bob123 Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 After seeing prosthetas work with that bass, I really really loved the look of it. The oak just seemed very classy for some reason, so I figured I'll give it a go. Came across this peice of oak, that has a terrific and different grain pattern. Not super figured, but has some very lovely chatoyance. Im very curious how it will appear under a finish. obviously, being a wolfgang, she needs a figured maple top. How about a good flame using flame maple and quarter sawn oak middle strip for the neck. Im debating using ebony or walnut strips aside the neck for more separation from the body. Thoughts?? 12 clamps should be good right? I actually am trying something different here. Using wax paper and a cauled peice clamped down on the ends with another clamp in the middle. Hopefully it will glue perfectly level, leaving me more room to work with, with minimal planer work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 That is exactly how i glue my neck blanks. Well, without the wax paper. I cut 6 pieces of MDF the width of hte neck blank, and clamp those on the ends and middle. Then just take them off after the glue has set for about 15 minutes, so they dont stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted November 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 Right on. I dont know why ive never done it like that before. I dont usually do neck through stuff, so i guess its never really been an issue. Id be nervous about mdf, wont it crush under the clamp over time? I just had some cherry and maple scraps left over, they seemed to do the trick pretty well. This is definitely the last time i use titebond 3 though. It holds great, but im always in a mad dog rush to get stuff clamped up due to setting times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 nope, Mdf will hold up just fine like that. Its not going to break when it is flush and flat with something. Yeah... Titebond III is useless on guitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 nope, Mdf will hold up just fine like that. Its not going to break when it is flush and flat with something. Yeah... Titebond III is useless on guitars... I wouldn't say useless, its just not very user friendly. I used titebond 3 on a ... "guitar" I made a few years ago. Still dead straight, no seams showing, held up well. I Just prefer titebond 2. Some swear on 1. At the end of the day, I don't think matters a whole bunch, but simply an opinion on this side of the screen. Im assuming you're not using a whole bunch of pressure when you clamp the mdf then. It always seems when I apply the pipe clamps, SOMETHING moves. Its just so much force I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I feel it is much more than opinion. II has no business in guitar making. It is waterproof, never dries fully and will show through finishes, because finish wont stick to it. But your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I'm a solid Titebond I user and don't feel any reason to switch or even try II or III. I tried Titebond II for dark woods and that works pretty well but can't comment on III. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I feel it is much more than opinion. II has no business in guitar making. It is waterproof, never dries fully and will show through finishes, because finish wont stick to it. But your choice. I've honestly never had issues with any of that. I certainly wont disagree with it not being the best or anything, but I don't necessarily feel its this foul evil that a lot of luthiers make it out to be. Some will claim the only way to properly glue wood is with hide glue. I mean, thats been proven false for decades now, yet people still cling to it for dear life. Same thing with "nitro" finishes being the only "acceptable" finish. You can pile on coats of nitro, but as long as its nitro, it has a better tone right? Apples to oranges I know, just anecdotal. But for finishing, I mean, I glued this up with titebond 3, it's been refinished like 3 times now, never had a single issue with stain, dye, or clear coat adhering or finishing properly. Im not good enough to be "lucky" with it I dont think. Pardon my trademark toes. Definitely going back to titebond 2 personally, just simply for workability purposes. Finishing and drying have never been an issue. If anything, I think it dries harder, as its easier to scrape off, its not gummy at all. That said Im extremely finnicky about glue joints. If I show a glue joint line, I will usually just scrap the piece or rip it and start over if I can save it. As you can see, theres no visible glue joint, its very solid. and got the head stock wings glued up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 On my headless build, I actually had the body peices fall apart. It was the strangest thing. It was humid out, and I had used titebond 2 for the glue up, and it literally just fell apart in my hands. It was very strange, because the glue was still visible on the seams, but it came apart like splitting two pieces of bread apart. Im thinking the humidity weakened the glue joint enough for it to just fall apart. I was having a conversation with Tyler here on the board, and mid sentence it just split apart. threw the bottle of TB2 I had and got another, haven't had issues with it since. Just part of my experience with glues. As for the design, I just kept sanding and carving until it fit my body perfectly in all positions I play in. Not trying to win any design awards iwth this one lol, just a personal exploration in ergonomic guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 No. Not anecdotal. Acoustics clearly benefit from the choices of glue and finish. An electric is far less sensitive but the differences still exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 No. Not anecdotal. Acoustics clearly benefit from the choices of glue and finish. An electric is far less sensitive but the differences still exist. I wasn't speaking about acoustics though, those are its own thing in my eyes. Go to some of the tele and strat forums. If its not done with nitro, its "garbage" to a lot of them. Even if you put 30 coats of nitro on, its still better and more resonant then a nice thin coat of poly. Even though thats complete garbage, and anyone with half a brain can see why. As far as differences in glue on an electric, Im still skeptical. DTM uses epoxy for EVERYTHING, PRS uses plain old wood glue, Gibson uses hide glue, fender uses polyurethane glue, tom anderson uses something that dries in like 30 minutes (unsure, I haven't spoken with him yet). Believe it or not, I do quite a bit of research, the thing with glues is theres always a "serious flaw' with the other kind. Since theres no defined industry standard (theres certainly the "hobbyist" standard for titebond 1), I'm simply biased to what I've experienced. Granted I don't have a huge scope to deal on, but I've built enough guitars now. Titebond 3 hasn't let me down, hasn't had issues with finishing, has always dried (thats my issue with it, it doesn't seem to have a long work time). On an acoustic, I simply don't care, as Im not building acoustics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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