Strato-Master Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ok so here's the concept I got a body from an old guitar of my dad's that he gave to me I posted about it way back when and never did get around to copying the guitar but I still have the body. It has a hairline crack running through the Pup cavity but it doesn't go any farther than that. I also have a neck from a twelve string Epiphone acoustic that is in good shape but needs a new body. SO being that both pieces were free, the neck pits into the neck pocket of the body already, and I have nothing to lose and a lot of experience to gain. I'm going to try and make these into a twelve string electric. I plan to have an acoustic style bridge with a piezo pickup and a humbucker. A push pull pot on the volume to switch between the two, and one on the tone for a coil tap on the humbucker. Here's a pic of the body an neck. If you look close you can see the crack running through the third screw hole for the trem. Now here's my question. How would y'all go about removing and replacing the wood where the trem cavity and the pickup to get rid of the crack? I was thinking I would route out the wood and glue in a new piece of wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 There's a tutorial from Brian on the main PG site detailing exactly this: http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/tht1.htm Best of luck - sounds like a fun project :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Here is the basic concept Thank goodness for photoshop. It looks a little funny like the body is too big or that the bridge it too far back but it at least gives the basic idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ok the body is routed out Just some sanding to clean up the edge and it will be ready for the new wood block to be fitted and glued in that's tomorrows project that is if my wife lets me. Here is the front and here is the rear I left a small amount on the neck end of the body just to give me something extra to glue onto. If you look you can see some paint still in place that managed to hang on while I was routing. I thought it was kinda funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Are those routs freehand? If so, I would clean the edges up using a bearing guided router bit against a planed edge piece of wood. Ideally, the wooden insert should sit nice and snug against all four edges with as much wood to wood contact as possible. I presume the body is a flat top affair, so the routing will be perpendicular with the faces. Is it me, or did you jump into doing this an hour or so after I posted the last message? Crazy dude. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Yeah I did jump into it! good idea with the strait edge I'll have to go back clean them up. thanks again for the idea! I just gpt my tools back yesterday after moving to Germany so I was itchin to get a project started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 That would explain the +1 time difference :-D Enjoying time in Europe? Brian's trick of cleaning up the glueing edges using epoxy is pretty sweet. I'm doing this myself soon on a mahogany Ibanez Sabre body I picked up off eBay, but I don't have the luxury of a flat top to lay straightedges on! What wood is that, if you know? The second picture makes it look like it has mineral staining in the wood, or some other weird discolouration. Fun project all the same. I guess you've just started to break out the noisy mess creators in your station digs yeah? Guess that's why the wife isn't too impressed...till you build a guitar for her, in which case you'll get a few month's grace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Guess that's why the wife isn't too impressed...till you build a guitar for her, in which case you'll get a few month's grace She acctully don't mind me working on guitars too much. So that's a plus for me. Europe is nice it's a lil weird cause I live off base so it's easier to go the the local stores sometimes and I don't speak a lick of German gives me a excuse to look around the local home improvement store that much more thou. I do have one problem everything here is metric including lumber so I have had to adjust to that when I build things for the house like our new bed frame. I'm Not entirely sure what the discoloration is or even what type of wood it is I think the wood was actually spalted or something. who knows though. All I can tell you is it has fairly strait grain and its heavy for a small body before i routed it the body alone weighed almost the same as my old squire strat with a plywood body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Alder, perhaps? I'm sure someone else will chime in on this one. What wood are you filling the void with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Alder, perhaps? I'm sure someone else will chime in on this one. What wood are you filling the void with? Some random chunk of hard wood I was able to get my hands on. I got pics in these two pics the block is just sitting in the hole but I do have it glued in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well New update My router decided that its wanted to be jumpy today very jumpy. I now have numerous divots and holes to fill in the body. Also I decided to go with a fabric finish using some old BDUs (woodland camo uniform ) and a USAF staff Sgt. stripe inlay after the bridge. But that aint the worst thing it did to me today While I was attempting to use the router to get nice clean holes in the heel of the neck to plug where the original screws went it caught on something not the truss rod thank goodness and ripped the side of the heel off so had to glue it back into place. That however it did solve one issue for me I wasn't sure if I wanted to refinish the neck or not. Now I don't have a choice! Here's the front an back sanded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae3 Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Cool! Will look great in a camo finish! "Scrappy The 12 String Electric" sounds like a kids telly show. And "Strato-Master" is the coolest name ever! There are two random observations for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Thanks ae3 After much thought I have decided the final name of the guitar will be Sgt Scrappy. The name took hold after I cut of the top curves of the Epiphone Headstock and it looked like a flat top hair cut. With the damage I did to the heel and the pain it has been trying to fill the void left in the wood. I'm to route off the heel to just above the truss rod and glue on a new chunk of wood. Mind you this neck has had the holes in it plug so many time that I wouldn't trust it to handle the extra pressure from 12 strings now with out some super strong filler material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I'll give you a tip - your problems came with the neck from using the wrong tool. If you want to make holes to plug, use A DRILL. That way, if you're drilling and you hit the truss rod or something, you get a grinding noise. Do it with a router, you get a loud bang, and bits of metal fly in all directions, including into you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I had measured to account for the truss rod, so I could use the router cause I wanted as strait as possible hole because I don't have a drill press. Things probably would have gone better if I had used a jig but I just set the depth on the router and free handed it so I think rushing was the mistake in this case. Now I'm paying for it however I agree a drill would have been better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I think camo is a good idea. Would you do it as a stain so you could still see the grain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I'll give you a tip - your problems came with the neck from using the wrong tool. If you want to make holes to plug, use A DRILL. That way, if you're drilling and you hit the truss rod or something, you get a grinding noise. Do it with a router, you get a loud bang, and bits of metal fly in all directions, including into you. Yeah, those bangs are scary news....the worst bangs I get are from the router blasting pieces of my workpiece across the room like happened to the heel here :-\ Hidden tacks would be a very sobering encounter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Also I decided to go with a fabric finish using some old BDUs (woodland camo uniform ) and a USAF staff Sgt. stripe inlay after the bridge. Nope ^ http://projectguitar.com/tut/mat.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Ok new Update the body work is almost finished I have the new bridge test fitted and I solved my problem for grounding the strings I routed out a channel right on the edge of the peg holes and inserted a solid piece of wire for each string to contact. here's a pic of the underside of the bridge it's not great but it gives the idea and here is the general layout of the body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted January 25, 2009 Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 Erm, is that a combined bridge/string-thru tailpiece or you going to have a proper bridge too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2009 What you see is what you get. That is the bridge I am going to use I drilled out the holes under it to allow the ball end and bridge pins to fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWishICouldShred Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 What's the scale length going to be? That bridge looks really far back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 It is a 25 in scale length. The body used was from a 3/4 sized guitar. I should have more pictures to put up later. I'm hoping that I will be starting to do the finish work on the body or the neck today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 So is it going to get a saddle to mount the strings on or are you just hoping the holes you've drilled will intonate perfectly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yes I was just waiting to get a new bit for my dremel before I cut the saddle slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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