This guide walks you through how to build a carved double-cutaway electric guitar kit from start to finish. It is a set-neck instrument with a carved top, two humbuckers, and a 3-a-side headstock, and it makes a rewarding DIY guitar kit assembly project whether it is your first build or your tenth. You do not need to be a professional woodworker. Take your time, read each section fully before you start it, keep your work area clean, and enjoy the process.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Build time: 20 to 40 hours of hands-on work spread over 2 to 4 weeks (most of the calendar time is waiting for glue and finish to cure)
Kit: Carved Double-Cutaway Guitar Kits
Deep-dive modules (universal references that go deeper than any single manual):
Finishing and painting · Neck installation · Wiring and soldering · Final setup
What’s in the box
Your kit comes as either a solid-body or a semi-hollow version. Parts vary a little between models, so check your kit’s product page for the exact list. In general you will find:
- Prepped carved double-cutaway guitar body
- Completed neck
- Pickguard (some models do not have a pickguard)
- 2 strap buttons
- 3-a-side tuners (three per side)
- Bridge hardware: your kit ships with one of a double-locking tremolo, a wraparound bridge, or a Tune-O-Matic bridge with a separate stopbar tailpiece
- 1 volume control and 1 tone control, plus a 3-way toggle switch
- Input jack
- Cable and hex wrench (for adjusting the truss rod)
- Tone and volume knobs
- Assorted screws and washers
Tools you’ll need
You do not need a full workshop, but a few basics make the job much easier:
- Electric jigsaw or coping saw (only if you are shaping the headstock)
- Steel ruler (at least 40 cm)
- Hard sanding block
- Center punch (or a similar tool for marking hole locations)
- Electric drill and assorted drill bits
- Large and small screwdrivers (phillips head and flat head)
- Pliers (needle nose preferred)
- Soldering iron
You will also want these consumables on hand:
- Disposable gloves
- Titebond, PVA, or a similar wood glue (for the set neck)
- Small paintbrush
- Wood grain filler (for open-grain timber such as mahogany or oak)
- Sandpaper in various grades, from 120 up to 1500 (depends on your finish)
- Finishing supplies (depends on your choice of finish)
- Painter’s masking tape
- An assortment of clean rags and paper towel
- Denatured alcohol (or a cleaning product with degreasing ability)
- 0000 fine-grade steel wool
- Solder (and a sponge for cleaning the tip of your iron)
- A container for storing finishing supplies
Safety first
Set yourself up safely before you start, and always work in a well-ventilated space.
- Protective eyewear: use proper safety glasses or a genuine face shield, not regular prescription, reading, or sunglasses.
- Disposable gloves: wear them if you are applying stains or oil finishes directly to the guitar.
- Masks: use an N95-rated dust mask for sanding and an R95-rated particle mask for finishing. If you are using water-based finishing products, an N95 dust mask may cover both sanding and finishing, but check the finishing supplier’s recommendations first. Paint fumes are dangerous.
- Ventilation: keep your work space well ventilated, especially when finishing, to prevent a build-up of potentially toxic fumes.
Section 1: Inspect and prepare the body and neck
Once everything is unboxed, inspect the body and neck under good light before you do anything else. Identify problem areas now, because they are far easier to fix before the project is under way.
Look for large dents that need filling, deep scratches that need sanding, and any glue residue on the surface, which can stop your finish from being absorbed evenly.
Pro tip: Glue stains are mostly a concern on guitars with binding or a veneer top, where they show through a clear finish. Inspect those areas closely.
Once you have found any problem areas, begin prep sanding:
- Sand the entire body with 180 grit sandpaper.
- Follow that with 240 grit. If you are applying a stain directly to the raw wood, you can sand up to 400 grit, but sanding smoother than that can affect how well the stain is absorbed.
- After the 240 grit pass, wipe a small amount of moisture over the surface to raise the grain. Denatured alcohol is a good option because it evaporates before it soaks into the timber, but plain water also works to raise the grain so you can sand it flat. Grain generally only raises once, so taking care of it now means fewer surprises during finishing.
On a carved top, sand the contours by hand or with a soft, flexible pad rather than a hard flat block, so you follow the curve instead of flattening it or cutting through a figured top or veneer. Keep your pressure light and even around the carved edges, where the wood is thinnest.
Section 2: Dry-fit and glue in the set neck
This is a set-neck instrument, so the neck is glued permanently into the body. That makes the dry-fit the single most important check in the whole build. Get it right before any glue touches the wood.
Dry-fitting the neck
Set-neck bodies usually have a tighter neck pocket than a bolt-on, so take your time. Dry-fit the neck and check the fit, the alignment, the neck angle, and the scale length.
To insert the neck, push the heel gently into the back of the neck pocket first, then press the neck down flat. Seating it this way reduces the risk of chipping the thin edges of the neck pocket.
Check the neck fit. Once seated, the neck should have very little side-to-side movement. If there is a gap on either side, shim the neck by cutting small slivers of scrap wood with a craft knife and gluing them to the walls of the neck pocket. Smaller gaps can be filled before finishing.
Check the scale length. Loosely install the bridge and measure from the edge of the nut closest to the fretboard to the middle of the 12th fret, then double that number. Carved double-cutaway kits usually have a scale length of 25 inches (63.5 cm), but confirm the figure on your kit’s product page. If it seems out by a few millimeters, remember the individual saddles can be adjusted forward or back later using the intonation screws.
Check the neck angle. Run a steel ruler along the fretboard and over the bridge. With the bridge sitting flat against the body, the ruler should sit just above the saddles. This matters even more on a set neck than on a bolt-on, because you cannot change the angle once the joint is glued.
Gluing the joint
Only glue the neck once you are happy with the fit, alignment, angle, and scale length. This step is permanent.
- Keep every mating surface bare wood. If you plan to finish after gluing, make sure no finish gets onto the tenon, heel, or pocket walls, because glue does not bond well to a finished surface.
- Do a full dry run with your clamps first. Have the clamps, soft protective cauls, and a damp rag within reach before you open the glue, because working time is short.
- Apply an even coat of wood glue to both the neck heel or tenon and the walls and floor of the neck pocket. A small brush helps you spread it evenly.
- Seat the heel into the back of the pocket first, then press the neck down flat, the same way you did in the dry-fit.
- Clamp with moderate, even pressure, using soft cauls or cork so the clamps do not dent the carved top.
- Immediately check alignment. Sight down the neck to the bridge, confirm the neck centerline lines up with the center of the body and bridge, and re-check the neck angle with the ruler over the bridge. Adjust before the glue sets.
- Wipe away all squeeze-out right away with a damp rag or cotton swab, paying attention to the cutaways and the fretboard edge. Dried glue blocks stain and will show through a clear finish.
- Leave the joint clamped and let the glue cure fully before you handle it. Follow the glue maker’s recommended cure time, which is often around 24 hours.
Section 3: Finishing the carved top and body
Finishing is what gives your guitar its look, and on a carved top it is worth doing patiently. The exact steps depend on the finish you choose (a hand-rubbed oil, a stain or dye, or a solid color), but the sequence below applies to most builds.
- Final sanding. Confirm the surface is smooth from your prep sanding (180 then 240 grit, up to 400 only if you are staining bare wood). Sand the carved contours by hand or with a soft pad so you keep the shape crisp.
- Grain fill (open-grain woods). Open-grain timbers such as mahogany or oak need grain filler to reach a smooth, mirror-like surface. Work the filler across the grain, wipe off the excess, let it dry, then sand it back flat. Closed-grain tops such as maple usually do not need filling.
- Seal. A thin sealer or wash coat locks in your color and gives later coats something to grip. Whether you need one depends on your finishing product, so check its instructions.
- Color. Apply your stain, dye, oil, or paint. On a figured carved top, a dye brings out the figure, and a common trick is to apply a darker base coat, sand most of it back, then apply the main color so the grain pops. Always test your color on scrap or a hidden spot first, and wear gloves.
- Topcoat. Build up thin protective coats rather than one thick one. Let each coat flash off or cure as the product directs, and scuff lightly with fine paper between coats.
- Level and buff. Once the topcoat has cured, wet-sand through the finer grades (your kit lists up to 1500) and buff to the sheen you want. 0000 steel wool can knock a gloss back to a soft satin. Keep steel wool well away from the pickups later, because loose fibers cling to magnets.
Work in a well-ventilated space and wear the right mask for each stage.
Section 4: Installing the hardware
This is the stage where the guitar really comes to life. The video at the top of this guide walks through hardware installation for this kit, and the fitting process is similar across most guitars, so it is a useful reference.
Pilot holes come first
Drill a pilot hole for every screw that goes into the body or neck. The small screws that hold your tuners, for example, are fragile and strip easily if you drive them into bare wood.
Whenever you install a screw:
- Put masking tape where the hole will go and mark the spot with a pen (pencil rarely leaves a sharp line on tape).
- Make a small indentation on the mark through the tape using a center punch or similar tool, so the drill bit does not wander.
- Choose a drill bit roughly two-thirds the thickness of the screw, and mark the depth with a small piece of masking tape at about two-thirds the length of the screw.
- Aim to drill straight. A drill press is ideal if you have one.
- Use a countersink bit to lightly chamfer the edge of any hole in the body, especially on a solid-color finish, so the finish does not chip around the screw.
Pro tip: On softer timbers such as mahogany or basswood, drill a little shallower so the screw still bites firmly.
Fitting the parts
- Tuners. Fit the 3-a-side tuners, seating any bushings from the front and securing the bodies with their small screws into pilot holes.
- Bridge and tailpiece. Install whichever bridge your kit includes:
- Wraparound: mounts on two posts. The strings anchor at the bar and wrap over the top. You will set the post height when you do the setup.
- Tune-O-Matic with stopbar: the bridge sits on two posts, and the separate stopbar tailpiece sits on two studs behind it. Strings feed through the stopbar and pass over the bridge saddles.
- Double-locking tremolo: the floating bridge sits on two posts with a locking nut at the headstock end, balanced against springs in the rear cavity. Because it floats, it needs the spring claw set so the bridge sits parallel to the body. This is the most involved bridge to dial in, so mount the bridge and locking nut now and leave the fine balancing for setup.
- Pickups. Mount the two humbuckers in their rings or surround (or directly to the body, depending on the model) and route their wires through to the control cavity. You will set pickup height during the final setup.
- Strap buttons. Drill a pilot hole, add the felt washer if one is supplied, and screw each button in.
Section 5: Wiring the electronics
This kit uses a two-humbucker layout with one volume control, one tone control, and a 3-way toggle switch. Follow the official diagram as your source of truth for how everything connects:
HH wiring diagram: two humbuckers, 1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way switch
Soldering basics
If you have not soldered before, you will need a soldering iron, solder, and a damp sponge to clean the tip. Practice on a spare lug or piece of wire before you commit solder to your real components. Most entry-level irons will do the job, and your kit comes with more than enough solder.
Be careful: solder does not melt until it reaches 185°C (365°F), and soldering irons get very hot, up to 392 to 896°F in some cases. Two habits make clean joints:
- Tinning. Keep a light coating of solder on the tip of your iron. Tinning stops the tip from oxidizing and helps it transfer heat.
- Preheating. Soldering is really about moving heat. Preheat the lug or component so the solder is drawn to it, rather than sitting on the already-hot iron.
Making the connections
Mount the two pots (volume and tone), the 3-way toggle, and the output jack in their holes. Then connect the two humbuckers to the 3-way switch and on to the volume, tone, and output jack exactly as the diagram shows. Keep your grounding solid: run the ground connections to the back of a pot, and connect the bridge ground wire to the bridge or tailpiece so the strings are grounded, which cuts hum. Lining the control cavity with shielding is optional but reduces noise further.
Before you close everything up, plug in with a cable and test each pickup and switch position through an amp, or check continuity with a multimeter. Keep the leads tidy and clear of any moving parts, which matters especially around a tremolo.
Section 6: Final setup
The setup is what makes the difference between a kit that merely plays and one that plays well. Keep the guitar tuned to concert pitch throughout, and re-check the tuning often, because every adjustment changes the tension on the neck. There are four areas to cover: neck relief, string action, intonation, and pickup height. You may want to revisit the setup after you have played the guitar for a while and noticed anything like fret buzz.
Neck relief
A good neck has a small amount of inward bow, called relief, which gives the strings room to vibrate. A dead-straight neck tends to buzz.
To check it, hold down the first and last frets at the same time, then lightly tap the low E string at the 12th fret. If the string is already sitting hard against the fret, you need more relief. If it sits well above the fret, you can reduce the relief.
Adjust the relief with the truss rod, using the hex key from your kit. Turn counter-clockwise to loosen the truss rod and add relief; turn clockwise to flatten the neck. Only make small changes, an eighth to a quarter turn at a time, and keep the guitar tuned to pitch as you go so the string tension is realistic. Re-check your tuning throughout.
String action
Action is the height of the strings above the fretboard, usually measured from the top of the 12th fret to the underside of the low E string.
A good starting point, allowing for the different string gauges, is 2.4 mm on the low E side and 1.6 mm on the high E side. Tune up before you measure. Action is set at the bridge: using the small hex key, turn the saddle posts counter-clockwise to lower the string or clockwise to raise it. On a two-post saddle, match the height on both posts to keep the saddle balanced.
Intonation
Intonation means the guitar is in tune with itself. Tune to standard, then compare the open string with the note at the 12th fret, which should be exactly one octave higher. If the 12th-fret note is sharp, lengthen the string; if it is flat, shorten it.
Scale length is not a precise number, because the heavier bass strings need a little extra length to compensate for their mass. That is why the bridge on most electric guitars is angled slightly away from the body toward the bass side. To lengthen a string, turn the intonation screw at the back of the saddle counter-clockwise; to shorten it, turn clockwise. Make sure the guitar is in tune before each check.
Pickup height
Pickup height is largely down to taste and what you are hearing, but a good starting point is 2.4 mm from the top of the magnetic pole piece to the underside of the string, measured while pressing down the last fret. Adjust the height using the mounting screws on the outside of the pickup surround.
If your kit came with a double-locking tremolo, remember that it floats, so relief, action, and spring tension all interact. Set the bridge parallel to the body first, and expect each string’s tuning to shift the others until the system settles.
Beginner watch-outs
| Watch out for | What to do |
|---|---|
| Rushing the build | Read each section fully before you start it. Hurrying is the most common beginner mistake. |
| Chipping the neck pocket edges | Seat the neck heel into the back of the pocket first, then press the neck down flat. |
| Gluing before you are happy with the dry-fit | The set-neck joint is permanent. Confirm fit, alignment, angle, and scale length before any glue touches the wood. |
| Glue squeeze-out under a clear finish | Wipe all squeeze-out with a damp rag right away, since dried glue blocks stain and shows through. |
| Flattening a carved or veneered top | Sand curves by hand or with a soft pad, never a hard flat block. |
| Sanding too smooth before stain | Do not sand past 400 grit on bare wood you plan to stain, or the stain will not absorb evenly. |
| Stripping small screws | Drill a pilot hole for every screw. Tuner screws in particular strip easily. |
| Drilling too deep in soft wood | On mahogany or basswood, drill a little shallower so the screw still bites. |
| Cold joints or burned parts when soldering | Preheat the joint and tin the tip so the solder flows to the work. |
| Over-turning the truss rod | Adjust only an eighth to a quarter turn at a time, tuned to pitch, then re-check. |
Pro tips
- Pro tip: Raise the grain once before finishing. After your 240 grit pass, wipe on a little denatured alcohol or water, let the fibers stand up, then sand them back. Grain usually raises only once, so you avoid a rough surface later.
- Pro tip: If the neck has a small side-to-side gap in the pocket, shim it with thin slivers of scrap wood glued to the pocket walls, and fill any smaller gaps before finishing.
- Pro tip: Chamfer screw holes on a solid-color finish with a countersink bit so the paint does not chip around the screw.
- Pro tip: The scale length is not an exact figure. Bass strings need extra length to compensate for their mass, which is why the bridge sits at a slight angle. Leave the final string length to intonation at setup.
- Pro tip: Practice soldering on a spare lug or offcut of wire before you touch your real pots and switch.
- Pro tip: Keep steel wool and its loose fibers away from your pickups, because they cling to the magnets.
When you get stuck
Take your time, and do not force anything. Questions about a step? Comment below and we will help you right here. If a part looks wrong, is missing, or arrived damaged, email our support team at [email protected] with the email address you used for your purchase, your order number, and a photo, and the team will get you sorted out quickly. When your build is done, share it in the DIY Guitars category so the community can see what you made.
Ready to start, or looking at your next build? See the Carved Double-Cutaway Electric Guitar Kit.