pan_kara Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 18 minutes ago, Mr Natural said: now you can take it a step further and even answer your own inquiry on pickup position if you route out a channel just past where bridge starts and before neck ends at body-make it deep and wide enough to where you could slide a pick up back and forth along it- direct mount the pickup- you could slap some hardware on there and the neck when you are done making it- and move the pickup back and forth and find your sweet spot before routing the limba. I always wanted to try something like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 12 minutes ago, charisjapan said: Better idea ... if I put the pickup on rails, I could infinitely adjust it! Even better idea ... make a lever adjustment like a whammy bar that I can move while playing!! Or ... welcome to the black hole that is guitar building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 motorize it so that its periodically going back-and-forth - like some sort of phaser effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 29 minutes ago, pan_kara said: motorize it so that its periodically going back-and-forth - like some sort of phaser effect It could oscillate like a Leslie cabinet or you could connect it to a foot pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdogg Posted June 14, 2017 Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 With something like Arduino and a couple of servo's you could set it up to move away from the bridge when high frequency notes are played and away from the strings as volume increases... kinda like a mechanical EQ / compressor.... someone needs to do this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted June 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2017 Size comparison with the Chinaberries ... 1/2" roundover ... I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've got several sharp edged instruments. I am rather pleased with the joint! And with a few "bevels" ... which I turned into something more like a larger roundover. This was to alter the shape subtly (slim-and-slant), and it's really comfortable to hold. I realize this won't show too much on a non-solid color, but the keyword is subtle. Now, about this experiment ... I really doubt it will be made into a playable guitar. It has a lot of history for me, but it's just too thin, the wood is too soft, and it's not exactly a tonewood. But I may put a 2X4 neck on it that I made last year, and hang it on the wall for fun ... or it might make a nice clock. But it was very instructional, helped me finalize my template, and the school kids are getting a kick out of it ... some remember the lectern! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted June 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2017 So I made this neck out of a 2X4 a while back, thinking about a slightly angled snakehead. Might make an angled Mt. Fuji some day. In the meantime, I think I'll stick this on the SPF body to get a feel for ergonomics. Not much of a guitar, but maybe a fun decoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 15, 2017 Report Share Posted June 15, 2017 You know you're going to have to string that up...just to see how it might sound. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted June 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2017 34 minutes ago, ScottR said: You know you're going to have to string that up...just to see how it might sound. SR ... ... ... yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 Page 2, and three weeks gone by ... sigh Well, I did NOT fall off the end of the planet. Mrs. Charisjapan had several home projects that have been back-burnered too long for happy domestic life. They (and a few extra-point home things), got done ... and I can happily be guitar-centric for a little bit. I made a sled (of sorts) for my 6mm router (trimmer, in Japan) to rout truss rod slots. Truss rods tend to be 6.35mm (1/4") or 5.35mm (whatever"), and I can't find a 6.35mm bit for my router! I could spend $30 for a 1/4" collet chuck and then another $30 for a "non-standard" 1/4" bit, but just made a sled with 0.35" slop ... which worked great. I did not precisely measure the guides to get said slop, but did very carefully make sure they were parallel, and a "bit loose" ... Voila! 1/4" slots and 5.35mm slots using 6mm and 5mm bits. It was very close, but looks like I can get two necks from this piece of padauk, so slotted that today. Gorgeous Cayenne Dust!! I just love that color ... too bad it fades. I also want to get control cavity covers to match the neck, but have no bandsaw. so, I used my makeshift table saw to cut "guide slots" in the ends, and a Japanese saw to cut the remainder. I left myself 16mm for the headstocks, but will probably plane down to more like 14~15mm. Anyway, I got to (finally) cut some wood for this build! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 8, 2017 Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 Hei CJ! Sorry I haven't called in on this one since it started....boy, I missed out.... Two of our season one builds are using those exact same bridges and but with longer scales (Fender to 666mm)! Good minds and all that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 After cutting the two necks from one board, they both twisted a little bit. A very little bit. A couple swipes with a block plane and done. Then ... Oops! When cutting the "guide slots" with my table saw, I went too far on one cut ... into the neck near the nut. (sigh) I will try to cut a 2.3mm (the blade kerf) slice from the same wood, match the radius of the saw blade, and glue it in. And one small tearout. Hope they won't be horribly obvious. I know that I will know it's there! After routing with the template, beginning to look like a pair of necks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 I can almost taste that dust in my nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2017 Prostheta, I CAN taste the dust in my nose!! I am thoroughly enjoying Padauk ... power tools and hand tools all work very predictably, and love the color of the wood (and chips and shavings, too ) This morning spent a bit fixing that errant saw cut. Made a reference cut in the face of my offcut, then another cut at 1.6mm (the blade kerf). Then cut that off and ground it to shape with the belt sander, made a few adjustments, and Titebonded in place. We'll see if it is seated later on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Took a chisel to the side a few hours afterward, and this. Color and grain don't match perfectly, but at least texture and color tones are in the ballpark. Happy that it seems to be a pretty tight fit. This morning spent a few minutes cutting the "ledge" and flattening the front of the headstock with chisel and sandpaper. Both headstocks are now 16mm, and will come down at least another millimeter, which should clean up the boo-boo a bit more. Also, the template was made 0.5mm (not .05mm!) oversize, so everything will come down 0.25mm after gluing the fretboard, which should clean up a few surface blemishes (including that tearout). I was not planning on making two necks, but the opportunity was there so ... One will use a front-adjusting low-profile truss rod, the other a heel-adjusting Hot Rod. Both are now cut for a multiscale, but don't really even have a second multiscale planned. ( ? ) I suppose one could become a standard scale with any problems, so in the meantime the Limba 6 will have a spare neck. ( hoping this is not a prophetic preparation for disaster!!!) Just having fun building a guitar! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Perfectly fine unless you're building a lefty, or playing for midgets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Sorry, that was very 80s and un-PC of me. I meant, "children". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 Nice save! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdogg Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 5 hours ago, Prostheta said: Sorry, that was very 80s and un-PC of me. I meant, "children". "80s and un-PC" you misspelled "hilarious"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 nice job CJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 Thanks for the encouraging words, guys! O joy! Truss rod access hole day. One headstock, one heel. It actually went pretty smoothly. (again, thanks to @LtDave32 for his primer thread) I used my trusty 6mm guide block, and eyeballed it ... it'll do. As you can see in the last pics, that repair job is not going to be as invisible as I'd hoped. But at least it looks to have set in the pocket well, so no problems structurally. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 13, 2017 Report Share Posted July 13, 2017 Headstock cap? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I decided I wanted a "same-wood" binding on the Wenge fretboard. This is mostly because I don't want binding, AND I don't want to see the tangs OR fill the tang slots with sawdust + glue. I was told that Wenge was not a very forgiving wood cut thin, but ... I gave it a shot! So here's what I did to support the Wenge as I was cutting. After planning, I cut a slot in the 2X4 that would be 6mm deeper than when I cut the fretboard. I then mounted that to the board with "low-adhesion" double-sided tape. I didn't put any tape on the cut side, which nearly ended in disaster ... after cutting, the blade began to draw the slice backwards! I was able to press on the 2X4 and stop the saw before I had a Wenge explosion/ejection. Only chipped the end a bit ... Phew! Next cut I put a few little pieces of the tape on the cut side, too, and worked smoothly. Both wood binding strip look good, as smooth as Wenge can be, I imagine. It's a new blade, so the cut surface doesn't look like it needs to be fussed with. I will se tomorrow if they twist or self-destruct. They are now 4.1mm, and I plan to cut them down to about 2mm when finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 ... and started cutting the multiscale fret slots. This is the part I have been dreading (but also kind of excited) ... not to mention my first time to use Wenge. I taped the FretFind2D PDF printout onto the blank, and measured each fret. The printout is about as perfect as any measuring device I have, so will just follow it. I used a block of Padauk for my "jig." Appropriate, as I used a block of Yama-zakura Cherry for the Chinaberry fretboard. I got up to 12th fret today ... halfway done! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted July 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Finished the fret slots, then trimmed off the excess to about 1mm where I want to be. The board is presently 2mm narrower than the neck, and the neck is .5mm wider than I want it to be ... a 43mm nut width. I decided I want 2mm or less "wood binding" on each side, which seems like a reasonable number (unless someone has a better idea ... I'm just winging it ). After making the fret slots 2.4mm deep (a little deeper than the tang to allow for finishing the top of the fretboard while radiusing), I very scientifically radiused the slots. I set my saw depth gauge (a piece of wood taped to one edge of the saw) to 3.2mm and cut each edge at approximately 30 degrees, then gave a few light swipes rocking the saw. Frets slots are (almost) perfectly radiused! My two "same-wood binding" strips remained perfectly stable, even in Japanese Crazy Summer Humidity, so I think the plan is proceeding quite nicely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.