Mickguard

Well, it really sounds like you routed the neck pocket too deeply. Doesn't take much. So if you don't want to sink the bridge, then you're going to have to raise the neck, if only to give you the angle you need. What kind of bridge is this? If it's a TOM, you might be able to gain an extra couple of millimeters by replacing the inserts --if the inserts have an outer lip that stands proud of the body, that is. Gibson used to use simple threaded tubes for their inserts -- they work great, and make it possible to get the bridge completely flush to the body. Although it sounds like you'd need to get the bridge even lower than that.

Have a search through the forum, there's tons of great info about scarf joints here. Usually in relation to the headstock, but same principle. As you figured out, you can't get a good joint from gluing endgrain. I actually think the project is a pretty cool one. Are you planning to play it as an upright too? You oughtn't rule out extending the fretboard, while you're at it. It wouldn't be that difficult to do, and you can hide the joint with a bit of inlay. The only issue I suppose would be getting a matching board that gets wide enough.

First, you ought to let us know if you're understanding the concept of scale length.... just adding wood at the end of the fretboard doesn't change the scale length. That is determined by the distance between the nut and the bridge saddles. All you'd be doing by adding the extra bit of fretboard would be adding the possibility to reach higher notes. Got that? Hey, just checking. Anyway, I don't see a problem with gluing an extra bit of fretboard onto the end bit there. And there's no reason why you have to stick to a throughneck design, you could easily convert that to a set in or bolt on. I don't really see the point of adding more wood to the end of the through neck, if that's what you're suggesting. Unless you just like the look of a through neck? A scarf joint would do that easily.

Well, if you do decide to buy it, don't pay more than 10 bucks or so for it. If the top is coming off, chances are it was a really poorly built guitar in the first place, or it was very abused, or both. And if the top is warped, which is pretty likely, I kind of doubt there's a fix for it. I'm not expert at acoustic guitars though, just conjecturing.

Ah, gotcha!

What's a faceplate? If you mean the pickguard, then that's easy enough, just remove the old one and glue on a new one. I'm not sure what you mean by 'side' --do you mean the top wood is coming loose from the sides? Hard to know if the bridge is broken or not, since you don't provide much information. Maybe post some photos. But I'm guessing that LA Guitars was just a brand name slapped onto an Asian import guitar. In which case, the guitar probably wouldn't be worth $50 in perfect condition.

My guitar teacher (who's morphing into a luthier) used to cuts nuts slots at an angle with the tuners to accommodate that. His guitars definitely stay in tune well. Although he stopped doing this because he decided it's not really an issue. I'm not sure about the 'stomo' bit -- sounds a little too biological to me. For the rest, it's going to be on your guitar, so you have to make yourself happy. I agree about the 4x2 -- it's easy enough to pick up a fourth tuner for the other side. You ought to draw in the tuners, to get an idea of the actual look. You might also build a prototype first, complete with tuners and even strings.

I had the guitarfetish bridge....it rattled a lot (not a big deal when plugged in, but it made the guitar really annoying to play on the couch), and the rollers had a lot of side to side play that I didn't like. Don't know how much of an issue that might have been. And I sold the guitar I put the bridge on. Maybe he found a better supplier since then. The Schaller bridge I put on a different guitar also had rollers, and these were much tighter. Different bridge though. Another option is to use a bridge with String Saver saddles.

I'm wondering where a chambered guitar ends and a semi-hollow begins. To me, a semi is built more along the lines of an acoustic or an archtop, that is, the sides are bent, and the top and back are glued onto that. Which is part of what gives the guitar its sound. On the other hand, a lot of Rickenbackers seem to be built like this, where the two halves are just hollowed out blanks. So are they still considered semis?

You might find it annoying to have to pick so close to the top of the guitar. You have to have some distance there, otherwise you run the risk that the tip of the pick will be hitting the guitar (or at least the pickups). Besides, when you say 'usually there are issues'...well, that's not true. If you build the guitar correctly according to the hardware you've chosen, then there shouldn't be any issues. So in your case, usually with a TOM, the neck is set at an angle to accommodate for the added height of this style of bridge. Recessing the TOM slightly allows you to attach the neck straight on, like a Fender or an Ibanez-- but there's no reason why you can't have the string height set at the proper distance from the body. So that means the top of the fretboard should end up about 10 mm above the body surface and the height of the TOM saddle notches will be around 13 mm or so (better check those measurements, I'm working from memory here).

No no, that only confirms that that depth will work with the same neck as used in the diagram. You have to work with the actual neck you'll be using, take your own measurements and route accordingly. An additional measurement I like to use to verify things is the height of the fretboard at its highest point above the surface of the guitar. That should be around 9-10 mm. This will allow you to keep the saddles at the proper height.

Gibson does it that way, has for a long time I gather.

Well, in that case, you can replace the trem with one of the new alternatives -- there's a Floyd Rose-type that retrofits, actually looks kind of cool. Someone had posted a link to it in another thread, maybe someone can post the link here. The Trem King works well too, like I said. Although both might max out your budget. Of course, if you're going for a hardtail, then there's no need for either. Cutting a block is easy, by the way. Between that and the strings, you'll be fine.

Don't overlook avenger's point: it won't feel the same. Actually, it's a question of ergonomics -- and that's going to depend on the way your own body works (and your age). I find it extremely uncomfortable to play smaller guitars -- they do something to my back when I'm sitting down. Although this is true even with 'normal' guitar shapes, like the tele and strat. But I much prefer playing full-sized semi-hollowbodies, both standing and sitting. The lack of support for the right arm is a big problem with smaller guitars -- think about how much you use that arm while your playing. Not just the hand, but the entire arm. You're balancing the guitar, keeping it close to your hip, which functions as a pivot. It allows you to keep your shoulders relaxed and your back relatively straight. When you take away that support, you throw everything out of line...not a big deal for five minutes, maybe. But after an hour, two, three...then weeks or months like that...you will develop problems. A huge issue with smaller guitars, and weird design shapes in general is also where the guitar ends up on your lap -- a poorly designed shape places the guitar in the wrong position for you, making you fight the guitar much of the time you're playing. The neck balance issue IS a major problem. Because you cannot support the neck and play at the same time for very long. You'll screw up your wrist and your shoulders for one thing. And even if you're young enough where this issues aren't necessarily going to affect your body, they will affect your playing -- because, consciously or not, you'll put your energy into correcting for the guitar's shortcomings and less into your playing. Now, of course, this is different for everybody. I gather that John Mayall played his cut-down Squier for years. The funny thing is, I had to learn all of this the hard way. When I think of the three major builds I've completed since joining the PGF, they were ALL wrong! The Bocaster (cutdown tele) was horrible to play-- neck dived while standing, impossible to balance on your leg while sitting. The Longhorns were a bit better, but still, the curve in the lower bout makes them really uncomfortable to play sittng, since it shifts the guitar forward. And the Rick 350 clone I built was just too small -- too short really, missing about 10 centimeters behind the bridge. This meant that, whether standing or sitting, there was no support for my arm. The whole guitar would shift forward-- and I'd end up with weird cramps on my left side! There's no wonder the pics always show Lennon playing his 335 with the guitar pulled up to his chest (though the short-scale neck helped). It's the only possible way to make the guitar work. Anyway, this is just meant as food for thought. If Robert Irizarry is around, he'll have lots more to say on this subject!

Yeah, but what I don't like is how the strings really fight against you in order to do that. Just my personal thing. It's true the Graphtechs will take a bit off the high end, it's something you'll either like or hate. Of course, they claim it 'reinforces the midrange' in their adspeak, which I suppose is also true in its way. Anyway, $150 for the guitar is pretty great deal, definitely worth fixing up.

What's too wide, the neck or the neck pocket? If it's the neck, then either reshape the heel or widen the pocket. If it's the pocket, then you can rebuild the walls to hold the neck. Both are pretty easy to pull off, and both will be invisible.

Personally, I blocked the trem on my strat soon after I bought it. I mean, I know there are people out there who somehow magically manage to keep the thing in tune, but I don't know how they do that. And then there are all the other issues with the trem, like the problems with string bends, and the disaster that happens when you break a string... So I just blocked mine with a piece of wood cut to the right shape and size, and fitting the bridge flat against the guitar. At this point, the springs (just 3 of them) serve only to hold the block in place. I also changed the saddles (which were worn out ) for Graphtechs. I switched out the trem on my Stratobastard for a Trem King, that does a much better job of staying in tune (not perfect though--I should take the time to complete the full adjustment, at which point, it probably would), and you can do string bends, and not worry as much about breaking the strings (and has Graphtech rollers built into the stroller). Of course, it costs almost as much as you paid for your guitar!

Chances are the sizes will be closer to Squire specs than to MIA specs. But I believe the MIM guitars have their own specs. Easy enough to find parts for them on ebay though. The nuts should be pretty much standard though. And you don't need to replace the entire bridge, just the saddles.

Yet another problem solved by the PGF guitar-busters...

Well, then, if it helps, any guitar that comes onstage with me gets fitted out with Grover locking tuners (with mini buttons). They're perhaps not the most precise - the crown for that goes to the tuners on my Takamine -- but they work really well for keeping the guitar in tune. And the price remains in the reasonable range. Another benefit is that their footprint seems to match the footprint of a lot of the stock tuners out there, so no need for drilling an extra hole. I do have a set of EZ-loks that I haven't gotten around to using yet. They didn't inspire me with enough confidence to use them.

I learned to touch type on a Mac Classic SE... You know, we're raised to shoot at things. It's not my fault. Although to my credit, I've never actually shot anyone for real.

Keep in mind that you can always change the tuner buttons. So you can use your favorite brand, just change the look.

Use software...you get to play games where you shoot things while your typing. Works much better.

Best thing I ever did was learn how to touchtype.

It might come as bit of a surprise, but we can't actually see into your dreams. So you're going to have to be a little more specific about what's going on with the guitar. Obviously if the guitar is buzzing, then the action is too low. Doubtful putting a shim in there will help it. Sounds more like you need to adjust the relief of the neck. That might allow you to keep the action closer to where you like it. As for the dead fret thing, that's something else entirely.