I would like to say that I'm using mostly hand tools on my builds because it feels more tradition, but the truth is the pawn shop became the owner of most of my power tools a few months ago. I'm trying to find ways to build on the cheap and I was hoping some of you other good folks could post some ideas you've come up with for saving money.
Here's a first one I want to pass along-fret saw on the cheap. I've tried every saw I have and finally found something that works pretty well. I use a coping saw with a "Fine" blade. It came as a part of a set of three with the saw and says it's for thin woods. Line it all up on a mitre box and you get a cut that close to perfect.
Another thing I found is from www.donsplans.com. He has a program you can download for $5 (or buy on CD for $10) that lets you enter the scale and number of frets and prints out a template for you. I've been using it and really like it.
What other tips are out there?
Replies
hey frank , tell me more about the condensor mics you get out of phones . cell phones? how small are these elements ? they take power ? how many pins on em ? what are you gonna do with em ?
i got a bag of like 6 cell phones waiting to get stripped , i also hit the resale store dumpster by our house . they mostley sell ladies clothes so they toss out all sorts of electronics , and we strip that stuff here for parts . the store is called "second chance" , we all the dumpster "3rd chance" .
if you can find a cabinet company in your area those dumpsters offer all sorts of wood scraps , i have 2 less than a mile away . i brought in 2 cbg amps , and later a guitar two both cigar shops in our area , now i get the boxs for free . it took a lil persuation , having the stuff there was the deal sealer . i told em i wasn't selling em (the truth) and i am handicapped (back injury ) so that helped i spose , but , i would encourage anyone to try at least . great topic , by the way .
thanks , frank .
Naz Nomad said:
Cheapest of the cheap is to buy knotty pine 1x2s from Home Depot or Lowe's. 77 cents at my local HD today. They ain't pretty, but you can rifle through the pile to find the cleanest ones. I cut and use just a plain 1x2 for the neck. Cheap pine is fine if you're just doing 3 string. And, I do a neck on/dulcimer style for the mount, rather than neck through. It uses less wood. and I use a 4" to 6" piece of scrap under the box to screw through and mount the neck on with 1 1/4" wood screws (3 does the trick).
I've used eye bolts for tuners, with washers and wing nuts, but cheaper still are the zither pins in the 25 pack from our buddy Ben over at CBGitty: http://www.cbgitty.com/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productI....
I get my cigar boxes for free at a local booze/smoke shop. It's small and out of the way, and sells mostly 2nds for cigars. Look around, ask around. Free is a very good price. I have also used an old computer keyboard box for a body, and I really like the rich sound I get out of it.
I use a block of wood and 80 - 220 sand paper on it. I just hold it on the block with a leather glove while sanding. It works pretty well.
Shellac makes a good finish, and it's really cheap. It's actually bug $#!+. I don't put fret wire down, but I mark the frets on top of the neck in Bic pen (Sharpie and other runny inks just absorb into the wood and spread, so you don't get a clean line) and put thumb tacks in at frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 (blues scale).
I use an 8-32 X 1 1/2" machine screw for the nut with a coffee stir stick under it, 6-32x2 machine screws for string guides and I use a larger machine screw for the bridge.
My builds are a bit spartan, but they cost me about $15 when I use maple or hemlock for the neck, which includes the strings I get from my local music store.
So, there you have it: the cheapest of the cheap for building. I owe all that I know to Crow, who walked me through my first build. If you want more fast and cheap, you should watch his video series on how to build a CBG in an hour.
Good luck man. I hope this helps you.
I've become a regular, as much as possible, on the local yard sale route, but haven't seen any instruments of any type yet. I have gotten some other nice finds though. I've picked up a lot of "toys that make noise" and retrieved the piezo buzzers to use as pickups and occasional motors for another project to be named later. I get those of a quarter or less. I've also been grabbing up used phones for the condenser mikes. Some of them also have piezos, too, and I can usually get them for 50 cents or less.
My best "cheap" tools are my X-Acto hobby kit with a bunch of blades and micro-saws. Oh, and I don't think I could live without my Dremel tool!
If you need scale lengths and fret #'s, this info is FREE from Stew-Mac.com, lots of free info there. I created my own fret scale from my Les Paul by simply laying the backside of a plain aluminum yard stick that I cut in half next to the LP neck and marking the fret locations onto it. Also lots of free info in video form at luthiersmercantile.com. You can also view for free stew-mac's "Trade Secrets" archives at their site, full of real good stuff.
Also, for years I've been buiding my own tools and jigs by using the photos in the stew-mac and luthiers mercantile catalogs. I create the scale for the tool or jig from their photos by using known expected dimensions and adapting to the tools I already own.
Like I said, check out the info in the sites I mentioned. Most of all, enjoy your build!
Since you don't have power tools to size and dress neck and fretboard lumber, start with 1X2 and 1/4 X 2 boards from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. That gives you a big head start on building the neck.
Build on the top, building on the bottom demands closer tolerances.
Don't be afraid to ask for "take offs" from Guitar Shops that do repairs. They will often replace a whole set of tuners to fix a single broken one, and usually have some that they will sell for next to nothing.
If you garage sale, you can sometimes pickup old and damaged guitars on the cheap that can be used as donors for tuners, strings, pickups, pots, jacks, bridges, other accessories, and misc. hardware to be repurposed for tail pieces, bridges, nuts, and more.
Remember, you don't HAVE TO relief the neck under the top, even though many prefer to. You don't HAVE TO have perfect string break over the nut; homemade string trees will do a nice job.
If you get stuck, ask for help or just think about it a little more. I started building with a mini-hack saw, a hand drill and a knife. Although I wouldn't want to build that way now, I'm actually glad I had to work hard on those early builds and learn.
good luck,
Wichita Sam
http://europa.spaceports.com/~fishbake/soft/wfret.zip