Questions on building/making an electric guitar?

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Coolcat

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I know, I already asked this, but figured it'd get more answers in music instead of DIY

I'm building a guitar: I got the idea after finding an old Strat neck in my grandparents' basement. If it matters, it's a kind of SG-like design, double-cutaway pointy horns, but a bit more symmetrical, and the curves are different.

Anyways.

-I sanded down the neck to take off the old finish to custom paint some stuff. Is regular spray-on satin wood lacquer okay to refinish? (Yes, I prefer sating necks over glossy ones, I find them easier to slide my hands along)
-The local hardware store has mahogany planks, 14" wide by 1" thick and 48" long: What kind of glue would be best for holding two pieces together, to make it 2" thick?
-I've found nearly everything I need (save from pickups) on www.stewmac.com ...Is it a reliable company?
-I'm making one with two pickups, one volume/one tone... Is this diagram accurate for the wiring? http://www.guitar-mod.com/wiring/LP_juni...
- For the control cavity, does it need to be shielded? Is it necessary, or just preferred?

Yes, it's my first guitar I've built, and I'm prepared to spend hours and hours and hours working on it

Any other tips or pointers would be appreciated, too

Thanks much!
 
Titebound is good .Elmer's have excellent wood glues,just have to seal when your done. It would not hurt to shield it with aluminum tape .Stew Mac with Dan Erlewine is one of the best seen his stuff on you-tube> I'll look at the site and get back to you..
 
Personally I have not made one - but a friend has made several, and I helped him with the glue-up and finishing.

Finish - either a really hard urethane or a rubbed in wax. Both look good.

Glue-up - The key is clamping. He's made them from 3-8 layers of wood (the cross sectioning looked really cool) But you have to do a great - not just good - job gluing.

Holes - make templates for the pickups, etc. and do a test cut in some scrap to make sure the template is accurate. It's a real shame to ruin the body because the hole you routered for the pickup was too large. I've seen it happen more than one time!

So, pay attention to the glue, clamping and holes. The first one is always the worst one. My friend was not happy with his until number three!

Glue - a high quality poly based glue, like Gorilla glue is best.

There was no shielding in the guitar at all.

Now, if you don't have any nice clamps, you can try a ton of weight. I've actually parked my car on stuff to clamp it, but this is really, really tricky. The pieces can shift and ruin the job.

If this is something to plan on doing more than one time, pick up some panel clamps.
 
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