JJ Donohue

If that's still the action after the neck has settled in, then that's pretty decent. Preferred action depends on playing style. I have a pretty heavy right hand, so I like my action higher than this. I think the photo angle on the fifth photo may be throwing off the perceptions of the action...it doesn't look as high in the 4th photo. Nice job on the build! Thanks Eric...It has been strung up for 2 weeks now and the action remains at .050/.035. Besides both sons playing it for a weekend, a few of my OLF friends put it through its paces in Toronto last weekend. They're old rockers who definitely would have complained about high action if they thought it compromised playability. In addition to being laminated, the neck also has 2 CF rods so I know it's stiff and hopefully stable. As you know, I do far more acoustics than electrics so there are a lot of nuances that I'm learning here. Thanks for your help.

Good advice on the alternatives to routing the trough. Thanks! What is the consensus for action that I should be shooting for?

Good point, Wez! Nice to know this for "the next time". In the meantime, I feel like I dodged a bullet...this could have turned out ugly. I may look into making a routing template to lower the bridge. I suppose if I'm precise and I get lucky, I might be able to pull it off without disturbing the surrounding finish. Any ideas...or am I the first who has ever tried to do this?

i always try to get them so the strings would just touch the frets on the lowest possible action - that way you have all the upwards adjustment to set it wherever it needs to be for that particular player. Thanks for the feedback. I see your point exactly now. So that's why I see some LP's with the trough routed where the bridge sits!!?? I definitely learned something. This is a great forum and I greatly appreciate the advice.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll answer the questions and comment on suggestions: Action...What do you folks consider optimal action at the 12th fret on E & e? The guy I made this for is my guitar virtuoso son and he likes it. If he sells it he better look for a new father! Pup covers...You'll have to rip them out of my cold dead hands...I dislike standard plastic covers and I prefer the additional curl area and the contrast it represents against the stained body. I actually made up smaller ones and I settled on the larger ones. Purely subjective. Peghead Back Fiber...This is a product called Fish Paper that I get from RC Tonewoods. It comes in 6"x36"x.010" in black and white.

The neck angle is 4.5*. Clearance at the 12th fret is .050 E and .035e. The guy this was made for loves the action. It plays extremely well and he likes the sound. I may be adjusting the TR to straighten out the neck after he plays it for awhile with .010 -.046 strings. If he goes to .009's it'll definitely tighten it up.

I started this 4 years ago and just recently completed it. It was my first attempt at carving a top. I used a Wagner safety planer, Ibex finger plane, cabinet scrapers and sandpaper. The particulars are as follows: ...Chambered mahogany back ...Flamed maple carved top ...Curly maple bindings and pup covers ...5 piece laminated mahogany neck with CF reinforcement...Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers ...Catalyzed Polyester finish - farmed out to Joe White of Sunset Finishing Check out some pics: Thanks for looking!...JJ

If one were to invest less than $30 in Stewmac's Fretcutter (#0619), there would be no need to buy "pre-cut fretwire". This is one of those quality tools that you just must have. It's also possible to grind down the edges on a hardware store nipper and get by for much less. Some areas of guitar construction are just too important to skimp on the details. And a home made fret bender costs less than $10! So...my advice is to buy larger quantities and invest in the tools that will allow you to learn to do high quality fret jpbs. A quality fret job is so important to the function and playability of a guitar and it requires a lot of attention. That also means trying out different sizes and styles until you know how each affects function and playability.

What grits have you used so far?

Heating and releasing the glue is the standard way of removing and preserving a FB. If you're going to trash the existing and install a new FB, I'd consider removing the frets and planing off the existing FB. You're going to have to scrape off or plane the neck surface anyway before installing the new one. If your plane iron is not razor sharp and the body not tuned up then go with the heat removal technique as Mattia described.

What Erik said about the Allied Rod...BTW...this is the Mark Blanchard design and it works beautifully. Still nothing wrong with the SM Hotrod but I have lately preferred the Allied. I've used it on 2 guitars so far.

This is the first I've ever heard of pre-cut frets. Can someone describe this and the benefits? Thanks.

It's best to get fretwire in long enough lengths so that you can run it through a jig to put that necessary radius in it. It's almost impossible to accomplish this on short piecec without kinking the wire. I buy mine in about 1.5 ft lengths in bulk from Stewart MacDonald. My guess is that it takes 2 or 3 lengths for each guitar. Disclosure...I am not a former presidential advisor!

I know for a fact that this finish was not baked. It is, as I stated earlier a catalyzed finish. At least one of the additives is added by means of a small syringe (probably catalyst). Since Joe used to do custom cars, I would not be surprised if it is a product from the automotive industry. He is seriously considering purchasing the UV chamber where the cure is supposedly instantaneous. Having sprayed nitrocellulose lacquer myself, the thought of being able to sand and buff out a guitar on the same day as painting seems so incredible. Going forward, I may try my next acoustic guitar with a french polished top and a polyester back and sides. Seems like it could provide the best of both worlds.

Great explanation, Rich! I think you really nailed it...and it's for that reason why I keep wood seasoning for some time at almost every stage of the neck making process. The original boards may be in house for years. Once the laminate block is glued up it may be 6 months+ before I bandsaw the neck blank. And before I ever begin the initial carve, I check it for flatness and continue to evaluate changes as it gets closer to final shape. It needs to stay flat for a month or so before I glue up the fretted FB.

Don't get discouraged in using HHG. There is a totally different mindset required when using HHG but the benefits are many. It sounds like you realized 2 important things...the courage to do it over and make it right and the fact that you didn't use enough glue. Congratulations! Try working in small blocks of time when installing kerfed liners. I do half of the guitar at a time and glue up the liners in 4 small sections. I also try to have the gluing surfaces pre-warmed with a simple hair dryer before applying glue and mating the surfaces. Warm parts mean longer open time. Hope this helps.

Before adjusting anything, take a straightedge to the top of the frets and determine the status of the relief. Then it's a good idea to evaluate the frets for any high spots. There's a method that if followed will make this a logically progressing endeavor that will isolate the cause and point you in the right direction to fix it. Otherwise you are shooting in the dark and will possibly do more harm. Check out Frets.com for a systematic method of eliminating buzzes.

Great idea on the cutaway conversion...I like it. Blues Creek Guitars has steel slats as well as Silicone Blankets and many other supplies for our addiction. Check out the site. John Hall is one of the best guys in the guitar industry. Tell him JJ sent you...you won't be disappointed.

I only know enough about organic chemistry to be dangerous. But I do know that polyurethane and polyester are two very different polymers with very different properties. Moreover, I have seen guitars finished with both PU & PE side by side and there are noticable differences. With the PU, the finish remains soft for weeks before it's fully cured...PE is cured in days...if UV is used, it cures fully in hours if not minutes (Taylor Guitars). The PE was also noticeably thinner than the PU...a real benefit for acoustic guitars. I also know that the PE is actually harder and more scratch resistant than PU. I am not aware of the name of the product nor who the manufacturer is. Email or PM me if you want the contact info for the guy who does my electrics. Just remember, he's in the business of finishing guitars and the info you seek may be proprietary. I am very fussy about the feel of a neck in particular. I hate the feel of Nitro on necks...they can take many months before they lose that tacky feel and as a result, I have been finishing my acoustic necks in Danish oil. On my recent electric, Joe convinced me to have him spray glossy Catalyzed Polyester to the neck. On the day I received the guitar, it was as hard and dry and more beautiful than any guitar I had seen before...including the PRS customs that had been my standard. And it was 13 days, door to door! And he was dead right about the neck...it turned out hard, slick and fast! He's putting on a satin finish for comparison on my other guitar that was just sent to his shop. Here's a pic of my latest PE finished electric:

To me, it's important to have everythng square, straight and flat. I have found it more controllable for me if I fret the board separately and then glue to the almost-completely-carved-neck. Before fretting, I make sure that the FB is dead flat. After fretting, it often is bowed. I correct that bow by clamping with the appropriate spacer that moves the FB back to flat. It usually takes a clamping overnight to get it back to flat. The neck surface must also be confirmed flat before gluing up. I glue the FB to the neck with West System Epoxy...not Titebond...because I don't want to introduce water into the neck and have it warp or bow. If you can get it all glued up flat and straight then you can control relief and setup issues.

I use a guy in Indiana for finishing my electric guitars. He is a former finisher of custom cars whose work is better than anything I've ever seen. He uses Catalyzed Polyester which requires far less curing time than Nitro or polyurethane. It is the hardest, most scratch resistant finish I have seen yet. I get my guitars back within 2 weeks...fully cured and ready to rock. Let me know if you're interested in his contact information.

The horns are slightly radiused...however, not as much as those on your guitar. We wouldn't want to poke an eye out now, would we!?

This is essentially a modified Strat insofar as the basic shape and neck angle are concerned. Pretty simple really but there are some differences. Body...7 layers from top to bottom are: ...Walnut=1/8" ...Bloodwood=1/8" ...Curly Maple=1/8" ...Mahogany=1" ...Curly Maple=1/8" ...Bloodwood=1/8" ...Quilted Maple=1/8" Neck...7 layers including Maple, Cherry and black fiber... 24 fret.... Bloodwood bindings... Bone nut...Schaller Mini Tuners...Medium-High Frets Electronics...SD Humbucker Jazz neck PUP...SD Humbucker JB Bridge PUP Bridge...Gotoh Hardtail Finish...The best thing I did on the project was to have this done by a professional. My acoustics are finished in French Polished shellac and I have no ability to spray. This is a Catalyzed Polyester finish and it is the hardest, toughest, most scratch-resistant finish I have ever seen ...and is fully cured within 3 days. It was done by Sunset Finishes in Middlebury, IN. Joe White is a true artist and pro.

Looks like it worked...thanks Eric. A few other views:

Let's see if this works: