WezV Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 just been sent all this to assemble that may all sound relatively easy but if you look at the rear pic you may notice the problem. these parts were not from the same guitar, infact they have all been sourced seperatly. this means we have a body drilled for 5 neck bolts and a neck that will only accept 4, whats worse is that the holes in the neck are 6mm closer together than the ones in the body so more serious work is needed. also the neck pocket has been widened anyway, the reason i took this job on is because of the transtrem - i have not used one before and it has me intrigued - i want to see how usable the transposition feature actually is!! also, i much prefer the look of the P-series steinbergers over the original rectangles. Its more like a mini V shape. They were a cheaper alternativ to the original all composite guitars. These have a maple body and graphite neck - still the same hardware so the plan of action is * veneer sides of neck pocket *drill out and plug bolt holes * redrill for new bolt holes * redrill for new (larger) ferrules that should cover most of the fix * fill in old strap button hole * move strap button to current 5th bolt hole location *add extra strap button to the end so it has the proper 3 button arrangment (makes it not need a stand) *replace zero fret with a stainless steel one *touch up finish around neck whilst hopefully retaining the slightly scuffed and beat up character it currently has (i suggested a full respray ) *get it all together and playing it might be getting a single humbucker union jack scratchplate, if that gets here in time oh, if you want some fun then go see what ed roman charges for these parts http://www.edroman.com/guitars/steinberger/parts.htm not sure how much the transtrems go for in the real world.. but $900 for a bridge seems crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 ok, i was firstly thinking i should redrill the bolt holes on the body to match the neck as i havnt done much work with these sorts of neck materials before... but obviously on a wood neck it makes more sense to drill out and plug the neck bolt holes and have it all hidden in the pocket. i am wondering if thats the way i should do it here anyone got any tips/experience drilling into one of these necks or removing the threaded inserts? I know they can be refretted with a little heat like a normal neck so i am assuming i can use a little heat if i need to on the inserts either way, i still need to plug the holes in the body as they are very loose - but i wouldnt need to move the ferrules which would be a bonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I've got no tips for you, but I'm extremely jealous. I'd love to get my hands on that neck and hardware so I could build a new body and have the custom headless guitar that I've been jonesing for....someday. Good luck with the rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I wouldn't remove the bushings or try to redrill the neck. It is Graphite Composite you will need to use epoxy anytime you glue on it. Also they are chambered, not solid so you may hit an empty space when trying to redrill the holes... Since it has threaded inserts I would go to Fastenal and find some allen/philips screws that match the threads I would do all my work on the body since it is wood. Actually, if it was me I would make a new body out of a pure exotic like Cocobollo/Bocote/Zircote.... Good Luck! Looks like a Cool Project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 the bolts fit into the neck inserts just fine so its not an issue with incorrect bolts i have plenty of epoxy so thats not a problem.. also i found info on the moses graphite site about installing the inserts because there necks come without mounting holes if i can get the inserts out easily i may doo the work to the neck - but i know i can revert to the original plan if thats not the case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I've wanted a new neck for my Steinberget for a long time. The stock neck is just way too narrow for me. Maybe someday... if I ever build my own necks. Or if someone wants to work out a trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 the inserts came out with a little heat and a makeshift tool for reversing it out of the hole. they got a little damaged but i have a spare set so its no great loss. the zero fret came out with just a little heat as well - no different to a wood fretboard really i did offer to replace the body with an exotic one but that really not the owners thing... he is not a wood pervert like some of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 i did offer to replace the body with an exotic one but that really not the owners thing... he is not a wood pervert like some of us I agree with the owner. Steinbergers don't have the visuals, the feel for natural wood. They're high-tech - all glossy, sleek, chrome & black, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 the inserts came out with a little heat and a makeshift tool for reversing it out of the hole. they got a little damaged but i have a spare set so its no great loss. the zero fret came out with just a little heat as well - no different to a wood fretboard really i did offer to replace the body with an exotic one but that really not the owners thing... he is not a wood pervert like some of us The fingerboard on that is Phenolic. It should be easy to work with. I know.... I am stating the obvious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 this is a moses graphite neck so isnt phenolic this is what i found on there website Moses necks refret at least as easily as wood necks, and definitely much easier than those with phenolic fretboards. There is no grain/fibrous material in the area of the fret tang to cause blowout. However you will still need to maintain attention to detail to insure a clean pull of each fret from the fingerboard edges. You may remove frets using the standard technique of applying light heat with a soldering gun and pulling vertically/evenly with a pair of flush ground nippers. i also found the threaded insert instructions for installation, the mounting kit is basically a nut that fits the bolt To install a MOSES neck using the provided mount kit: First place and lightly clamp the neck in the heel pocket. Then mount the outside two strings, bringing them up to light tension. Move the neck into alignment, so that these strings are the proper distance from the sides of the fingerboard. Take a drill bit the size of the holes in the body heel pocket. Insert the drill bit by hand, and twist it (with pressure applied) to mark the center of the holes to be drilled in the back of the neck heel. Detach the neck from the body. Next, for use of 8-32 screws, mount a 15/64" (5.95 mm) high speed drill bit in a drill press. For use of 10-32 screws, mount a 19/64" (7.5 mm) drill bit. With the neck heel held firmly at a 90 degree angle to the drill bit, drill the holes to a maximum depth of 5/8" (0.625"/15.87mm) or as appropriate to properly accommodate the depth of the screw without going through the fingerboard area. Using the correct size nut threaded onto the shaft, thread a self-tapping brass insert onto the shaft, so that the slotted (cutting) edge protrudes off the open end of the screw when the insert is tight against the nut. Using a Phillips head screw driver, screw the insert mounted on the screw into the neck hole until it is flush or just below the surface of the heel. The nut that is tight against the insert will keep the insert from climbing up the screw. Unscrew the machine screw from the installed insert, and repeat this procedure for all remaining mount holes. Set the neck into the heel pocket. Insert the machine screws into the holes and turn counterclockwise until the screw threads drop (click) into proper alignment with the insert threads. Then screw clockwise until comfortably tight. great stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I agree with the owner. Steinbergers don't have the visuals, the feel for natural wood. They're high-tech - all glossy, sleek, chrome & black, etc. I know what you mean, but I really dig this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae3 Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 That's not have bad actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 going quite nicely on this so far, working on the graphite neck has been easier than expected. the neck pocket holes have been plugged and redrilled and the pocket sides have been veneered so the neck fits better. I also plugged the holes in the neck so that can be redrilled for inserts once i have the touch ups on the body done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 decided to do a test fit today everythings aligned nicely and it should play really well. 2 issues though 1. the neck bolts head was too wide for the original small ferrules which meant only about 4mm of bolt made it into the cavity.. after the photo's i redrilled the body for the larger Steinberger ferrules - easy fix! 2. the back of the transtrem is slightly wider than the s-trem that this body was made for.. its catching on the edges so that will need to be widened ever so slightly nearly ready for the touch ups to be sorted out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredforbread33 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 sweet. Lookin' good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 just about sorted with this. i had to put a temporary pickup in to test and tune it because there is nowhere to attach my contact tuner to - so it still has some tape on the body just to stop the loose jack scratching it it was supposed to receive a union jack scratchplate yesterday but the new owner managed to shatter it when attaching the ouput jack - i currently have it being laminated to a maple veneer so hopefully it should be salvagable - once thats sorted i will get the final assembly done it plays really nciely and doesnt sound to bad either. i do struggle without a headstock though. the transtrem is very intersting - although not as perfectly in tune when transposing as the marketing suggests, that may be my inexperience with settign them up but i dont see how i could improve it. we are going to try some new strings just to make sure its not a dud set... basically the A string goes a bit sharper than it should when dropping down 2 steps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 mwah, ha, ha!!!! The damaged scratchplate the owner had tried to enlarge the hole with a hand drill. The drill caught and the plate snapped - the acrylic really is very brittle. bit of an annoying thing to happen to a brand new £50 scratchplate so i offered to try and save it. I glued it together and laminated it onto a maple veneer with epoxy and its good to go the real question... is it ugly enough to distract from avengers can opener Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolanski Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 By hand drill do you mean manual drill or the battery/wall powered ones? But... This thing looks sick and I normally don't like em. One more question: Did you get the trans trem to set up correctly and if so how do you like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 the real question... is it ugly enough to distract from avengers can opener DANG!!!! I can't even catch a break in someone ELSE'S build thread! Y'all are killin' me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 i think he said a cordless drill... going too slow - it was a bad idea from the start although the holes enlarged just fine once i got my reamer out the trans trem is mostly in tune - still struggling on the down bend on the A string but its close enough for rock and roll, i get the feeling i shouldnt be using my strobe tuner to set this up as its causing me to have nightmares lots of fun to play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 the real question... is it ugly enough to distract from avengers can opener DANG!!!! I can't even catch a break in someone ELSE'S build thread! Y'all are killin' me. i like the corvus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadovfor Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 the real question... is it ugly enough to distract from avengers can opener DANG!!!! I can't even catch a break in someone ELSE'S build thread! Y'all are killin' me. i like the corvus Being sarcastic isn't clever Wez ... it's cruel. Stop toying with John's emotions. The Corvus is the single greatest blasphemy inflicted upon God's great garden and the sooner John accepts thats, the sooner he can start on the path to recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 i am serious - i dont think its a perfect design but it has elements that were very forward thinking... if they had made it headless i reckon they really would have been onto something john - make a headless corvus!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 john - make a headless corvus!! I'd LOVE to. Wanna work out a deal for you to make me a headless neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 john - make a headless corvus!! I'd LOVE to. Wanna work out a deal for you to make me a headless neck? I think it's time that you step into neck building. It's not that hard, and very rewarding. BTW, Wez, the union jack scratch plate looks killer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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