I first determined the dimensions of the entire guitar to see how much wood I would need. Then I ordered all the hardware components including tuning pegs, pickups, bridge, knobs, etc. Once I had all my materials, I began building the body of the guitar, followed by the neck and headstock. Building the neck and fretboard was by far the most difficult part. If the placement of the frets is not perfect, the guitar won't sound good at all.

When I was first learning how to play the guitar, I really wanted a Fender Telecaster Thinline like the one pictured here. I had also been getting good at woodworking at that time, so I thought - why not make my own electric guitar? My goal was to have a working custom Telecaster Thinline that I would enjoy playing. It would be the ultimate test of my woodworking skills and would be a great project to learn the value of careful planning and attention to detail.