Ripthorn Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 I built a neck-thru and it wasn't until I did a mock up after the body and headstock were cut that I realized the neck was too narrow side to side for my string spacing. I about gave up, until my dad had the brilliant idea of putting a couple thin lams on either side. Needless to say, it's a painted neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpcrash Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 I cannot count the number of paint/finish mistakes I have made - wrong color, wrong clear, too heavy, too thin, sanded edges, wrong mask - and my all time favorite - whoops.... forgot the grain filler.... Or the time I had a perfectly cut body (was testing Aspen), had cut the perfect quited maple top for it and slipped with the router on the first pickup rout. It's still hanging in the garage with that hole in it. But as has been stated - you learn from this and get better. It's bound to happen. Not like all of us are pro's doing 20 guitars a week (well... most of us anyway ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 My absolute favorite one so far is on my ML copy....... I was drilling the very small holes for the pup ring and I felt the bit go right through the back of the guitar......... I thought it was a big time boo-boo .... turned it over and found out it was only inside the spring cavity for the tremolo ...... no harm done. Scared me good for a moment tho. Amazingly enough , out of my 15 or so builds so far , no templates were used and no mistakes were made. no big ones anyway! lol so far.... so good....... ( fill in the blank .. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Okay, here's my my list of classic clangers: - routed a control cavity on the wrong side of the body....twice (not on the same instrument). - shaped a neck too thin and broke through to the trussrod cavity....twice. - sanded through an expensive Koa veneer on a body. - forgot (neglected is a better word) to use a caul when clamping my EXP headstock leaving a nice round indentation which needed steaming and sanding out whilst simultaneously crapping myself, going to prove that you should only do one thing at once. - glue squeezeout from a set neck install running down a pickup wiring channel and sealing it up.... - pulling a bearing off a very sharp 1/4" double flute router bit, with the resisting force of the bearing exceeding that of the grips of my thumb and forefinger. - trapping my hand between the outfeed of a thickness planer and the emerging stock (never seen me wind up the thickness setting at 10 cranks per second, left handed?). - tearout on Zebrano (you know when you hate that stuff). - worn router collet causing a bit to drop more than your target depth? - fly in the clearcoat - superglueing your hand to an entire instrument, and your other to the overflowing glue tube (damn you, cheap Poundland dispensers). - dodgy router bases out of 90° alignment with the motor (damn you, Macallister!). - tearout sniping your carefully prepared templates. Pad this list up with various misplaced drilling locations, issues cutting binding channels on glued-up bodies, horrendously small working conditions, bad lighting, crappy tools and a general lack of patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 I've also super glued myself to a guitar. The best (or worse) part of it was when my wife comes out to tell me dinner is ready and there I am with a guitar stuck to my hand. She ran to get the camera I ran to lock the door before she got back. I had to rebind the neck because the acetone used to fre my hand also botched up the binding really well. It never fails, I use medium or water thin super glue on something and it takes several seconds to a minute to cure. I get the slightest drop on my finger and I am stuck to something in less than 1 second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 It never fails, I use medium or water thin super glue on something and it takes several seconds to a minute to cure. I get the slightest drop on my finger and I am stuck to something in less than 1 second. I think I've mastered the art of tearing fingers apart after touching CA glue. Once you get over the weirdness of it, you just have to grab the skin and pull. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 I have to thank all of you for this. I am gearing up for my first guitar. To date I have done repairs and modifications but never an entire guitar. I am sure I will make many of the same mistakes but hopefully not all of them on the same guitar. When I do make them I will feel just a bit less stupid knowing that people whos work I admire have made the same mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mors Phagist Posted June 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Might've messed up on my new headstock/neck. Was making an angled stock, and I may have cut the volute(?) wrong. Its hard to explain, but I may have just wasted a good amount of mahogony, which is never a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 My first two volutes I messed up,so I just turned them into a no volute neck like a gibson...they still work fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mors Phagist Posted June 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 Wouldn't you have a massive amount of waste though if you didn't volute? You would need a large piece of lumber anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 9, 2010 Report Share Posted June 9, 2010 I think you are confused..I think you mean a scarf joint.I don't use those,but that sounds like what you mean. A volute is the lump of extra wood behind the nut to support the weak part of the headstock on a non-scarfed neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mors Phagist Posted June 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 Ah, I see. Sort of similar. I just glue-ificated the scarf, and it looks like this will go good. "Oh ****" has been avoided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fliski Guitars Posted June 10, 2010 Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 Loads of little ones but here are some of the bigger ones; Cut a scarf joint and glued the headstock onto the back of the neck instead of the front making a super long headstock and super short neck I have also carved a set neck too far exposing the truss rod Bearings slipping off router cutters causing deep routes Routing the wrong side of a shaped guitar neck for the truss rod Gluing a fretboard on, almost finishing the neck when I realised I forgot to actually put the truss rod in Forgetting to drill the jack access hole in a finished body resulting in a complete refiniah Templates have slipped many a time Many a careless dent and a couple of drops Touch wood but the last 20 or so builds have been cockup free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted June 10, 2010 Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 Gluing a fretboard on, almost finishing the neck when I realised I forgot to actually put the truss rod in haha, I did this once too. now, I put my truss rod in as soon as i rout the channel, and I leave it there. Ive almost forgotten it a few times too. I once also almost glued a fretboard upside down to the neck... as in 24th fret to the nut side instead. Now I freak out every time i look at a fretboard being glued to the neck... Nightmares every time about that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 It never fails, I use medium or water thin super glue on something and it takes several seconds to a minute to cure. I get the slightest drop on my finger and I am stuck to something in less than 1 second. I think I've mastered the art of tearing fingers apart after touching CA glue. Once you get over the weirdness of it, you just have to grab the skin and pull. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here. nothing like forensic evidence you built the guitar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Let me add a new one to my list (!): Unstringing one of my Explorers from the low E upwards to clean it (think about the banana headstock and the string paths) and the nut pings off across the room, denting the top on one of my acoustics. AAAAAAAAGH!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 I never make mistakes, I just learn new repair techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 If you think it's safe to clean something off your hands with lacquer thinner, dry 'em 98%, then go grab a painted guitar body, think again. And that tube amp on the bench. How funny that you didn't remember plugging it in just before someone walked in and had a 10 minute conversation with you. Ok, where was I ? . Yes, I was about to put some alligator clips on the tube socket pins (no need to be careful since the amp is "still unplugged"), so I'll just get back to doing that now ZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) If you think it's safe to clean something off your hands with lacquer thinner, dry 'em 98%, then go grab a painted guitar body, think again. \ The best hand cleaner ever: I learned about this stuff in art school. It'll take oil paint right off your hands and brushes, but it works for most things in the shop, especially if it's something oil based. Edited June 11, 2010 by NotYou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Unstringing one of my Explorers from the low E upwards to clean it (think about the banana headstock and the string paths) and the nut pings off across the room, denting the top on one of my acoustics. AAAAAAAAGH!! Now that is just bad luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mors Phagist Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Unstringing one of my Explorers from the low E upwards to clean it (think about the banana headstock and the string paths) and the nut pings off across the room, denting the top on one of my acoustics. AAAAAAAAGH!! I never make mistakes, I just learn new repair techniques. On a side note, I decided to stand on the opposite end of a Belt sander to get a better angle. So that the belt was moving towards me... *** WAS I THINKING. The little piece of Mahogony that I was going to use as a truss rod cover flew out, my finger slipped, and sanded off half my index finger's nail. Any more and I would've sanded right through it. Obviously much worse things could've happened in that situation though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 Sounds like we have all encountered most of the same mistakes. Some of mine include router tearout, sand throughs when finishing and on one guitar i routed the 1/4 inch roundover on the back edge of the guitar after i drilled my jack socket so the bearing went in the hole routing a perfect indent Not in the guitar workshop, but on site just 2 days ago, i cut a big long laminated beam 100mm short. I felt so sick in the stomach, told my boss and he was pretty cool, he told me he cut a whole roof out 100mm short once after marking the pattern rafter wrong. Made me feel a bit better but you just feel plain stupid. Anyway as long as you learn from your mistakes and try not to do them again its how we learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 On a side note, I decided to stand on the opposite end of a Belt sander to get a better angle. So that the belt was moving towards me... Hm... I have never seen a belt sander that did not move towards the operator... Your talking about a mounted upright belt sander, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 My best belt sander injury was at school. Making a wooden train in CDT and cut my axle dowel a little short, so I decided to make the wheels thinner on the belt sander against the fence. The wheel got thin enough to zip in the gap under the fence, leaving me pressing my fingertips onto the belt with a LOT of pressure. Bye bye fingerprints, hello blood p***ing everywhere. Kinda Tony Iommi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 I let my grip go on a workpiece in a spindle sander once. It did a half-rotation around with the spindle, then flew across the DT classroom and knocked over some glue bottles. Also let a piece of birch plywood go on a router table, went about twenty feet airborne before being stopped by the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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