Mateyboy Posted March 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 Made some progress on the neck this evening. Cut it roughly with the bandsaw, I was going to channel the truss rod first but I didn't because 1) I don't have the correct router bit (yet), and 2) The side of the maple wasn't square so it makes no odds. I've marked the centre line and the next step is to make some jigs so I can shape it nicely. This is the first time I've attempted to make a neck so there may be an untold error in there yet! I just had to lay it out on the body to see what it might look like... That's it for now. JT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 That's positive reinforcement right there. Feels good, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted March 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 12 hours ago, Prostheta said: That's positive reinforcement right there. Feels good, right? Yes, it's a very rewarding experience making a guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted March 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Routed the truss rod channel, not perfect (hey it's my first attempt!) I made a has of the headstock part. I'm hoping I can tidy that up a bit. Worst case it is covered by the truss rod cover. So here it is... my first ever truss rod channel... I'll finish it with a chisel tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 That's fine as long as it's centred, the rod sits snugly and there aren't voids where they don't need to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted March 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 Off work today so I thought I would do a little bit of work on the neck: Rout the neck pocket next then start on the fretboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2017 Hi Done a little bit of work on guitar. I routed the neck pocket and I am pretty pleased with that I also started shaping the neck using a rasp, a fie and some sand paper. All I can say is this is a time consuming job, another first and very rewarding: I've already made many mistakes on the neck but I believe how well I recover is how I will learn from my mistakes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 I'm getting near the end of shaping the neck: It's my first attempt and it's been hard work! There's a few areas where I need to put a bit more into as the transitions between the neck, the heel and the headstock aren't too great. I guess it's simply practice that will make them look better. (Somebody please tell me I'm not deluded!) I'm happy that I've managed to shape my first neck but I'm not happy with the transitions, it looks amateurish (yeah I know I'm a hobbyist/amateur)! I also have a question for anybody that would like to answer it. I bought a piece of ebony fibreboard to veneer the headstock. It's really bumpy, I cut off a piece to test and sanded it down (320 grit) but it looks grey and to be frank a load of crap. Do I need to clean it up with acetone? Will it come good? Or have I bought something not worth using (it only cost £5)? Any advice would be good. Thanks. Next jobs... Finish shaping the neck and attach the fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Fibreboard goes black under a clearcoat. Acetone might be too strong a solvent for cleaning; simple alcohol is likely best if the greyness is caused by dust or whatever. Whether it "looks amateurish" or not is unimportant. You're taking a lot from the build which you can carry forward. That's where it matters. I don't think that many people without skills in this field nailed anything first time. If it doesn't feel or look right, it probably isn't. Be self-critical in that area and you'll rattle out most of your issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 10 hours ago, Prostheta said: Fibreboard goes black under a clearcoat. Acetone might be too strong a solvent for cleaning; simple alcohol is likely best if the greyness is caused by dust or whatever. I'll try that on the scrap piece this morning. I'll probably clear coat the scrap too and see how it comes out. 10 hours ago, Prostheta said: Whether it "looks amateurish" or not is unimportant. You're taking a lot from the build which you can carry forward. That's where it matters. I don't think that many people without skills in this field nailed anything first time. If it doesn't feel or look right, it probably isn't. Be self-critical in that area and you'll rattle out most of your issues. Thanks for this. When you are immersed in something it's easy to lose some clarity. I've taken a closer look at the bits I don't like this morning and I reckon they can be fixed. I already have some ideas on what I can do during the next build to avoid similar errors on this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 I looked back at one of the first necks I made, which was for a Tele project. It was funny because it was almost like a neck made by somebody who'd never seen a guitar before, or only read about one in books. The profile was way off, the neck-heel transition ridiculous. Nonetheless, I can see how missing the mark taught me what worked and what didn't, and most importantly gave me a feel for forming the material. A finished guitar can be somewhat of a static form which to the inexperienced eyes and hands doesn't telegraph how it got there from being a tree in the first place. "Make it like that" isn't an obvious process or a realistic target-defining objective, so even if you have a Tele neck to "copy" from, it's not always that apparent how to shoot for the bullseye, but most will get more or less in the region. I do think that this build will both produce a playable instrument and also that vital education in seeing a better path from start to finish for subsequent builds. I guess this won't be your first, right? It certainly shouldn't be! Keep chipping away (not literally). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, Prostheta said: I do think that this build will produce a playable instrument, but provide that vital education in seeing a better path from start to finish for subsequent builds. I guess this won't be your first, right? It certainly shouldn't be! Keep chipping away (not literally). Thanks. It is my first, but it won't be my last. I'm making a point of not starting anything else until this is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 Fair call. I wouldn't call this a burner build by any means, however I'm sure that you already know what experiences you can take forward from it. Doing anything on this over the weekend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 38 minutes ago, Prostheta said: Fair call. I wouldn't call this a burner build by any means, however I'm sure that you already know what experiences you can take forward from it. Doing anything on this over the weekend? Yeah, the neck has been a first for me so I have many, many things I will do differently next time (I'm not sure what burner build means ). For example, I will attach the fretboard before I start profiling the neck; not doing that made attaching the fretboard a pain in the backside! I've done a bit on the build today but no photos yet. I attached the fretboard which is curing now. I also drilled a few holes in the body. The body is almost ready to start sanding down. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy with the neck but I know for sure that when this build is complete I will start on something else and I can't wait to get stuck into a new neck blank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 Burner, same as "burner phone". Used for its purpose and then discarded. That said, we have had many members who have had penchants for burning entire guitars for reasons that most would find...."surprising".... Sanding time! Good for dry skin and sneezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, Prostheta said: Burner, same as "burner phone". Ah got you, no I will not be burning this guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 I should hope not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2017 So yesterday I attached the fretboard to the neck - still plenty of work to do there before I start thinking about radiusing it: And... because I get excited far too easily I just had to do a test fit to see what it looked like: Not sure why I placed it in the garden against a brick wall! Not sure how much time I'll get to spend on it today. JT 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 9, 2017 Report Share Posted April 9, 2017 It's because that's what we all do at some point. Because daylight....? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2017 That's a nice fretboard. It looks like it hasn't been radiused, would I be right in thinking that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2017 Got the guitar all jigged up to do a bit of radiusing, and realised I have run out of 120 grit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 10, 2017 Report Share Posted April 10, 2017 Tell me about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 10, 2017 Report Share Posted April 10, 2017 It's been done in just about every order conceivable, but I suspect you are going to wish you radiused and fretted before you attached the neck. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateyboy Posted April 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2017 1 minute ago, ScottR said: It's been done in just about every order conceivable, but I suspect you are going to wish you radiused and fretted before you attached the neck. SR Err, yep! There's lots of things I wish I had done in a different order but I guess that's how I will learn for the next build. I was pondering over this and thinking 'there's no way anybody else would make a neck in this order'. The crazy thing is I've done loads of research, read books, watched videos etc. and STILL went about it my own way! I can of course detach the neck, but I wish I had radiused the fretboard before I had shaped the neck because it's a nightmare to clamp etc. and I guess it may not be a perfect radius when I'm done. So the next neck will be something like this: 1) Cut the scarf joint and attach. 2) Shape/rout but not profile. 3) Attach and rout fretboard (after it has been slotted of course) - even thinking of binding the next one! 4) Profile the neck. 5) Some other stuff I haven't done yet - inlays, nut, etc. So the above might change! I'm still having fun so that's all that counts at this stage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted April 10, 2017 Report Share Posted April 10, 2017 Hey, I decided to bind the neck on my first build after I'd already radiused the fretboard. Ingenious ways to recover from mistakes, either mental or physical, is one of the most important things one learns when building instruments. No worries, it'll end up fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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