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My First Project (in Progress)


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the neck can be fixed, its not uncommon for finished necks to develop twists and this can be fixed. the technique basically involves heating the neck gently with heat lamps and clamping it into a new position for a while. Have a look around the library at mimf.com and frets.com - i am sure you will find some neck straightening tips there.

The problem is that twisted necks sometimes want to twist again.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Going for an oil finish to make the woods looks awsome =)

Ya i did the whole cavity with chisels :D

Iv pritty much done the whole build with hand tools, i mean so far besides the initial bandsaw stuff i got done at school iv used a drill, sander abit and jigsaw once but then it died. So most of the time iv been using rasps, files and chisels.

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So most of the time iv been using rasps, files and chisels.

Nothing like that to make you really appreciate a nice router with a brand new bit when you finally get one.

It looks neater than the hand chiselled cavities on my first guitar :D

The zebrano should look really nice with an oil & wax finish - i went through a stage of making oiled & waxed zebrano necks- they have all held up really nicely with only the occasional rub down

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The zebrano should look really nice with an oil & wax finish - i went through a stage of making oiled & waxed zebrano necks- they have all held up really nicely with only the occasional rub down

Out of interest what oils and wax did you use?

Iv been in contact with adamovic and suggested i use the natural stuff they use for finishing flooring and use it like this:

"Read the instructions on the product but oil the fingerboard only once and thin the first layer for the body (and fingerboard) if possible. "

"When oiling let it soak for 5-10 minutes and wipe everything off every step. repeat 1 time more than advised on the product.

If you see scraches after the first layer wet sand them out with sandpaper and the same oil you are using.

This is not the fastest way but the safest way to produce a perfect finish.

One more thing: let it dry as long as you can, preferably 50% longer than adviced on the can."

Edited by travismoore
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I use danish oil and clear briwax - both really easy to find in the UK - i usually pick mine up from the local wilkinsons store when i need it.

My finish schedule is a little more intense but quite nice to do and really straight forward - its basically adpated from the bass in Melvyn Hiscock's book.

1. First things first, get the guitar thoroughly sanded to around 400grit.

2. Give it a liberal coat of the danish oil - leave 10-15 minutes, then wipe of the excess and leave overnight.

3. Wet-sand (i.e wet and dry paper lubricated with danish oil) the entire guitar starting with 400 grit paper, going up to about 1200. buff off the excess oil between grits. Leave it a day or two for the oil to dry

4. Time to wax. I apply the briwax with 0000 wire wool from axminster.co.uk. Get yourself a clump of wire wool, drag it through the wax and rub it into the guitar - keep rubbing for a few minutes - you will start to feel the wax dry on your fingers . Buff off the excess let it dry, buff again, repeat as necissary.

You can get a really organic feeling, low gloss with this method and it always feels great on the neck. It does need a little more maintenance, i find the zebrano i have done has needed re-waxing about once a year for the first few years, maple needs a little more, i did a korina one last year that is overdue for a re-wax and starting to feel a little rough. After the first few re-waxes the wood will start to build up more of a permanent patina and wont need doing as often.

As for the fretboard - you can do the same thing but make sure all excess wax is thoroughly buffed off the wood and had a couple of days to dry - in my experience is makes strings sound dull. persoanlly i skip the waxing stage on fretboards since its usually something like rosewood/ebony/ziracote on my guitars and really doesnt need it

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  • 1 month later...

Hey guys,

Progress has been slow as iv just been trying to work out what i am going to do next really.

Iv test played it and it sounds awsome also i can tell its going to have great playability once i get the twist out of the neck.

And that is what is effecting the playability really 1st fret sounds terrible has the worst buzz in the world.

Quite abit of the twist has come out when i thinned down the neck but its still not flat by any means.

anyone know exactly how i can get the twist out because i dont think i can really go any further before i do get it out.

here's a recent picture:

bass2.jpg

Thanks,

Travis

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  • 3 weeks later...
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  • 1 year later...

Hey Guys,

So I'm trying to get started on this build again because I have a part time job now and I can actually afford it. I worked it out just a minute ago that this build started 2 and a half years ago, although it has probably been on hold for 1 and a half or even 2 years.

So I my first issue with the bass as that i need to re-do the neck because it has twisted, but I don't know where to get wood from as the wood I originally got, I got on holiday in South Africa.

So if anyone can give me some ideas on where i can get some wood or wants to sell me some wood that would be great.

Here's the dimensions I'm looking for:

Width: 3"

Depth: Either 1" or 1.5"

Length: 45"

As for what type of wood it is I'm open to anything even laminated necks.

If you have anything or know where i can get some wood please post here or PM me.

Here's some pictures of my build:

Click Here =D

Cheers,

Travis

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  • 1 year later...
Never used a hand plane before so I will have to practice a little first.

Please replace the word 'little' with the word 'lot'. :D

Truing up a piece with a properly tuned plane is a great feeling but it does take a while to get the hang of it. I've been known to throw one across the shop after completely f'ing up a piece.

Cheers

Buter

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Never used a hand plane before so I will have to practice a little first.

Please replace the word 'little' with the word 'lot'. :D

Truing up a piece with a properly tuned plane is a great feeling but it does take a while to get the hang of it. I've been known to throw one across the shop after completely f'ing up a piece.

Cheers

Buter

''Just a little more to remove on this side so 2 light passes.... ah SHHHH*T''

But yeh, not much beats cleaning up a rough piece of timber with a good old Stanley

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