BYO Guitar LP User manual

LP Custom Guitar Kit
Assembly Instructions

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Parts List
LP Custom Parts List
Mahogany guitar body with flame maple veneer
Mahogany with rosewood fingerboard neck
1 Electric cord, 6 strings
Jack with 4 screws
2 chrome strap buttons, 2 screws, 2 rubber washers
Wiring harness with 4 pots
2 Vol knobs
2 Tone knobs
3 way switch with selector plate
Rear cover with 4 screws
Rear switch cover with 3 screws
Pickguard with screws
Bridge Assembly
Tune-o-matic bridge with 2 posts
Stop Tail piece with 2 posts
Neck
6 tuners , 3 each side of headstock
6 small tuner screws
6 bushings and washers
Nut
Truss rod cover with 3 screws
Pickups
2 Chrome Alnico V pickups, 4 mounting screws each

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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................4
Installing the tuners ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Installing the set neck ................................................................................................................................... 5
Checking the Scale length .....................................................................................................................6
Neck Alignment.....................................................................................................................................7
Installing the Bridge and Tailpiece..............................................................................................................10
Installing the Pickups .................................................................................................................................. 10
To attach the pickups to the guitar body:...............................................................................................10
Installing the Nut.........................................................................................................................................10
To install the nut: ....................................................................................................................................10
Finish ...........................................................................................................................................................11
The Body .................................................................................................................................................11
Solid Color Finish..................................................................................................................................... 11
The Neck .................................................................................................................................................11
Pickup wiring diagram.................................................................................................................................12
Installing the Electronics.........................................................................................................................13
To install the electronics .....................................................................................................................13
Using the wiring diagram, complete the soldering.............................................................................13
Setup ...........................................................................................................................................................13
Adjusting the Action................................................................................................................................14
The Nut................................................................................................................................................14
The Bridge ...........................................................................................................................................14
Pickup Height ......................................................................................................................................14
Intonation ...........................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a BYOGuitar.com guitar kit. This kit includes everything you need to build a
complete custom guitar.
These instructions assume you are familiar with the anatomy of a guitar. Many of the terms used are
show in below diagram.
Here is the order of operations to complete the guitar:
Fit the neck.
Drill the mounting holes for the bridge.
Sand the body and neck.
Sand some more!
Finish the body and neck.
Assemble the guitar.
Wire it up.
Final set up and adjustments.
Plug it in and enjoy!
It’s recommended that you assemble your guitar before applying the finish. Drill all the holes to
eliminate any accidental chipping of the finish while drilling. Fit the neck and locate the bridge before
finishing the guitar. After the finish is complete all you should need to do is put it together and do some
fine-tuning.

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Always centerpunch the hole locations before you drill; this will ensure that the holes are properly
located (very important with bridge screws). If you don't have direct access to a drill press, have a friend
with a drill press drill a series of holes through a block of wood that correspond to the holes required for
your bridge. Then put the block on top of the body and use it to guide your drill bit.
Installing the tuners
Each tuner consists of the tuner, washer, and a threaded bushing. The tuners are attached to the
headstock with a small wood screw that attaches between the tuners.
To install the tuners:
1. Place the six tuners into the holes on the back of the headstock. The holes may need to be widened
with a peghead reamer or a round file. DO NOT widen the holes too much—the tuners should fit snug.
2. Slide a washer over the tuner shaft and screw the threaded bushing onto the tuner.
3. Align the tuners perpendicular to the edge of the headstock and parallel to each other. Use a strip of
masking tape to secure their position on the headstock.
4. Using a 1⁄16" drill bit in a drill press, drill 3⁄8" deep holes into the headstock.
Note—Drilling the holes deeper than 3 ⁄ 8" could result in drilling out through the front face of the
headstock. Use a depth stop or tape wrapped around the drill bit at the correct depth as an indicator.
5. Secure the machine heads to the guitar headstock with the tap screws.
Installing the set neck
The neck in the kit come fitted to the body. It should fit in the correct position. But there are a
few things to consider when installing a set neck. First is the scale length. Again, this should be
correct, but it should be double checked to be sure (figure 2). Second, is the alignment of the
neck with the center line of the body (figure 1).

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Figure 1
Checking the Scale length
To determine the location of the neck in and out, it’s important to understand how to
determine where the neck should be located. The distance from the nut (edge closet to the
fingerboard) to the 12th fret is equal to the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge (figure 2)
Figure 2

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When measuring from the 12th fret to the bridge, you want to measure to the saddle on the
high E string. (Figure 3) If the bridge holes are drilled with compensation (usually the case on a
tune-o-matic bridge) the saddle on the high E string will be closer to the nut then the saddle on
the low E string.
Figure 3
Neck Alignment
Next you need to align the neck with the center of the pickup cavities and bridge. This step is
the same if you are installing a set neck or a bolt on neck. It’s important to get the correct neck
alignment. If the alignment isn’t correct the E strings won’t run parallel to the edges of the
fingerboard.
Clamp two straight boards to each side of the neck and use a ruler to align the neck with the
center of the bridge (figure 4). If the bridge holes are already drilled, the center is known. If
they haven’t been drilled, align with the center of the pickup cavities. Once you have located
the neck, make a mark on the heel of the bridge and pickup cavity so you align it when gluing
and clamping.

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Figure 4
The last thing to check is the neck angle (figure 5). If the angle is not correct you won’t be able
to get the correct action. With the neck in the pocket, place a straight edge on the frets. Push
the straight edge back until it’s over the bridge. The straight edge should be just over the
bridge (figure 6).

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Figure 5
Figure 6

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Now that you know where the neck should be located, all that’s left is to glue it in place. Use yellow
wood glue, make sure the neck is aligned correctly, clamp it in place and allow the glue to dry.
Installing the Bridge and Tailpiece
1. Place two inserts into the forward holes.
2. Place the wooden block on an insert and lightly tap the insert down until it touches the top of
the guitar body. Repeat for the other insert.
3. Thread the bridge adjustment screws into the inserts and place the bridge over the inserts.
4. Place the remaining inserts into the back holes.
5. Place the wooden block on an insert and lightly tap the insert down until it touches the top of
the guitar body. Repeat for the other insert.
6. Thread the bridge adjustment screws into the inserts
7. Slide the tailpiece onto the adjustment screws.
Installing the Pickups
The LP Custom kit has two humbucker pickups. The easiest way to identify the neck and bridge pickup is
by looking at the edge of the mounting ring. The thinner mounting ring is the neck pickup. The thicker
one is the bridge pickup. The thin edge of the mounting rings should be installed toward the neck.
To attach the pickups to the guitar body:
Push the wire on the neck pickup (the thinner pickup) through the hole to the hollow body and place the
pickup in the pickup cavity with the thin edge towards the neck.
Push the wire on the bridge pickup (the thicker pickup) through the hole to the hollow body and place
the pickup in the cavity with the thin edge towards the neck.
Mark the locations of the 4 holes in each mounting ring. Remove the pickups and drill pilot holes for the
pickup mounting screws.
Installing the Nut
The nut holds the string at the peghead the correct distance above the frets. It is not necessary to cut
the string notches in the nut that comes with this kit.
To install the nut:
1. Use a chisel or razor blade to scrape any finish out of the nut slot. DO NOT remove any wood
from the nut slot.
2. Spread a thin layer of wood glue in the nut slot and center the nut in the nut slot.
3. Install the strings
4. The strings will hold the nut in place until the glue dries.