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Les Paul DC Project


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yeah, but i wont to know how they do it.

I think they do it the same way as they do the SG.. don't they?

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WEll the main thing i love about the Les paul is its sustain so it would be great if i could make that even better, but my neck mahogany is only 30" so thats not long enough right? i measured my Epip LP and from the bottom of the body to the nut is 33" :D

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Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars

Actually from the bridge pickup side of the neck pickup on my les paul to the tip of the headstock is 27" and 3 hairs. You have plenty of wood. In which case I WOULD NOT opt for a bolt on.

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but i want to be able to see how its done..

I have a set neck design that I use. It is basically like they say; a neck that has a tenon that extends into the pickup cavity. It is 1-1/4" tall at the heel (not including fingerboard height) and is glued in prior to routing.

Here is a pic of the finished joint on a DC guitar:

16.jpg

I built a simple neck jig for this process. The pics are from this same guitar. Check it here: neck routing jig

~David

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Myka, you rock.

I'm very glad to see you here and I really REALLY appreciate all the beautiful close-up pics you post and the great detailed descriptions you give.

I want to say thanks, but I want to say more, know what I mean?

:DTHANKS! B)

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I totally agree with Drak! Thank you for taking the time to put up all the great pics and providing such great info! It is very much appreciated!!! :DB)

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Ditto!

I'm probably still doing bolt-on so that I can swap out the neck more easily if I 'F' it up, but that's making me reconsider.

Greg

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Ahhhhh, big group hug :D

Myka, your guitars really are fantastic, when I grow up I'm gonna be just like you B)

Right then LeeM - if that's right (I've forgotten your name since clicking on the reply thread - sorry dude)

I'm building a double cut LP (albeit very slowly). I've used a 5/8 quilted maple top (4A) and it cost a little over £50 quid. I got my plans from guitarbuild.com and also the plans for the inlay and carve from he mimf site. I seem to remember i was a bit of search over at mimf, but they're there if you look hard enough. Hopefully Setch is reading this and can tell you where they are - I think it was him that told me.

Places to look at for wood and the associated gubbins sort of depend where you live - quite a few people have good luck on ebay though. My wood came from Craft Supplies in Buxton, Derbyshire. You won't find too much about the wood on the internet, but phone them up and ask for the soundwood catalogue and they'll post it out. You can get silver or gold hardware kits for the LP that has all the shiney bits.

You can also try touchstone tonewoods (in Surry I think, but don't quote me) they always seem helpfull and they have a good online catalogue.

Also try David Dyke (Essex?) they seem a little more expensive, but I think their stuff is exceptional quality.

If you have any trouble finding any of the stuff, drop me a line and I'll try to find it on disk and e-mail it to you.

Blimey that was a long one, keep us upated on progress. And where abouts in the UK are you?

Kaj

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That neck to body join is TIGHT! I hope I can get mine that close.

I learned a little trick along the way. First make the neck and finish the carve on the body (if it is a carved top). Don't try to cut the pocket exactly as it often ends up a hair too big. When you measure the neck tenon set up your router jig a hair narrower so that the neck will just barely not fit when you are done routing. Then when you are ready to glue the neck in take a sanding block and lightly sand (with 220 grit) the neck tenon until it just fits. Take your time to set things up just right and sand slowly checking as you go. It should take a little pressure to push te neck into the neck pocket. When you glue it work fast as the tight fit will make the glue want to set quicker. Do a dry fit first so you know exactly how your clamps will be set up. Hope this helps.

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Sure. I put the dowel in there to avoid the slipping that occurs when you glue parts together. The glue wants to push the parts around instead of squeezing out. The pressure is enough to push the neck out of the pocket a bit and leave a gap of glue in the pickup cavity. The dowel fits into the hole pretty tight and stops the slipping. It worked like a charm.

The maple dowel was 1/2" long and set into the body 1/4" and into the neck 1/4". I cut and glued it into the body first then set the neck into the pocket, aligned it, and wacked it with a dead blow hammer (not too hard! Just enough to make a mark on the bottom of the neck). The marks on the neck tenon showed where to drill the mating dowel hole. Move your center point back about 1/64" to make a hole that will force fit the dowel and pull the neck into the pocket when you clamp it. Slightly round the protruding dowel so it goes in easier.

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David's advice on the neck joint is very good. I do pretty much the same thing, and aim for a joint that allows me to pickup the body by the neck before it's glued.

closeup_neckpocket.jpg

Nice job on the corners... do you cut the end of the tennon with a template, or just round the corners to the same radius as your neck joint cutter?

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  • 4 weeks later...

One month later...

I have been busy and out of town. I recently went to the World Guitar Congress in Baltimore. I met a couple of the Project Guitar members. Craig Lavin, inlay artist extraordinaire, had a booth across from me. His work is simply amazing. World class stuff, really. He also kicks ass on the guitar. I also met Scott Rosenburger who stopped by to say hello.

Nice job on the corners... do you cut the end of the tennon with a template, or just round the corners to the same radius as your neck joint cutter?

I round the corners to the same radius as the neck joint cutter. I use a 3/4" diameter cutter. A template is also a good idea. I use different neck widths and scale lengths so I haven't yet standardized this. I probably won't considering that my orders are all over the board.

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