ScottR Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 What led to you adopting the recessed tuner? Increased string angle? Increased structural strength due to the thicker headstock? Purely aesthetics? Voodoo? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 What led to you adopting the recessed tuner? Increased string angle? Increased structural strength due to the thicker headstock? Purely aesthetics? Voodoo? SR 'Hmmmm... four parts voodoo... three parts "man I can not believe I waited so late to put this headplate on"... two parts "Man I like to taper my headstocks(a la Benedetto).... One part "That sure is a small headstock, I hope it holds up" Recessing the tuners is something I thought looked cool. Also I like the strings being close to the wood... aesthetically it is pleasing. I use about a 12 degree headstock angle and the recess doesn't effect this. As for structural... Yes. When I scarf in the headstock it makes sense to have a nice headplate to help hold it all together... Not necessary but reassuring. Also when I developed the headstock with all the missing wood I though it needed to be thicker to be strong enough. After a few prototypes I will say that it is probably not necessary but I am set now so no changing it this late in the game. I like to taper my headstocks. I start at x and finish at x +.125". Benedetto suggests it in his book (he said it helps and I believe his voodoo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 I am always asked for carving tutorials... well I haven't really had an opportunity to document a full carve. When you are in the moment you just forget to take photos. I can show a trick of two. This only works with sharp scrapers. If you are not peeling ribbons of wood it is not sharp enough. Bloodwood loves scrapers (if they are sharp). Start our with the disk sander. I use a 5" disk in a hand drill. I have tried everything... nothing works as well for me. The 4" grinder cuts to fast... gouges can make a mess if you are not good... and I think the Router method is bunk (I hate routers). If you use the right foam backed disk you can cut with the edge. So you angle the drill until the 5" disk is creating a dish cut. This takes some practice... and you are likely to have high and low spots when you start. Cut to the edge.... not from the edge. I try to stay off router roundover and cut down to it, leaving a lip that I sand of later. Here is what it looks like after a quick pass with the scraper. The idea is to follow the grain and lay a bit of an angle on the scraper until it is leaving a smooth surface. For a re-curve style carve the most important cut is the relief. The roundover at the top of the S is easy so don't focus on it. What we are trying to do is create a 1/4 of a circle that follows the edge of the body. As the curve changes you rotate the scraper so the curve matches the carve. Use the smaller end to clean up the horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 After a little bit you can see the spots were the disk cut a bit too deep. This is more because of the way the bloodwood reacted to the disk as I usually don't get this with maple tops. It all cleaned up pretty easily though. At this point my back started hurting (getting old) so I built a stand and clamped the body to it so I could stand straight up and use the lamp to see the carve. This brings the work to me and allows finer control of the tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 After finishing the side carves I started to work on the butt. Since the grain runs straight it makes it difficult to drag the scraper across the body and follow the curve. You can see that I had a lot of cross grain scratches and minor tearing as I roughed in the shape. Once it was close I switched to 220 wet/dry paper with a sanding block and followed the grain to remove the scratches. Back to work on the horn relief cuts. I have no advice for these... they are a feel thing. I still only used the scraper once they were roughed in. Time to start rounding the top of the recurve. I just use the orbital sander and let this happen naturally as I sand out the recurve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 A little naphtha to get an idea of were I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Extra shots... gratuitous even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hopeful to finish this thing up soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 I like to taper my headstocks. I start at x and finish at x +.125". Benedetto suggests it in his book (he said it helps and I believe his voodoo). To clarify, are you saying that your headstocks are .125" thicker at the fretboard end? Or at the far end? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I like to taper my headstocks. I start at x and finish at x +.125". Benedetto suggests it in his book (he said it helps and I believe his voodoo). To clarify, are you saying that your headstocks are .125" thicker at the fretboard end? Or at the far end? SR Give or take a few thousanths yes. The tip is the thinnest point. Apparently Bendetto believes that a flexible headstock is better equipped to take a blow than a rigid one. So on normal headstocks I try to taper them. On the S9 headstock (parker style) I taper but I think that it is still to rigid to get any flex benefit. edit: Also Gibson tapered their headstocks until mid 1950. Edited January 10, 2011 by RestorationAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I decided to angle the jack up towards the strap on this one... That required a crazy jig. I use my forstner bits to recess stuff whenever possible. It is easier to drill the recess before drilling the hole. Since the forstner bits leave a nice center mark you use the center mark from the 1/2" bit to center the 3/8" bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 This is what it looks like. It is obvious that I need a flat spot for the nut on the input jack. I will address that later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Needed to level the back of the headstock and reove a small amount of material. Time for 80 grit on a flat block... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Used the disk sander to create the carve on the back. It has a dish shape to it. I use the same techinique of angling the disk as I do on the top carve. And I put the flat spot in for the input jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Next up shaping the neck. I cut a D shape in this one. Also I didn't finish the heal because I am going to shape the neck and body heal together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 As you can see I have a lot of extra wood to clear away for the blended heal. Going to get a dry fit done as it is time to glue the neck in. I cut the tenon down for the neck pickup. I will still need to clean up the front pickup route. Almost forgot... Electronics holes... wow that would have made for a mess later. Anyway I caught it and drilled them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Taped up for gluing. Almost forgot one last thing... recess straplocks. They are really hard to drill after the neck is attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 A quick look at what the neck is going to look like. Glued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Pickups underway for this one. I am using my Destroyer models for this. They are hot but not stupid hot. Lots of metal in them. I am planning on building a few sets of Diablo prototypes and maybe a set of Destroyers for sale. If anyone is interested in buying a set PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Almost forgot... Electronics holes Been there..more than once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Almost forgot... Electronics holes Been there..more than once. Need a flexible bit for drilling between humbuckers when you do something stupid like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have a really long 3/8" drill bit..about a foot long.The last time I drilled a hole from the treble cutaway all the way to the bridge humbucker rout,then intersected the neck humbucker into it.It looks fine,if a bit functional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I am planning on building a few sets of Diablo prototypes and maybe a set of Destroyers for sale. If anyone is interested in buying a set PM me. A word to y'all: Get them. RAD makes killer pups. If you're willing to drop retail price for Duncan, DiMarzio, Bare Knuckle, or any other name brand, then you NEED to give his pups a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I am planning on building a few sets of Diablo prototypes and maybe a set of Destroyers for sale. If anyone is interested in buying a set PM me. A word to y'all: Get them. RAD makes killer pups. If you're willing to drop retail price for Duncan, DiMarzio, Bare Knuckle, or any other name brand, then you NEED to give his pups a shot. Thank you for the kind words my friend... John likes them cause I build him crazy stuff. Here is the first prototype blade test. It is held together with tape. Basically I just want to see how it sounds and the initial results were good. Very similar to my regular Diablo HB but with a nice smooth attack and some bass enhancement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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