Table of Contents

Sourcing body parts - alder, swamp ash or mahogany body; maple and rosewood or pure maple neck; standard or jumbo frets; locking or classic tuners; single or triple-ply pickguard; neck plate, jacksocket and strap button options; bridge options. Electrics and electronics - budget, classic or 'Texas Specials' pickups; pots and switches; wiring options; 'active' options. Finish options - spraying nitrocellulose or urethane; undercoat options; neck finishes; sunburst options. Assembly and tools required - basic neck and body assembly and alignment; building the electrics 'off body'; tuners, string trees and bridge/trem. Fine tuning - neck and trem alignment; fret finishing; stringing options and intonation; radius issues; truss-rod adjustment; pick-up fine-tuning; detailed set-up.

About the Author

Paul Balmer worked on this project with luthier John Diggins, who has built custom 'Jaydee' guitars for Toni Iommi of Black Sabbath and Angus Young of AC/DC. Paul has written all previous books in the guitar manual series - in every case with John's expert guidance - and is also the author of the Drum-Kit Manual. He lives near Corby in Northamptonshire.