marksound Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 So what if it isn't perfect? It's little imperfections that separate the handmade from the mass manufactured. No one will notice it but you, and I'm sure even the most experienced builders here can say the same. That puts you in pretty good company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted October 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 I guess I just can't get over the fact that it can be done and I didn't do it right. But, I think I found a solution. What about routing the sides of the fretboard off and installing rosewood binding? That way, I'll get another chance to drill the holes properly AND it will nicely hide the fret ends which I like a lot. As I never planned this, I have to ask, is there anything that I need to know before I start doing this? Things like keeping the glue out of the fret slots and tips like that. I'll slice off two pieces of rosewood from a fingerboard blank. How wide is wood fretboard binding usually? Is 2-3mm alright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 All I have to say is, perfectionism is a disease! I suffer from it too. I honestly think you should leave it as is. It's one thing to have a fingerboard that looks like it was completed by someone with downs, but it's completely different when the mistake takes very careful inspection to spot. Just another sign that we're still human. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 (edited) I guess I just can't get over the fact that it can be done and I didn't do it right. But, I think I found a solution. What about routing the sides of the fretboard off and installing rosewood binding? That way, I'll get another chance to drill the holes properly AND it will nicely hide the fret ends which I like a lot. As I never planned this, I have to ask, is there anything that I need to know before I start doing this? Things like keeping the glue out of the fret slots and tips like that. I'll slice off two pieces of rosewood from a fingerboard blank. How wide is wood fretboard binding usually? Is 2-3mm alright? Thats a great idea. The way I keep glue out of the slots is right after I clamp on the binding I blow the glue out with an air compressor set at high psi. Works like a charm. Whatever you do don't let the glue harden in the slot. It is a bugger and a half trying to clean hard glue out of a bound fret slot. Edited October 19, 2006 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I just put a thin layer of glue on the binding. This way, it's not fluid enough to flow into the slots, but there's still plenty of glue for gripping. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 I always "drill" a very small hole with my exacto knife before I drill. It makes the drill bit follow the hole and gives you perfectly spaced dots. For precision work, always use brad point or forstner bits. id use a press and a fence I did use a fence and all other dots came out fine except this one Now, I think I could fix this by drilling slightly bigger (2.5mm) holes over the existing dots (2mm) but the problem is, where am I going to find 2.5mm diameter plastic rods. Even if I do find them, am I just asking for more trouble doing that? http://cgi.ebay.ca/100-Mother-of-Pearl-inl...1QQcmdZViewItem Excellent quality pearl. If you re-drill, drill very slow to ensure the drill bit doesn't wander and use a brad point bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Beer Man Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 I always "drill" a very small hole with my exacto knife before I drill. It makes the drill bit follow the hole and gives you perfectly spaced dots. For precision work, always use brad point or forstner bits. id use a press and a fence I did use a fence and all other dots came out fine except this one Now, I think I could fix this by drilling slightly bigger (2.5mm) holes over the existing dots (2mm) but the problem is, where am I going to find 2.5mm diameter plastic rods. Even if I do find them, am I just asking for more trouble doing that? http://cgi.ebay.ca/100-Mother-of-Pearl-inl...1QQcmdZViewItem Excellent quality pearl. If you re-drill, drill very slow to ensure the drill bit doesn't wander and use a brad point bit. I bought from that guy. He is a very cool guy and has good product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted November 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I'm gonna order those MOP dots and some MOP blanks from that guy but will not use them for this project. I'm having enough trouble drilling the sidemarker holes perfectly centered let alone having to drill them at the exact depth So anyway, I made binding strips from rosewood fingerboard blanks and then proceeded to glue them to the fingerboard. I clamped them well from the sides but obviously didn't clamp them DOWN good enough so one side slipped up a bit. I decided to sand the entire bottom of the fingerboard until it's flush with the binding. When I finished, everything was nice and flat and you could barely notice the binding (same color as the fingerboard, this is what I wanted). Then I re-radiused the board and made a mistake number two (the first one being sanding the board): I took too much off. The fret slots were still deep enough but the overal thickness of the board is almost a milimeter thinner than I originally planned. So although the board is perfectly functional, it looks weird and I'm not happy with it. I want the center of the fingerboard to be 6mm thick at minimum. I'm gonna make another fingerboard which isn't a problem 'cause I have jigs for slotting and radiusing and can do it very quickly HOWEVER, I like the wood binding idea so much that I want to use it on the new fingerboard as well. The thing is, I don't have enough material to make more binding (the blanks that I have don't match in color at all etc etc, long story) so I'll have to decide which board to use (I have enough ebony but don't really want ebony on this guitar). Either that, or I'll order some rosewood binding. Still undecided what to do On a brigther side, lookie what I just got: http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9803/dsc02304zz5.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7153/dsc02305sc4.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/4834/dsc02306pn2.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3060/dsc02307kg2.jpg Enough mahogany for... this guitar, if I continue screwing up like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted January 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2007 Progress! After almost quitting I had some free time these days and decided to continue with the project. Here is the new slotted and radiused fretboard bound with rosewood. Side dots have also been installed (correctly this time ). Next I have to glue the fingerboard on but need to make a radius block first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonBird Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 keep up the great work.....you'll learn from your mistakes, and make new ones on the next guitar!! JasonBird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unrealize Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 Hey man! Looks great. I was beginning to thing that you might have lost the spirit, since I didn't hear anything for a long time. Good to see that your back on track again. I have come a lot closer to the end on my neck, not as clean and nice as yours at all, but considering I haven't touched a woodworking tool for more than ten years before I started this project, I'm pretty happy with it, and I learned so damn much! Keep at it man, remember only quitters quit. You have a really excellent piece of woodwork there, it would be a shame if it were laid to waste... Unrealize Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted January 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 keep up the great work.....you'll learn from your mistakes, and make new ones on the next guitar!!Hehe, true Hey man! Looks great. I was beginning to thing that you might have lost the spirit, since I didn't hear anything for a long time. Good to see that your back on track again. I have come a lot closer to the end on my neck, not as clean and nice as yours at all, but considering I haven't touched a woodworking tool for more than ten years before I started this project, I'm pretty happy with it, and I learned so damn much! Keep at it man, remember only quitters quit. You have a really excellent piece of woodwork there, it would be a shame if it were laid to waste... Hey, I've seen your inlay. Pretty good for the first try. How close are you to finishing the neck completely? Have you installed the frets yet? Got any pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 I guess I just can't get over the fact that it can be done and I didn't do it right. But, I think I found a solution. What about routing the sides of the fretboard off and installing rosewood binding? That way, I'll get another chance to drill the holes properly AND it will nicely hide the fret ends which I like a lot. Dude, its about time someone came along and didnt accept "rough enough is good enough". Awesome! Keep it up, this guitar is rocking, especially for a first time build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted January 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 I guess I just can't get over the fact that it can be done and I didn't do it right. But, I think I found a solution. What about routing the sides of the fretboard off and installing rosewood binding? That way, I'll get another chance to drill the holes properly AND it will nicely hide the fret ends which I like a lot. Dude, its about time someone came along and didnt accept "rough enough is good enough". Awesome! Keep it up, this guitar is rocking, especially for a first time build Thanks man. That means a lot coming from you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted March 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I finally glued on the fingerboard and started shaping the neck. It was the most fun part of the build yet. I wanted to try something between the oval and the "U" neck profile and it came out fine... except that I don't like it I should have went with the U profile neck as that obviously suits me best. This one is slightly too oval for my liking. Seeing as I'm building the guitar for myself (ie to make it comfortable for my hands), this is unacceptable. Given my lack of free time, I don't think I will continue with the build. It would take too much time to build another neck to be even worth it. It's a shame, 'cause I was really looking forward to finishing and playing this thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scab Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 the lines on that headstock flow great.. Love this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 c'mon man! you have to finish it! It's looking very good! she's gonna sound amazing too. maybe you could sell it, buy more wood and try again later on! don't give up!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 c'mon man! you have to finish it! It's looking very good! she's gonna sound amazing too. maybe you could sell it, buy more wood and try again later on! don't give up!!! Like anyone would buy a guitar from a first time luthier Nah, even though I do have wood for another neck, I don't have time and motivation anymore. This was like the longest build on PG and it won't even be finished, hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unrealize Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 It's a shame to hear that Rista, it really is. Still, I can understand your frustration, but it is not like you are going to burn it or anything, is it..? Just put it out of your mind for a while, and then maybe it comes back to you. I assure you, I don't have much time on my hands either, but still, I work when I can. The availability of time and motivation is shifting all the time. I got a few hours on my hands yesterday, and finally I could pop the frets in.. I'll put up some pictures later... Anyway, it is your choice. Sad tho, you had great potential, among the best I have seen here so far. Good Luck! Unrealize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 it is not like you are going to burn it or anything, is it..? Actually, I was thinking about something along those lines. If I destroy it, I will never try to build a guitar again which = no more frustration Looking forward to seeing the pics of your build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unrealize Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Again, your choice of course, personally I really think it is a shame to put such a nice thing in the fire, but then again, I DO understand the feeling of working with something and fail it, and the frustration you are left with. For myself, I have made quite a lot of mistakes during my build, and I haven't 'bothered' much to even cover them up. I want them to stay there as a reminder for my next builds what do do or not to do. Luckily I have been spared the really grave errors tho so my stuff are merely small cosmetic things. If I could ask you one thing, the neck joint that you make, have you found some sort of tutorial or so for it..? I'm thinking about using the same for my next build, and I'd like to find some info about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 If I could ask you one thing, the neck joint that you make, have you found some sort of tutorial or so for it..? I'm thinking about using the same for my next build, and I'd like to find some info about it... Don't know if there's any tutorials (I didn't need them so I didn't search for them). Basically, the joint is similar to Gibson's. I made my own tenon/mortise templates and made sure I routed everything at the correct angle. Just take time to make the templates the best you can, the rest shouldn't be hard. My tenon is 36mm wide and 30mm thick, but you can use any dimensions you want as long as you leave enough wood under the neck pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 I made my own tenon/mortise templates and made sure I routed everything at the correct angle. And you're going to drop the project?! I've had tons of creative projects (writing stories, songs, building things) where I had to take a break. Sometimes weeks, sometimes months... whatever you do, man, don't destroy what you worked so hard on! Maybe if you take some time off, focus your energy elsewhere, and forget about it for a while, one day you'll look at it again and be inspired to finish it. Your build could still be a fantastic guitar! I think, even if you don't like the shape of the neck, someone else may. Even if you can't sell it for too high a price, you could probably recoup the expense of the materials. Your neck looks like the foundation of a good guitar. SOMEONE out there will use it if you finish it! But, it's up to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 I made my own tenon/mortise templates and made sure I routed everything at the correct angle. And you're going to drop the project?! I've had tons of creative projects (writing stories, songs, building things) where I had to take a break. Sometimes weeks, sometimes months... whatever you do, man, don't destroy what you worked so hard on! Maybe if you take some time off, focus your energy elsewhere, and forget about it for a while, one day you'll look at it again and be inspired to finish it. Your build could still be a fantastic guitar! I think, even if you don't like the shape of the neck, someone else may. Even if you can't sell it for too high a price, you could probably recoup the expense of the materials. Your neck looks like the foundation of a good guitar. SOMEONE out there will use it if you finish it! But, it's up to you... Well, it's too late now. The neck has been "demolished". I see what you're saying though. Selling it to someone for the price of the materials is a good idea but I just didn't feel like building a guitar for someone else yet. I've always wanted a KL style explorer and that was the only reason I got into building even though I had no woodworking knowledge and experience whatsoever. I just couldn't see myself finishing the guitar that I'm not going to play. The only thing that angers me is that the neck came out the way I "wanted" it, so it was a good job, just a bad decision. I deliberately carved the neck into an oval shape thinking it would suit me better than the U shape that all of my guitars have had. Well I was wrong big time. Anyway, I would like to thank anyone for the comments. This forum was of invaluable help to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rista Posted August 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Ahem... so, here's a new guitar: Specs are pretty much the same as before. This time, the neck is made of mahogany only instead of mahogany/maple laminates. No experiments with neck profiles this time either There is still work to do but I should complete the guitar soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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