StewMac S-STYLE GUITAR KIT User manual

Sheet #i-5281 Updated 01/21
Assembly Instructions
Welcome to guitar building! If you’re a rst-time builder,
this kit is a great way to start. You’ll have fun and learn a lot.
This simple kit is an excellent entry into electric guitar
assembly. It can be built with basic tools. You’ll learn to
cut the peghead shape, attach the neck, and apply a
nish. After you build it, we’ll show you how to set it up
to play tip-top.
*Exact parts and materials may vary.
StewMac
S-STYLE GUITAR KIT

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2
Tools and supplies..................................... 2
Parts list .............................................. 3
Create your peghead shape ........................... 4
Prep for nish ......................................... 4
Spray the nish ....................................... 6
Level and dress the frets ............................... 7
Assemble your guitar ................................. 9
Wire the electronics ...................................12
Final setup ............................................13
These are the tools and supplies we recommend for assem-
bling this kit. StewMac item numbers are included where
applicable.
Tools
Electric hand drill
Foam sanding block (#3701 or 3699)
Fretting hammer (#4895)
Phillips screwdrivers, size #1 & #2 (#3000)
Center punch or awl (#3000)
Drill bits:
1/16" (#1710)
5/64" (#1712)
3/32" (#1714)
1/8" aircraft extension bit (#4840)
10mm nut driver (#5890) or wrench (#3691)
Nut-slotting les:
0.013" width (#0823)
0.020" width (#0828)
0.035" width (#0832)
Saw for peghead: bandsaw, jigsaw or coping saw
14" radius sanding block (#0419)
Fret crowning le (#1602)
Razor knife (#4878)
Ruler (#4905)
Straightedge (#3849)
Cam clamp (#3721)
Soldering iron (#0502 or 0515)
Supplies
Sandpaper: 150, 220, 320, 400 grits (#5562)
Light Duty 3M Scotch-Brite Pad (#7445)
or 0000 steel wool
Naphtha solvent (#0775)
Gloves
Blue permanent marker
Masking tape (#1604)
Double-stick tape (#1689)
Solder (#0505 or #0505-LF)
Finishing supplies
There are many nishes and application methods to choose
from. We use ColorTone Aerosol Guitar Lacquers because
they’re easy to use and you can get a beautiful nitrocellulose
nish without investing in spray equipment. For the silver
nish pictured, we used:
ColorTone Waterbase Grain Filler, Neutral (#0220-N)
ColorTone Aerosol Guitar Lacquers:
1 can White Vinyl Sealer (#3888)
1 can Aged Clear (#5887)
1 can Metallic Silver (#3893)
2-3 cans of Clear Satin (#3882)
Tools and supplies
Table of contents

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Parts List
Neck
Body
Neck plate
Neck attachment screws (4)
Tuners with bushings, washers, and screws (set of 6)
Pickguard with pickups and mounting screws
Strap buttons with screws and protective washers (2)
String trees with screws (2)
Strings
Tremolo arm
Bridge with mounting screws
String claw and mounting screws
Tremolo springs (3)
Output jack and jack plate with mounting screws
Tremolo cavity cover plate with mounting screws
*Exact parts and materials may vary.

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You can trace a favorite peghead or come up with a look
all your own. You’ll be cutting your design from the blank
peghead on the kit’s neck.
Make a paper template
Sketch out your peghead design on a piece of heavy paper
and cut it to shape with scissors. Using a pencil, trace the
shape onto the peghead. Use a light touch that doesn’t
dent or compress the wood which could make sanding
out any unwanted lines dicult. Don’t use ink, because it
leaves permanent stains that can even bleed up through
an opaque guitar nish.
Cut the peghead to shape
It’s important that your saw stays square to the face of the
peghead while you cut. If it tilts to an angle, you’ll get a
sloppy result that takes a lot of sanding to correct. Use a
bandsaw if you have one; a jigsaw is also good. A hand-held
coping saw can also be used, but it’s tough to hand-saw
smooth clean curves.
Never cut on the line
Always cut just outside the line, so you can sand to the line
afterward.
Smooth your saw cuts to create your peghead shape using
rasps, les and sandpaper. Don’t rush: rough patches will
disappear into a good nal shape if you take your time.
When you’re happy with your peghead shape, sand it
smooth using 150-grit sandpaper followed by 220-grit,
then 320-grit.
Prep for nishing
Preparing the neck and body for nish is just as important if
not more important than the nal spray. The key to a great
looking nish is patience and lots of it. Be thorough with
your sanding and follow the nishing schedule on page 6
for best results.
Inspect the body and neck for any dents, chips, or other
imperfections and repair them. Small dents can be steamed
out by placing a damp cloth over the dent and applying
heat with a soldering iron. Chips and knotholes will need
to be lled.
Fill the grain
If your kit has an open grained wood such as mahogany or
ash the grain will need to be lled before nishing in order
to achieve a at surface. As a general rule, if you can see
the pores of the wood with the naked eye, you should use
grain ller before nishing. We suggest using our Neutral
ColorTone Grain Filler following the instructions on the la-
Create the peghead shape
bel. Three applications are recommended to get a nice at
surface to build nish coats over. Tight grained woods such
as alder and poplar do not need to be lled.
For more information on grain lling, see our article “Using
ColorTone Grain Filler” at stewmac.com.
Sand the body
Using 150-grit sandpaper on a at sanding block, sand the
entire body working only in the direction of the grain.
After a complete sanding, wipe the body with a damp cloth
to raise the grain, to reveal bers that need more sanding.
Let the dampness dry, then sand the raised grain with 220-
grit sandpaper. After sanding, raise the grain again and sand
a third time, using 320-grit sandpaper.
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Degrease with naphtha
When you’ve nished sanding, wipe the body and neck with
a naphtha-dampened rag to remove any oils or grease. From
this point on, wear clean gloves when handling so you won’t
contaminate the wood.
For rosewood or dark wood fretboards, tape o the string
nut and the fretboard face before spraying, so it remains free
of nish. For maple, tape o only the string nut.
Seat the frets
Before sanding the neck use a fretting hammer to make
sure the frets are all seated properly. The more evenly your
frets have been hammered in, the less leveling work there
is to do later.
After nishing, the frets will be leveled and dressed for the
best playability.
Sand the neck
Sand the neck with 220-grit followed by 320-grit. Rosewood
or other dark wood fretboards don’t need nish applied,
but maple fretboards do need a nish in order to keep
them from looking dirty as they’re played. Run your ngers
lightly along the edges of the fretboard and feel for sharp
fret ends. If the frets feel sharp where they meet the edge
of the neck, gently sand them back with long strokes down
the length of the neck. Use care not to change the bevel of
the frets in the process.
Rosewood or dark wood fretboards are not sanded on the
fretboard face. For maple fretboards, sand the fretboard face
as well. When prep sanding the face of a maple fretboard,
avoid sanding the fret tops. A small foam pad wrapped in
sandpaper works well for sanding between the frets.
For all necks and ngerboard woods, slightly break any
sharp edges on the fretboard, peghead, and body around
the neck pocket. Softening hard edges promotes even n-
ish coverage. Later, when you’re lightly sanding between
coats of nish, these edges are less likely to sand through
to bare nish.
Wipe the neck with a damp cloth to raise the grain. After it’s
dry, sand it again with 320-grit.

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Spray schedule with ColorTone Aerosol Lacquer
This nishing process can be completed in as little as three
days, followed by a week of curing. Remember that patience
is the key to a successful nish job. Don’t rush it! Spray the
lacquer using light passes to prevent runs.
Day 1
Body: Spray 1-3 coats of aerosol Vinyl Sealer on the body,
waiting 1-2 hours between coats.
Neck: Spray 1-2 coats of Clear Satin lacquer, allowing 1 hour
between coats. Follow this with 1-2 coats of our Aged Clear
lacquer for a warm maple color. Wait 1 hour between coats.
If your fretboard is maple, you will be spraying over the
entire neck, including the frets. Finish will be removed from
the frets during the leveling and dressing process after it
has cured. The nut has been taped o to keep it unnished.
If your guitar has a dark wood fretboard, mask o the face.
Any excess overspray can be scraped away after nishing.
Allow the body and neck to dry overnight.
Day 2
Body: Spray 2-3 coats of Metallic Silver, allowing 1 hour
between coats.
Body and Neck: Spray 3-4 additional coats of Clear Satin, 1
hour apart.
Allow to dry overnight.
Day 3
Body and Neck: Lightly sand the body and neck with 400-grit
paper to remove any nish spatter or dust.
Spray 3-4 additional coats of satin clear, 1-2 hours apart.
Allow the nish to cure for a week in a cool, dry room. Around
70° at 50% humidity is recommended.
After the nish has dried for 1 week, go over the entire
instrument lightly with Light Duty 3M Scotch-Brite Pads or
0000 steel wool for a nice satin appearance.
There are many nishes and application methods to choose
from. In creating these instructions, we’re using ColorTone
Aerosol Guitar Lacquers. These aerosols are a fast way to
build a quality nish.
Using a clear satin topcoat is recommended, because satin
doesn’t require much sanding or bung the way gloss does.
If you choose to spray a glossy nish, it will involve more steps.
For help with that or any kind of nish, see our book, Guitar
Finishing Step-By-Step (#5095).
Use scrap wood to make a spray handle. Put a hole in this
handle and bend a thin metal rod into an S-shape to hang
the body and neck during spraying and while drying.
A brushed-on nish like tung oil, waterbase lacquer, or
shellac works great too. Any of these nishes will seal and
protect the wood from dirt and moisture.
The best advice for nishing: practice on scrap!
Test your nish of choice on scrap wood rst, so you can see
what you’ll get before applying it to your guitar.
Use warm lacquer, not cold. Professional nishers spray
heated lacquer because cold lacquer spatters, requiring
extra sanding. Warm up your aerosols before spraying by
placing the cans in a sink of warm tap water.
When spraying, keep the spray parallel to the surface of the
guitar for even coverage as shown below.
Spray the nish
The right way to spray: Move in a straight line, so the distance
from the work stays the same. This gives you even coverage.
Keep your
wrist flexible
Stiff wrist
The wrong way: Swinging in an arc moves the spray closer and
farther from the work. Center coverage is heavy, edges are light.

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Level and dress the frets
After the nish has cured, it’s time to level and dress the
frets. If you have a maple fretboard, lightly score the lacquer
along the length of the frets with a sharp knife, using care
not to cut into the wood or scratch the frets. This step helps
in removing the lacquer that was sprayed over the frets
during nishing.
Then tape o the entire board between the frets to protect it
from damage during the leveling and dressing process. Use
low tack tape to prevent pulling any nish up.
Straighten the neck
Use the 4mm hex wrench to adjust the truss rod. With a
straightedge on the frets, adjust the truss rod until the
straightedge touches all of the fret tops without rocking.
Turn the truss rod nut counterclockwise (viewed from the
peghead end) to loosen the truss rod, allowing the neck to
bow upward. Turning it right tightens the rod, pulling the
neck back.
For more information, see our Trade Secrets article “Don't
be nervous about adjusting that truss rod!” at stewmac.com.
Level the frets
Use double-stick tape to attach 320-grit sandpaper to the
14" radius sanding block. With this, level the frets using full
length strokes down the fretboard.
Color the fret tops with a blue permanent marker to prepare
them for leveling. The blue ink will show your progress: the
frets are level when sanding has removed some of the blue
across all of the fret tops.
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Sand the frets with 400-grit, then 600-grit sandpaper
wrapped around a foam block, running up and down the
entire length of the fretboard.
Recrown the frets
Leveling will leave at tops on the frets. Use a fret crowning
le to restore their rounded shape.
Reapply blue marker to the fret tops. By ling the sides of the
frets, bring in the edges of the ats left over from leveling.
With a rounding motion, keep bringing in these edges until
the remaining atted top is a very thin line. Don’t remove
this line entirely; ling the fret tops would undo your leveling.
Follow up with Light Duty Scotch-Brite Pads or 0000 steel
wool for a nal nish. This will remove any of the remaining
lacquer from the frets, and polish them to a smooth nish.

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Assemble your guitar
During assembly, use a padded surface to protect the nish
from scratches and dents.
Install the tuners
Lay out the tuners, using a ruler to make sure they’re in line
with one another and square to the edge of the peghead.
Mark out your mounting holes with a scribe or punch.
Tuner mounting screws are very delicate, and will break o
if forced into the wood. Use a 5/64" drill bit to make pilot
holes for the screws; if these holes are any smaller you risk
shearing o the screw heads. Lubricate the screw threads by
dragging them across soap or wax for smooth installation.
With the tuners in place, install the screws in the pilot holes
with a #1 Phillips screwdriver. On the tuner string post, add
a washer then the threaded bushing. Tighten with a 10mm
nut driver or wrench.
Install the tremolo spring claw
The spring claw must be attached to the body before the
bridge can be installed. Center the claw in the spring cavity
so it sits 1/16" below the surface of the body. Drill the screw
holes approximately 1-1/2" deep, with a 1/8" drill bit.
A long aircraft style bit works best for drilling these holes.
Place a shim of plastic or wood between the body and drill
bit to prevent damaging the nish.
For now, don’t tighten these screws against the cavity wall;
leave a gap of about 1/4". A small amount of thread lubricant
or bar soap on the ends of your screws will help them go
in more easily.
Install the bridge
With a #2 Phillips screwdriver, install the bridge using the
six pivot screws. Don’t tighten them all the way down, just
enough so they sit just above the top of the baseplate,
allowing the plate to sit at on the body.

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Install the neck
Use a clamp to lightly hold the neck in place. Place a scrap
of wood over the frets so the clamp doesn’t mar them.
The kit comes with a set of strings for checking the alignment
of the neck and positioning the string trees.
Install the high and low E strings to check alignment and
make side-to-side adjustments as needed to make sure the
strings ride even along both edges of the fretboard.
Install the tremolo springs
Connect the tremolo springs between the tremolo block
and the claw.
Use the holes in the body to mark the neck. A scribe, nail, or
transfer punch will make clean marks in the neck to show
you where to drill. A 4mm brad point drill bit turned by hand
also works well for making these marks.
Drill the neck mounting holes
It’s important that these holes are drilled square to the neck,
so a drill press works best for this job. Use a 1/8" bit and drill
the holes 11/16" deep.
For more information, see our Trade Secrets video “How to
install a bolt-on neck” at stewmac.com.
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Drill the pickguard mounting holes
The neck has a 22nd fret extension that prevents the pick-
guard from seating if the neck is attached. First feed the lead
wire from the control cavity through the hole in the body
running to the jack, and the ground wire through to the
spring cavity. Do not drill for or mount the pickguard yet.
With the guard properly seated carefully attach the neck
to the body. A rubber band around the waist of the body
will help keep the pickguard in place. Lay out the pickguard
using the neck and bridge for reference. Once positioned,
mark out the mounting screw holes with a scribe or punch.
Drill pilot holes for the screws using a 1/16" drill bit. Secure
the pickguard with the included mounting screws.
Drill the jack plate mounting holes
Mark the mounting holes for your jack plate, then drill pilot
holes for the screws using a 1/16" drill bit. Don’t install the
jack plate yet.
Drill the spring cover mounting holes
Line up the spring cavity cover so the holes match the string-
through holes of the tremolo block. This alignment lets you
change strings without having to remove the plate. Mark the
locations of the mounting holes and drill them with a 1/16"
bit. Don’t install the cavity cover yet.
Install the string retainers
Install the rest of the strings and mark the locations for the
string retainers on the peghead. These retainers maintain the
proper string angle over the nut for the D, G, B, and E strings.
Install the D/G string retainer between the E and A string
posts (approximately 2" from the nut).
Install the B/E string retainer between the A and D string
posts (approximately 3" from the nut).
Install the strap buttons
Mark the locations of your strap buttons. At the tail of the
guitar, position the button in line with the center of the neck
and bridge. The other button is typically located on the tip
of the upper horn.
Drill 1/2" deep holes with a 3/32" bit and install the strap
buttons with their protective washers.

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Wire the electronics
Solder the output jack
The two-strand hookup wire from the volume pot goes
to the output jack. Thread the wire through the hole from
pickup cavity into the jack cavity.
Solder the white insulated wire to the jack’s tip lug (the
rounded lug).
Solder the bare ground wire to the jack’s sleeve lug (the
square lug).
For more information, see our Trade Secrets video “How to
get a good clean solder joint!” at stewmac.com.
Solder the string ground
The remaining black lead wire is for the string ground. Feed
this wire through the hole from the pickup cavity to the
spring cavity. Solder this ground wire to the spring claw.
Install the jack plate and spring cover
Now that you've wired the output and ground, install the
jack plate and the spring cavity cover using a #2 screwdriver.
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Final setup
Tune the strings to pitch (or install your own preferred brand/
gauge and tune to pitch). Adjust the neck using the included
4mm hex wrench.
Straight neck, or a little relief?
Neck relief refers to adjusting a neck so that it has a very slight
upbow, rather than being perfectly straight. This relief allows
a little more room for string vibration, reducing the chance
of hitting the lower frets and causing fret buzz.
Depending on your playing style, and how perfectly level
your fret tops are, a neck should be anywhere from perfectly
straight to having 0.012" of relief. This measurement refers
additional string height over the 12th fret, compared to a
perfectly straight neck.
A straight neck tends to play and sound better, but very few
guitars end up with no relief at all, and several thousandths
of an inch or more is perfectly normal.
Set the action at the nut
Lower your string nut slots for better playability, using
gauged nut les. Measure string height over the 1st fret,
between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret.
A comfortable medium action is:
Unwound strings (G, B, E): 0.012" at the 1st fret
Wound strings (E,A,D): 0.020" at the 1st fret
Use feeler gauges to measure the gap, or use guitar strings
whose gauges match the measurement you’re after. Stop
when the string sits on your feeler gauge. Go slow and check
your work frequently—it’s easy to go too far in this step and
ruin the nut.
Set the action at the bridge
Adjust the action at the bridge by raising or lowering the
string saddles. Measure string height over the 12th fret,
between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret.
A good starting point is:
High (unwound) E string: 1/16" at the 12th fret
Low (wound) E string: 5/64" at the 12th fret
You can always go lower or higher depending on your play-
ing style. After setting the two E strings, dial in the remaining
strings to match the curve of the fretboard’s 14" radius using
the cut out gauge included on page 15.
Turn the truss rod nut
counterclockwise to bring
the neck up, adding relief.
Measure string relief
at the 12th fret.
Turn clockwise to pull the
neck back, reducing relief.
Go slow: a little does a lot!

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Adjust the pickup height
Holding down the low E and high E strings at the 22nd fret,
adjust the bass side of the pickups to 5/64" from the top of
the pickup pole to the bottom of the low E string. Adjust the
treble side to 1/16".
Set the intonation
The last step is intonating the guitar by adjusting the string
lengths at the bridge saddles so the guitar plays in tune all
the way up the neck.
Using a strobe or other accurate tuner, rst tune the strings
to pitch. Then, press the high E string lightly at the 12th fret
using just enough pressure to sound the note. Check it with
your tuner.
If the note reads at, the saddle needs to be adjusted forward
towards the nut, shortening the length of the string.
If the note reads sharp, the saddle needs to be adjusted back
away from the nut, increasing the string length.
You’re done!
Congratulations! Your guitar is ready to play. We hope this
guitar will be the rst of many that you have fun assembling
and customizing.
Be sure to get a gig bag or case, so it doesn’t get banged
around!

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Cut-out radius gauge
Carefully cut out this radius gauge to check your saddle
heights as shown on page 13. We’ve included two, so you
have a backup.
14" RADIUS14" RADIUS

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