Members bee3 Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 I enjoy seeing and reading everything ,yet it's so far above my skill level that I can't even ask an intelligent question. The best I can offer is encouragement and appriciation So thanks for the step by step details. This. At this point, this site is so dead... this thread is the only reason I come back to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 One more reason we appriciaate Freeman's work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 Like others have already mentioned, my skill set precludes me from adding anything to this thread, but I check in regularly just to see your progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 27, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 I agree that the forum is deader than anything (EG is even worse right now) so lets continue on with this and try to raise a little interest in electric guitars. Now that the fretboard is on I can really work on the neck - its still slightly oversize. Bring the edges down flush to the binding and keep refining the curve of the back of the neck - it still doesn't quite fit the templates but its getting closer Since I'm working at two points on the neck (nut and 12) its also very important to check between them and make sure Its straight in between Refine the curve at the heel so it flows into the fretboard Glue in some side marker dots (they are just a piece of black plastic rod stuck into some little holes on the binding) And add a maple heel cap and bind it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 27, 2015 Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 I was going to ask what that black line is ,then I realized it's the rod you cut the dots from. Talk about attention to details . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 27, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2015 I was going to ask what that black line is ,then I realized it's the rod you cut the dots from. Talk about attention to details . Yeah, just drill a hole about 1/8 deep, dip the rod in some CA and stick it in the hole. Clip it off, do it again. When the CA has set a sharp chisel will take the rod down flush with the binding - presto, marker dots. Easy to do with the neck off the guitar so now is the time (the parlor guitars that I'm building over at the Acoustic forum will get little shiny abalone dots - they are more of a PITA to install) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted July 28, 2015 Members Share Posted July 28, 2015 Ok, a semi intelligent question here..... Why the maple heel cap at the end of the neck? Wouldn't keeping it as one piece, ie: cutting the neck a little bigger, make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2015 Ok' date=' a semi intelligent question here..... Why the maple heel cap at the end of the neck? Wouldn't keeping it as one piece, ie: cutting the neck a little bigger, make sense?[/quote'] It has always seemed to me that the neck to body joint on many guitars looks unfinished. Frequently the neck heel is slightly shorter than the back so there is a little step there. If the neck and back are the same material, like a Les Paul I'll usually just do nothing - this is all mahogany and there is no binding - pretty much what we expect it to look like On acoustics the neck is almost always mahogany and I'll put a little cap on it of whatever wood the back, sides and headplate are made out of. This guitar is koa trimmed in curly maple - the heel cap is a little piece of koa (sorry, doesn't show very well in the picture) When I made the 175 I ran the body binding across where the neck sits and made the heel cap out of ebony (remember the headplate, truss rod cover and pick guard were all ebony). I even considered inlaying a scull but decided that might be just too much So this one has the back bound but the double cutaway means the binding would just end at the neck heel. To give it a little more finished look I thought I would make the heel a bit more rounded and run the binding around too - I thought about capping it with ebony (this one also gets ebony headplate, pick guard, etc) but decided the maple would look better. Its not the same piece as the back but when its stained I think it will look OK. Jumping ahead a bit When I look at hand made guitars I look for these little details like binding, purfling, inlay, yadda yadda. Keeps me from getting too bored LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 28, 2015 Members Share Posted July 28, 2015 It has always seemed to me that the neck to body joint on many guitars looks unfinished. When I look at hand made guitars I look for these little details like binding, purfling, inlay, yadda yadda. Keeps me from getting too bored LOL Style and color may catch mu eye but it's the details that draw me in. The more attention paid to details the closer I want to look and admire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 29, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 I keep putting the neck on the body, checking things, taking it apart, flossing and futzing around and putting it back together again. Neck angle looks pretty good Maybe change the angle just a hair (taken before the heel cap went on) Finally time to get off the pot. I was going to use hot hide glue on the neck in case it was ever necessary to remove it but HHG just doesn't have the open time that I need to get everything in place and clamped, so I'll use my old standard Titebond. Get everything ready, coat the neck pocket and tenon with glue and clamp 'er together No turning back now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 29, 2015 Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 This one somewhat surprised me. I had the idea that once the fretboard is attached the angle is set. In other words ,this is where I would make a mess of the whole thing. You know these pictures are a real tease in that I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 29, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 This one somewhat surprised me. I had the idea that once the fretboard is attached the angle is set. In other words ,this is where I would make a mess of the whole thing. You know these pictures are a real tease in that I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like. There really isn't a perfect way to measure it until the fretboard is on and fretted. What I am looking for is the fret plane to be at a certain height where the bridge goes - in that picture I'm just kicking it back a half a degree or so. Of course that means the tops heeds a hair of shaving and the neck heels get flossed a little more, but unlike a bolt on where you can just take it off and throw another pick in the pocket, here once this puppy is glued its glued. When the clamps came off the next day, what do you think the first thing I checked was? Yup, the old straightedge on the frets again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted July 29, 2015 Members Share Posted July 29, 2015 Thanks for explaining,it makes perfect sense now. I assume you are pleased with the bridge height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted July 30, 2015 Members Share Posted July 30, 2015 High wire with no net! Great fun to watch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 30, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2015 I am. What I'm not pleased with is in the next post.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 30, 2015 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2015 You know all that fuss about the cap on the heel? When I got the neck on I wasn't happy with it - its angle was a little off from the plane of the back (probably had something to do with changing the neck angle, duh) and it had a weird little dip in it - just didn't look or feel right. Out came a chisel and off came the binding Out came a saw and off came the cap New cap and new binding That's better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted July 30, 2015 Members Share Posted July 30, 2015 Freeman, apologies as I've been too busy to add to the conversation here the last few weeks (or anywhere else on the forum, for that matter) though I have clicked 'like' on a few of the posts. Really interesting work still, and I too am thrilled with the skill and relative ease you show with adjusting the neck angle with a chisel - that would absolutely scare the bejeebus out of me. Have you ever posted a thread documenting you approach to a refret? I would love to read it. I'm also a little surprised at the binding on the neck. It will look great and you've done a great job on it, but I wonder how it feels to play? I don't know if I could get used to that 'hard' edge on the heel. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to document and post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted August 6, 2015 Members Share Posted August 6, 2015 Anything happening this week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted August 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 6, 2015 Anything happening this week? Yeah, lots of sanding and fiddling getting ready to make it pretty. Pretty boring stuff, I've taken a few pictures but haven't uploaded them yet. Also been working on the parlors and a couple of repairs including drilling some holes in a brand new D35-50 (list is about 6K). I'll be posting something soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted August 6, 2015 Members Share Posted August 6, 2015 I can't imagine a new d-35-50 would need any repairs,were you installing a pickup of some sort ?Your pics are the best thing going. Really eager to see it finished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted August 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 6, 2015 I can't imagine a new d-35-50 would need any repairs,were you installing a pickup of some sort ? Your pics are the best thing going. Really eager to see it finished Yes, the owner had lost his house and all possessions, including eight guitars in a recent wild fire. His insurance paid and he said he was going to replace the 8 with the 3 he always wanted (interesting topic for a thread, eh?). Picked the brand new D35 off the wall at the local music store and asked me to install a K&K in it - still had the plastic on the pickguard. Of course I had to keep it over night to make sure it still worked in the morning LOL. Pretty nice guitar, I might have to do a mini review over at the Acoustic side And glad you like the pictures - I know they aren't great quality but I keep an old camera out in the shop and just sort of snap pictures as I do things. I should get better lighting and a tripod but the pictures are often kind of a second thought. There'll be more soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted August 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 7, 2015 OK, a couple of quick pictures just to prove that I have been doing something. Here is the headstock with the inlay penciled in (I have also scribed around the inlay with an Xacto knife) and the pearl actually in place. I've showed all the steps so many time that I didn't bother to take any more pictures by the way, one thing interesting about this guitar is that I've had to get the CITES paperwork on things like the pearl and the ebony. Can anyone guess why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted August 7, 2015 Members Share Posted August 7, 2015 Shipping out of country ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted August 7, 2015 Members Share Posted August 7, 2015 I've said it before, but it really is all in the detals I guess that goes for the paperwork too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted August 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 7, 2015 Good catch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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