--- product_id: 12434204 title: "Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder Paperback – December 1, 2002" brand: "tom hirst" price: "£84.93" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/12434204-electric-guitar-construction-a-guide-for-the-first-time-builder store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder Paperback – December 1, 2002 **Brand:** tom hirst **Price:** £84.93 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder Paperback – December 1, 2002 by tom hirst - **How much does it cost?** £84.93 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/12434204-electric-guitar-construction-a-guide-for-the-first-time-builder) ## Best For - tom hirst enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted tom hirst brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder Paperback – December 1, 2002 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51B4sabiBiL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐ Some of the ugliest guitars I've ever seen... *by A***R on Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2014* This guy is not a professional guitar builder and this book is amateur at best. All the guitars this guy builds have a wobbly, squished or lopsided look to them and many of the finishes are poor (look at how uneven the dark edge around the guitar on the cover is). He spends tons of time basics and glosses over the more technical stuff. Most of it was severely lacking and there were several things I completely disagreed with (it has been several weeks since I went through this book and don't remember any specifics, and I can't be bothered to read through this poor book to track it down).There is much better information available on youtube for free, and it's in video format, which is even better. The author talks about building a guitar for $500, but in all honesty, you are not likely to build a guitar for that price unless you have access to a fully stocked wood shop, and even then it's not too likely unless you build if with very cheap parts. A guitar bridge will cost you anywhere from $80 on up ($160 for 2), Pickups are going to cost about $80 or more for name brand humbuckers. Knobs, wire, switches and pots will probably cost about $50, $150 on up for wood. I would say at least $100 for finishing (Dyes and/or paint and clear coat). Guitar Reranch have the best spay can clear coat I have found and that is easily going to cost $100 to finish one body and neck. Remember one good screw-up on the finish and you are starting over (I know this from experience). Don’t forget the price of tools you will need. I have easily spent more than $500 on tools, both specialized and general for building guitars and I don't even have any of the big tools such as a drill press, table sander/spindle sander, band saw, etc.If you really want to learn about guitar building I would recommend starting with a guitar kit such as the Saga LC-10 LP Style Electric Guitar Kit (Be aware that you cannot use stains/dyes on this kit. There is a coating on this that will not come off even with paint remover and stains and dyes will just wipe off instead of soaking into the wood.). Don't expect this to be an awesome guitar (the electronics are all garbage, and there will be plenty of other things that will need to be fixed to get this to play decent), but it is a relatively cheap learning experience. Once you are done with one of these kits you should be ready to either build your own guitar, or completely give up on guitar building. Just remember that pretty much any question you will have will be most likely be answered on youtube, and much of these answers will be from professional luthiers, not amateurs like the guy who wrote this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book - but is a little pricey *by O***F on Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2009* Tom Hirst has a a very good book on guitar instruction and finishing. If you are building a guitar for the first time, this is a great way to get started. I also recommend getting Oakham's book Building Your Own Electric Guitar. Why do I recommend getting 2 books? Well I am an avid woodworker and turner (lathe). I found in my experience that it is good to have complimentary references and these are great ones to have. If you don't have the money to buy both, start with Oakham's first and then get this one. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gold mine of data *by K***T on Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2021* Great text, and plenty of photos and illustrations. Valuable information for beginning builders. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/12434204-electric-guitar-construction-a-guide-for-the-first-time-builder](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/12434204-electric-guitar-construction-a-guide-for-the-first-time-builder) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-19*