westhemann Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Okay,so back to this one.I had a couple of snags the last time,but now it's time to fix them I glued the fretboard on to the neck years ago with titebond while I was just prepping stuff for future builds...I believe the bottle of glue may have sat too long,but for whatever reason a section of the fretboard pulled up a bit,so I had to cut the board off and start again.I had some scrap pieces of nice maple from former builds so I found one the right size and cut two fretboard blanks out of it,set one aside,and chose this piece for this one After thicknessing this is it.(left piece without slots,by the way,the slotted one is the old one that I cut off) Clamped up I am going to have to slot this one myself by hand after it's out of clamps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 This is the body.At the left you can see where I bunged up the first cut..the pencil outline is my "mini LP" shape.The new centerline is not actually center of the top,it's center of the back laminate...about a difference of 1/4".I had to do this so that I would not get too close to the rear cavity,which is already cut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Papa's got a brand new shape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Looking good Wes ,working thru the problems and finding solutions is big in guitar building.I will be watching this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Out of clamps and tapered.Next I have to mark out all of the slots and cut them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Dang that's a lot of work.I still have about 1/2 hours work to get all the slots to the right depth and get the fretboard sanded to 220. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I love that jagged streak. Is there any particular reason you glued the board to the neck before slotting it? Was it already tapered too, or is that just perspective? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Glued it to the neck before slotting so it would be tall enough in my miter box that I wouldn't have to block it up.It wasn't tapered until after glue up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Had a not very productive day,but I did get something done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Oh,by the way...yes that is a zero fret.Never done one before,but for some reason i feel like it's right for this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 zero frets are nice. sure makes perfect action at the nut a lot easier too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 Hmmm...I think this Limba is cursed.I mean,Let's look at the evidence.... I bought it a few years ago from a forum member,and it is very nice...yet somehow every time I try to make an instrument from it I am plagued with problems...I keep blaming myself,yet in the last two weeks I made two very nice guitars,and before that i made two more and refinished one without any real problems,yet as soon as I come back to the limba it starts again...my fretboard starts to pull lose,so I replace it only to have to turn it into a 22 fretter(it was 24) because of a slip of the saw....okay...well that's fine,but the heel is already rough shaped so I can only put it so far into the body...but it's still barely enough...any less and I would feel too uncomfortable to proceed. So the routing...because of all of the shifting of the body the bridge pickup doesn't quite hit the chamber I made in the Limba before gluing on the top ...not a big deal,but it just adds to the list. Then I notice a hairline crack starting at the glueline of the top..so I am left to wonder what is going on?The top was glued with T 88 epoxy,and the fretboard was glued on with titebond,yet both failed?Why?Is there something about the limba that makes it not want to stay glued? Well,I don't know the answer to these questions,but I am determined to finish this guitar and make this wood bend to my will....I spent most of the day soaking the crack around the top with CA,and this is where I am now...I have some ideas to make it extra special,but I won't spoil the surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hmmm...I think this Limba is cursed.I mean,Let's look at the evidence.... I bought it a few years ago from a forum member,and it is very nice...yet somehow every time I try to make an instrument from it I am plagued with problems...I keep blaming myself,yet in the last two weeks I made two very nice guitars,and before that i made two more and refinished one without any real problems,yet as soon as I come back to the limba it starts again...my fretboard starts to pull lose,so I replace it only to have to turn it into a 22 fretter(it was 24) because of a slip of the saw....okay...well that's fine,but the heel is already rough shaped so I can only put it so far into the body...but it's still barely enough...any less and I would feel too uncomfortable to proceed. So the routing...because of all of the shifting of the body the bridge pickup doesn't quite hit the chamber I made in the Limba before gluing on the top ...not a big deal,but it just adds to the list. Then I notice a hairline crack starting at the glueline of the top..so I am left to wonder what is going on?The top was glued with T 88 epoxy,and the fretboard was glued on with titebond,yet both failed?Why?Is there something about the limba that makes it not want to stay glued? Well,I don't know the answer to these questions,but I am determined to finish this guitar and make this wood bend to my will....I spent most of the day soaking the crack around the top with CA,and this is where I am now...I have some ideas to make it extra special,but I won't spoil the surprise. I have had some issues with limba as well. I have noticed that some pieces seem to be a bit more waxy than others. When I first noticed this I decided I do not glue up limba without fresh sanding the surfaces and wiping with acetone. If you remember I had some issues with the ebony top, T-88, and limba. I am convinced mine were related to moving the guitar from the outside to the inside back outside over the course of the winter but it is still odd to here your issue. voodoo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 It is surely strange.i think once I use up this limba I may stay away from it.But then again I have not heard the instrument yet.I may just use as few glue joints as possible in the future. The all limba explorer i was doing has the body join pulling lose at one end as well.I used denatured alcohol to clean the join before glue up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Don't laugh...this was 6 hours work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Based on your recent flurry of activity, you do more in 6 hours than many of us (myself included) do in a month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Actually all I did in those 6 hours was carve the top,sand it to 100 grit,drill the bridge/tailpiece holes,deepen the cavity for the controls,and drill the control layout Today I have to take a break to make some money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Okay,back on guitars You might notice a battery cavity...EMG 81/85 on this one.It's all sanded to 80 grit,but I have to do a touch of shaping with 100 grit to straighten up a couple of spots.Sanding Limba is like sanding a slightly harder bar of soap...with 80 grit it just sloughs off too fast to get things right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie H 72 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 This is looking super cool. I think birdseye maple is way under used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 I am really not happy with this one.I am going to put a finish on it and assemble it,and if it sounds good I'll keep it to play,otherwise I may disassemble it and send it to the woodpile. Too many little issues.Wesley no likey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted October 15, 2012 Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Wes, why don't you round up those control holes and deep carve the body? I'm sure it will make it look much better. I think that the combination of woods looks spot on with the birdseye maple, so may be it's an aesthetics thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Deep carves suck IMO.It's not aesthetic at all,It's because a few weeks back the top started to separate right after the body shaping in a couple of spots(probably the heat from the sanding) and I flooded it with CA and clamped,but it ended up with a visible glue line in spots and it makes me worry about stability in the long run,plus I prerouted the internal cavity for the pickups before adding the top and when I had the rogue cut that made me shift everything around a bit the pup routs through the top missed the internal cavity a bit,and the control cover plate won't mirror the outer body line exactly,so I sort of just lost interest in making it awesome. All it means is that I just sanded it to 180 and I am putting on an extremely satin(almost matte) finish instead of the thick gloss I would have used if it were perfect.It will just be my guitar. I just have been wanting to start trying to sell some guitars here and there to help pay for the materials,tools,etc so that it isn't just a money soak all the time,and when I don't feel like they will last forever I have to stop throwing time and money at them and move on. It may still make a really nice guitar for me to play and free up other guitars to sell,so it's not a big deal.One thing I have learned in all these years though is that if I don't like it after a month of playing it,then I need to destroy it so that it doesn't sit on the wall mocking me.I don't think that will happen with this one though because it's nice and light,looks pretty good,and will most likely sound really great with these woods.It's just poorly designed because I tried too many new things on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 It's just sloppy.If I don't have standards for my own work,who will? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted October 15, 2012 Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Stop punching yourself in the head man. relax. Id finish it up realy groovey if I were you. Deepen the carve a little & bind the edges to hide any pin lines of glue (koz lets face it, thats all you probobly have) Centralise the belly cut to the lenght of the gitir a bit. Finish it in rustins (cheap n quick - ish) Put on medium grade hardware & get some good piks for advertisement/promotion then pass it on to a shop or some guy for a half decent price (cover your materials). You may not be happy with it but I can abso-fookin-lutly guarantee you someone out there will appreciate the hell out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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