining and educational, keep up the good work, thanks again
Thank you.. Since I made this video I ended up opening a Vintage Tool Shop as well as Crimson.. Check out www.vintagetoolshop.com it should have some of what you need at very good prices! B
Crimson Custom Guitars
I've already checked out the vintage tool shop when I started watching you're videos because I'm absolutely positive I'll get a quality tool no matter what I order, you are always honest so I can't go wrong really
Most of the tools I have from union apprenticeship and buying tools as needed/wanted, even before I was a carpenter and I built several hand made guitar/basses with a rented band saw and my router and rasps borrowed at first family tools then slowly built up to more tools than I have room for In my 2 car garage which is mostly storage.
You're amazing brother! Thank you very much for all of this valuable information.
Glad I found your channel, entertaining as well as informational. Liked and subscribed.
I haven't seen you even mention the oh so mighty Shinto rasp ! Well, on this video at least. I've discovered that "saw rasp" thanks to you, and I just love it for neck carving, and other stuff like that. Thanks for the video, I'll be looking for some planes since I only have the nr 4 one.
Thank You for this video on TH-cam I m planning on making a stracoasters type guitar body and a telecaster body and finish them My self .I have two with great necks I'm going to use My existi g necks they perfect frets I leveled recrowned My self.Thank You for making this video. You and Yours be more blessed.
You don't "need" a router. Forstner bits and a mortising hand chisel will get you pickup pockets or a neck mortise.
If you have very little woodworking/engineering skills then i would say its best to buy/build a kit guitar first, just to get a good "feel" of what is involved. Then move onto making the body and buying the neck.
Building a guitar from scratch in my experience requires a lot of accurate skills and experience in marking out, measuring, cutting, machining, forward thinking, timber structure etc, and is NOT a "beginner woodworkers" project. Unless you want a guitar that's purely for decoration because its unplayable!!
You will need to be able to work to tolerances of + - 0.5mm or less for it be be in tune and look good.
Having said that, anyone can do it but you need the basic experience first. :-)
Well said Rodney! I have a metal engineering trade background but I think even kit guitars are a bit daunting. I would have a go at a repair job though. Tolerances are not a problem, it is more working with a material which is quite foreign to me, that I find intimidating.
I bought my first router at Home Depot for $59. It's a Ryobi 1-1/4hp model with just a 1/4" collet. It's cheap, but it's still going strong, 3-1/2 years and ~10 guitars later. I also have a couple of Craftsman router and a Porter-Cable router set up for various tasks. I use the Ryobi mostly on a sled for routing scarf joints.
My first bass was made with the Ryobi router, a Ryobi 3/8" hand drill ($49 I think), a small crap drill press ($69 at Harbor Freight), and an oscillating spindle sander ($160 from Grizzly). I also got a Black & Decker random orbital sander at some point. I think it was $30. That was the extent of my power tools. I also had numerous borrowed files, rasps, gouges, and planes. It took me about 8 months, but with a months long break for summer, as my shop isn't air conditioned.
My favorite power tool that I've added is my 6x36" WW2 era jointer. I got it for $20 on Craigslist. I had to build a stand and add a (scrounged free) motor, but it works beautifully.
25 years ago i needed to cut brick and concrete with a angle grinder. I did not wan to use my expensive Bosch and Hitachi's for this, afraid i damage the tools beyond repair because the dust which would polish the motor to kingdom come.
So i bought the cheapest angle grinder i could find made somewhere by brand Unknown.
25 years later, still cut tiles and bricks, cleaning with compressed air after every job and sone new lubricants every now and then. The whole thing had the same price as an Bosch diamond disk for stone cutting.....
A great video Ben. Most tradesmen are only to happy to advise on tools. As you said "find a friend". Most guys won't lend tools, and that's understandable since they often don't come back. I would advise only buy exactly what you need (in good quality tools), even if they are second hand. A quality second hand tool will do a much superior job than a Bodgy el cheapo Taiwanese tool. Quality steel! Imagine if there was no power tool, how would you do the job? So take time and use a hand tool such as a chisel or spoke shave. As you said Ben, a Jigsaw will do the job for a while, but buy top quality blades for it (less likely to flex). Don't buy sets of tools to start out with, only get what you actually need to do the job!
I'll caveat this post by pointing out that I haven't looked at your webstore, but have you considered putting together a "Hobbyist's Starter Tool Pack" (Clearly not including the power tools)
I built My own guitar work bench and guitar neck jig with adjustable heigth s to go under with necks shape to keep steady and straght necks so can fret level and do refrets.
Also a respirator is necessary when making dust. And gloves help keeping fingers attached when working with power tools.
That was a pretty good basic set. Of course the bare minimum to build a guitar is much less yet. For example you can, and people do, build a guitar without any power tools. You can make cavities with just a chisel and mallet, although a drill helps a lot. And you can quite well drill wood without a power drill. A chisel, saw and plane are pretty much a must. And rasp, file and sand paper. And ruler and caliper. And pencil.
gloves are actually more of a threat than a protection when it's about power tools
a colleague lost two fingers and the tendons up to his elbow because his glove got caught in the lathe about 3 years ago
also they are quite magnetic to drill presses and everything that rotates
just don't wear gloves around power tools
Gloves can get caught, and in such metal work tasks gloves need to be loose fit, so they come off easy. Without gloves your fingers get cut off so that's no good either. In wood working gloves are also necessary to avoid splinters. Some tropical woods cause nasty infections.
I'm going to have to sit down and think about this even more.. You are right of course.. I suppose it could be done entirely without power tools if we wanted to.. Mmm, I sense a new video series don't you?
Josh on the Guild forum makes great guitars using only hand tools. That's one thing on my bucket list too.
esa062 gloves are nice to protect your fingers while carrying around sharp stuff and so. But as soon you are working with something like a spinning spindle (which includes most powertools) you ABSOLUTELY should take them off. As already mentioned, gloves are a hughe thread for your fingera, even more if they are loose-fit! That's a basic protection rule that i learned the very first day of my apprenticeship!
"All of them!" is the only proper answer to the question about how many clamps you need.
At first I was think kiwi and then I recognised South African. You have the most perfectly blended south african and english accent I have ever heard. Blended accents usually sound terrible, yours is awesome.
If you buy a pre-made neck (recommended both because it's the most-finicky bit to make and because it requires specialized tools), you can get by minimally with a coping saw, rasp, chisel, a soldering iron, and some clamps. And some good-quality measuring tools. (Starrett rulz! Or something)
+Wolf Lahti Eh, depends. The hardest part is the fretboard, you can buy slotted fretboards from plenty of vendors for not a lot of money. The neck is actually the easiest part to make honestly.
Thank you for this! I so wanted this answered for years!
An old Shopsmith mark 5 would do just about everything. The 48" belt sander attachment can shape a neck in minutes.
Harbor Freight in the US is a great source of cheap stuff to get started with. Especially clamps.
I picked up my 1920s Sargent VBM jointing plane on ebay for 40 bucks shipped and boy am I happy to have it. Don't always stick to the Stanley Bailey name, there's many other brands that are equally good and most of them are copies of that SB design any who.
Thanks for this information. Thanks for putting your heart out there too!
By pillar drill do you mean a drill press?
peterlamborn Yes. For many it is referred to as a drill press.
Superman's greatest enemy. Lex luthier. He'll beat superman by making his guitar sound terrible and by destroying his fretboard.
This is an under-rated comment
Don’t forget a soldering iron and the necessary things that go with it when you get to the electronics :)
So helpful, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
You should offer this lot as a kit. I'd buy!
Adorable man with head tattoos. Love it.
Scott Campbell XD
My dad has most of these tools in his shed, all I need is a router, and the fretting kit lol
Hey Ben,
No kidding the #1 Stanley-Bailey planes are expensive. I saw one online, circa 1870 type 3/4, going for $1650 USD. And I for one don't think your obsession is a problem. In fact, a number 1 is just aching to take a place on your shelf.
I would love to own one.. There is a picture somewhere deep in my social media feed of me holding one and I was almost crying! Expensive indeed but in the end an investment.. Or at least that's my excuse ;)
Crimson Custom Guitars
Funny, I can imagine you getting one and putting it in a special-built lighted case, and mounted directly behind you on the wall. The case would have a biometric sensor to keep all the other shop mates' hands off, and a Rottweiler sleeping just below & out of sight.
:) there are some of my tools that have NSFW written on our near them.. Everyone understands that they are definitly 'not safe for work' and punishment would be dire.. The rottweiler though.. I hadn't thought of the rottweiler... mmmm
"because their rareeee.... and i have a problem." not sure why i laughed at that XD
Angle grinder for carving a neck? I would think a 1” wide hand held belt sander with the backing plate thingy removed so it is slack would be much better (but what do I know). I have a Makita and it hogs wood off with 80 grit.
3:26 £400-500 for a spindle sander? Triton make the TSPS450 for £130 in screwfix and its great
I'm only subscribing because you remind me on skurge from Thor. And I love Karl Urban
Thanks for a very informative and useful video for the aspiring (perspiring!) hobbyist.
For those yanks like me that has never heard of a piller drill he's talking about a drill press.
Aussies too! Thanks for the interpretation.
We speak the Queens English here gents ;)
Love your videos. When I was 16 I didn't know what I was doing, couldn't play hardly at all. I decide to build a guitar body and use a neck I had from a cheap guitar. I traced it out and copied all measurement from the old guitar onto the new body. Some how it became an AWESOME playing guitar. Looked like shit because I was no pro at it. I ended up selling that guitar to a friend of Mark Slaughters for $200.00. He loved the 1 bridge pickup and sounded like Eddies guitar weird enough. Well now I have been playing for about 34 years. I want to start building a few guitars maybe to sell or of my own? You have been very informative of tools I need to do it. Some I already have, some i need to get. Now I need to find a cheap place for wood and type? Mahogany, Basswood, Swamp Ash? Not sure yet. Also finishes on the guitar? So much to choose from. Well sorry about the book here. But all in all thank you. Your videos are awesome!
Ben, you missed out a couple of THE most important things for any workshop....the BREW KIT!
That's a very helpful video! Thanks!
Ben thank you. personally i am driving my wife nuts. snicker. health broke and had to retire earlier than i intended. so now i am looking for something to do. thinking about learning to build acoustic guitars. looking at tools hand and power it will all add up. oh i can see it now all the shinny new tools to come my way again . pardon the drooling
I was like yiuwn I worked on boats and the outboard motors, and I built motorcycles on the side and couldn't walk into a supply place without walking out with new tools. Do you ship to America? And where do I go online to your tool catalog. Thanks so much for the video it was inspiring.
Could I use this technique to adhere a light weight frame to glass? Or Could i use it o put light weight chair rail? Could I susbtiture liquid nails intead of super glue? I want to be able to change it later. Barbara I think neat rick. Just wonderling if i could use it in my application. Thanks!
Its only when he pulled out that tiny plane that i realised "he has a problem" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have access to a work shop and I hope to make a solid body out of some scrap wood. One thing I wanna do is have detachable pick ups.
nice breakdown of the tools needed...
but now i need so much tools, it's a disease :D
Could you put the list of tools in the comments here?
All the best
Brilliant video, exactly what i have been thinking about the past few weeks! :)
@crimson custom guitars are these 4 inch clamps you refer to just regular G clamps?
Hi Ben, I am considering building a multiscale 7-string guitar and I am unsure how to angle the headstock. With the nut no longer at 90 degrees, would you recommend cutting the headstock back at a compound angle? If so, how would you approach cutting this angle?
Did you ever get that done? Hurts my brain just thinking about it lol
I really appreciate the information given here. What I'm a bit missing is the costs / importance of templates. By the way: why don't you sell some ;)
Templates can be homemade quite easily using the tools mentioned.
And templates are necessary for repeatability, but not absolutely necessary for buildingz
Excellent question at 1:00 I come from a family of woodworkers and love it! Just in the last 2 years I have been dying to make about 3 guitars and considering trying to start making money making guitars! My question is how tough is it to make money at it as it is probably tough to get “noticed”.
Ben is a professional Luthier. So be reasonable in your expectations of your own ability. I find it a bit intimidating myself (not being a woodworker myself). I thought I might start with a piece of crap guitar and see if I can practice some simple mods. Maybe pick up a broken guitar at the Markets etc. and fix that. Buying a kit first off would probably a bit of a reach for me, I don't know about other first timers. Start small I figure. Of course Ben wants to sell lots of Kit guitars, that's his income.
HazardSports If you already know how to use tools you may be way ahead of the rest of us. I hope you don't over invest to get started.
Why do you store the chisels upright? My thinking is due to upswinging arms reaching for tools, but not sure.
I made a gibson sg standard replica with just, stanley sweetheart chisels, wood mallet, hand drill, drill bits, hand belt sander, sand paper, rasp, knife, pen and combination square
Nino Krtanjek awesome! I have plans to make a video series following me doing the same thing, I relish the challenge! How did it turn out?
Crimson Custom Guitars
The guitar is awsome, has some really minor mistakes but plays great! I still have to paint it, order another pickup, make a push/pull setup but all in all im really happy because it is my first homemade guitar
Hi Ben, I'm looking to build my first guitar soon, and am absolutely loving your channel! I have one question though - how would i rout the fretboard for inlays? Thanks!
Item one: A good workbench.
Kitchen table will do in the beginning. Only when you have tools to make a good workbench and know what you need you can start planning it.
I know this is an old video but is there any chance that you could tell me what 4 main hand tools are essential? I have a nice chisel set and a dragon rasp and a couple nice ibex planes. What should I get to take it to the next level? Thanks
Thank you for this video, it is exactly what I've been looking for :)
5 years on from this video, would you add anything to this list or change anything?
Ben I love you to bits but your prices are way out. A good second hand Stanley No.4 can be easily bought for £10. The No.6 is actually known as a Fore-Plane & is an extra long Jack plane. The No.7 is called a Try-Plane & last but not least the No.8 is the Jointer-Plane. For most guitar making tasks you Nan get by with a No.120 Block-Plane, a No.4 Smoothing-Plane & a No.5 1/2 wide Jack-Plane. You are right though, No.6's are lovely & comfortable to use. I have made guitar-necks on a lathe, 2 at the same time; hee hee.
Best wishes: Glenn
Thank you for the information
Some good chisels + very good saw's manual+ 4-6clamps + fret cutter+ good measurement tool , .... You're good to go 😁
Reminder for everyone: GLOVES ARE DANGEROUS WITH POWER TOOLS. They can get stuck and pull your hand through with them. A guy I know had an accident with a milling machine due to his gloves. It ended very, very badly.
Really great advice, thank you.
Cheers, nice rundown, especially since I already have most of them other than the specialist stuff. Question: do you think a 250W bandsaw would handle 50mm ash?
the luthier gear is a few bob mate. I would say have some instinct first. Before buying the tools
I saw this video in my suggested list but I can't watch because it's almost 1am, I don't have to work tomorrow and I know if I go down this rabbit hole it'll be 7am before I know it. I did this yesterday after watching the left-handed Gibson build. I had to talk myself out of emptying my bank account to buy a shit load of chisels 😂
Crap after saying all that I just realised I'm 8 mins into the video, damn ya almost got me again 😁
I went to a deeply religious school (don't worry none rubbed off on me) but they thought lefties were Satans doing and forced my mate to write right-handed. Whether Satan is behind it or not, I do think left-handed guitars are guitars for the criminally insane. I mean, they play the guitar backwards. You can't be normal and do that ;)
First-aid kit. ;-)
Anyone know what the best sweep for the Gouge were getting should be? Just looked it up and there's a ton of options thanks in advance
I don't know if you've heard about it, but dremel has an attachment now that mounts onto the multi-tool and cuases it to handle like a plunge router. Would this be sufficient for routing pickup cavities and such, or is something more substantial still an absolute necessity?
it would take ages to rout and probably blow the motor after a few guitars.. also I'm not sure it would get the depth required for most electronics cavities.. sorry, but a bigger router is definitely required.. B
Personally I’m in for £1000 already and probably am only 1/3 of the way to having everything I need to build guitars properly. My advice is to struggle through a few builds and you will KNOW what tools you need :)
Rule of thumb is if you buy cheap, you will buy twice I learned that the hard way
Totally excellent advice man. I learnt the hard way that when it come to tools, there is no substitute for quality.
Do you have any security tips like how to not hurt yourself in the workshop?
lol Ben so you are saying breaking in new ppl takes blood on the floor? so spare the rod spoil the worker! sorry could not resist. thanks for all the work ( videos ) you put out. keep up the good work.
Amazing vid, very usefull ! Thanks
Hey man looking to build my first guitar not a clue where to start. Would you recommend buying a pre cut kit and having a go ? Your videos are great. Any help is appreciated would love to start
Kits are a great way to start. I built half a dozen from kits before doing any full on build. Kits give u the opportunity to familiarize yourself with all the components. Tweeking, modifying, upgrading, finishing, setups etc., can all be achieved with a kit.
video idea after the 90 hour build. Make a guitar with $300 of tools
Is this list written out somewhere? Great vid.
Hello Sir I am from India I want to start to making my own guitar but I don't any idea about these all tools, but I'm very interested to make my own guitar, where I buy tools for beginners
Please tell us about one piece vs scarf joint! Liuthers are 100% on scarf joints but which are che advantages of one piece? Thanks
Scarf joints save wood and are stronger, unless it is a multi-laminate neck.. one piece necks are the best in one piece and one piece necks the weakest, but still viable.. build what you want and don't drop it! ;) B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars ahahah OK! Thanks... Obviously impossible to hear any difference.. ☺
Me spending the whole video going "did he say pillar drill? I think I heard him... wtf is a pillar drill" then loudly going "OOOOOOOHHHHHHH" and getting dirty looks from my wife when I search it up on google.
My brother-in-law is a luthier and he has thousands of dollars worth of tools. He just builds acoustic guitars, no electrics. I'm interested in building electrics. I just want to get a kit and put together the guitar I want with the stuff I want on it. Anyway, your video was very interesting but I get confused with all this pounds and quid stuff. I don't have the slighest idea what all that is. Anyway, informative video.
Loved the vid. How you feel about electric planes? Any good for guitars?
Ok I have a question regarding stain, have you ever seen a guitar, or in my case a bass, with a white fretboard? Well I'm fairly obsessed with the idea and only one bass guitar I've ever seen actually has it, it's the ibanez k5 bass guitar, how would I go about either staining or painting my fretboard white?
Your best bet is a 2k white paint, specifically one that does not need lacquering over.. A car paint supplier will be able to help you there. Paint on over the frets the scalpel down the sides of each fret and pull the paint off.. Done. You will need a pro setup to paint it though as 2k stuff is nasty to work with!
Cool! I hadn't considered using that.. Would look great, also good for fretless I would think.