[font=trebuchet ms]I've been playing guitar since 1968. I've been a skilled woodworker since about 1965. I've been working in electronics-related fields since 1973. I was self-employed as a machinist for a while. I think I could probably pull it off. By my second or third attempt.

I sat down and added up:

the cost of the specialised tools I would need,
+ the time and effort in designing and building the necessary jigs for things like cutting the fret slots accurately, and routing the trench for the truss rod
+ the cost of parts and materials
= enough money to pay for a bunch of custom, professionally built-to-order guitars!

A guitar is definitely [u]not[/u] a project for someone who doesn't have a high level of skill in woodworking. Mechanical and electronic expertise is needed, too.

I suggest assembling a guitar from selected parts is a much better choice in terms of getting satisfying results. You can easily spend huge sums of money trying to build from scratch, and end up with something totally unplayable. The nice thing about building a guitar from parts is that you can get a guitar tech to finish the job for you relatively inexpensively if you find that you get in over your head. If you invest a lot of money in tools and materials to try to scratch-build, you can't get your money back, and you are unlikely to find anyone who will finish the job for you.[/font]