willliam_q Posted February 28, 2020 Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 I love the polished fretboard, ebony just shines up so nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted February 28, 2020 Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 feeling pretty lazy right now cause last I looked at this thread, what, a week ago??? you had just rough cut the top and not much else. someone has been busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 23 hours ago, willliam_q said: I love the polished fretboard, ebony just shines up so nice Ebony rocks! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 19 hours ago, mistermikev said: feeling pretty lazy right now cause last I looked at this thread, what, a week ago??? you had just rough cut the top and not much else. someone has been busy! In all fairness I got a big head start on this neck during my last build. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Just now, ScottR said: In all fairness I got a big head start on this neck during my last build. SR aha! cheater. I built two complete necks to get my current build going... appears I'm doing it wrong... again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Sometimes finding the start button is the hardest thing about a build. If yours was buried under two necks, I'm glad you made the effort to find it. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ScottR Posted March 1, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 I got a couple of things partially done this weekend....nothing especially picture worthy. I got frets in and the ends beveled, but I have not leveled or dressed the frets yet. I realize that I change the fret end dressing constantly while carving and sanding the neck. I decided to carve and sand the neck first and then level and dress the frets. So the neck is carved and roughly sanded. It still have a fair number of tweaks left before I'm completely happy with the shape and feel. SR 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 I got an email from Allied Lutherie overnight about their new ultralight FlexStrong truss rods. I use Allied's truss rods pretty much exclusively, but have not previously heard of these. https://alliedlutherie.com/collections/flexstrong-truss-rods/products/flexstrong-ultralight-truss-rods .28" x .28"! The actual use of them seems a bit awkward, but it may be worth it if you want an ultra thin neck. Anyone else run across these or better still used them? SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 3, 2020 Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 that's pretty cool. I'm gonna have to try one of those next time. I just ordered a few reg flex strong for current/future builds and am always thrilled with how easy they turn/welds. not much more than anywhere else and just awesome. I love the idea of something lighter... but it seems like it would require either a special bit or multiple passes with a 1/8". neck is looking awesome btw. how do you keep your backside surface flat like that w just hand tools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 45 minutes ago, mistermikev said: how do you keep your backside surface flat like that w just hand tools? I carve it close to a line I marked and then sand it flat with a small hard sanding block. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 3, 2020 Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 19 minutes ago, ScottR said: I carve it close to a line I marked and then sand it flat with a small hard sanding block. SR dang... I bet that's a lotta work... and it looks SO flat. nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 11 minutes ago, mistermikev said: dang... I bet that's a lotta work... and it looks SO flat. nice job. Think of it this way. Way back when, I started carving for the fun of it. That lead to the discovery of what figure is. About that time Santana was all over the place playing his crazy figured PRS. And I was/am a huge lover of music and particularly well played guitar. With these disparate concepts percolating in my head I met what became a good friend and he happened to be a musician. After being shown new carvings as I finished them, he said man, as much as you like music, you ought to carve a guitar. And the light bulb went off. So bottom line, I'm just carving guitars, and carving is still a buttload of fun, so no, it's not a lotta work, it's a lotta fun! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 3, 2020 Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 54 minutes ago, ScottR said: Think of it this way. Way back when, I started carving for the fun of it. That lead to the discovery of what figure is. About that time Santana was all over the place playing his crazy figured PRS. And I was/am a huge lover of music and particularly well played guitar. With these disparate concepts percolating in my head I met what became a good friend and he happened to be a musician. After being shown new carvings as I finished them, he said man, as much as you like music, you ought to carve a guitar. And the light bulb went off. So bottom line, I'm just carving guitars, and carving is still a buttload of fun, so no, it's not a lotta work, it's a lotta fun! SR that's a great way of looking at it... but for me... I guess I just don't like the parts that are physically hard. I don't mind 32 tedious steps... but yeah... the physical part seems like "less fun" anyway! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted March 3, 2020 Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 I go at it like a rabid beaver, and soon enter a trance. om nom nom nom nom *poof* New guitar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 1 hour ago, komodo said: I go at it like a rabid beaver, and soon enter a trance. om nom nom nom nom *poof* New guitar. Exactly! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 On to carving my logo into the volute. I decided to use electrical tape to mask the fretboard instead of blue painter's tape. It is a more useful size, goes on ancomes off easier and is much more protective. Perspective cane be deceiving Headstock cap is coming along nicely. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ScottR Posted March 10, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 I did finish carving my logo/initials. Some refinement still to come, but it will remain obvious that it was hand carved. I wiped a little mineral spirits on the HS cap and fretboard to see how they will look together....and to get the little boost that gives me to see it. SR 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 I'm out of reactions, again. Anyhow, stunning as usual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 15 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: I'm out of reactions, again. Anyhow, stunning as usual. Are you a reactionary? Thanks! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 It's turning into another beauty, nice work as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 11 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said: It's turning into another beauty, nice work as always. Thank you sir. My picture editor has a slider for adjusting clarity. I suspect it used to be called "contrast" in the older version. Anyway I like to bring it up because I like seeing details and sharp focus. I think I'm going to have to back away from that in the future. I'm seeing things I need to fix in the posted pictures that I can't see with the naked eye. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 4 hours ago, ScottR said: Thank you sir. My picture editor has a slider for adjusting clarity. I suspect it used to be called "contrast" in the older version. Anyway I like to bring it up because I like seeing details and sharp focus. I think I'm going to have to back away from that in the future. I'm seeing things I need to fix in the posted pictures that I can't see with the naked eye. SR Nothing wrong with a bit of grain enhancement. I doubt there is a single photo on gibson/prs/fenders websites that hasn't been meddled with in photoshop. One thing I like about hosting my photos on photos.google.com is that I can do all that stuff even after I've embedded a photo on the forum, yet it stores all the edit history so a year later, I could come back and revert to the original file if needed. The wonders of modern technology 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 wow, yer fret work is really nice. do tell your process when able. neck looks amazing but from you I kind of just assumed it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 10 hours ago, mistermikev said: wow, yer fret work is really nice. do tell your process when able. neck looks amazing but from you I kind of just assumed it would be. These last two builds I've modified my fret work technique a bit. Now I finish sand the fretboard and round over the edges till they feel comfy. Then I mark each fret and cut it to the roundover. These are jumbo SS so for me that means butting the fret in a vice and cutting with a dremel cut off wheel. Next- and this is the new part I use a slow grinder and grind the tang back from the edge at a 45 degree angle. and knock off the corners of the fret ends and even round it slightly. Then hammer them in and bevel the ends even with the file. That's one of the places the pre rounding pays off. Beveling the ends of SS is work! Then I take a crown file to the ends and round them off some more. I tape the board off--this time with electrical tape--which will now become a permanent part of the routine. I stick 300 rit to the base of my long low angle plane--the iron is removed-- and use that to level the frets. Truss rod is loose and the neck is supported. Now I stick 300 grit to a small cabinet scraper and hold the neck vertically with no support and lightly run that over the frets in all directions, and use the edge to check for high spots. Crowning is pretty normal Except I got one of those Z-files from stew mac and love it. Once crowned , I polish with micro mesh. I turn the foam sanding block that comes with a mesh kit on an angle and run it up and down the fretboard. The corner runs up the side of the frets, over and back down and polishes and adds to the crowned shape as well. Run it through the grits to get a high polish. The domes are mostly done by running a sanding block similarly on edge and angling it over the ends as you run it up and down the board as well. I do this ale the way through the grits while polishing the frets and while sanding and finishing the neck. Nothing to it! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 thank you for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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