brian d

Congratulations on your first neck build Mickguard! Brian.

The height of the action will also affect the intonation... Brian.

First post, and it's a gem. Thanks. Brian.

Excellent looking work. Is the fingerboard Madagascar Rosewood? Looks great. Brian.

One of my favorite films these days... I can't find a sander like that around here--that would definitely help... I got the microplane version of that (drum sander for the drill) from Rockler. They shipped to Australia, so they'll probably ship to you. I haven't used it yet, but I can't wait! When you're not in the US, there's a lot to be said for USPS when you need guitar building related stuff. Brian.

There was some talk on MIMF recently that Gibson inlayed a block of MOP into the headstock veneer, masked out the logo and then sprayed the whole thing black. Take off the masking and it looks like a perfectly fit inlay. It seems like a much easier process than inlaying the actual logo. The downside seemed to be that after a while you start to see the outline of the block. Brian.

Hi Mickguard, FWIW here's how I've been finishing my guitar with Tru-oil...basically what it says on the instructions. I sanded to 800 grit, but that may be overkill. I wanted to keep the wood look so I didn't grain fill, but I did fill some worm holes with epoxy. I wiped the tru-oil on as thin as possible, let dry for 2 hours between coats. 24 hrs before sanding if it's necessary after a few coats. More thin coats (I'm up to about 8 and final now), then I'll wait 24 hrs before final polishing. You can get a pretty good shine out of tru-oil, and I don't think it soaks in like the other oils (AFAIK). I'm going to go to high gloss on the body and headstock, but I'll actually want more of a satin feel on the back of the neck, so I'll have to sand it to get rid of the gloss that's there naturally. I hope to have some photos up in the next week. Regards, Brian.

How about brad point bits to do the "ears"....they're semicircles - just choose a bit that has the same radius. Then do a rectangle on top of that (which will incorporate the half of the brad-point bit circle that isn't the "ear") I hope that I've explained that clearly enough without diagrams. Cheers, Brian.

Just catching up on my reading now. Belated thanks for the birthday greetings! Brian

How did you adhere the aluminium foil to the cavity? How was it to solder to the foil? Any disadvantages to foil compared to copper shielding or paint on shielding? Thanks, Brian.

Rosewood dust mixed with titebond? Brian.

Jorge, did you mount the pickups into the top before gluing to the body? I love that look. Regards, Brian.

It's not clear from the rules...can we post muliple thumbnails in regular posts? Brian.

Hi Square and welcome, could be that the frets are worn in those positions....are those notes that you play - and maybe bend - a lot? If so, then you're looking at a fret levelling job to get it right if you don't want to raise the action (thus decreasing playability) significantly. I hope that's not the problem, but if it's only those frets that are the problem and nothing else has changed (like string guage), then it's the most likely. Good luck, Brian.

great site, chris. I love the way he avoids the cavity cover....seems easier than trying to match the grain. Might be a challenge feeding all the electronics through the pickup cavity though. I know that's standard with semi acoustics. btw I couldn't find the carve tutorial you mentioned....where do I find it. Regards, Brian.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/vintagestyle.html I can't see them on ebay anymore. Brian.

Many thanks to Drak and everyone who gave advise. Unfortunately, I can't find a Delta scroll saw here . I decided to try the Ryobi anyway, as I want a scroll saw for cavity covers etc. anyway. If it works for bodies, that'll be great...if not, I'll save up for a 14" bandsaw (it'll be nice to have the resaw capacity too), and just use jigsaw and router until then. Thanks again for letting me learn from you. Brian.

Have a look on ebay for the parts for your first build if you want to save some $. I've bought some parts (bridge, tuners P/ups) from Guitarfetish on ebay which are pretty good for the price. Remember that if you are really pleased with the guitar you can always upgrade these parts as your finances allow....although you may find that there's no need to. Good luck with whatever decision you make, but I know that if was me I wouldn't be able to wait 3 years to start building. You're enthusiastic and motivated....strike while the iron's hot. Regards, Brian.

On a standard 6 string you want a little more relief on the bass side than the treble, so if the neck flexes a tad more in the bass area than the treble, you don't notice it as a problem. Brian.

Drak, I'd like to draw on your experience... What blades do you recommend for cutting bodies on the scroll saw? What's important to look for in a blade (width, TPI, material it's made of?). Do you need to adjust the tension of the blade differntly for cutting thick wood? More/less tension? Any changes in tension recommended for harder wood compared to softer wood? (e.g. maple cf mahogany) Any other tips for getting the most out of the scroll saw? Thanks, Brian.

looking beautiful! I really like the wheel adjuster for the rod at the end of the fretboard. That'll make a big difference in the strength at the headstock and it's a handy place for adjustment. How long was the truss rod you used? Does it start at the fb edge of the nut or further down? what fret does the wheel come out at. Thanks, Brian.

I would be a bit concerned about the strength of the headstock. Angled headstocks have a propensity to break, even more so if it is not scarf jointed to minimise the end grain at the angle, or the neck is not laminated to increase the strength. I could be wrong, but it's worth looking into before you invest a lot of time and effort. Regards, Brian.

Thats what I did here. http://www.badongo.com/pic/148414 It's a flame maple veneer (from Brian, our host) over padouk (the light wood at the top is actually padouk sapwood that was in the board). I think the effect is pretty good. Brian.

If I understand correctly, the problem is that the slots are at a slight angle...thus the difference in distances at different widths. If that's the case, you've missed the obvious solution....call them precompensated fanned frets Sorry to make light of your predicament, Ben...just couldn't help myself. Good luck with recovering from the error. Brian.

You shouldn't need a neck angle with a Fender style bridge and flat topped body, but you need to watch the height your fretboard comes over the body. Usual suggestion on this forum....draw it out full scale to check all your measurements and angles. Brian. PS, your web links didn't work for me