dpm99

Ok. You're right - I misunderstood that. Nonetheless, apart from fretting and a little finish on the headstock, the neck is done. All the wires are completely invisible too. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd do this again. It works, but it made the whole process of building a neck take much longer than it should have. I kept running into obstacles I hadn't thought through at the outset.

As always, I appreciate your expertise, Mattia.

Price being no object, it would probably be an acoustic guitar by a master luthier like Somogyi. Or maybe one of David Myka's guitars. I can't ever see myself buying an acoustic guitar from a factory again, but if I were to buy a mass-produced guitar, I know which one I'd pick.

http://www.voxamps.com/us/guitars/virageII/

The Vox Virage II. It gives me GAS.

I also really want one of those Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI's they just came out with. But then I think, why wouldn't I just build that?

It was. I don't have an air compressor though. I could have used compressed air, I suppose. Anyway, done now, and there's a light finish coat protecting it.

Incidentally, I tried the scraper again tonight and it worked. I don't know why I was having trouble before. Incidentally, I envy your skill, Wes. Especially that fretwork.

That's insane, Chris. I particularly admire that sandpaper rack though. I just have a pile that gets moved around all the time.

I use scrapers all the time. It didn't really work on this. If it were a laminate in a neck, that would have been the way to go. This is in a headstock veneer and a matching truss rod cover. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture right now. Anyway, the maple is actually bent in a curve.

I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

I figured if I put "dirty" in the title it might get somebody's attention. I know we've been through this before, but I have no idea where to find it. I have a maple laminate strip surrounded by ebony and bocote. It's gotten a little discolored after sanding. I could live with it, but was wondering if there are any tricks I might try. Can I get it back to shiny, bright maple?

Thanks.

The Bass VI strings are really short. A lot of people like the La Bella strings for Bass VI.

Heat works too, from what I understand. At least, that's how professional mills do it. They're killed in the drying process, which involves leaving the wood at about 133 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of time. I'm not sure how long it would take though, at a minimum, to kill the termites.

Done the headstock shaping today. They will do but they arnt great. If only there was a big router bit to do the radius then I would be happy.

There is! I use a 1" roundover bit I got from Grizzly. I'd think a 3/4" roundover would be fine for most people. You can't get a finished neck that way, but it gives you a huge head start. From there, I'm generally just sanding by hand.

Do tell. I'm not catching this one....!

I just mean that if you set the depth right on your router, be it overhead or on a table, the surface of the plate/table will do the same job the upper bearing is doing. I guess if you're routing across a curved surface with an uneven radius, like a boat paddle, it might be different.

Didn't SRV use 13s on his strat? My tele is strung with 11s, and it does fine. I don't know why a typical strat would be any different.

Yeah, I looked at your page. You do nice work. Sometimes people won't respond if they don't have anything to say. So if you have arched braces and the back is arching the other way, is it monstrously wavy or what? I still don't understand. And truth be told, there are many others here with a lot more experience than I have. Can you snap a picture on your phone or something? That might get more responses.

EDIT: FYI, I'd also post this over at luthiersforum.com. There are many more dedicated acoustic builders over there.

This problem doesn't make sense to me. In the absence of other posts, maybe some pictures? The braces give the radius to the back, so as long as they're ok, the back should be ok too, right?

Since no one else has offered anything, I'll chime in.

I'm assuming this is a wraparound bridge, right? Otherwise, you could just ground the tailpiece. It looks like you might be able to use one of those extra long drill bits like this one...

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100012740/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1&langId=-1&keyword=installer+drill+bit&storeId=10051#.UTUvRVe7OSo

...and drill from your output jack (I'm assuming it will be along the side near the control cavity) through the control cavity and aimed directly at one of the posts. Then you'll have a channel to run a wire through. I'm not sure if you'd be able to solder it, but you could jam a bunch of wire in there and plug it with something to maintain a good mechanical connection.

Or you could just leave them ungrounded and see if that noise is really a problem.

If this is your first build and you haven't made a big mistake until now, you are to be congratulated.

Or if you are building with a nicely figured wood, keep the back a solid 3/16" or 1/4" proud...... route down to the actual level of the back EXCEPT for the cover.... cut it off with a nice thin blade handsaw.....

now you will have a piece that matches the grain almost perfectly

I've always wondered how people do that.

I would encourage you to decide what you want to use it and make your decisions based on that. The Bass VI was originally intended to be used as a bass, but along the way a number of guitarists have used it as a baritone.

If you're looking for an authentic Bass VI sound, you ought to look into pickups made for the Jaguar. The original ones were similar to that. But what I'd really recommend is just to find something that will accomplish your goals. The new pawn shop model uses a Jazzmaster pickup in the bridge position. If you look at similar instruments, like the Schechter Ultra VI, you'll see something entirely different. Anything should work though, as long as the poles line up with the strings.

I need to build a Tele. It seems like a fun thing to do.

If you think about it, there's no other good reason for that upper bearing.

Go with your preference. Neither will be difficult. As for which hardwood to use, again, it's up to you. Maple's not a bad option though, especially if it matches.

It's an idiot proof rounding bit! Unfortunately, they found the one idiot that's gonna screw it up and used him for the photo. I like it though.

I say invest in a coping saw!

http://www.homedepot...51#.USsEUVe7OSo

Edit: Let me amend this. I would think something harder than balsa would be appropriate. Plastic is good. You can even cut it out of a trash can or something. If you want to use wood, go for a hardwood, or maybe a good 1/8" plywood, if you can find it.

First cut it out with a coping saw ($7). Cut a little wider than you want the final shape. Then use a piece or sandpaper ($1-3) to bring it to its final shape. You're spending a little money, but significantly less than you'd spend to buy a bandsaw.

In case anybody's keeping track...

And...

I just routed out an ugly little channel and sent some wires through to the tuner holes. I'm not sure how well you can see it in the picture, but at the inside edge of each tuner hole, there's a small cutout channel for each of the wires. I'll end up burying the ends of the wires beneath the body of each tuner. Down the center of the neck, I cut another channel for the wire. A little superglue and it's stuck good. Now that I've glued the headplate on, it's invisible.

Before anybody says anything, I've decided to use two truss rods on this neck, for reasons unrelated to this thread. That's why the wire is in the center, and not toward the edge.

I'm not sure if I'd do this again or not. It wasn't much trouble, and there's no reason it shouldn't work, but it's an added step that's not technically necessary. The bigger problem is that I had to change the order I usually do things, and that's got me all messed up.