Build a Les Paul from Home-Center & Amazon Parts — Part 1: Planning & Design (with Downloadable Blueprints)

I previously posted a build log of a self-made PRS-style guitar, but realized parts of it were a bit too much for absolute beginners. So this time around I’ve made an effort to explain things more carefully.
I’ve also kept the tools and lumber to things you can mostly buy at a home center or on Amazon.

※ The series is split into [Part 1: Planning & Design] and [Part 2: Build]. This page is [Part 1: Planning & Design].

Planning & Design ① — Get to Know the Anatomy of an Electric Guitar

Before we start building, let’s quickly review the basic anatomy of an electric guitar.

If you’re going to build your own electric guitar, knowing the basic structure is useful background.
Some readers will already know all this, but the part names will keep coming up later, so a quick refresher won’t hurt.

You don’t need to memorize anything here — just refer back to this section as needed.

Basic structure and part names

The main parts of an electric guitar.

The photo shows a Gibson Les Paul.
Each manufacturer has small differences, but the major parts are common across designs.

The next section covers each part in a little more detail.

(Photos are either ones I took myself or royalty-free.)

A short tour of each part

1. Headstock

The very tip of the guitar is called the headstock.
It’s where the tuning pegs (the things you wind the strings around) are mounted.
The shape — and where the pegs sit on it — varies by maker.

2. Fretboard (fingerboard)

A board roughly 6 mm thick that’s glued onto the face of the neck. Frets are driven into it (→ #8 Fret).
Hard woods like rosewood are typical.

3. Neck

The part that connects the headstock to the body. Thickness and width have a big effect on how the guitar feels to play.
A “truss rod” (a stiffness-adjustment rod) runs through the inside (→ #15 Truss rod).

4. Body

The main body of the guitar — pickups and the bridge mount onto it.
It’s typically built up from multiple boards glued together; the top piece in particular drives the cosmetic look.

5. Tuning pegs (machine heads)

The hardware you wind each string around.
Turn them to adjust string tension and tune the guitar.

6. Nut

Sits at the joint between the headstock and the fretboard, with slots cut into the top for each string to ride in.
Common materials are bone, plastic, or brass — the choice affects tone.

7. Position markers

The dots/inlays on the face and side of the fretboard. They help you find the correct fret while playing.

8. Frets

The metal bars driven into the fretboard. Each one is one semitone apart.

9. Strap pins (strap buttons)

The hardware that the strap clips onto for standing play.

10. Pickup selector

An electric guitar typically has multiple pickups (→ #11). The selector switches between them to change the tone.

11. Pickups

The components that translate string vibration into an electrical signal.
You could say the pickup is what makes a guitar electric.

12. Bridge

The component the body-end of each string sits on. (Nut → bridge defines the vibrating string length — see diagram below.)
It’s also where you set string height (action) and intonation.

13. Tailpiece

A separate component (separate from the bridge) that anchors the body-end of the strings. Common on Les Paul-style guitars.

14. Output jack

The 1/4″ jack you plug your cable into. From here the signal goes to the amp.

15. Truss rod

A metal rod buried inside the neck. By turning the bolt at one end you can adjust how much the neck bows under string tension.

16. Pickguard

A piece that protects the body finish from pick scratches.
On a Fender Stratocaster it’s a big design feature in its own right. Usually plastic.

That covers all the guitar parts that come up on this site.
Next section: the tools you’ll need to actually build one.

Quick aside: I’m not actually a great guitar player.
I started after I’d already entered the workforce. A coworker gave me a guitar, I took half a year of lessons at a Kawai music school for the basics, and from there I just kept at it on and off — until eventually I got the chance to be in a band, which had been a dream of mine. We even got to play a small live house out in the country. My playing chops are nothing special, so it’s purely a self-satisfaction kind of hobby. Woodworking and guitar — both highly recommended hobbies.

Planning & Design ② — Tools You’ll Need

Now let’s go through the tools needed to build an electric guitar from scratch.

If you’re building a guitar, tools become a real consideration.
“What do I actually need?” is a common question.

I’ve split the tools I actually used into:

・Hand tools (general-purpose)
・Power tools (general-purpose)
・Guitar-specific tools

I’ve also rated importance with three tiers — [Must-have], [Important], and [Nice to have] — for reference.

Hand tools (general-purpose)

Hand tools first — the kind of stuff you’d find in a hobby DIY kit.

Every tool below is one I actually used in the build, but not all of them are strictly required, so I’ve added importance ratings:
★★★ (must-have)
★★☆ (important)
★☆☆ (nice to have)

Some can be improvised, but to work comfortably you’ll want at least the ★★☆ tier.

Tool	Example product	Use	Importance
Screwdriver	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TG8OM6/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Mounting pickups, adjusting bridge position, etc. (I personally like the electrician-style screwdriver shown for the grip)	★★★
Pencil, scissors, utility knife, glue stick		Marking wood with a pencil; cutting and gluing the printed blueprint to the wood	★★★
Titebond wood glue	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006U20NY/?tag=diyhigh841-20	The standard wood glue for strong wood-to-wood bonds. Bonds wood pieces almost as if they were one. Used for the body laminations, the body-to-neck joint, the fretboard glue-up, etc. (Tip: when working with glue or stains, wearing gloves up front saves you a hand-wash later.)	★★★
Clamps	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BMNKFCG/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Holding the workpiece down on the bench while you work, and applying pressure during glue-ups. (Useful well beyond guitar building — any woodworking benefits.)	★★★
Painter’s (masking) tape	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JWNIQ2/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Not just for masking during paint — also for marking layouts and for temporary attachment during alignment	★★★
Sandpaper		Deburring; surface prep before finishing; polishing between coats; shaping the fretboard radius Range: roughly grit 80 to 1500. ※ The “anti-clog” type with white backing lasts much longer than the brown-backed kind.	★★★
Carpenter’s square (sashigane)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LGU5F2/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Measuring lengths, drawing perpendicular lines, checking for square	★★★
Cyanoacrylate glue (CA)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RE6OQU/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Repairing splits in the wood; locking the truss rod in place	★★★
Side cutters & needle-nose pliers	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IC6ZRM/?tag=diyhigh841-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TGCWT2/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Cutting hookup wire, etc.	★★★
Saw rasp	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZDRWNB/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Shaping the neck, sculpting the body, etc. Indispensable for hand-built guitar work. (I had no idea this tool existed until I started building guitars.)	★★★
Mallet (plastic-faced hammer)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094QR2WL5/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Driving frets in; seating the bridge bushings. (A plastic-faced head reduces the chance of damaging the work.)	★★★
Paint and varnish	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091FU9NS/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Finishing the body and neck. (Lacquer-spray and oil-stain approaches are also possible, but on this site I went with easier-to-handle water-based paint and varnish — see Build Section 21.)	★★★
Brushes	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GTG08W/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Applying paint and varnish	★★★
Soldering iron, solder, flux	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PR1KJM/?tag=diyhigh841-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002H3NKL4/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Wiring the internal components Flux improves solder adhesion	★★★
Hookup wire		Connecting the internal components	★★★
Digital calipers	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LCS5JV9/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Checking dimensions, measuring hole depths (Digital is easier to read, but analog calipers also work.)	★★☆
Work gloves / nitrile gloves		Use snug-fitting gloves around power tools — loose gloves can be dangerous if they get caught in moving parts	★★☆
Rags		Wiping off excess paint and Titebond squeeze-out	★★☆
1 m ruler	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D7NU8I/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Marking out fret positions; checking nut-to-bridge distance, etc.	★★☆
Hand saw	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KGMCIX4/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Quick wood cuts. (A jigsaw covers most of this, but a hand saw is convenient when you just need to make a quick cut.)	★★☆
Acrylic scoring knife	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B2YZ1Y/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Starting the fret slots. (Doing the fret slots in 3 stages — utility knife → acrylic scoring knife → fret saw — works really well.)	★★☆
Wet-or-dry sandpaper		Overlaps with regular sandpaper, but for the gloss-buff stage on the body, wet-or-dry sandpaper is the right tool. [#1500 or so]	★★☆
Polishing compound	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X3GIZ6/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Final glossing-up of the body. [equivalent #3000–10000] (After buffing with compound, the body really does look like a store-bought instrument — a satisfying moment.)	★★☆
Shielding tape (foil tape)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EILNA6/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Insulation around solder joints / shielding	★★☆
Conductive shielding paint	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FPD17Y/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Painted into the body cavities to add conductivity for noise shielding (I went deep on noise reduction — see Build Section 22.)	★★☆
Hand reamer	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TKATLO/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Enlarging holes. (A power drill normally tops out around 10 mm dia.)	★☆☆
End-cutters (kuikiri)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RDDM1M/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Cutting fret wire. (Pliers can substitute since this is the only place you need them.)	★☆☆
Wood pore filler (tonoko)		Fills small surface pits and the open grain so the finish goes on smoother. (Sanding sealer does roughly the same thing.)	★☆☆
Center punch		Helps the drill bit start exactly where you want it	★☆☆
“Helping hands” (third-hand tool)	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6X5J1FM/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Acts as a “third hand” while soldering. (Makes the work dramatically easier.)	★☆☆
Wood chisel	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0797MZSZ7/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Light removal/touch-up cuts. (Caveat: clean chisel work takes practice. It looks easy in YouTube videos by experienced carpenters, but actually getting clean cuts on your first try is hard.)	★☆☆
Tin snips	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078HVLUG/?tag=diyhigh841-20	For this build I made the back-panel cover plate from thin aluminum sheet — used for cutting that.	★☆☆
Protractor		Verifying head angle and neck angle. (Honestly optional.)	★☆☆
Workbench	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076WTVV41/?tag=diyhigh841-20	For making cuts and clamping work down	★☆☆

That covers the hand tools.

Even hobby DIYers may be unfamiliar with some of these — the saw rasp, for example. I’d never used one until I started building guitars.
“Could a regular file work?” — yes, with a heroic amount of patience. But for shaping a neck, the saw rasp removes wood roughly an order of magnitude faster than a regular file. With a regular file, you’re losing the day to it.

So I’d say at minimum get the ★★☆ tier together.

Power tools (general-purpose)

Power tools next.

Same three importance tiers:
★★★ (must-have)
★★☆ (important)
★☆☆ (nice to have)

The ★★★ items — jigsaw, drill driver, palm router — are tools you really want to have for this build.

A jigsaw is essentially a powered hand saw, and the fact that it cuts curves makes it a great fit for guitar building. (You can substitute a hand saw if you’re determined.)

A drill driver is essential for making holes — really difficult to substitute by hand.

A palm router may be unfamiliar.
However, it’s a critically important power tool for guitar building.
You’ll use it to cut the pickup cavities and to clean up the body-to-neck joint area.
The hand-tool fallback is a chisel, but for an amateur, hitting precise dimensions with a chisel is genuinely hard.

Tool	Example product	Use	Importance
Jigsaw		Cutting body and neck outlines. Handles curves, which is exactly what guitar building needs.	★★★
Cordless drill / driver	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RZDVXMP/?tag=diyhigh841-20	All hole drilling and screw driving	★★★
Palm router & bits	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L7QKBQY/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Pickup cavities; shaping the neck-pocket; etc.	★★★
Circular saw	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QXCCNHM/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Straight cuts on neck blanks. (A staple in general DIY, but can be skipped for a guitar build.)	★☆☆
Power sander	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029DP718/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Big timesaver vs. hand sanding	★☆☆

Guitar-specific tools

And finally, the tools that are unique to guitar building.

Same three importance tiers as before:
★★★ (must-have)
★★☆ (important)
★☆☆ (nice to have)

The ★★★ items — fret saw, fretboard radius sanding block, and nut file — are essentially impossible to substitute with general-purpose tools, so getting these is a must.

Tool	Example product	Use	Importance
Fret saw	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXFC2FB/?tag=diyhigh841-20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXBH5VY/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Cuts fret slots in the fretboard. (Make sure the kerf matches your fret tang width.)	★★★
Fretboard radius sanding block	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXF6FQW/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Sandpaper sticks to it; you use it to sand the fretboard to a specific radius (R). [Common radii: Gibson 305 mm; Fender 184 mm / 241 mm; PRS 254 mm]	★★★
Nut file	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QTRX54Q/?tag=diyhigh841-20	For cutting the string slots in the nut	★★★
Fret crowning file	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKNXATE/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Reshaping the top of the frets after leveling	★★☆
Box wrench	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OCOOQ6/?tag=diyhigh841-20	Tightening pegs, volume nuts, etc. (A regular open-end wrench tends to scratch.)	★☆☆

So that’s a complete tour of the tools.

Everything is available at a home center or on Amazon. (Guitar-specific tools usually aren’t stocked in home centers — you’ll need to order them online.)

Looking at the list, building a guitar takes some real preparation.
If you’ve never done any DIY before, the bar may feel high.
The only solution is to remember how good completion will feel and start saving up!

※ Note: some Japanese home centers rent power tools, which is one way to handle the cost.

Planning & Design ③ — Concept & Spec

Now we get into actually designing the guitar.

This section (③) covers high-level concept and specs; detailed blueprints come in the next section (④).

Let’s start by sketching out what kind of guitar you want to build.
If you don’t know where to begin, the steps below should get you to a usable spec.

Drafting an actual blueprint may sound intimidating, but you can do it by hand or use a free CAD tool. For readers who don’t want to draft from scratch, I’ve also provided ready-to-use blueprints later that you can simply customize the body shape on (→ Section ④). Print them out and you can keep the rest as-is. (The body outline can be hand-drawn.)

The big picture

Before we get into individual specs, let’s see the overall flow.

Concept and design specs are covered next.

Working through the spec

Let’s get into the actual design.
I recommend starting with scale length and fret count.

Scale length

Scale length is the speaking length of the string from the nut to the bridge (see diagram below).
Building your own guitar means you can pick whatever scale length you want.

Longer scale = higher string tension; shorter scale = lower string tension.
So a longer scale gives a tighter, more aggressive feel under the fingers, while a shorter scale is easier to fret.

● Common scale lengths

Representative scale lengths by maker / model:

Example	Scale length
Fender: Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster “Fender scale”	648 mm (25.5 in)
PRS: Custom 24	635 mm (25 in)
Gibson: Les Paul “Gibson scale”	628 mm (24.75 in)
Fender: Mustang, Jaguar	609 mm (24 in)

Aside: in Japan, the 25.5″ Fender scale is sometimes called “regular scale” and the 24.75″ Gibson scale “medium scale” — those are Japan-specific names not used much elsewhere.

You can pick one of these standard scales, or set your own.
Whatever scale you choose, as long as you compute the fret spacing for it (next section), the guitar will tune correctly.

Fret spacing & fret count ※ Calculator below ※

Once you pick a scale length, your fret spacing is determined.

Fret spacing

For each common scale length, here are the distances from the nut (0 fret) to fret 1, 2, 3, …
You can pick the scale length, but you can’t make up your own fret spacing.

Fret spacing for common scale lengths

If you want a custom scale length

Want to set your own scale? You can compute fret spacing for any scale length.

For scale length L, the distance from the nut to fret n, denoted d_n, is:

・d_n : distance from the nut to fret n
・L : scale length
・n : fret number

[Update] I built a calculator. Plug in your scale length and fret count below.

● Calculator

Number of frets

Most electric guitars have 21, 22, or 24 frets.
Some examples:

Fender (Stratocaster, Telecaster): vintage 21 frets, current production 22 frets
Gibson (Les Paul): 22 frets
PRS: 24 frets

Building your own guitar means you can pick freely — for example, a Strat-shaped body with 24 frets is totally fine.

Pickup spec

As mentioned in the parts section, Gibson tends toward humbuckers and Fender toward single-coils.

Generally: single-coils sound brighter and clearer; humbuckers sound thicker with higher output.

The build on this site uses 2× humbuckers (good noise rejection).

Humbucker pickup used here → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C53C6MH7/?tag=diyhigh841-20

Pickup mounting ring (escutcheon) used here → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TC4Z8VG/?tag=diyhigh841-20

Bridge / tailpiece type

The body-end of the strings can be terminated either by a single-piece bridge (Strat-style — bridge anchors the strings) or by a separate bridge + tailpiece pair (Les Paul-style — strings ride on the bridge but anchor in the tailpiece).

This build uses the Les Paul-style bridge + tailpiece configuration.
(Strat-style is fewer pieces and slightly easier to build.)

Other options exist — Floyd Rose-type bridges that accept a tremolo arm, etc.
If you want vibrato, pick a bridge that takes an arm.

Headstock shape / peg layout

・Headstock shape
The headstock shape is mainly driven by where the tuning pegs go.
Gibson puts 3 pegs on each side; Fender puts all 6 pegs on one side.

You don’t have to do either. (2/4, or 1/6, are perfectly valid layouts.)

・Headstock angle
From the side, the headstock is angled back relative to the neck (see arrow in the next diagram).
This presses the strings firmly down onto the nut.

Common headstock angles: Gibson 17°, PRS 10°, Fender 0° (with exceptions).

Fender’s headstock isn’t angled — it’s stepped down from the fretboard plane but stays parallel to it.
Instead, a “string retainer” is used to hold the strings down onto the nut.

This build uses Gibson’s 17° angled headstock, but no-angle + retainer Fender-style is just as valid.

Fretboard width & neck thickness

・Fretboard / neck width

Typical width near the nut (① in diagram) is around 43 mm; width near the last fret (②) is around 57 mm.
Measuring an existing guitar that feels good in your hand and copying that is also a fine approach.

・Thickness

Neck thickness affects feel.
Broadly: Gibson is on the thicker side, Fender on the thinner side.

Gibson (typical): 21 mm at the 1st fret, 23 mm at the 12th fret
Fender (typical): 20.5 mm at the 1st fret, 22.5 mm at the 12th fret

Fretboard thickness is 6.35 mm (1/4 in) across the major makers.

Neck thickness can be reduced as you go via sanding, so a tentative number at the design stage is fine.

Body shape

・Free choice

You can pick any body shape you want.
Scale up a photo of an existing model, or design something completely original.

Acoustic guitars need an acoustically-tuned body for resonance, but on an electric guitar the string vibration goes straight to the pickup → amp, so the body shape doesn’t really affect the sound 😄 (Tone purists would object, but no listener is going to identify body shape from tone alone — and you’re building it yourself, so call it good.)

・Thickness

Typical body thicknesses and laminations:
The Gibson Les Paul tends to be thick.

＜Examples＞

A Les Paul is heavy and can hurt your shoulder over time. A “thinner Les Paul” is also a fine option.

You don’t have to match the lumber types, but I’d recommend hardwood.
The cheapest stuff at a home center (SPF, cedar) tends to warp over time. (Lessons from my non-guitar DIY work.)

Knob layout (volume / tone)

Common volume / tone knob layouts:
Match a model you like; experiment if you want.

Maker / model	Knob count	Notes
Gibson / Les Paul	Vol×2, Tone×2	Independent vol/tone per pickup
Fender / Stratocaster	Vol×1, Tone×2	Simpler controls
PRS / Custom 24	Vol×1, Tone×1	Simpler controls

Pick a reference model, decide your knob count, and lay out the knob and selector positions.

Wiring details (including the selector switch) are in the Build article.

Body-to-neck joinery

・Joinery method

Two main methods: bolt-on (the neck is screwed to the body) or set-neck (the neck is glued in).
Common assignments:

Bolt-on (screws): Fender
Set-neck (glue): Gibson, PRS

This build uses set-neck (glued).

・Neck angle (relative to body)

The neck-pocket angle (see diagram) is 0° on Stratocasters and 3–5° on Les Pauls (varies by era / model).

The Les Paul has a tall bridge, so angling the neck back puts the strings at the right height above the body.

Set the neck angle by working backward from your bridge’s height.

A worked example follows in “Planning & Design ④ — Drafting the Blueprint”.

Planning & Design ④ — Drafting the Blueprint【Downloadable Plans】

Have a concept? Good. Time to draw the blueprint.

This section walks through the actual drawing.

If you’d rather not draft from scratch, I’ve put PDF blueprints further down — feel free to use those and arrange to taste.

Drafting steps

Let’s draft step by step.

For the worked example below I’ll use the following spec:

・Scale length: 635 mm
・Frets: 24
・Pickups: 2× humbucker
・Bridge: Les Paul style — bridge + tailpiece
・Headstock: Les Paul style (3-on-each-side pegs)
・Headstock angle: 17°
・Body-to-neck joinery: set-neck (glued)

Here are the actual drafting steps.

Example blueprints

Here are some ready-to-use blueprints. Help yourself.

Pick the one closest to the fret count and scale length you want, and customize the body and headstock shapes.

Blueprint Example 1 (scale 628 mm / 22 frets)

Les Paul-equivalent scale length and fret count.

● Scale 628 mm, 22 frets — Neck blueprint

● Scale 628 mm, 22 frets — Body blueprint

Blueprint Example 2 (scale 648 mm / 22 frets)

Stratocaster-equivalent scale length and fret count.

● Scale 648 mm, 22 frets — Neck blueprint

● Scale 648 mm, 22 frets — Body blueprint

This blueprint uses a Les Paul body shape and 2× humbuckers. A faithful Stratocaster would be 3× single-coils plus a 6-in-line headstock, etc., so adapt as needed.
I plan to publish a Strat-spec set in the future.

Blueprint Example 3 (scale 635 mm / 24 frets)

This is the worked example used in the drafting walkthrough above.

PRS-equivalent scale length and fret count.

● Scale 635 mm, 24 frets — Neck blueprint

● Scale 635 mm, 24 frets — Body blueprint

Planning & Design ⑤ — Lumber

Blueprints ready?

This section covers picking the lumber.

The premise of this site is “buy at home centers and Amazon,” so I’m not using exotic boutique woods.
That said, I do recommend going hardwood.
Going for the cheapest SPF or cedar will work initially but tends to develop noticeable warping later. (From general DIY furniture experience.)

Hardwood is what’s used in higher-end furniture — dense and heavy.
Hardwood examples: maple, oak, ash (tamo), cherry.
(Mahogany and rosewood are used in real electric guitars but aren’t typically stocked at home centers.)

What you’ll usually find at a home center is “glulam” (edge-glued panels). Single-piece boards with no glue lines are not standard home-center fare and are pricier.
For this build I’m sticking to “hardwood glulam available at a home center.”

“I want to build with the same lumber as the real thing!” — for those readers, I’ve put a reference table of woods and thicknesses used in real Les Pauls / Stratocasters at the end of this section.
Specialty shops (e.g. Aichi Mokuzai in Japan) ship those online.

Body lumber

Pick a board larger than your body outline.
Targeting around 45 mm total thickness for this build.

At my local home center (Cainz) I found maple and cherry glulam. I’ll laminate them.

(For this build)
① Body top: maple glulam, 350 mm × 600 mm × 20 mm thick
② Body back: cherry glulam, 350 mm × 600 mm × 20 mm thick

① + ② = 40 mm, slightly under our 45 mm target.
So I’m sandwiching a 4 mm plywood layer between them.

Total thickness: 44 mm.

Nice — caught the lumber on a clearance sale ↓

Neck and fretboard lumber

Neck

Especially with an angled headstock, the neck blank needs real thickness.
For this build I’ll cut the section profile from a single board and laminate it.

Neck: cherry glulam, 350 mm × 910 mm × 20 mm thick (cut and laminate per the diagram below)

I’m laminating it for this build, but if you order from a specialty shop you can get it as a single solid blank.

Fretboard

Caveat: I couldn’t find a good fretboard material at the home center, so I went with a specialty shop (Aichi Mokuzai). I really wanted a dark fretboard…

To preserve the “home-center materials” thread, I’ll resaw it down to the spec’d 6.35 mm thickness myself.
(Aichi Mokuzai will resaw to spec if you ask, but for the home-center spirit I’m doing it myself.)

Fretboard: Indian rosewood, 530 mm long, 60–70 mm wide, 8 mm thick (mail-order from Aichi Mokuzai)

For builders who want the real woods…

For readers who want to use the same woods as a real Les Paul or Stratocaster, here’s a reference of the typical materials.

You’ll need to order online from specialty shops — these aren’t home-center stock.

This is the table from “Planning & Design ③” with the wood species highlighted in blue.

That’s all the lumber sorted.

Up next: the actual build!
Continue here ↓