a2k Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 On December 8, 2015 at 10:25 AM, 14thandclark said: No negative reaction for new guys here which is really nice. +1 for that! As another newb, I'm finding the crew here to be super helpful, willing to answer basic/dumb questions, and full of encouragement. And it's inspirational to see amazing work of so many styles (except more basses please!) coming from people all over the world. Your project is looking great and coming together fast. I've been working on my first complete build since September and I think you are now officially ahead of me. Looks like you've got a great piece of flame maple for the neck - what's the finishing plan for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Also, hello from Camp Zama, Japan! We've got a nice wood guitar building shop here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Is there an alternate method for pre bending fret wire? I have a compound radius fretboard. I believe it's 10-14 degrees. I'm using a fretting hammer to install the frets. Also is pre bending absolutely necessary or just aid in the process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 It's absolutely vital. The radius of the wire needs to be a little tighter than the destination radius. I'd radius half a hair under 10" and the other at 12". Too tight and it has difficulty seating flat in the middle as it moves outwards, too loose and the ends won't seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 1 hour ago, 14thandclark said: Is there an alternate method for pre bending fret wire? I have a compound radius fretboard. I believe it's 10-14 degrees. I'm using a fretting hammer to install the frets. Also is pre bending absolutely necessary or just aid in the process? Make yourself some version of one of these: Luthier's Mercantile (LMII) sells fret wire in 4' lengths that arrive rolled into about a one ft diameter, which leaves it pre-bent for most radii fretboards. Sounds like you'd have to tighten it up a bit for one end of yours. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psikoT Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 The guitar looks very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 So for some reason this is boggling me. This is what I'm using for wiring... http://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Wiring_Kits/Premium_Wiring_Kit_for_2-pickups_with_Toggle_Switch.html I can find any how to or instructions on how to drill for the output jack. Is this something that should have been routed before the top was glued? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 I'm replacing the three way toggle switch with a rotary knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 10 minutes ago, 14thandclark said: I can find any how to or instructions on how to drill for the output jack. Is this something that should have been routed before the top was glued? Nah, I always do it after the top has been glued. I like to center it between the top edge and bottom edge and I don't even know where those are until the top is on and it and the back are carved. I usually use a Forstner bit. Locate a spot that makes sense in terms of distance from the control cavity and proximity to the pots. You want to have enough room to wire it without the pots getting in the way. Do decide what kind of jack plate you are going to use. Your hole needs to be large enough for the jack with the cable plugged in and small enough to hide behind the jack plate. Or if you are using a tele style jack plate, the hole should match that so that it can inset. Those look good and are easy to find when you are trying to plug in. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 While figuring out how to do the output. Decided to cut out and route for my inlays. Doesn't look too bad. Going to use epoxy and dust the full in around the pearl. Just doing this 12th fret I lay and side dots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Just ensure that everything is clamped up securely when you're drilling. Even though a Forstner bit is guided by its rim rather than the centre point, it will still run off with you if allowed to. If I have to drill an angled hole (its been three years since last time I think!) I find it easier to do so before I bandsaw the body to shape. I cut a relief notch into the blank so that the bit is presented with a perpendicular flat surface to start. Equally, you can make a piece of service stock from your bandsawn scrap which serves the same purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kavar57 Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 good job on the inlay, I was/am still to scared to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 The depth of my side dots were a little wonky. :-/ not horribly noticable though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 15 hours ago, 14thandclark said: The depth of my side dots were a little wonky. :-/ not horribly noticable though Ah ha! You've discovered another one of those seemingly simple operations that never want to come out just right. It should be so easy and yet the suckers never want to line up the way they know they should. At least that's the way it is for me. More often than not, it's the twelfth fret that is acting up. Nice work on the inlay. This is turning into a very fine looking guitar. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Agreed about side markers. The best result I got was putting a rear fence onto a pillar drill's table and using a stubby drill bit with pre-marked centres. Far more difficult to do once the board is on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psikoT Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 I found hand drills a very good option to make precise holes, but still a pain in the ass to get them aligned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14thandclark Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Okay. I've run into the point where money is becoming a setback on the shit military pay. I tried fretting with a hammer. Splurged and bough a fret bender. Tried hammering them in and lesson learned "close is not good enough". Big questions here in pretty sure I've fucked up the slot in which the first fret goes. I corrected the radius and tried again... Won't hold... Please tell me there are what's the fix this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Clean out each slot with something like a blunt razor blade. Make sure there isn't any sawdust or debris sitting in the bottom of the slots preventing the frets being driven home. Check fret slot depth and compare against the length of the tang on the fretwire you're using. A small piece of cardboard can be rested inside the fret slot and using a sharp pencil trace the surface of the fretboard onto the cardboard. Check the depth at the edges and centre of each fret slot. If the slots are too shallow to accept the fretwire they'll need deepening with a thin kerfed saw. Check the thickness of the tang of the fretwire you're using is thin enough to fit in the slots. Take a piece of fretwire and rest it against the end of a slot where it meets the edge of the fretboard. The tang itself should fit into the slot without much resistance. It's the barbs on the tang that give the fret enough grip to stay seated. If the tang is too thick you'll either need different fretwire or the board re-slotted using a different saw. Make sure your hammering technique doesn't skew the fret as it drives it in. Start with a few taps at each end of the fret to get it to bite and stay put. Each subsequent blow of the hammer to fully seat the fret should be delivered with minimum bouncing off the surface of the fret. It's less like hammering in a nail, and more akin to pushing it in with quick 'shoves'. Make sure something is under the neck at the position you're hammering (sandbag, block of wood covered in removalists felt or carpet scraps) so that the neck can't flex as you strike the fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 Get an old pair of jeans, cut off a leg and fill it with dry coarse sand (assuming it has no holes) and sew up the folded ends. Instant sandbag. Deadblow hammers are great however I don't have one right now, only a small assembly hammer that I use for fretting. With each strike, "push through" and hold the head against the wire, "stroking it down the wire". This explains how I hammer frets, since this is who I learnt the technique I use from: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I haven't yet tried my hand at fretting so I have no advice, but I do have another video that might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris G Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) Great Job on your build so far looks great!! Its amazing how you can over come mistakes. I had to many to count, but it really gets you to think outside the box on how to fix them. I think that the mistakes you make, makes you a stronger builder. Edited January 30, 2016 by Chris G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Oh, of course. If you're the type to take a mistake square on the chin and learn from it, then you only have to make every conceivable mistake once in order to become perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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