Been tossing the idea around for years and decided I wasn't getting any younger.
Did a lot of research and finally decided on a kit from a German company Thomann with a house brand called Harley Benton.
It came all the way from Germany and the kit was made in China.
I've watched a ton of kit videos and many have ordered guitars from various sites and they came in a box that looked like a disaster.
This one came packed in a big box with individual boxes inside with the actual parts packed in bubble wrap.
The wood is polished to a nice shine.
The body is mahogany.
The neck is maple with a purple heart fret board but it looks like rose wood.
No dents or dings and the frets are in good shape with nothing sticking out.
They just need a little polishing.
The neck is a perfect fit to the body as well.
I'm very well satisfied.
Stay tuned for further updates if you desire.

You should have a lot of fun with that!

Gorgeous looking wood.

Some self proclaimed expert on YouTube complained about the sloppyness of the routing work using the hole cut out for the cord jack.
Not the brand I bought but another one.
It's supposed to be egg shaped.

"Guitars’ By Worth" could become famous and start your new career.

Yak54 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:01 pm "Guitars’ By Worth" could become famous and start your new career.

That is exactly what my dream was when I was in my mid 20s.
But life got in the way and I couldn't pursue it.
There wasn't any Internet back then as well and no money either.
I didn't play guitar but I wanted to make them.

Oh I forgot to mention I ran across an older guy today that said his dad got ripped off at a pawn shop by buying a fake Jimi Hendrix tribute guitar.
Two thousand dollars worth of fake.

worth1 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2025 3:37 pm Been tossing the idea around for years and decided I wasn't getting any younger.
Did a lot of research and finally decided on a kit from a German company Thomann with a house brand called Harley Benton.
It came all the way from Germany and the kit was made in China.
I've watched a ton of kit videos and many have ordered guitars from various sites and they came in a box that looked like a disaster.
This one came packed in a big box with individual boxes inside with the actual parts packed in bubble wrap.
The wood is polished to a nice shine.
The body is mahogany.
The neck is maple with a purple heart fret board but it looks like rose wood.
No dents or dings and the frets are in good shape with nothing sticking out.
They just need a little polishing.
The neck is a perfect fit to the body as well.
I'm very well satisfied.
Stay tuned for further updates if you desire.
IMG_20250112_145714201_HDR.jpg



IMG_20250112_145730772.jpgIMG_20250112_145759068_HDR.jpg

Stay "tuned"?

This is what might surprise many people.
Back many years ago we had to trash some really nice wood because it was well figured.
That's right either people took it home or in the trash it went.
The reasons were a couple.
One was it didn't look like the rest of the wood and the other it tended to warp because the grain pattern went everywhere.

The wood in question was almost always hard maple.
We tossed the so called curly and birds eye maple.
Now day people play extra for that reject wood in guitars.
Or at least that what I heard on a video last night.
I think his name is Seymour Duncan.
But there were a ton of people in the video so I might be wrong.

He said the suppliers were selling this wood at a discount because the furniture people didn't want it or something like that.

I'm speaking of guitar necks here for the most part.
When I saw videos of people bragging on their guitar necks having beautiful figured wood I was a little shocked knowing that this type of wood was prone to warping.
They actually bought this wood and used it because it was cheaper than a nice straight grain wood.
Or at least that's what this guy said and I believe him from my experience.
Seymour Duncan has been making guitar pickups forever.


.

Reason I haven't done anything on the guitar is I'm letting it acclamate to the environment it's going to live in.
The other is I am completely out of sand paper and steel wool
First time I've been out in my life.
Another reason is I can't decide on the finish.
Actually a whole lot of indecision on everything.

Guitar necks have a natural bow to them and they have a truss rod to can use to adjust this bow.
Mine showed up with a hump in the middle.
It now is flat
If I put the strings on it will bow some other way.
Once it's happy in its environment I'll be able to put the neck on and do any adjustments and work with the frets.
Just slapping it together and expecting it to be right is a pipe dream.
Not gonna happen.
Might be pretty but a crappy playing instrument.
Thus the reason for the delay.

What if your environment isn't ideal?

2-way humidifier?

Tormahto wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:27 pm What if your environment isn't ideal?

2-way humidifier?

I don't really know.
I had a laminated gun stock that was stable for many years go to hell in a hand basket some time ago.
It was a 98 German Mouser in 25-06 my dad had bought back around 1963.
My brother ended up with it and I got it and it literally started coming apart back around 2012.
It went from Kellen Texas to the Houston area to Bastrop Texas.
In Bastrop was were it started down hill.

We turned some green wood back in the day - the warping and cracking as it dried.
But even well dried wood will change under different temperature and moisture changes. You're right to let it stabilize.

If the winter temperature yo-yo is too extreme you might want to wait until it's more steady. RH changes with temperature, too much. Stable temperature and relatively dry would be ideal for glueing and finishing work, which then should keep the guitar as it should be.

I didn't know that there is supposed to be a bow in a guitar neck. I would've thought it must be very strong and straight instead to be bow proof. The tension of the strings is quite a force.

This little video about choosing wood for a guitar neck - he says to start with vertical or near vertical grain that is, running length wise down the neck; tighter grain the better; and a straight piece of wood to begin with. So this would reduce the risk of bowing under strain.

bower wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 1:34 pm This little video about choosing wood for a guitar neck - he says to start with vertical or near vertical grain that is, running length wise down the neck; tighter grain the better; and a straight piece of wood to begin with. So this would reduce the risk of bowing under strain.

The vertical is called quarter sawn.
The flat is plain sawn and the slanted is riff sawn.
Regretfully my neck is plain sawn.
That's what came with the kit.
That rift sawn is exactly what you look for in hammer handles as well.
It needs to be in the direction as the hammer so it won't break.
It's really hard to find them that way.

worth1 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2025 10:16 am

Tormahto wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:27 pm What if your environment isn't ideal?

2-way humidifier?

I don't really know.
I had a laminated gun stock that was stable for many years go to hell in a hand basket some time ago.
It was a 98 German Mouser in 25-06 my dad had bought back around 1963.
My brother ended up with it and I got it and it literally started coming apart back around 2012.
It went from Kellen Texas to the Houston area to Bastrop Texas.
In Bastrop was were it started down hill.

You don't want your guitar wood going down hill.

I'd try to find out what your relative humidity is, whether it changes during the year, and then aim for a moisture content of about 8%, +/- 2%. This is just from reading a few postings online. If it was me, I'd join a (solid body) guitar building forum, and ask the experts on the best practices for what you are dealing with.

@worth1 I can see some lengthwise grain in your neck pic, so it shouldn't be too bad.

worth1 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2025 10:16 am

Tormahto wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:27 pm What if your environment isn't ideal?

2-way humidifier?

I don't really know.
I had a laminated gun stock that was stable for many years go to hell in a hand basket some time ago.
It was a 98 German Mouser in 25-06 my dad had bought back around 1963.
My brother ended up with it and I got it and it literally started coming apart back around 2012.
It went from Kellen Texas to the Houston area to Bastrop Texas.
In Bastrop was were it started down hill.

You should find a way to fulfil your 20 year old dreams in the design combined with what you love now. Would be a wonderful tribute to yourself. Can't wait to see how it turns out. I love seeing people make their dreams come true! Good luck and have fun doing it

~Sam

Just so as y'all know I have several pieces of glued up wood work here at home I've made.
Some of it dating back to the early 80s.
Large counter and table tops cutting boards book shelves wooden containers rolling pens and so on.
None of it has warped or anything.
All the guitar parts are sealed.
Everything is still in the bubble wrap they came in with the moisture bags inside whatever the devil they're called.
Then that is inside another cabinet.

Just about any guitar neck has a truss rod in it.
Except for maybe some cheap flea market item ment to hang up as decoration.
Mine is double acting which means if you turn it on way it one way it bends the neck up.
The other way it bends them down.
Some even have carbon rods on both sides of the rod to help stiffen the neck.

@Tormato I've looked at a couple of forums and I find I can get more information from videos.
You just have to know which ones to look at.
One in particular is from England that's really good.
Seems like the English are more into this and fishing rods than people in the US.
I guess they just like to fiddle with stuff more than the common American.
These guys I look at are professional builders that make custom guitars.
Not all of them do exactly the same thing.
I know enough about wood working building fabrication and putting stuff together to spot a clown.