Drak Build: Angkor Wat

[Drak]

16 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Why settle on mediocre when you can do perfect?

Because I'm getting older now, I turn 60 in a few months and just don't have the rigor I used to.

So its easier to just let things slip by sometimes, except when they really start bugging the shit out of me, and that scratch 'across the bow' did.

[Bizman62]

9 hours ago, Drak said:

Because I'm getting older now, I turn 60 in a few months and just don't have the rigor I used to.

That's not an excuse! Age is just numbers... Or maybe I'll change my mind during the next winter?

As for rigor, it fluctuates. I didn't know the word before, then I connected it to 'mortis' which is a pair of words I know the meaning of. Even that is temporary.

[Drak]

So it's put together, and I love it, but I found multiple issues that need addressing.

Will need to be ripped apart again to do all the finesse fine-tuning adjustments it needs.

But for the time being...here are some pics.

I still can't believe I got this by wiping pure blue dye on this thing...crazy.

No, the neck is not just barely hanging on the joint, that's a reflection...threw me for a quick second there...

[Drak]

The things that need attention:

I always slide my TOM's back a fidge so I don't run out of adjustment room on the low E.

Instead of over-angling the low E side (which I think looks stupid), I move the entire thing back a tiny bit, but I over-did it here.

It's intonated and you can see the high E saddle is completely forward and its still intonating slightly flat.

You can see all the saddles are sitting really forward.

So, I can't move the bridge, but I can re-cut the neck pocket a smidge forward, that will fix that.

The other option is to slice about 1/8" off the front nose of the neck, that will move it forward too.

But this neck is bottom truss-adjust...if it was top-adjust, I would just do that.

Also, I built this thing 10 years ago, I thought everything was Kosh, but its not.

The angle of the neck pocket isn't high enough for the TOM, even decked, so I had to use a small shim to bump it up.

I have no problem with shims, but since I'm going to re-cut the pocket forward a snatch, I can adjust for that at the same time.

So that's that.

 

So, on to the electronics. I have a 460K volume pot in it, the neck is 6.2k, the bridge 7.2k.

And it sounds like a Tele, which is not what I want, so I probably need to swap in a 250k volume pot in it.

Also, the red sparkle Ibanez pickup sounds weak (distant) compared to the VV neck.

I think its the distance of the coil from the strings when you take into consideration that plastic cover with the red sparkle on it.

It would probably be fine in the neck, where there is more string energy and available volume.

Cosmetically I like it just as it sits, but it's not working out so something will have to change.

[ScottR]

Damn that's gorgeous!

If you go with re-cutting the neck pocket, please detail how you preserve/protect the finish that will be cut as well.

SR

[Gogzs]

Did anyone call dibs on this yet? If not I'm doing it right now, dibs! As @ScottR said, document the process if you'll mess with the pocket, really curious how you'll do it. Shame about the truss rod, slimming down the neck itself would have been easiest solution.

[Drak]

3 hours ago, ScottR said:

Damn that's gorgeous!

Wellsir, Thank You as always.

3 hours ago, ScottR said:

If you go with re-cutting the neck pocket, please detail how you preserve/protect the finish that will be cut as well.

Unfortunately, its already done, I wasted no time and just ripped it apart again and got to it yesterday.

Its all put back together now and intonating fine, all saddles have travel both ways so I'm 'in the pocket' now. I cut the pocket back about 3/32". I had to remove everything (again) as I had to have clearance for the router in the bridge pickup area since I re-routed that too. There's really not much to tell except I use a neck pocket router template and a 3/8" pattern bit, which cuts very cleanly. I just had to be really careful when clamping it down that I didn't mar or scratch the finish anywhere, which I didn't. I also routed the bridge pickup to be a full-size HB, so the same basic operation with the same router bit. Due to the top being arched, re-cutting the bridge pickup was dicier than re-cutting the neck, the neck went pretty easily. I took a razor blade and just very lightly went around the edges to clean up (shave) any tiny paint burrs that were proud. Still a few small details to attend to, but that's just normal fine-tuning for a new build. The one thing I forgot about were the neck screw holes, they didn't match up anymore. So I had to fill in the old holes and re-drill new ones.

Electronics:

The black/white neck pickup is (was) a SC, its a Vintage Vibe Charlie Christian Mini (not humbucker) from a set I have. The neck measures 6.2k, the bridge 7.2k. I decided to keep the 500k volume pot and just 'up the heat' for pickups to see if that would even things out. So I replaced the 6.2k neck with its bridge version (7.2k) hoping that would add a little girth (it did, perfectly) And I decided to use an 'average heat' HB, so I used a DiMarzio P.A.F. Pro (all white w/ black hex heads) for the bridge. What a difference! I really didn't like anything I heard the first time, now it sounds great, totally love it, full and warm and girthy now. The old Ibanez Super 70's red sparkly mini-hum will just have to wait for some other project.

I was definitely shooting for a 'Garcia' tone with both of these.

Not Tele twang, not hair-metal hot, just full, clean, and girthy.

[Drak]

HA! I was watching an episode of Ancient Aliens and out of nowhere (Constellation Codes episode)

They say that Angkor Wat is aligned with the constellation Draco. WTH?

That it is a 'star mirror' of the constellation Draco.

Hilarious.

"In Roman mythology, Draco was one of the Giant Titans who warred with the Olympian gods for ten years.

He was killed in battle by the goddess Minerva and thrown into the sky, where it froze around the North Pole."

And I've been calling it a 'slurpy lizard' lately (dragon, snake). Strangeness is afoot...

I couldn't make this up if I tried...

[Drak]

OK, these are the finished pics, consider this thread wrapped.

Everything adjusted, minor fiddly stuff done, its complete, sounds great, love it.

Slurpy Lizard, rock on.

[mistermikev]

a knockout finish.  love it.  so I see that side adjust... you prob mentioned but assuming that's a warmoth neck?  I've always wondered why I can't buy those.  they really are a great idea by gotoh.  

[Drak]

Yup, Warmoth. Nearly all my necks are Warmoth with a few exceptions here and there.

In 30 years I have never once had a desire to build a neck, and still don't to this day.

Just no interest, its a dead fish for me, always has been.

AAMOF, a great and kind soul sent me a care package many years ago with all kinds of neck building supplies in it.

Everything a guy could need or want to build necks. I never used any of it, so when Shad Peters lost his workshop to a fire that took everything many years ago, I sent him a care package with everything that had been given to me for neck building in it plus some other things I didn't need at the time to help him get his workshop re-started again. Better in his hands than mine.,

Further up the page you can see where I added the 'eagle beak' to it before the veneer.

The side adjusts only come with the double-expanding truss rods.

And those are always substantially heavier than the single-adjust rods.

But once you get it on the guitar with everything else accounted for, I don't think many would notice.

Thanks!