How to Build a DIY Guitar: Challenge | I Like To Make Stuff

Josh and Bob are going head to head again in a DIY guitar build-off!
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About I Like To Make Stuff:
We have lots of projects including woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, prop making and more!
These videos are our attempt inspire and empower others to make the stuff that they want to have. Hopefully you'll see something here that will inspire you to make something that you're passionate about!
[Video Title]
• How to Build a DIY Gui...
I Like To Make Stuff
/ iliketomakestuff

I have say that, for "a couple guys who don't know what they are doing", you know a whole lot more than most. I've seen so many "DIY guitar build" vids that start with pre-made, boxed or contoured blanks, and while those are cool and certainly also require skill, I have to give massive props to Bob for making that hollow-body and Josh for the kick-ass striped bass. There are no such thing as failures, only learning opportunities and I just wanted to thank both for taking us along for the ride. Keep making, we'll keep watchin.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks so much! We wanted to show that there's different ways to make guitars with an array of tools. It's not easy, but it's totally doable.

[@gwog]

I LOVED this style of video with more of the joking around and having fun together while you're working being shown. Great stuff!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Glad you enjoyed it! More to come!

[@gwog]

@@Iliketomakestuff Bring it on!

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

Completely agree. Also gives light to the approach that can be taken when mistakes are made rather than scrapping the entire idea and never completing the project at all. Love it!

[@williamjones5005]

I love how you aren't afraid to show that you guys makes mistakes. So cool to see you guys learning along the way! They are looking great!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We're not perfect and never want to give the illusion that we are. Everyone can make the stuff we make, hopefully you won't make the same mistakes we did.

[@FrankTurk]

Just to say it: your "go get some more wood and try it again" ethic is why this channel is great.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks. I try not to get too attached to materials. I know wood can be expensive, but you have to plan for errors.

[@knoxboxdesigns]

so plans to roast marshmallows over the old guitar bodies?

[@AgentWaltonSimons]

"It's just wood". Come on guys, next thing you'll be telling us it grows on trees!

[@kellcomnet]

Happy to see makers having fun and friendly messing with each other.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We have fun around here.

[@kellcomnet]

@@Iliketomakestuff and that is why I liked & subscribed, I have zero intention of building the things you do, but I enjoy watching people have fun.

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

@@kellcomnet completely agree with that!

[@danielrisueno8003]

It's always amazing to see how much silliness and awesomeness blend together in equal parts at that workshop.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

The ratio varies, but it's always a good time working with friends

[@alexisdrosopoulos]

I believe that in these years where everything that is uploaded is so "perfect", people are really afraid to fail. IG post of perfect bodies, houses, recipes, guitar licks, guitar builds etc. Us people are so exposed only to perfect things that really forget that the process of making these are full of mistakes and mishappenings. I build guitar pedals and I keep a so called "box of shame", that I keep pcbs and enclosures that weren't made into a pedal, because of mistakes that I made. The thing is that I learnt something from each and every single one of these mistakes and trust me there were quite a few. Always found new ingenious mistakes to make, but never did the same mistake again. What I'm trying to say is that I admire the fact that you're not afraid to show the mistakes that you made, because in a learning process mistakes will and should be made. That's the only way to do it. Kudos for you guys!

[@ttsuter87]

Well said! It’s not the end result but the path and all those bumps on the path.

[@alexisdrosopoulos]

@@ttsuter87 Exactly, but unfortunately nowadays we're used to just seeing the end result which must be perfect, because if it isn't, it's automatically not worth to be posted. People are less interested in the process than they are in the result, which is kinda strange, because all the knowledge is in the process. I guess the attention span of people now is so short that they don't have the time nor the will to see the whole process.

[@seansysig]

Humility is sometimes more entertaining than excellence. Great video especially discussing the design challenges.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Yes! Thank you!

[@furthernorthfab]

I have zero interest in building a guitar, but this was super entertaining watching you guys learn! I actually Lol’d when Josh offered to take Bob’s guitar body on a field trip 😂

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks for watching, we're trying to have more fun on camera.

[@riuken1234]

@@Iliketomakestuff yes was a part were the camera move wen you asking our opinion, I do the same move lol.

[@lennycolyn442]

Awesome to see that you two, who knows only little, but fail and don't give up, but try again and again until you do it right. Keep up with what you two are doing and the end product is the blessing of it. Thanks guys.

[@codesent2125]

First of all, i cant wait to see these get finished. Secondly, after these, y'all should try to make a drum kit with the shells, and the hardware, like make yalls own cymbal stands and everything. Just an idea!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Oh boy, that would be an undertaking.

[@TravisFabel]

I really like this format where it's You and your buddy fooling around making stuff together. With a little bit of joking. It adds a lot of entertainment value without diluting the video.

[@wuerfel_schmied]

Diving into new topics deserves respect. And at the end of the day its still your own work, regardless how good or bad it might be.

[@gtrslngrchris]

I feel like not gluing a dark accent piece in the oversized neck pocket and using a template to hand route the right size neck pocket was a missed opportunity.

[@jakewertz9028]

came here to say the same thing

[@punishedprops]

You guys rock! =D

[@Iliketomakestuff]

You Rock Bill!

[@Dlutheran]

How is it going love both of your channels

[@ozzyramirez4914]

Both channels are awesome

[@coregeek]

🤘🏻😝🤘🏻 diy guitars are the new hotness!

[@joerodriguez3338]

I like what you're doing, showing mistakes and what you're building. Thanks.

[@ribhukundu5806]

Is it going to become a buildoff series of different kind of musical instruments? That would be awesome ❤️

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Like a Hurdy Gurdy?

[@sirwalruscrow2954]

@@Iliketomakestuff Yes please. It’d be great to see an ILTMS cover of Eluveitie to go along with the build.

[@kellcomnet]

Needs to include a didgeridoo

[@stanleyshostak2737]

I really enjoy the chemistry of the both of you. I really enjoy “No Instructions”. I know everyone is busy but I miss hearing from you guys on there. I really relate to Josh and feel like I learn a lot from your insight on life! Keep on keepin on

[@brokenantlerworkshop]

YES! Love these battles!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

They're super fun!

[@gabrielacevedo5803]

Cool, I’m building a guitar right now too! My 3rd. Backpacker guitar

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Awesome! Share some pics with us on IG @iliketomakestuff

[@gabrielacevedo5803]

I Like To Make Stuff sure thing, I’m going to start selling some hand built guitars later this year

[@CorbettMatthews]

So many people want to be perfect all the time. I appriciate that you show your mistakes and the learning process. I don't think I've ever made a woodworking project that had zero mistakes or was perfect, and I do it for a living. Keep up the great content guys, it's inspirational content!

[@plastickhero]

The real guitars were the friends they made along the way.

[@CommanderMarsh]

The Starcaster is wildly underrated. You boys got good taste.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks, I've always loved that look.

[@ktulu193]

I think it had something to do with the fact that it had a 3 bolt neck joint when it first came out. Those became notorious for bad tuning stability, especially compared to set neck (Gibson) hollowbodies at the time. I agree though, that it is a really cool guitar

[@jeffriethompson187]

The stripes being off center are totally Rock and Roll!!! Black keys, and such😎

[@skewedmaker]

Having fun messing up, laughing about it, and trying again, that's what making with friends should be

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

Completely agree!

[@Lechanan]

I think my favorite part was Bob making noise every time Josh started talking 😆

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Hehe.

[@johncaldwell1190]

So when is Anthony turning his cherry drumsticks??

[@Iliketomakestuff]

He's been scheming like he did before. I'm sure something will turn up next week.

[@AnthonyRose]

@@Iliketomakestuff ...hehe 'turn' up

[@MichaelNatrin]

Awesome builds. Thanks for sharing your mistakes as well as your successes 👍🎸

[@Iliketomakestuff]

None of this is easy, but it is all obtainable.

[@briceparmentier6922]

Hey guys, awesome job ! What I love about this episode's format is that you doesn't show only the main parts of the builds but also kind of the "behind the scenes" catches when you laugh, trick at each other, and the failures! It makes the episode way more entertaining and friendly, personally I can easily imagine me being with you building the guitars and that is fun! Also, that is something to tell about a failure, but showing it live is, in my humble opinion, much more valuable, and prove that you are humans. Great job, can't wait to see the next part of it!

[@Cosmoandcracker]

I really like how josh becomes more and more a part of your videos.

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

Thank you for sharing that stepping into a build that you have never done before is not full of mistakes rather it's a learning experience full of growing pains on the road to becoming a builder! Good luck on the project.

[@adnanali07]

EPIC build "movie"! It had drama, suspense, comedy...LOL. I can't for the ending.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

It's pretty great so far. Anthony won't let us watch it until he's done with the edit.

[@barrysoper2734]

Awesome. It’s fun to watch someone work through the process.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

This is definitely a process. But I already want to make another one!

[@LucyVMakes]

I love the dynamic the two of you have on the podcast so its great to see more of that on a main build video too. More Josh!!

[@justinparker8929]

This video was so much fun to watch. You guys do know a lot about what you are doing. Thank you both for creating these videos. I am excited for when I build my house this year to use your videos as inspiration!!!

[@siririchards4461]

Josh can salvage that first neck with a wood patch, or better yet a decorative inlay perhaps. Loved this episode. Thanks for Making guys

[@sonnyloudon]

I really like seeing the two different ways of landing at a similar destination. It makes making stuff so accessible! Best part of these videos is how you guys show the problem solving that goes into different decisions. It’s like you’re professional problem solvers! *Bob looks in the mirror at his shirt* “yeh I am!”

[@C3DPropShop]

I appreciate Josh learning the G28 for machinists: nose to window and hand over E-stop! And finding out he accidentally put an onion skin on the neck operation. Bob's ingenuity with the templates was inspiring! Great job guys, wish it was one video so I could see the results!! Gotta go checkout a speaker now...

[@Iliketomakestuff]

To everyone reading that thinks CNC is easy and the robot works every time. That is not the case. Garbage in, garbage out.

[@ThePunischer1000]

@@Iliketomakestuff Well CNC is easy and the machine indeed does work most of the times. What is hard is programming it and the machine does exactly what you tell it to but in many cases its not what you want it to do...

[@metalheadmalta]

Looking forward to the next episode... I made a guitar body blank myself, but never got round to completing it, what with band practice, electronics and stuff... but you have piqued my interest once again... and it's awesome to not only owning up you don't know anything about guitar making, but also showing where you went wrong. It's a learning process... Kudos! ROCK ON!

[@DirtyMort10en]

Thank you for the video guys! I have been looking and watching so many guitar build videos and have been trying to get to the point of figuring out exactly how I was going to do it. Your video has totally shown me the way. Through where I work, I have access to everything you used. (bonus)... I have begun learning some new software that will help me model it and I will likely figure out taking that model and program it out to one of the CNC's I have access to. Can't wait to see the rest of the builds.

[@mrfochs]

For the bass, you can very easily cut a wood plug from maple and then cut the correct size pocket for the maple neck and leave the cherry neck for the striped body.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

True. He eventually filled the oversized neck pocket but still went with the stripy one.

[@mrfochs]

@@Iliketomakestuff Good to hear. I hated thinking that something that easy to fix woudl result in scrapping that wonderful wood slab. Great video and looking forward to part 2.

[@MotenF]

Do more of these build offs they're great videos! And nice looking instruments as well!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks! Will do!

[@VoidedWarranty]

One thing I do with most CNC jobs is set my origin to one of the first features I cut, such as a hole. Maybe even a sacrificial thing that gets cut off at the end. So if I have to unmount and remount it, say to add more support under something I didn't realize I was cutting into, I can remount the part, dial in that feature, and just keep going.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

That's a good tip!

[@dannyjepp985]

You can really tell that you two are having a lot of fun with these, even though you both had to start completely over. Here's to hoping the next video doesn't begin with "So I started over. Again."

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We didn't. But as soon as the camera cut, Josh started making another one.

[@Aragorn450]

@@Iliketomakestuff I don't blame Josh... My OCD would have also made me start again ASAP. Is there a way to mark the center of the piece and start from there instead of one of the corners when doing the CNC?

[@David2147]

I love these types of vids! The fact that you show your mistakes rather than editing them out is awesomeness! Thanks for making my mistakes for me. 5stars!

[@evan7685]

thats so awesome!! i've been working on a telecaster style guitar for about a month now. so far i have the body done and i saved up enough to buy the wood for the neck! i cant wait to finnish it!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

That's awesome! Best of luck, hope you don't run into the same issues we did.

[@kevinetheridge6153]

This video is fantastic. Really excellent work to all of you. There's a level of fun and experimentation and willingness to mess up that I don't always see in maker videos in general. And, what a great project too. Instrument making is double tough and these look like they're coming out fantastic. I can't wait for the next installment! Kudos!!

[@captainwoo9097]

I have build a guitar myself in the past and therer are many things "wrong" but thats no problem because the most important thing is, that it plays well. I think you simply have to accept visual imperfections, I mean its self built! I really like how you handle your mistakes, thats how it should be.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks! We know they're not perfect, but we're getting better every time.

[@Nani-lu2nz]

who just loves watching videos with josh

[@Iliketomakestuff]

He's blushing.

[@joachimsmet8946]

Great video ! Love the fact that you also show us what went wrong and that everything is a learning proces. Keep on going !!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks, will do!

[@BruceAUlrich]

Fret Level Midnight is the PERFECT name! ha ha

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Haha.

[@DanielMargheim]

Love the process so far! Seeing your little mistakes and how you handle them is super helpful.

[@TheMontwoodMakerCompany]

I love these videos, so much fun! More videos with the whole crew, please!

[@sgtmajcj5706]

Always fun watching your videos! Thanks for doing these!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Glad you like them!

[@SebastianGodoyMedel]

Love thst you showed your mistakes as well. It is superb to see that even the pros make mistakes! Thanks for sharing!

[@qaweeorltuys]

Josh has an opportunity on the messup body to plug the oversized neck recess with a contrasting wood and re-route the correct hole and end up with a rad inlay. I think that would be really great and would not waste the messup

[@Iliketomakestuff]

He did and he used that body as a tester in the next video.

[@qaweeorltuys]

@@Iliketomakestuff I can't wait

[@eliosaile1689]

This is my favorite style content that you guys produce! Nice change every now and then! Keep up all the great work!

[@BloomsIZG]

You’ve done it again bob, thank you for what you do... on a side note you’ve actually inspired me to build an urn for my mom and start creating.

[@Holzy09]

I'm only like 8 minutes in, your key method was awesome! Just a tip from my mechanical engineer design job that MIGHT make it easier in the future: For a fixture like that, you can simply use two circular pins! The matching key on your template would be a circle (4-way locator) and and slot (2-way locator). The key is that the length of the slot just falls along the centerline of connecting the two pins! As long as you keep the two pin locations as far apart as you have room for, you have a really accurate alignment method without those teeny little sticks that may be tricky to fit Obviously yours worked, but it may be easier for things in the future!

[@michaelrolph198]

This is great! You should make a Cajon next!

[@diopappa]

So guys you are giving me so many advices of what can go wrong building guitars. I am trying to make my own recycling good old wood and it's helping me a lot. I love almost all of your projects anyway

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks! Check out Tim Sway here on KZbin. He makes guitars from reclaimed materials, and he's an awesome guy!

[@markandrewfenton]

Love seeing the 2 different approaches! Keep going, amazing videos!

[@amhales98]

This is engineering at its finest! Love this way too much!

[@tallmarkmusic]

Really cool to see two different ways to complete like projects; would love to see more of these side-by-side builds!

[@shawnm4759]

3:37 i like how instead of just purchasing a PushBot for $20, you made your own lol. So true to form.

[@KleyDeJong]

Love this! You guys are doing a great job!

[@kieranmz4614]

Yes!! I've been waiting for you to make a guitar ever since the guitar respray video.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@alekseevsergey]

Talking about Crimson - I'd love to see you guys at the great guitar build off 2021, pls! 😇

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We can't make it this year because of big projects, but next year, we're in!

[@rockincowgirl10]

You guys are awesome as heck. Everytime I watch your vids I'm inspired. Keep up being THE BEST makers out there.

I always like when you show how and why you messed up something because you show how to get the most of it as well. Failure is part of learning and it's okay to fail to do something the first time(s).

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We completely agree.

[@specteller]

Every week it is a waiting game ... 🤩

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We're doing our best to make good stuff.

[@specteller]

@@Iliketomakestuff Yes and it is worth of waiting too ... ❤️

[@CalebsFineWoodworking]

Great video! I've often thought about making a guitar, and this was very helpful and entertaining!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Go for it!

[@MosnoAlMoseeki]

This is cool, I really like seeing your process, also, I actually like the off-set strips on that guitar, gives it character. Nicely done fellas, looking forward to the next one.

[@WiredWorkshop]

These build off videos are awesome! Really like how 2 things are going on and you helping each other, as well as messing with the others audio 😂

[@vincentbutler2757]

I’m in the middle of making my first electric solid body. It’s definitely a learning curve every step of the way. I’m finding a lot of things I will do differently next time. It’s nice to see other makers going through it with their first guitars too!

[@coregeek]

Loving these builds after having just completed my own diy guitar, from scratch recently. Just do happens my next one is going to be a semi-hollow carved top too!

[@FrenchCoastWorkshop]

This kind of challenges between yourself is so cool ! Looking forward to see the next episode :)

[@ChrisHopgood96]

Loved this! Can’t wait for part 2

[@JacobAndersonLives]

love this video, I built my first guitar (left handed jazzmaster) a few years ago, and the intonation was terrible. I finally gave up and sold all the parts. I'm a much better woodworker now, and have most of the right tools. Maybe I should give it another shot!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

You totally should. It rekindled my love for playing music.

[@forestbirdoriginals4917]

I watched the entire thing, and loved every second of it. Love long format videos.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks!

[@WhenGeeksCraft]

i love everytime you guys interrupted each other. MAKE SOME HOLEY HOLES

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Anthony's burps interrupt us more than anything.

[@GeorgeMadeThis]

I can't wait to see the debut performance of Fret Level Midnight. Doing the Scarn whilst playing. It will be a show for the ages.

[@chriscutress1702]

I love the mistakes. Human's are not perfect. Innovation arises from miscues and mistakes. Can't wait to hear them played and hear the demo.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Next week! We're super happy with them!

[@chriscutress1702]

@@Iliketomakestuff With the overcut pocket for the neck ... I think Ben of Crimson Guitars would have glued some incredible looking wood strips in place and recut to the correct dimensions adding an interesting wood effect to the guitar. Then Ben would have added strips of the other wood to other sections of his build to make the repair not a one off portion of the build. He makes a lot of mistakes as well and they add to his builds. I don't know what he would have done regarding the mis-aligned sound-hole cuts in the guitar however.

[@matthewdaniels1147]

Loved the video! Super fun.

[@MendedHeart666]

I’ve been waiting for an ILTMS custom guitar build video for years! I’m so excited to see how these turn out. Great job Bob and Josh! Also I’m stoked you shouted out Tim Sway! He’s one of my favorite KZbinrs.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Tim is awesome and a big inspiration.

[@JorgeCarreonGtz]

you guys are awesome, great guitar! You should join the The Great Guitar Build Off 2021!!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

We hope to next year!

[@Wordsnwood]

Cool Vid. I want to come and build stuff at your shop; you guys have all the fun. Except when everything breaks. ps: I'm with you, Josh, the off-centre stripes would drive me bonkers.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

He complains about them a lot. But he is also making like 3 other basses to replace that one in the future.

[@brentfowler2317]

You all are awesome. Keep up the great work guys. And just to let you know Bob. I've been watching your channel since you made that "on air light" you made over 5 years ago. Idk how long ago it was exactly. But I believe it was over 5 years ago. And let me just say how much I've learned. And how much I've enjoyed watching all your videos. I remember when your first bits video came out. And how cool I thought it was.. keep up the great work, bob and all the iltms family. Your all awesome.

[@CrudeButEfficient]

I like seeing you work in parallel, and even though it's nice to see a guitar take shape I feel I will never try to build a guitar. But I am looking forward to the next video!

[@VonWalther2]

This is one of the best of your video's I have seen in a while.

[@davidmeyer9204]

Even if you are not going to make a guitar. There is a lot to be learned from watching this. Thanks Gentlemen, I needed this video today.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thank you so much! We're here to help.

[@BenAustraw]

Really fun watching the process on this one!

[@josiahaenel2280]

One of my favorites so far, almost equal to the aptil fools one 😅

[@kubilaym9320]

I was planning to make my own guitar with zero experience and I realized I'll be facing the same issues. So thanks for the heads up.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

A good first step may be a kit. Check out fully-loaded kits at /www.stewmac.com

[@kubilaym9320]

@@Iliketomakestuff Thank you.

[@sddiymakeitworthit7512]

Looks fantastic

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks!

[@profjmannjm]

Hands down best ILTMS video so far 🤣

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thank you so much! Part 2 will be out next week!

[@profjmannjm]

@@Iliketomakestuff can't wait 😊

[@HDBrown-wc9xt]

Looks great! Keep up the good work

[@JThorumWoodworks]

Very nice! I like these build off videos 👍

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Glad you like them!

[@sgsax]

Good thing you didn't pick something hard to build on this challenge. 😁 So far, you're both looking pretty good, in spite of the leaning curve. I'm still midway through my own first bass build, using Tim Sway's kit. Had to pause for cold weather while working in my garage shop. It's always fun to me to see how different people approach making guitars. I think there's something to be learned from everybody. Two fun projects in a super fun and informative video. Looking forward to part 2. Thanks for sharing!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

I had no idea Tim made kits, that's awesome! Check them out at newperspectivesmusic.com/