Crusader Posted October 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2021 14 hours ago, ADFinlayson said: Don't seem to be able to see any of the photos on your last update mate. Oh well I get to try again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2021 I was trying to get the photos to go side by side but they kept coming up all in line Glued top to body and routed binding channel  Had to join the binding. I thought it was a good place to hide but discovered later you look straight at it when playing! Found a hacksaw blade the best thing to cut off excess  Had to reshape the top a bit, worked out nicely  In hindsight it would have been better for the joint to be the other way round, or just a square joint. I'm still holding hope that I can melt it over  On previous guitars I've had trouble getting a tight tenon joint but this time I used hand tools more and I'm very happy with it. Haven't glued on yet, just held in with a screw!  I just sit here looking at it. The maple has no flame in it but that swirling grain is magic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2021 I wonder what I can glean from this, or maybe I should just buy one and be done with it! https://guitarchimp.com/products/2003-gibson-custom-shop-les-paul-acoustic-electric-rare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 So as I think I mentioned before I have been moving the bridge around and comparing different scale lengths. The ones I'm considering are 24 3/4 inches, 25.3 inches and 666mm. While doing this I noticed the ring-on from the string partials from the nut to the pegs. 24 3/4" and 666mm had quite a bit more so this became a deciding factor and I've decided on 25.3 inches. And after all I did design the peg spacings for that scale length Just for example, when I have it set at 24 3/4" the nut to peg length of the G string (154mm) is close to the 4th harmonic of that string. When I have the bridge set at 666mm there is quite a bit of ring-on but none of the string partials match any string's harmonic lengths. But the A string partial matches the 5th harmonic of the fourth string! Interesting 24 3/4" = 628.65mm.......628.65mm divided by four = 157.2mm which is close to 154 and causes ring-on 666mm divided by five = 133.2mm which doesn't match any of the nut to peg partials but does match the pitch of the A string 106mm There are others but they are the main ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted October 5, 2021 Report Share Posted October 5, 2021 Interesting indeed! I've never thought about measuring the natural harmonics and comparing them with the nut-to-tuner lengths! It made me wonder if a locking nut would eliminate that ringing? Also, a barred chord would change it all, wouldn't it, as it changes the scale length similarly to a capo? Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 I built a Strat with an angle on the headstock, therefore no string trees. My pegs would not be the same distance apart as a Fender but nevertheless the ringing-on is terrible. While you're playing you are changing chords and moving around the fretboard, its hard to pin it down if the ringing-on is causing unwanted overtones. I'd say a bar chord would halt the problem and a locking nut I think definitely would Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2021 Latest progress with this I decided to try the 666mm Scale which keeps the bridge position relative to a standard Les Paul. I can try it before I glue it in and if I don't like it I can swap it out. I also extended the fretboard to get 24 frets. I wish I had left the fb full length, really kicking myself over that. The joint will be under the 20th fret so hopefully won't be noticeable  To router the channel for binding I set the neck up under the bench. The silly thing is the edge of the MDF wasn't square so it routered just the right thickness for thicker binding (not shown) The neck is extra wide so it should work out okay. It turned out right for the other side  I got the fretslots cut and did a bodgy job of it but then that's what Super Glue is for! Then did the Radius The Graphtech Piezo arrived later in the day so now I have two to choose from. The Graphtech will need more components so will have to look into that later 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted October 21, 2021 Report Share Posted October 21, 2021 That top sure came out nice. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie H 72 Posted October 21, 2021 Report Share Posted October 21, 2021 This is an exciting build-lots of interesting new ideas and a unique instrument. Looks like it will sound great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2021 I got a delivery a couple of days ago so progress has resumed Such a big box for such a small shipment  I intended this fretboard to have a 25.3" Scale and I anchored it while gluing where the 12th fret dots would be but now they ended up in the 11th fret position  So a bit of repair was required and ................. problem disappears!    This is the first time I've ever installed MOP block inlays so it was very stressful but it turned out quite well      The first one fitted perfectly (then the rest got worse)  I haven't glued them in yet because I am undecided what type of glue to use. ALS say to use Epoxy with sawdust from the fretboard but I think I could just use Superglue. Anyone have suggestions about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted October 30, 2021 Report Share Posted October 30, 2021 Wow! Talk about invisible patches and grain matching, that's stupendous! RE glue, if your fitting is perfect then you can use either CA or epoxy. But if there's gaps, mixing epoxy with sawdust will look more natural as CA will darken the dust a LOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted October 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2021 18 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Wow! Talk about invisible patches and grain matching, that's stupendous! Thank you, cheers  18 hours ago, Bizman62 said: RE glue, if your fitting is perfect then you can use either CA or epoxy. But if there's gaps, mixing epoxy with sawdust will look more natural as CA will darken the dust a LOT. Ah so now it makes sense to me. There are a couple of tiny gaps so I think I could go either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asgeirogm Posted October 31, 2021 Report Share Posted October 31, 2021 20 hours ago, Crusader said: So a bit of repair was required and ................. problem disappears! Â Â First I thought you were fixing the issue with googly eyes "... and the problem disappears" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 On 10/30/2021 at 9:36 AM, Crusader said: So a bit of repair was required and ................. problem disappears! This is worth mentioning .....3 times now. That repair was just stupendous! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted November 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 (edited) Thank you all for the compliments! So here's a picture of the inlays. I still haven't glued them in yet but it shouldn't take long. Funny thing, I was wondering if they'd be thick enough for the radius, huh! its only about half a millimetre that will get shaved off the edges ....Oh whoops you can see one of the repairs I made LOL Also you might wonder why I put a marker in the 1st fret position, I could have started at the 3rd fret like a Standard, therefore having a marker for the 24th position. I was concerned if I moved them up that some of them would be too close to the frets. The scale length is 666mm which means from the First fret it is 24 3/4 inches. So starting at the 3rd fret is same as starting at the 4th fret on a Gibson. And besides I might not keep the 24th fret Another interesting thing I did is I altered the Fret Factor so it really is 24 3/4 inches from the 1st fret. I achieved this by dividing 666 by 628.65mm (24 3/4") = 1.05941303 The 12th root of 2 is 1.05946309 so I don't think you'd notice any difference in Intonation Edited November 2, 2021 by Crusader 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 2, 2021 Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 5 minutes ago, Crusader said: Funny thing, I was wondering if they'd be thick enough for the radius, huh! its only about half a millimetre that will get shaved off the edges That seems to be a common concern, yet it's fairly simple to calculate the height difference at various places on the radiused fretboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 On 10/30/2021 at 3:57 PM, Bizman62 said: Wow! Talk about invisible patches and grain matching, that's stupendous! RE glue, if your fitting is perfect then you can use either CA or epoxy. But if there's gaps, mixing epoxy with sawdust will look more natural as CA will darken the dust a LOT. For darker woods, I generally use epoxy mixed with a generous amount of fine sawdust. The squeeze-out fills all gaps, including the micro gap present even in the closest fitting inlay. Sanded down it is as invisible (to your eye and fretting fingers) as your excellent fretboard hole fills. Works less well with lighter woods such as maple where the dust darkens and so can look like a border if the fit isn't very tight. Impressive build and fascinating discussion about actually designing the nut-to-post distances to match exact harmonics....  1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted November 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2021 (edited) Thanks for the compliments, you had me steering toward getting some epoxy....but......I couldn't be stuffed going to Bunnings so I just used Super Glue (which I already have)  So its done, Yay! and they look pretty good to me but you're right there are some gaps, esp. on the 12th fret  By the way talking about fret spacings, a couple of interesting things. I'm a bit of a Gibson fan so I generally use the 18th Rule. However I tried it on a 666 scale before but it isn't the best. Using it on a 24 3/4 scale it causes the notes in the middle of the fretboard to be a little low and the upper ones slightly high, but with a longer Scale length the discrepancy becomes too much While calculating I don't actually use 18, I use a number derived from it 1.058823529 This is found by a simple formula which also works for the 12th root of 2 1 divided by (1 - 1/18) = 1.058823529 and this number is actually 1 1/17th and thinking about all this is how I came up with the idea of dividing 666 by 628.65 to get my divisor for this guitar 1.059413028 Adding a fret to the 24 3/4 scale using the 18th Rule in millimetres comes to 665.63 And the other way round, a 666 scale via 12th root of 2 makes the 1st fret 628.62mm But I am so pedantic I wanted them both to be exact 24 3/4 inches = 628.65mm 666 divided by (my new number) 1.059413028 = exactly 628.65 and 628.65 times 1.059413028 = 666 Edited November 4, 2021 by Crusader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Wow I had to dig a bit to find my post, but that's actually a good thing! I finally got a bit of progress recently, I decided what to do about the 24th fret inlay. Bought some random pieces of MOP and a saw. This one didn't fit very well and I had to fill the gaps with sawdust and I just used Superglue. Its just a matter of using what you've got  Then I went to continue with the frets but the neck wouldn't fit in the jig, so I had to shape the back of the Headstock! Good thing I actually enjoy doing this part, it's bit of a challenge but not too hard and very rewarding I use the curve of the upper bout it seems a perfect match   Just used sandpaper to smooth the back of the headstock and blend it in  And after a bit more fussing about the end result is as I said quite rewarding 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Gotta love the way you use what you've got for an improvised curve template! I guess that's something that younger folks just can't figure out, they just want cnc'd factory made templates for everything while we grumpy elderly farts simply take something that looks right and use it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted February 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2022 I thought I had not done much since last post but I've actually done quite a bit Finished block inlays, Binding done, Frets in, Neck Profile.....the list goes on ....and here's the proof!  I made this neck quite wide being 45mm at the Nut, I like a wider string spacing    Cleaned up the end of the fretboard and as shown before I haven't glued the Neck on yet and just hold it by a single screw   Locating Bridge, setting intonation, filing nut slots    I had to do something about the floating fretboard end and altered the Neck Carve   Altering the Neck Carve meant making a few adjustments. Recessing the bridge was a very well-thought out feature (wink wink) which helps hide the wires of the Graphtech Resomax Ghost bridge   Another feature I've put into this guitar is a rounded fretboard edge. I stuffed up when I trimmed the fretboard. So to keep the width I wanted I had to use thicker binding on the low E side. The photo is half way through the process of rounding the edge. Next photo, shaping the heel with an old door knob!   And side dots, something I ALWAYS forget. But luckily I remembered them before glueing the neck on this time! Next I made the profile match my Gibson R9   Before I reshaped the profile here's how it compared to the Les Paul Axcess and the R9 I could just leave the profile as is but the R9 is my Holy Grail so whatever its got, I want   The depth turned out a bit thinner than the R9 but I think I'm okay with that I think the R9 is 23.1mm at the 1st fret and about 25 at the 12th fret. You might think half a millimetre is nothing but it can actually be quite noticeable   Next - Pickup location  Then I installed the Tailpiece The way I do this is really quite laughable. I just get a drill and hold it, eye it up, "yep that's straight" and go for it! This one didn't turn out the best, the post holes had a bit of a lean, but with a bit of a wriggle it turned out alright   And next the pickup wells, and another thing I ALWAYS forget is the notch for the pickup tabs   Getting those tabs...   And finally. I think this are the neatest pickup wells I've ever done! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 9, 2022 Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 You have been busy! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted February 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 Next I installed the Truss Rod, I do this with a very long drill bit and drill from the end of the neck and through the headstock. Then with a 12mm bit that I made with a pilot end I drill for the maple sleeve. I forgot that ebony is brittle and it chipped out so I had to mix up some ebony dust with glue to remedy the situation   Then I realised I had no access to the truss rod anchor nut and chiselled a section out, then realised that would be no good either. So I glued the neck on and drilled the truss rod channel through the maple top, so its anchored in the same way as any of my other guitars. By the way when I glued the neck on I just held it in place with that one screw LOL! I also glued a block of wood to give the top a bit more strength if it needed it      Then I did a bunch of other things and plugged it in    2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie H 72 Posted February 17, 2022 Report Share Posted February 17, 2022 Looking good! Am I reading correctly that you drilled the truss rod channel? Starting from the heel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted February 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2022 13 hours ago, Charlie H 72 said: Looking good! Am I reading correctly that you drilled the truss rod channel? Starting from the heel? Hi thanks for your comment, no I just drilled through the headstock veneer (I have to be careful how I say things LOL) I did the truss rod channel the usual way with the maple filler etc. as you can see in this photo  You can see the drill bit poking out the end on the next photo   Here is my home made long drill bit. Its just a piece of truss rod and I did the twisty things on a bench grinder...? or a hand held grinder, I can't remember  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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