Mickguard Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 The strings are aligned good at the nut but it seems to get wider as it goes to the tremelo and the low e is pretty much off the board at the last fret. any tremelo adjustments i can do? ← I'll take a guess here--maybe it's just that the neck and bridge and or body just weren't made for each other. Assuming you've properly seated the neck, that is. I ran into this problem with my last (aborted) build --I'd taken the neck off a strat copy...but the neck was substantially narrower than a normal strat...so the neck would only work with the (POS) bridge from the original guitar. And that's possibly what's going on with your guitar: the bridge might be too wide for this neck. I've got a similar issue with the tele mod I'm finishing up --I've put a Fender Mexican neck on there, which is a bit narrower at the nut than the original neck. Enough to get the strings a bit too close to the edges. Luckily, I'm switching out the barrel saddles for graph tech barrels and luckily they're each about a milimeter narrower than the original saddles --that should compensate for the narrower neck, although I can also notch the screw holes to bring the outer barrels in a bit, if that's necessary. I kind of like a narrower string spread anyway. Anyway, back to your problem --if the e-string is that far off, then maybe you'll need to try a different trem --or at least different saddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Sounds to me like the neck is not lined up properly with the bridge - or vice versa. Pics would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2005 I wish i had pics, but my problem sounds like idch's suggestion It is a strat copy neck on a vintage fender bridge, so i'll try narrowing the saddles i guess and drilling the holes in a little, if worse comes to worse. If not, i'll just purchase a mightymite neck which i know will fit and slide that on there before dying it amber and putting a decal on. Yet another drawback :-/ The guitar will be done, just without a neck for now. I'm working on pictures. Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted September 1, 2005 Report Share Posted September 1, 2005 DUNDUNDUN...I went to go do some final things to my guitar today. One of the things i did was drilled new neck holes and strung it up and to my surprise...the strings didn't line up! The low E string was hanging off the side, and any adjustments i did to the tremelo had no avail. What should i do? The neck doesnt fit snug into the pocket, so that could be why it is off. :-/ ← The reason everyone (ok, me) is asking for pics is that your description sounds like the neck doesn't line up with the bridge. 1) Drilled new neck holes 2) The low E is hanging off the side 3) The neck doesn't fit snug in the pocket If I'm reading this wrong I'll shut up. But pics really would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 1, 2005 Report Share Posted September 1, 2005 The neck doesnt fit snug into the pocket, so that could be why it is off. If I'm reading this wrong I'll shut up. But pics really would help. ← I agree-- pics would help. But that's why I wrote 'assuming the neck is properly attached' --because if it's a problem with the bridge not matching the neck, you'd have issues with both E strings --assuming the neck is lined up correctly with the bridge that is. Anyway, this should serve as a good warning to piecing together a guitar from disparate parts, if nothing else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted September 1, 2005 Report Share Posted September 1, 2005 OK, I am late to this topic, but here goes anyway. I have researched this quite a bit, but no experience yet. There used to be a great page from a guy who made an accurate 1951 Nocaster replica, but the page has disappeared (damn I wish now I'd saved it to disk ). IMO, relicing the finish depends on what you want to achieve. If you just want the guitar to look "worn" then it is not hard to do. Bang away at the right areas and distress the hardware. Good to go. If you want to replicate the appearance of a vintage instrument, like a 50s strat, it is much tougher to do and have it look right. I think you MUST go with nitro and not poly, a thin nitro finish is the key (e.g. like they used in the 50s...). You should spend the time closely examining real vintage instruments. Vintage finish checking is mostly along the grain of the body wood, due to hundreds of repeated heat/cool cycles, and so the major checks usually follow the grain lines. Cracks across the grain lines are much shorter in length. You won't get this if you just do stuff like spraying on canned air or dumping on liquid nitrogen, you'll get "window cracks" that just spread out in all directions from a small area. Especially with poly, it is too hard and thick to notice the wood grain expanding & contracting. Not at all vintage looking. For relicing hardware, lots of people get good results with suspending the parts for a few hours at a time inside a capped jar with a little muriatic acid in the bottom (Home Depot). Be very careful, muriatic acid is the same as hydrochloric acid (HCl) and it will eat your skin and shred your lungs. Wear gloves and a respirator (NOT a dust mask) at all times, and work with it outside in a well-ventilated area. Don't let the parts touch the liquid acid, just suspend them over it in cheesecloth or something similar. When you remove the parts, let them dry completely in the sun, don't touch them until they're totally dry. It may take a few cycles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 (edited) Thanks for the input, but a little too late. Anyways, I've come to a couple conclusions for my neck problem A) Buy a mighty mite maple neck, put a decal on it and spray it amber -or- Do a fingerboard transplant. I would like to do B because it is cheaper but may be harder. Anyone have any suggestions? Edited September 2, 2005 by ZiKi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 How is "B" going to help you?? Why do you want a fender decal on it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 (edited) so it looks like a fender stratocaster. I'd want people to actually believe it when they see it. B could help because i could get a fingerboard the right size and the strings wont go off Edited September 2, 2005 by ZiKi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 so it looks like a fender stratocaster. I'd want people to actually believe it when they see it. ← For when you decide to sell it to finance the next build? B could help because i could get a fingerboard the right size and the strings wont go off ← Hows that going to help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 It is going to help because then i'll have a big enough fretboard for the strings to cover. The problem i'm having is that the fretboard isnt big enought and the e strings are off to the top and bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Churchyard Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 It is going to help because then i'll have a big enough fretboard for the strings to cover. The problem i'm having is that the fretboard isnt big enought and the e strings are off to the top and bottom. ← What? That doesn't seem a good idea at all... You want to have a fretboard with overhangs at the sides of the neck? Is this what you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 It is going to help because then i'll have a big enough fretboard for the strings to cover. The problem i'm having is that the fretboard isnt big enought and the e strings are off to the top and bottom. ← No, man, the problem you're having is that your bridge doesn't match your neck. At least that's what I'm betting. My guitar (the carvecaster I just finished) has a similar but different issue--but in my case it's pretty clearly mostly a problem with the nut, which looks improperly cut. Putting a new fretboard on there will be a ridiculous amount of work --you're better off replacing the neck altogether --get one that matches your bridge. Or change the bridge. But if you change the neck, you can at least buy yourself an actual Fender neck--that way you won't have the same issues with using the logo. Besides, you can't just put a wider fretboard on a neck like that, it just won't work. Show some pics, I'm sure someone here will help you sort this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 so it looks like a fender stratocaster. I'd want people to actually believe it when they see it. ← Not at all a good idea. Maybe you should read up on clones, counterfeits, and forgeries. Here is a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Yeah after i thought about it i hit myself in the face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 (edited) I read up on the thread and it seems that if you put a fender neck on a strat copy, they wont bust on you because they only protected their logo and headstock shape. What if the neck was a mighty mite neck? Could i put a decal on it since it is licensed? Edited September 2, 2005 by ZiKi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Its called FRAUD any which way you want to look at it. UNLESS ITS made by fender themselves, it shouldnt have a logo on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Well if i were to sell it, I would never sell it as a Fender. I would much rather buy a cheaper non fender product than the actual thing, and I'm sure many others would too. And the fact that it has a fender logo makes it seem so much cooler to own. It's like buying a T shirt with *cool brand name here* on it, wouldnt you want that much more than just a regular bland t shirt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenderSurrender Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 (edited) It's like buying a T shirt with *cool brand name here* on it, wouldnt you want that much more than just a regular bland t shirt? ← No ~~ Slain Angel ~~ Edited September 2, 2005 by SlainAngel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 There has been much discussion on this topic, Ziki. I don't think you'll find many people here who would agree with you. Ask LGM or Rhoads56 or Myka or Kevan how much time and energy and money they've invested in protecting their patents, trademarks, etc. and I think you might see why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiKi Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Yes, I understand this, but I do not have the money to spend on those kind of things, and if I did put a fender logo and were to sell it later on, I think I would make more money on it. So yes, maybe it would fund another project, but so what? Builders like me who don't build too many guitars wouldn't get busted on by Fender, am I right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Its called FRAUD any which way you want to look at it. There you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 lol.. yeah this horse has been beaten, and beaten, and beaten.. If you want to put a fender logo on your personal guitar, who cares.. but don't sell it and don't act like you have a fender. If it's your creation then make it personal with your own name on the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Yes, I understand this, but I do not have the money to spend on those kind of things, and if I did put a fender logo and were to sell it later on, I think I would make more money on it. So yes, maybe it would fund another project, but so what? Builders like me who don't build too many guitars wouldn't get busted on by Fender, am I right? ← Sorry, i missed this the first time.. ***!! If you put a companies logo on your guitar and use it to make more money on your guitar they have every right to come after you. And the person that buys it from you has every right to come after you for defrauding them. Fender doesn't come after little guys mostly because they dont' know about them. If they do find out though, they would certainly weigh their options. It's not just fender wanting to stick it to you, it would alsso be fender wanting to protect their customers from fraudulent gear. A relic is about the vibe.. not tricking people into thinking it's authentic in brand. When i was in highschool i wanted to buy a fender branded neck for my squier tele so people would think i had a real fender.. that's essentially what you're doing.. I wised up a long time ago that people care a whole lot more about what you can do ON a guitar than what kind of guitar you are playing. I don't care if you walk in with a JCPenny special.. you play something that knocks their socks off you'll have their respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 I saw a pic of cool looking Fender copy (maybe it was here in the forum? one of Stew's?) --the builder put a Fender logo on his headstock, but he snuggled the words "not a" under the F...it was pretty small, barely noticeable really, but completely eliminated any chance of the guitar being passed off as a fake. I admit I bought the Fender neck for my carvecaster in part for the logo --but also to get a certain level of quality that Fender, at least, still seems to represent. Sure, I could have bought a Warmoth neck, but without the Fender logo, the guitar would never have been finished for me. So I can understand wanting the logo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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