avengers63 Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 It's finally time to start working on the LPjr. Here's the rundown: 2 piece walnut body 1 piece white limba neck, 25.5" scale, inlays undetermined (probably dots) Gibson P-100 bridge pup chrome hardware 1 vol, 1 tone, wraparound bridge PRS 'One' style contouring black or tortoise pickguard So here's where I'm at right now. I have the body & neck woods nailed down, but I'm undecided on the fretboard. Here are the choices... yellowheart bocote Guyana rosewood with sapwood cocobolo granadillo Thoughts & opinions? This will be my first neck I'm really excited and scared to death. My woodworking instinct is to do something fancy. I'm intentionally doing the neck for this guitar first so I'll HAVE to keep it simple. I'm sure to be extremely tentative and ask a zillion questions, so brace for impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) I'd say the Bocote, since it has some colors similar to both the limba and the walnut, plus it's own unique grain that would look good on a fingerboard. edit: Or if you have enough extra walnut you could use it for the fretboard too. Or if you have extra limba, use it and ebonize it. Edited April 22, 2009 by Keegan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 I like the cocobolo-combo. C'mon DO IT! Nice wood you got there John.. no pun intended.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 I choose bocote. Good luck with the neck John. Don't worry too much. Making necks isn't really all that bad but it makes the build take quite a lot longer to make. As long as you keep reading melvyns book and and ask questions on this forum if you are unsure about anything then you should be fine. Nice wood choices by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 i like the look of the cocobolo. Wait, i thought you didn't build necks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 imho juniors should be kept simple so i would stick to a plainer wood. the coco or grenadillo appeal most as they are mostly one colour but still nicely figured or striped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 imho juniors should be kept simple so i would stick to a plainer wood. the coco or grenadillo appeal most as they are mostly one colour but still nicely figured or striped I've been thinking exactly along those lines, but with the yellowheart. The problem with the yellowheart and granadillo is that they don't match up well as a whole. The YH is great with the walnut, but not the limba. The gran is the opposite. I don't want anything bold, but it needs to match color-wise. I asked the wife about it last night. She's great for bouncing opinions off of because she has a completely different perspective and can articulate the reasons for her opinions. She feels the other side of the guyana rosewood is best because of the color variations - it has the tones of both the other woods so it ties them together. Right now, I'm centering on the cocobolo or the rosewood. I've been reading Hiscock's descriptions of the neck building process over and over for a few weeks now. Last night I started a checklist/order of operations taken directly from his steps. This is going to be a really big adventure for me because I'm usually not very meticulous in the detail I put into things. A neck needs that attention to detail. Now I need to go to Lowes/Home Depot for a sheet of MDF to make the template from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 I think you'll find you love making necks. Shaping the neck profile is my favorite part of the whole build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 John, Are you making a traditional Gibson-type headstock (no glue-joint, one-piece neck) or a glued, angled headstock? I'm making a neck myself for the first time, had a lot of problems because I don't have access to a jointer (nor a planer).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 I have all of the major power tools, so that one isn't an issue. It's to be a 3+3 Gibson-ish headstock, but with fender-style construction. That means a one-piece, no scarf, no tilt-back. The blank is 15/16" thick after planing it smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 go for the tilt back john. do a scarf!!! i did it on my first guitar when i had much less wood working experience than you!! in truth its probably the best bit of that first guitar. 3x3 headstocks without an angle are a mistake. the string tree issue will become apparent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 The string trees aren't an issue for me. I was figuring that eliminating the scarf would be one less thing to do. I'm trying hard to keep mt first neck as simple as humanly possible. With that in mind, what do y'all think is harder: a scarf or a Fender-style? I'll go with whatever the consensus thinks is the easiest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 i actually think scarf is easier because of the problems it solves. i have always done scarfs with a handsaw and a little time planing to get it to fit right. honestly - you can do better than i did on my first and that is preferable to a fender style neck with 3 a side tuners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 i actually think scarf is easier because of the problems it solves. i have always done scarfs with a handsaw and a little time planing to get it to fit right. honestly - you can do better than i did on my first and that is preferable to a fender style neck with 3 a side tuners Now I want to put a thin little lam of walnut in the scarf. [internal struggle]Gotta... keep it... simple.[/internal struggle] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I agree with the scarf joint because of stability. This is my first attempt at neckbuilding, I got past the scarf joint. If I can pull that off without a jointer, you most definately will too. Think about the satisfaction you're gonna have after the scarf joint.. awesome man, AWESOME! C'MON - DO IT! Edit: Regarding the thin lam in the joint, don't feel like you have to do that now.. I'd lam the headstock instead, body being walnut it'll be sweet. That is, if I'm not mistaken bout the body being walnut. Edited April 24, 2009 by Cactus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 You can do a slight angle on a fender style neck construction. I did it with mine. I think I did about an 1/8 inch over about a 7 inch headstock so it's a very slight angle. I did it with a wide blade on a band saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanwad Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I can't wait to see this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I spent over an hour yesterday trying to figure out how to get a 13-degree scarf cut into the wood when the tools all come at it from the wrong direction. With a fantastic amount of jiggery, I managed to cobble together a prototype that will do it. Now I just need to make it bigger & more sturdy. How do y'all manage to do it without sawing it by hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I spent over an hour yesterday trying to figure out how to get a 13-degree scarf cut into the wood when the tools all come at it from the wrong direction. With a fantastic amount of jiggery, I managed to cobble together a prototype that will do it. Now I just need to make it bigger & more sturdy. How do y'all manage to do it without sawing it by hand? http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=30212 http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;hl=scarf+jig Loads of information on that second one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 hand saw. plane. glue. clamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Ross Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I just built a new adjustable scarf jig for my bandsaw to replace the fixed one that was too limiting. Super easy to do: just get a good, flat base (I used ply), another piece of ply for the fence, some leftover t-track from another jig, a couple knobs, a hardwood runner for the bandsaw's miter gauge slot, and a couple knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Of all the jigs in the links, that one looks like the best option. Easily adjustable and versatile. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I built one of those U-shaped ramps, very similar to this: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186192 I cut the neck blank using a bandsaw, and a lot of cussing after. I figured that the router-jig would take care of all uneveness, which it did.. but I still needed to sand the glue surfaces somewhat. I think I need to refine the jig.. but thats a future project. .. I assume that, if you got a good jointer you can probably do without that jig. Or maybe make a jig for the jointer to smooth out the scarf.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Alright, so I have a basic plan for a jig (thanks DC), so that gets built first. It seems to make the most sense that I resaw the headstock to thickness after the scarf is glued. Am I on the right track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 You could use some scrap wood to toy around with first.. scarf some soft wood just to get used to the jig.. Btw, some inspiration: Ruokangas guitar making process, diary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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