Rocket

Setch - I concur!!

However, from the last post it's clear Mr. Rocket lacks tools. This may make it difficult to complete a partially constructed neck.

-Doug

No I can't make a body either. Nor do I have a router, scraper or rasp. I have assembled guitar parts before. Never made a guitar from raw wood. Though I think it would be fun, time does not permit.

What I want is the heel and neck without fretboard but with truss rod channel routed, and the back profile fairly close.

I was wondering if there is anyone here who does work for others. I would like a neck without fretboard roughed out and I would complete it. It's just that I don't have the time or tools to do it completely from scratch but would like to do some of it. Just a bolt-on maple neck. If someone could give me some ideas I'd appreciate it. Or if there is someplace online that sells something like this. "For the half-ass guitar builder."

Rather than using a Floyd Rose bridge where the fine tuners are redundant, I found this Schaller bridge at Allparts (# SB_5250-010, Guitar Bridges-> Modern Tremolos) which looks almost like the Original Floyd Rose pre-fine tuners, except has roller bridges. Has a nice, heavy bar like a Floyd. Then, if you want locking at the bridge, get some Phantom String Lock saddles (Here). Just an idea.

I have Erlewine's Guitar Repair Guide. I have those straight edge's from Stew Mac which are supposed to be accurate to +/- .015" per foot. But I just read on another forum these straight edges are crappy. Anyway, one point you brought up made me think I maybe did not have the neck perfectly straight. Because the truss rod was creaking really bad so i stopped. I checked the board with the notched straight edge and there was still a little gap in the middle area but I thought that was as tight as I could get the rod. Later though, I put some oil on the truss nut and that helped a lot so maybe I can get it straighter. I've taken so much fret off the tops now though I almost want to refret it.

As far as the fit of the neck, I figure these Ibanez parts are all interchangable. They are both, body and neck, RG 550's just not originally mated. The bridge is also Ibanez (Edge).

I'll double check the saddle/bridge height too. That might be it.

That's what i think the concept of this kit is, what you just described.

The guitar is an Ibanez RG 550, although the body and neck were not together. I purchased each one from eBay, different auctions. They are roughly from the same time frame though.

They're buzzing all over the place. It was just the 12th, 15th and 19th frets when I started, high E & B strings. Bends died on the 15th. I filed those individual frets, one at a time, keeping careful watch with the straight edges. Well, that made it worse, so I leveled everything from the 8th to the 24th frets, crowned, polished. Just screwed things up everywhere I leveled. Notes dying quickly, thin, buzzy notes, very little sustain.

I'm wondering about these Thomas & Ginex fret refinishing kits. They are sold on eBay.

First off, let me say I have bought a bunch of StewMac leveling tools, like the heavy bar that you put 3M Skit-it on, notched straight-edge, set of 4 straight edges. I am at my wits end. I can't level for crap. I just keep taking more & more off the frets and they still buzz. Why? My guess is because I am leveling without simulating the stress of strings being on it. Next to a neck jig, which I cannot buy and have no time to build from scratch, this "kit" seems logical in that - you are leveling the frets under string tension.

Does anyone see these as possibly working?

Go here to read about it.

This is good to know as I did the same thing on my old Strat. It used to have the "woodscrew" type Floyd Rose studs, but I drilled the holes larger to put in bushings. Only I drilled too big. They were loose. So I epoxied them in.

I don't know. You'd think if it were that would be a selling point. All I'm saying is, I asked the guy and he said Schaller. I remember this because I got all excited when he told me. "Schaller!!" Because I thought it was a Gotoh, I assumed that beforehand. Don't ask me why.

I would check with Warmoth if their model is actually a Schaller unit. Too many cheap Chinese knock-off models floating around.

←

I did check with Warmoth. They said it was a Schaller.

As I posted in Jeremy's thread, Warmoth told me the unit they sell (7 string trem) that you speak of is a Schaller, and their quality is right up their with an OFR-7 and LoPro Edge-7. Never actually used that particular unit though.

I know of two. I was planning out a Warmoth 7, then scrapped the idea but planned on using their 7 string trem, which is low profile - as far as i can tell from the tiny picture on their hardware page (the string lock bolts appear to be on top, rather than underneath like an OFR) - and I asked them what the make was and they told me Schaller.

http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/bridges/br...s_floyd_7string

The other one I saw on Allparts site, a TRS "PRO". Looks a lot like what came on Ibanez RG 7420's. $230.00 (pricey).

Allparts # SB_5355-010

What about taking the bridge off ? I'm thinking putty knife and a hammer.

I really can't praise them as a company that bends over backwards to do things they don't normally do. I've emailed them many times about things I would've liked done that weren't standard (or options) and I keep getting "No, no, no, no, no ."

My uncle gave me this old Harmony "Sovereign" acoustic that the bridge had torn off of. Before gluing it back on I measured from the nut to the 12th fret and found it measured 12 1/2", meaning a 25" scale. So I measured from the nut to the bridge and noticed that where it was mounted before it tore off was too far back. The saddle wouldn't have been at 25". So me, thinking I'm SO smart, I mounted it so the middle D/G strings were at 25". The saddle angles back from the high E to the low E like acoustics do. After the glue dried I stuck a low E string in there and checked the intonation at the 12th fret, by ear and it's is obviously off. The bridge has to go back, probably where it originally was.

So what is the catch here? Is there a certain formula for bridge placement on acoustics? Because I measured a 25 1/2" scale electric and the D/G strings hit right about 25 1/2" from the nut

I think they are MIGHTY MITE products. I don't think MM sells anything on their own, just through dealers like this. I was starting to think they must be Chinese. Did you have to alter the heel to make it fit a Strat body? Or did you buy one of their bodies too?

Their prices seem too good! I am looking at their Jackson style neck but their aren't any specs. So what is the story on them? They are connected with other online stores "guitar parts online" and "Dragonfire Guitars".

"A division of TNT Guitars". I've never heard of any of them.

Don't worry unclej, I can see how you would've misunderstood. Yes, the neck is all one piece of wood, no fretboard.

The truss rod route is very close to the fretboard on the nut end. When I was re-radiusing it I noticed that there was very little wood left at the nut end until I would've sanded into the truss route. Maybe 1/16" or less. I assume it curves back from there away from the fretboard. (I am thinking of that cross-section picture of a Strat neck in Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Player Repair Guide")

I like these Ideas. I'm afraid my woodworking knowledge is extremely limited. "Jointer" ...I don't know what this is. My dad would. I think my biggest obstacle is taking out the truss rod. So then I could plane. Otherwise the rod would get chomped (dangerous).

How do you make sure it's completely flat and straight though? That's how i screwed it up re-radiusing it. It wasn't even.

I have this late 70's Strat maple neck. It's one piece(except for that dark stripe on the back). I messed up the fretboard trying to re-radius it. I just wonder if I could shave it down and put a new fretboard on it. How hard would this be or should I leave it to a pro? Or maybe it isn't even possible.

What do you mean by "adjusting the neck if the stud holes are slightly off"?

....If you have never installed a Floyd (or done any MAJOR "damage"    ) to any guitar, you may want to consider passing this one on to a Pro.

I meant that, say one of the studs was too far to the high E side. On a bolt neck guitar you could loosen the neck attachment bolts and sort of OOCH the neck so the high E isn't falling off the fretboard. With a set-neck you are screwed.

I did ask a local shop and they advised against. Besides the fact that the cost of installing it by them is more expensive than the Epiphone itself!

I went out and played three Epi Les Paul's and was highly disapointed in them. Just not a guitar I would want to own. So now my only options are waiting for the Floyd flat mount; building a Warmoth Les Paul (downer : 25.5" scale); or robbing Neil Schon.

Has anyone here performed this modification? I would think it would be quite hairy since you cannot adjust the neck to compensate if you drill the stud holes slightly off. I want to buy an Epiphone and either have a shop do it or what do you guys think? Is it doable by a weekend warrior novice type?

I'd just put a real Floyd Rose (regular style ) or an Ibanez trem in a Les Paul. I saw a Paul with an original style Floyd a few years back, retrofitted, i should have bought it.

If you already have the standard RG pickguard you could just leave the middle single hole empty, or if you don't like the hole just leave the single in there but don't wire it up. Then you'd just need to drill a hole for the 3-way JP toggle switch.