Building a bolt-neck solid body electric guitar/bass isn't all that difficult unless you make the neck & fretboard, which is the most complicated bit (also assu

Building a bolt-neck solid body electric guitar/bass isn't all that difficult unless you make the neck & fretboard, which is the most complicated bit (also assuming you're not crazy enough to want to wind your own pickups). Anyone interested in giving it a go would probably be best to start with something based on the classic Fender Strat/Tele, because compatible necks and other parts are available cheaply (search on eBay, esp. China). You can always upgrade it in the future too, if you decide you want a real US Fender birds-eye maple neck or something; start with something cheap in case it doesn't work out. You can of course, go wild with the body design, as that's the only part you really need to make yourself. This is a good book that covers all the basic techniques: http://www.melvynhiscock.com/MYOEG.html http://www.melvynhiscock.com/MYOEG.html It's also pretty good to read if you are just interested in knowing more about how a guitar works and how to set it up correctly. Just be aware that the main requirement other than patience is space, as you will get wood dust everywhere. You will also need somewhere dust-free to hang the guitar if you intend to paint/lacquer it. A shed would be ideal, although some people apparently just hang the guitar outside to paint - this won't work anywhere that it might rain, as it needs to hang for at least a couple of days per coat.