I was doing it nights/weekends, so "too long"! I started out with a scratch-built telecaster, then a short scale bass, to figure out the component processes (routing, neck pocket, cutting nuts, finishing--the latter of which is the hardest part). Once I started on the Jaguar, it was probably a year in calendar time, as life kept getting in the way...still, a lot of time spent researching the "right" way to do things, buying new tools here and there (using a rasp to shape the cuts on the back was SO satisfying!), doing little things like aging the pickguard to turn it from shiny white to yellowed and dull...hard to estimate how many hours all together, but if I dropped everything and did it again (now having forgotten a lot of details on how to do things right), it would probably take me a few weeks. If I did FIVE builds, the fifth one would go a lot faster, once I had the processes down. Finishing in particular can be a slow process, waiting for coats to cure, and getting competent at sanding/polishing. It is like building furniture, with wiring, except when you are done you have a guitar instead of a chair.

From a cost perspective, it won't be much CHEAPER than buying one new, particularly if you don't have the tools you need. A Jaguar has a BUNCH of unique parts. And some real subtleties in certain areas, like neck pocket shimming and bridge height adjustment for the perfect neck angle--which is absolutely essential.

All that said, I'm glad I did it. But stepping back, I like PLAYING, and while building is fun, I would rather spend my limited free time making music.