Shaping

    

To start, the first step would be to draw and cut out the shape of the body. Ordinarily you would have the exact measurements of every angle but I was smart and just traced one from Guitar Center. Then you would take a jig saw like in the picture and slowly cut through this massive chunk of wood. It will take about an hour because Maple is an extremely hard wood unlike Pine which is easily breakable. The purpose of using Maple is because it has been proven to have the most sustain from the strings. The exactness of this cut is not so important because you will sand down the excess later.

     Additionally, to make this cut proper I recommend making a brace to hold it in place. If not, you will end up chasing it all over the work bench. For safety, always keep someone near so if you accidently cut yourself there is always help. A rule when using any power tool is to always unplug whatever you were using when you stop. This is because it is easy to pick it up again not knowing it’s on and end up dropping it and cutting a limb off which is never fun.

The Dream

     In Spring 2008, I felt like I needed an outstanding project to complete. I am what you could say a handy man when working with wood, paint, and mechanics. My dad and I came up with the idea of building a 1957 Gibson Gold Top Les Paul because it is one of our favorite guitars plus it's one of the most expensive to buy. This is the kind of thing that requires patients, skill, and a whole lot of measuring.

     This particular guitar is arguably the hardest to build from scratch because of the arced top of it. Most guitars are flat but since the Les Paul is curved, all the cutting and levelness has to compensate for the curve. The supplies for this project are almost endless so the basic materials which are VITAL are a 2'x1' block of pure Maple that is 2" thick, router, jig saw, belt sander, drill/drill press, 15 different grades of sand paper, stain, and a special mixture of gold paint.

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