Electric Guitar

Machining the guitar body on a wood CNC. This was a 2-part operation that required precise alignment of the material on the machine. From there, a lot of sanding and filing was done to ensure smooth curvatures for comfortable playing.

To decrease the weight of the guitar, the body was placed on a drill press to remove a large amount of material. The holes were then filled in with cheaper material so the veneer had a flat surface to be glued onto.

Using wood glue and clamps, the veneer was attached to the top of the guitar. The veneer had to be repeatedly heat treated to bend over the slope in the bottom lefthand corner.

Veneer over the pockets was removed using a router.

Closer-up view to see the details on the veneer.

Since I figured this was one of the only times I would have the opportunity to make a guitar, I wanted to add some one-of-a-kind features! I tested a variety of laser cut designs on the body, and decided to go with this rose design. It took precise alignment and settings on the laser cutter to get this intricate design successfully cut.

Final laser cut design.

After several rounds of sanding, buffing, and applying finish, a final spray coat of polyurethane was applied.

After finishing the body, I was able to begin finishing the neck. This required leveling the frets, sanding, and finishing. Additionally, I added a piece of the same veneer I used for the body onto the headstock.

Copper adhesive tape was added to the pockets as well as the pickguard to prevent feedback while playing. A digital multimeter was used to ensure connection between pieces of tape.

Electronic components were soldered and everything was assembled. Here is a closeup of the final body.

Final Guitar, and it sounds great!