xadioriderx Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) Well I'm new to this forum, so hello! Im starting on my second build, i finished my first a few months ago, it mostly was a huge learning experience and test of my abilites, and this time, im hoping to do things a lot more legit! The specs are as follows, and note that I'm on a VERY tight budget, so I'm not spending much on it! Poplar Core Sitka Spruce top and back Bubinga Neck Rosewood fretboard 3x3 headstock (none of that funny looking tele stuff ) White acrylic lacquer finish Black binding top and back Gold frets Gold strat style trem Gold knobs Gold Tuners SSS with reverse angled bridge pup One tone, one vol, 5 way switch (wiring TBD) No pickguard, rear access and rear mounted pups Now, this is my first mostly scratch neck build, and im buying a preslotted fretboard, the rest is all scratch, and i plan on using a scarf joint for the headstock. (the cut, flip, and glue method) any better suggestions on that? it seems pretty standard. I have a very VERY limited supply of tools, so ill be documenting this as i go to see how i manage things compared to last time. ill put a link in my sig to the page i made of a bunch of work-arounds i used to make the last one. i had to get creative with the tools this is also my first binding job! heres where im at! im awaiting jigsaw blades to finish the neck area (closer, not fully until i have the neck built). i broke 2 jigsaw blades on this stinking poplar, and had to cut it with a skilsaw, then use my little belt sander to shape it the rest of the way know that i had to draw this all out freehand, because i have no templates. oh yeah. dont make fun of my drawing abilites this was early on, and isnt quite accurate (bridge pup not reversed), but close. Edited July 28, 2011 by xadioriderx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 It's a good project, but I don't get the benefit of the reversed angle on the bridge pick up. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 you know, ive never tried it, but from what ive read on various places it just gives the upper strings more twang and the lower strings less twang. its also how hendrix had it, so that makes it like what, 10 extra bonus points? just thought id give it a try. maybe i can find some example clips! everything ive read about it has been good though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 you know, ive never tried it, but from what ive read on various places it just gives the upper strings more twang and the lower strings less twang. its also how hendrix had it, so that makes it like what, 10 extra bonus points? just thought id give it a try. maybe i can find some example clips! everything ive read about it has been good though Huh. I would expect the opposite result. But you are correct in that would be exactly what you get if you reversed the strings like many left handers do. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted July 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 and frankly i dont use my bridge pups that often, so i dont mind whatever result it has =p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 got my bubinga neck blank today, and the truss rod, just waiting on the fretboard =D finally i can get back to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 roughly chambered today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 boob-inga! had to rig up a weird jig for cutting the 15 degree angle, only have pics with a partial cut. but the scarf joint is gluing up now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 progress. i got one side roughly shaped. had to use the belt sander, took a longgg time, but it looks good! my glue joints are pretty good considering what i have. got my fretwire and binding material in today. im a moron and ordered enough for the top of the guitar only for the binding. forgot to double up =( good seam lots of glue! scarf joint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 (edited) Updates! Bridge got here today, as did my 5way switch and Vol/Tone knobs! Also got the neck partially shaped up! I used the belt sander to rough it down to thickness, then i used an inch wide hand planer to shape it. i couldnt get close to the heel or the headstock with it, so it ended up looking like just a big curve =p but tomorrow when its light out again ill get the nut area and heel down to size! i couldnt get any pictures, but its actually got a good shape to it EDIT: LOL i just realized i had the body upside down, what a moron my awesome thickness gauge Edited August 12, 2011 by xadioriderx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 i pretty much finished shaping the neck today! still have a litttttle bit of clean up to do, and the headstock still needs to be done, and i need to round out the heel more. ive got 23 frets, and a slight overhang of the fretboard onto the body. the pics dont really show things well. i got creative with the shape! i do a lot of thumb wrapping, so instead of making the shape like a U where the fretboard goes straight down and then in towards the middle, i made the top side where my thumb will wrap more of a sideways C... heres a pic to kind of show you: its SUPER comfortable because it conforms to my hand really well. i made the shape all the way up and down to match different things i play. one thing no store bought guitar can do! and i didnt make the fretboard narrower to do it, i just left the neck wider. so no string roll off! one of these shows me starting to cut for the overhang. NOT fun! also it was super dusty when i took them so its hard to see anything really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Making a neck fit your hand perfectly is one of the best parts about building your own. How is it for thickness? With your wood choices and body construction, you have come up with a neck heavy design. Don't be afraid to luck for ways to cut weight out of the neck and headstock. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Making a neck fit your hand perfectly is one of the best parts about building your own. How is it for thickness? With your wood choices and body construction, you have come up with a neck heavy design. Don't be afraid to luck for ways to cut weight out of the neck and headstock. SR oh interesting, i hadnt thought about the fact that bubinga was heavier... oops! i guess my best guess is that i went with a thin neck, i dont have a caliper so i cant be exact, but its in the range of 20-22mm thick i think, at least that was what i was shooting for. its definitely thick, but i think its a tad wider than will be needed, i really didnt want to make it too narrow and have string roll-off. i guess once i get going on the body and get the bridge mountable and a nut on the neck, i can narrow it out some, but it should be pretty close. the headstock is on the small side as well with the 3x3 construction. maybe ill throw in some wood chunks when i seal the body up i cant really think of other ways to cut down neck material. i can make the heel as close to the pocket as possible i suppose. but the body is so thick that im going to have to thin the core out some, and have been thinking about adding vertically to the heel almost in an acoustic guitar style because of the thickness of the body... with the fretboard on and truss in though, i cant think of how else to cut more off the neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) did a little more work on the neck today, went ahead and thinned it out more. its down to .75" thick. its thinn! theres about 3/16" under the truss rod. cant go much more thin i tried weighing it (weigh me holding it then me not holding it. but that said it weighed 0 lbs. haha it really doesnt weigh much. avg is what 3 lbs? this feels more like 2 if that, but what do i know after feeling it, i am not really worried about it being too neck heavy. plus, i dont gig or anything and i rarelllly stand up and play, even if it is. Edited August 14, 2011 by xadioriderx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 alright, well its time to start the body work. i dont like pickguards i dont like direct mount pickups where the routes are wider than the pickup this means what? time to get creative. i will have routes in the top the same size as a pickguard would have, just enough for the bobbin to get through. underneath, in the core, i will have one side routed so that when its all together, i can drop the pickup in at an angle through the top, then slide it back into place, like this: after that, i will have holes accessible from the trem cavity in the rear with springs in them, then a plate mounted over it that screws will go through. essentially it will be the same as a normal pickguard mount, except from the rear, and instead of a pickguard it will be a plate. so from the front just the pup is visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Alright, got the neck pocket shaped out for the most part. just have to round the corners out when i get the top on. My router sucks, dies really fast, has no power. so i did it the hard way. chisel. i got it as much done with a chisel as i could, then used the router to finish it off. spent a bunch of time getting it tight on both sides, then realized that i hadnt finished the lower cutaway and most of that area actually was going to be gone *rolls eyes* but its snug as a bug in a rug, and i can pick up the guitar with the neck set in the pocket. pretty happy with it! =) with the extra chunk on the lower side and without. still need to cleanup the inside of the cutaway and with a chunk of spruce on top, slight overhang of fretboard and this is how i will route, about an inch deep, for the pickups to be set and slid into place. got it all planned out today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 as is, the balance point is between the 18th and 19th frets which is in the heel. of course the body will be heavier with hardware and a top and back, so this means it shouldnt end up too neck heavy like i was worried about if i mount the strap at the front of the heel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 did a little work today. pup areas routed out on the core, trem claw cavity mostly routed out. been planning on the whole pup mounting thing. looks like, similar to my last build, im going to have one big removable panel on the back. this time i wont put the output jack on the back though. you can see the outline where the panel will be. and rough estimate of where the aluminum plates will be to hold the pup adjustment screws. i will have to recess them into the core a little so the panel sits flush. Also, heres the bubinga test chunks with 2 coats of tung oil. i dig!! comparison of raw and with tung oil and i FINALLY get the good router (meaning one that ACTUALLY works) back tomorrow. this stupid battery one doesnt actually route poplar, is just burns it and doesnt move. the only way i could do them was to make a bunch of small holes around the edge, and chisel it out. so this is mostly just chisel work. same with the trem cavity on the back. i will do a much more neat job for the top where you can actually see in the end. you can also see that the trem claw and the route overlap ever so slightly, but it wont interfere with the pickup when mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 how the pup will start to go in. nice and easy! and the back, again, mostly chisel work, luckily i can smooth the bottom out with the router as long as i get it down to about 1/8" deep and you can see the panel outline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 alright, got the top gluing on, the headstock finished shaping up, and my finger in pain! a belt sander with super rough sandpaper on it, mixed with a knuckle, equals ouch and a lack of skin! i chose two of my uglier spruce pieces, because they will be painted white, and had to get creative to make a few clamps go a long ways. not big, but its deep and in a bad spot! headstock both projects both projects, can see headstock shape with the body roughly shaped for gluing making one clamp do the work of two (not gluing yet) clamp-a-licious! next ill go ahead and route through for the trem block, get the final bridge placement marked out, then route holes for the pups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 ended up not making the purfling cutter yet, but i will i got the cutaway all rounded out, neck pocket finished up, and got the neck bolted on! looks like a guitar! rounded stillll rounded slight overhang because theres no back yet i made a place holder and another glory shot =) measured the middle of the fret, and it lines up perfect with the bookmatch seam. score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) Alright, well i routed the bridge hole out from the top. its hidden so i didnt mind using my router freehand. but the pup holes, those have to be perrrrfect. and i dont have templates, and since i would need a template to make a template, and then a router bit that would follow a template, i had to find a different route ("route" :haha: no pun intended) yeah im tired... Anyways, heres what i did Xacto knife and hours of work. only one battle wound from it too! theres one done, perfect fit! Edited August 25, 2011 by xadioriderx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 2 done, and 3 done! perfect fits, im excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djobson101 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Hey, nice idea for the pickup mounting. Looks like it will become a cool guitar.. Have to say too I love that depth gauge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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