Category Archives: Q & A

Q&A | Building Jigs and Forms, Fretboard Polish, Rosette Cutters

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– tonewood suppliers

– Electric Guitar neck angles

– Rosette cutting jigs

– What material to use for molds forms and jigs

– What do you use to oil or polish up the fretboard?

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Buying or Building Side Benders, Where did EVO Gold Fretwire Go, and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– Fixing cracked sides

– Sharpening plane blades and chisels

– Buying or building a side bending machine?

– Using cactus juice to harden wood

– Bending tips for Wenge

– How much nut relief to use on a bass guitar

– Is EVO gold fretwire discontinued?

– Unboxing videos are stupid

– How much I charge for my guitars

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Side Bending Tips, Joining Bookmatched Pairs, Controlling Shop Humidity and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– Introducing my new “Florentine Cutaway and Advanced Binding/Purfling Methods” Workshop! (https://ericschaeferguitars.com/florentine-cutaway-and-advanced-binding-purfling-methods-workshop-build-options/)

– I have Wenge for sale! email me at eric@ericschaeferguitars.com

– Where to find prefab materials like bent sides and slotted fretboards

– side bending tips to avoid splits or scorching

– recommended thicknesses for bending sides

– alternate jigs to joining boards – How to control humidity in your shop

– How to control humidity in your guitar showroom

– Removing frets without a soldering iron

– Finding parts for building a side bender – Using fiberglass arrows as gobars

– Question of the week: Is there a specific tonewood that blows your socks off!?

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Fixing Finish Runs, Installing Mylar Pickguards, Making Cutaways and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– What is the best way to fix a finish drip?

– How to install a clear mylar pickguard without bubbles

– The most expensive lutherie tool yet!

– Go bar rods from home depot

– Building a cutaway as a first guitar

– Radial offset rosettes

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

QA | Refretting with Larger Fretwire, Buying Go Bars, Wild Grain and more!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– Should you use Carbon Fiber Rods and a Truss Rod?

– Making your own bulk binding strips

– wild grain versus homogenous grain

– Buying go bars

– Changing fretwire size when refretting

– Where to buy a gramil?

– Issues with small soundholes

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for a 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Taptuning Tops, Tonewood Myths, Best Guitar Brands, and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show

– Favorite Guitar brands/companies

– Fret slotting saws

– Marketing your guitars

– How many pounds of pressure do go-bars produce?

– Inlaying into dark woods as opposed to light woods

– Lazy builders

– Jim Lill debunking electric guitar tonewood debate

– Neck profiling jigs do accomodate all profiles! (I got this wrong in last QA!)

– Am I going to build a 12 string?

– What notes/pitches do you listen for when taptuning?

– What is a leg tapering jig?

– What ‘YMMV’ means and why I can’t keep up with the internet

– Why nobody is watching my Refretting Masterclass video that I worked so damn hard to make!?

– Buying instruments for the aesthetic value of the wood/materials

– Johnson Paste Wax and the Everything Shortage caused by that which shall not be named!

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Sizing Fretwire, Neck Profiling Jigs, Electric Guitar Tonewood Myths and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– Do headstock templates include space for the nut?

– A jig for profiling necks with a router

– An audio example of a student’s guitar

– Choosing fretwire with the right tang size for your fret slots

– Leg tapering jigs for the bandsaw

– A case for titebond over hot hide glue

– Bevelling fret slots

– Why Strats and Les Pauls sound different

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for a 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Purfling Depth, Instrument Glue Recommendations, Mold Making and More!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR Questions!

Questions/Topics:

– hide glue vs. titebond

– fish glue

– how deep should purfling be inlaid?

– inlaying turqoise

– The “Best” Guitar show

– Using waxed wood strips like Teflon strips

– Top thickness

– french polishing and tru oil

– fastening latches to molds

– the neutral zone for a dual action truss rod

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for a 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/

Q&A | Resonating vs Reflecting Backs, Top Thickness, Scrapwood uses, and more!

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I answer YOUR questions!

Questions/Topics:

– What do you do with your scrap wood?

– Buying pre-bent sides

– Best heating blanket for side bending – radial rosettes – thicknessing backs as a resonator or a reflector – Thicknessing tops

– Plate gluing jig

– laminated sides

– inlaying Opal for fret marker dots

– What is the purpose of a shooting board

– modifying an existing guitar to increase the bass response

– inlaying mother of pearl without teflon strips

🔴 All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com

🔴 Register for an 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/

🔴 Check out the online course “Building an OM Acoustic”: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/

🔴 To commission an instrument from Eric: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/instruments-ordering/ 🔴 Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/