Baldhead
Established Member
Can anyone recommend a good book on building an electric guitar.
Stew
Stew
Guitar build
- Thread starter Baldhead
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thick_mike
Wood Shortener
murdoch":2llfy0rz said:
I also recommend this book
Kalimna
Established Member
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Another vote for the Melvyn book. I would also recommend 'Building electric guitars' by Martin Koch. It's a slightly different take on certain aspects of the build, and it's his method of forming the neck pocket that I use - very simple.
There are a few online courses available now (Robbie O'Brien and BaileyGuitars to name two), which I have seen good reviews for.
Good luck,
Adam
There are a few online courses available now (Robbie O'Brien and BaileyGuitars to name two), which I have seen good reviews for.
Good luck,
Adam
bugbear
Established Member
There are many good videos and web pages on building electric guitars.
Despite this, I would also recommend Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscock.
It gives you a good start-to-finish build process, which will act as a framework on which the other information can hang as additions or variations.
BugBear
Despite this, I would also recommend Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscock.
It gives you a good start-to-finish build process, which will act as a framework on which the other information can hang as additions or variations.
BugBear
Woodmonkey
Established Member
^ looks like this book might be out of print, cheapest i could find was £32 quid for a used copy....
bugbear
Established Member
Woodmonkey":2hrzp8zv said:
Horses' mouth:
http://www.melvynhiscock.com/MYOEG.html
http://www.melvynhiscock.com/buynow.html
(Oh - since the first edition had plans (shapes) that are copyrighted by Fender/Gibson, it is pricy and sought after by some people, despite the second edition being substantially improved in terms of techniques. Since the shapes of Fenders and Gibsons are "fairly" well known, there is no point IMHO paying this premium)
BugBear
bugbear
Established Member
(from another forum)
It has come to my attention that copies of my book are being made available as an e-book.
Some people may not see why this is an issue but let me explain.
There were no books available when I learned to make guitars and so I had to learn the hard way. I have spent huge amounts of money learning to do what I do and the results were published first in 1986. It first came out on Blandford Press in 1986 and my yearly royalty was not enough to buy a decent guitar and was never more than £1,000 despite the book selling in huge numbers. I have also answered hundreds, if not thousands, of questions from people who have read the book and none of that time was paid for by anyone other than me. However, I do this happily as I can remember when I was in exactly the same position but with no one to ask.
In 1998 the current edition came out and I am the publisher. For me to set this up I had to get a major loan and put my house as security. I have so far spent several years actually working on the book, invested a huge amount of money and my returns are still not exactly huge. I have considered selling NBS Publications a few times as it is not a profitable business. I am now having to invest money again (money I don't have and have to borrow) to build the company up. There will be some more books out on NBS Publications next year but in the meantime I am having to work very long hours which I am not, at the moment, getting paid for.
Make Your Own Electric Guitar costs about the same as a pretty average guitar pickup. If you are going to make a guitar it is about the cheapest part of the whole process, and the cost of the book has not gone up since it was released. All the increases in paper costs, transport (which I have to cover for trade orders) and storage have all been absorbed by me. It also has thirty years of my life, from learning what I do to te present, wrapped up in it and all the information you need to stop you making some of the mistakes I did in my early years, each one of which will have cost you more than the cost of the book. If you do not think that an investment like that deserves the small return I get then you are not living in the real world.
E-copies are illegal and I will take action against anyone selling or offering them. They are a breach of copyright which is covered in most countries.
If you have any information on copies that may be for sale please do not hesitate to contact me with the details.
Melvyn Hiscock
It has come to my attention that copies of my book are being made available as an e-book.
Some people may not see why this is an issue but let me explain.
There were no books available when I learned to make guitars and so I had to learn the hard way. I have spent huge amounts of money learning to do what I do and the results were published first in 1986. It first came out on Blandford Press in 1986 and my yearly royalty was not enough to buy a decent guitar and was never more than £1,000 despite the book selling in huge numbers. I have also answered hundreds, if not thousands, of questions from people who have read the book and none of that time was paid for by anyone other than me. However, I do this happily as I can remember when I was in exactly the same position but with no one to ask.
In 1998 the current edition came out and I am the publisher. For me to set this up I had to get a major loan and put my house as security. I have so far spent several years actually working on the book, invested a huge amount of money and my returns are still not exactly huge. I have considered selling NBS Publications a few times as it is not a profitable business. I am now having to invest money again (money I don't have and have to borrow) to build the company up. There will be some more books out on NBS Publications next year but in the meantime I am having to work very long hours which I am not, at the moment, getting paid for.
Make Your Own Electric Guitar costs about the same as a pretty average guitar pickup. If you are going to make a guitar it is about the cheapest part of the whole process, and the cost of the book has not gone up since it was released. All the increases in paper costs, transport (which I have to cover for trade orders) and storage have all been absorbed by me. It also has thirty years of my life, from learning what I do to te present, wrapped up in it and all the information you need to stop you making some of the mistakes I did in my early years, each one of which will have cost you more than the cost of the book. If you do not think that an investment like that deserves the small return I get then you are not living in the real world.
E-copies are illegal and I will take action against anyone selling or offering them. They are a breach of copyright which is covered in most countries.
If you have any information on copies that may be for sale please do not hesitate to contact me with the details.
Melvyn Hiscock
Woodmonkey
Established Member
If you actually try and buy it from his website you get "this page is under construction".
bugbear
Established Member
Woodmonkey":3svjdl45 said:
http://www.melvynhiscock.com/buynow.html
Immediately followed by:
For orders please call +44 7770 853379
Or email and paypal [email protected]
BugBear
iNewbie
Established Member
Melvyn's book is the bible - for me. In this day and age the internet is king.
You could happily feast off of Fletcher's build videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZSDzBv_rIA
This is another good resource - Martin Koch's site:
http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/links.htm
This is the first link I grabbed for this book - worth considering:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Own ... ric+guitar
You could happily feast off of Fletcher's build videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZSDzBv_rIA
This is another good resource - Martin Koch's site:
http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/links.htm
This is the first link I grabbed for this book - worth considering:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Own ... ric+guitar
bugbear
Established Member
iNewbie":1d8l3nao said:
I watched a couple of those in sheer disbelief. I have never seen anyone go to so much effort
and ingenuity to avoid using a hand tool, in the circumstances where a hand tool is the best solution.
BugBear
iNewbie
Established Member
Well, he is down under. 
whiskywill
Established Member
Don't know if this is any good but at that price it could be worth a look. http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Searc ... ric+guitar
