Post a pic of the first guitar you ever made

[Bob J]

I’ll play.
First was from a kit.

Than built one from scratch

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Here's my very first scratch build. It's a carved top tele with mahogany back, maple neck (that I torched) and rosewood fretboard.

I love and dislike it simultaneously. On one hand it carries sentiment of being my first build, which was part an amazing 3-4 week local class. This was the catalyst for my passion in guitar building.
On the other hand, my skills, knowledge, and personal workshop have developed tremendously since then, such that I couldn't be happy producing this quality at this point of my building career. As well, I got a lot of help on a lot of tasks from the class mentor, in his own workshop, so I can't really claim it as 100% my own work. Nonetheless, I am still very proud of it.

 

[xStonr]

 

[TheZ]

Built from parts late 2009-early 2010. Still hoping to do a scratch build body and neck someday...

 

[OldCAT]

Scratch build

 

[Blazer]

I built one like this when I was 17, but sold it. I built this updated neck thru version back in 2010. I've built 38 more since then.

View attachment 1000775

Hey, I always wanted to do that, a Dano Longhorn but with cool woods.

 

[Mark617]

More stained and assembled, than built

 

[edvard]

You've seen it before, you'll probably see it again:

 

[Skyhook]

Can't. I built it of Lego bricks and then I smashed it!

 

[bullfrogblues]

Early 90s I was building some walnut furniture. We had a Lowe's and a Scotty's lumber stores near by. Lowe's at the time sold red oak, poplar, and maple for hard woods. I'd stop in once a week to check the maple stash to see if I could find any with flame or quilt. Finally found a nice flamed board for the top, not bookmatched, and had to use 4 pieces of walnut to make the body wide and thick enough. A friend gave me a 24 fret 24.75 scale neck and I made this flat top les paul using the PRS method for binding. Heavy bugger and doesn't play real great, but the first guitar I ever made. (apparently I didn't know enough about bridge placement and intonation)

 

[Moldy Oldy]

My avatar is my first one. In 2012 a couple friends and I decided we needed to try guitar building. Between us, my friend Scott was the only one with any woodworking experience or any decent tools. Virtually 100% of our guitar building knowledge came from here on TDPRI as I spent many hours pouring over build threads. If I were building it today the main thing is that the neck carve would be more refined, but it’s still my #1 go-to guitar.

 

[Telekarster]

51 Nocaster that I built in 2018, and I play/gig with her regularly. Started with a hand cut ash body that a guy cut for me, using 51 spec templates, and the neck is an Allparts vintage 7.25 radius. All hardware is USA made Fender vintage parts, and the pups are CS Nocaster. Took me 2-3 months and I sweated every inch LOL!!! She turned out well and she's my #1 today.

Here she is when she was nothing but parts, what she looked like immediately after I called her "done", and what she looks like today. Note the nitro color change (and no.... it's not the lighting)

 

[Mark617]

You've seen it before, you'll probably see it again:
View attachment 1001106

Very nice
It’s worth showing repeatedly

 

[Mark617]

You've seen it before, you'll probably see it again:
View attachment 1001106

Very nice
It’s worth showing repeatedly

Early 90s I was building some walnut furniture. We had a Lowe's and a Scotty's lumber stores near by. Lowe's at the time sold red oak, poplar, and maple for hard woods. I'd stop in once a week to check the maple stash to see if I could find any with flame or quilt. Finally found a nice flamed board for the top, not bookmatched, and had to use 4 pieces of walnut to make the body wide and thick enough. A friend gave me a 24 fret 24.75 scale neck and I made this flat top les paul using the PRS method for binding. Heavy bugger and doesn't play real great, but the first guitar I ever made. (apparently I didn't know enough about bridge placement and intonation)
View attachment 1001150

i love the flame

 

[erix]

This is the first body I made, roasted alder with a pine top. Has a Warmoth neck with flatwounds. Still a lovely player, used it last night!

 

[Dimitree]

my first build took quite a bit of time and struggling to finish. I also built the tailpiece and the pickguard. I consider it completed, but actually I’d prefer it with a blue finish, so I guess I still need a bit of work to do

 

[Berger]

If you saw it in person, you'd see the learning experiences....
but it is still the one I keep coming back to.
I'm making a new neck (the one shown was an ebay purchase) with some wood from my grandfather that had helped build the body.

 

[TheZ]

Early 90s I was building some walnut furniture. We had a Lowe's and a Scotty's lumber stores near by. Lowe's at the time sold red oak, poplar, and maple for hard woods. I'd stop in once a week to check the maple stash to see if I could find any with flame or quilt. Finally found a nice flamed board for the top, not bookmatched, and had to use 4 pieces of walnut to make the body wide and thick enough. A friend gave me a 24 fret 24.75 scale neck and I made this flat top les paul using the PRS method for binding. Heavy bugger and doesn't play real great, but the first guitar I ever made. (apparently I didn't know enough about bridge placement and intonation)
View attachment 1001150

That is gorgeous! I'd love to see more pictures if you have any

 

[riolux]

My first attempt at some sort of tribute to the snakehead prototype. From 2008. It's an ash body ordered through ebay, not many vendors made pine bodies back then. In the pictures it has a Lundgren pickup, which I've since changed to a SD little '59 HB.

 

[Little Jay]

My first was a partscaster - I have never built a guitar from scratch - so I hope it counts. But it took quite an effort to fit the neck in the correct position for the 24.75” scale ;-)