This project describes how to make a CNC (computer numerical control) machine that could be used to make guitar parts. CNC may not always be the most efficient way to make guitar parts (a band saw and pin router is often the most sensible way to do guitar woodwork) but they are a flexible way to convert complicated 3D computer designs into reality.

Gary Shutt shows how to get the low 7 string sound on a normal 6 string. What you need to do is get yourself some really thick and heavy gage string like 13 through 56 or a 7 string set and just not use the 9. Once you have your strings on, you tune everything down to perfect fourths. Going from the lowest (bass) to highest strings you will have: B-E-A-D-G-B.

Piezo guitar pickups have been around for a while, especially in acoustic guitars. They use the electricity generated when a piezo film is deformed by the acoustic vibrations of the guitar. This guide shows how you can improvise a piezo pickup out of a few cheap parts.

You will need
1. Piezo Buzzer Element
2. about 1 foot of shielded audio cable

This project by John Williams shows how you can make a guitar neck using a home-built CNC machine. John built the CNC machine with plans and a kit from HobbyCNC.com. (Check out www.cnczone.com for free plans).

This article is about a guy from the Netherlands who decided to build himself a MusicMan -type bass humbucker. These humbuckers differ from guitar humbuckers in that they don’t have any baseplates and don’t use a bar magnet with steel pole pieces.

This article is from an excellent Ibanez guitar fansite: Jemsite.com .

While it specifically talks about Ibanez Edge tremolos, the same principles apply to all floating tremolo - locking nut setups.

Here are a couple of links that show you how to make your own Fender style headstock logo.

Essentially you need to design your logo on your computer, and then print a mirror image of it on transparency film. You then cut it out and glue the film to your headstock. When the headstock is varnished you should not see the join.

There are a few different ways to put frets into a guitar neck. Most of them involve applying pressure to the top of the fret. You can hammer them in with a small hammer, but you might expect better results with the even pressure from a fret press. The link below shows an example of a home made fret press.

This abused Peavey Predator strat copy was found on the curb, buried in snow. It had no electrics or pick guard and the paint was all stripped off. The body was also cracked in the bridge area.

This guide shows how this basket case was brought back form the brink, with a new paint job and electronics. It is a good lesson in recycling rather than throwing stuff away.

Although acoustic guitars usually have spruce tops, you don't see many electric guitars with pine wood bodies. Softwoods can have a broad frequency response with good midrange resonance, giving a generally lively sound. Softwoods will dent easily, so a hardened coating is often used.

Cigar box guitars originated in the USA during the depression era, when poor people made their own instruments out of junk. They used an empty cigar box for a resonator. Many examples do not have frets and were played fretless or with a slide. Some have only 1 or 2 strings.

This project shows how a guy modified a cheap yard-sale guitar into a travel guitar. He sawed off most of the body and the head-stock and put the machine heads behind the bridge. Unfortunately the finished product does not balance properly like a Steinberger , the neck falls down if you let go of it.

This is a photo gallery of a project to build a practice amp out of a solid block of quilted maple. Every part of it is hand crafted, he even makes the control knobs on a lathe.

This project shows you how you can make guitar picks (plectrums) from a credit card. Before you start you will need:

If you like tinkering with electronics this page on home-wrecker.com describes some modifications to the vox v87 wah wah pedal. By changing some of the components, you can tweak the range and limits of the wah effect.

Ever fancied making your own guitar or bass pickup? All you need is a spool of thin insulated copper wire (around 42 gauge) two popsicle sticks, some neodymium magnets (2 for each string) and some Gorilla Glue. When you have finished it you will need to dip it in melted wax.

This is a comprehensive picture diary from Crimson Guitars , showing the stages involved in building Robert Fripp's custom tone chambered electric guitar. The pictures show that these guitars really are completely hand made, luthier Ben Crowe puts a lot of effort into this guitar.

This project shows you how to make a cut-away in an acoustic guitar that doesn't already have one. Cut-aways help you to reach the upper frets.

CAUTION: this project is not for beginners, and it goes without saying that you shouldn't do this to a valuable guitar!

This projects shows how to make a 3 string slide guitar from a  single birch board 1x3x30 inches, and bits of scrap. The good thing about this guitar is that there are no frets to worry about, no truss rod, in fact it is really just a plank with a bridge, pickup and some tuners. You can make markers where the frets would go, to help you get your bearings when you are playing it.

USB ports are everywhere these days, so why not put one in your guitar? This project from PCMag describes how to embed a USB audio interface in your guitar. This digitises your guitar's signal ready for recording on your PC's hard drive.