Members Bowen Posted September 13, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 13, 2009 Today I started doing the dot markers. The side dots almost my least favorite thing to do. For some reason I always get one just a little off. Actually on one build I miscounted the frets somehow and put all of the side dots in the wrong place. These are 7mm abalone dots. I put white side dots in after this pic was taken. About to cut the neck pocket. I normally make through neck guitars because you don't have to worry about alignment and all the wood can come from narrower boards. This is my first try at a set neck. I've used cloth backed carpet tape to hold the router guide boards to the body. Neck pocket is cut and cleaned up with a chisel. The drawback to using the carpet tape and sticks to cut a neck pocket is that if you bear down with the router too much then the guide can move. This happened. I'll glue on a 1/32" shim to the bass side of the neck tongue to fix it. Neck is test fit and the angle set. Adjusting the small neck tongue to the precise angle can be a chore. This took about 2 hours. Well, that was my day. Tomorrow I'll carve the neck, fret it with medium stainless fretwire, and glue it to the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sxyryan Posted September 13, 2009 Members Share Posted September 13, 2009 That is going to be heavenly! I can't wait till I have the funds to try building myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Bear Posted September 13, 2009 Members Share Posted September 13, 2009 Wow, that's going to be one hell of a git. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jealousblues Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 Very cool work. :cop:Clamps....you got to have the clamps! I love clamps....very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RipVanWinkle Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 This is looking really REALLY awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stormin1155 Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 Looking fantastic! You do great work! Can't wait to see it finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Toadroller Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 That looks great. You do quick and efficient work. Thanks for the dxf and bridge pointers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Caleb Knockin Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 Man that looks great so far. Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted September 18, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 18, 2009 So I got a little distracted and finished the guitar shown in this thread. Yesterday I carved the neck and put on a couple coats of tru-oil. Tru-oil does not cure on cocobolo so I will wipe some shellac on the fingerboard edge before the final coats of oil. Today I got the frets installed and the neck glued in the body. About fretting: I'm using stainless frets which have a reputation for being very hard and time consuming to install. Beveling the fret ends takes 15 minutes more with SS vs nickel but everything else is about the same. I start with the fretwire bent to a slightly tighter radius than the fingerboard. I'll tap then ends down, then the middle, then working back and forth drive the fret flush. With SS wire I use a small steel hammer to drive the frets, which work hardens the playing surface a bit. Fret is fully seated. Going all the way down the neck. Every few frets I'll stop and check for level with a straight edge. Any high frets are hammered a little more. By having the fingerboard very true and the frets evenly seated I'll not have to remove much fret material when I level, making crowning the frets unnecessary. Fret ends are dressed with a small file then polished with micro-mesh. The micro-mesh also breaks the sharp edge of the fingerboard. Now for the fun part, gluing the neck to the body. Next time: Headstock overlay and pickguard. I am going to use wenge for both. I used wenge for the pickguard on this guitar and it worked out really well (and it's cheap!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Selsaral Posted September 18, 2009 Members Share Posted September 18, 2009 This thread is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChrisGansz Posted September 18, 2009 Members Share Posted September 18, 2009 Subscribed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sharkfin Posted September 20, 2009 Members Share Posted September 20, 2009 Already everything is looking smooth and polished. This is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted September 21, 2009 Members Share Posted September 21, 2009 Really nice work. I hope you have better luck with those Stew-Mac truss rodds than I did. The threads are so fine they seem to strip if you ever use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onerailunder Posted September 21, 2009 Members Share Posted September 21, 2009 Beautiful build. I've had good luck with the Stew Mac truss rods FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rex Machete Posted September 21, 2009 Members Share Posted September 21, 2009 Lookin' real good dare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ajcoholic Posted September 21, 2009 Members Share Posted September 21, 2009 thats not a StewMac truss rod - OP already stated its an LMI single action rod. Geesh.... read the posts guys, not just look at the pretty pictures! Looks good.... carry on! AJC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members go cat go Posted September 22, 2009 Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 Bump back to the top! Great thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DoubleRGuitars Posted September 22, 2009 Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 Subscribed!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MadAudioMan Posted September 22, 2009 Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 Daaamn. Looking good. I need to get to finishing my mahogany V... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted September 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 I got a few more hours work done on this guitar today. I needed to install the tuners, then the bridge, then the pickup in that order. Headstock drilled for tuners. I am planning on changing the tuner buttons to ovals. There is no picture of installing the bridge. I first put a strip of tape on the body 25.5" from the nut, then installed the E strings and moved the bridge until the strings were even down the neck and the treble E saddle was over the tape line. I angled the bridge back a bit on the bass side and then used a transfer punch to mark the centers of the bridge post holes. I ground the flange off of the bridge post inserts so they will sit flush with the body. (I don't like the strings to be too far off of the wood) To locate the pickup I used the cover aligned square with the guitars center line and the E strings even over the pole holes. I then drilled the mounting holes. Removed the cover, put the pickup there and secure with the screws to find where the pickup cavity needs to be. This is a one-off pickup install for me so I did not bother making a routing template, I made the cavity with a forstner bit and a chisel. Fits perfectly. Lets see how the strings line up. The poles are not the exact spacing as the bridge, but I've seen worse. I wimped out from the heat today so next items to do are the control cavity, output jack, pickguard, and headstock overlay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted September 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 Here is the full frontal as it sits today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kid Klash Posted September 22, 2009 Members Share Posted September 22, 2009 All I can say is damn... you are a TALENTED guy, and that's a gorgeous LPJ you're building! I see you're in my neck-o-the-woods... I'd love to talk to you about replacing the fretboard on an old Alamo Fiesta basket case I'm working on that was kindly given to me by another forum member. The second guitar I ever had was an Alamo Fiesta, and I'd love to turn this basket case into a jumbo-fretted player... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted September 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 It's getting very close! I started out today by making a pickguard from Wenge. I printed the pickguard full size from the .dxf, glue the print to a piece of wenge, and cut it out. Next I wanted to do a headstock overlay from wenge as well. The stock that I have is .125" and I needed it .040" or so. This is where the safe-t-planer really pays it's way. Gluing the headstock overlay on. I use a flat piece of maple with quite a few strips of weatherstripping on one surface to make sure that I get even clamping pressure if everything is not dead flat. I used CA glue for this step. Fast forward through making a cavity template. The control cavity is routed. I only make a template sized for the inner part of the cavity then I use a .250" rabbiting bit to make the shoulder. Another fast forward, shaping the headstock overlay, drilling the tuner holes, a quick french polish, and a truss rod cover. I have some refinish work to do, I accidentally sanded though the tru-oil when I was matching the overlay to the headstock. I also drilled the ground and pickup wire holes, installed the output jack, and made an ebony control cavity cover. Next up, I'll take it all apart and start fine tuning the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stricken Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 Now, that's good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRGUN Posted September 25, 2009 Members Share Posted September 25, 2009 how much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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