guitarnut

I simplified the wiring a bit. The connection of the HB before the switch was problematic so I did away with trying for two independent volumes. Thinking thru it, it would have been tough to do volume swells with two separate controls. This config will be like a LP in the middle switch position...but with a master tone connected at the output. The latest (final) diagram. I installed the frets and applied the first few coats of Tru-Oil. I love the color that TO gives to maple...and it makes the flame pop! Looks like the camera caught some scratches on the HS face that need to be dealt with. Mark

Thanks!

Thanks for the input. I have a few other options to explore first...

The areas that have weak figure are down the centers of each board...along the arrows. I probably didn't explain that well.

More progress on the body. I got my routing template done...man I don't like routing and sanding MDF. I need to find a better material for templates. Some sort of affordable, workable plastic maybe. Anyway, this one's done. I usually cut my lines closer but my 1/4" blade wasn't staying in the guide blocks. Need to make a trip to Woodcraft. I made one pass with the template attached and then removed it to use the body as a guide. I like to get the template out of the works as early as possible to avoid any damage to them. All trimmed out. I looked thru 3 top sets I had in the closet. Not thrilled with any of them...probably why they were in the closet. The one on the left has nice figure but there are a few small knots on the upper horns. The middle has nice figure on the edges but weak in the center of each half and the the one on the right is really nicely figured but has some mineral staining close to the seam. I'll likely resaw something for this build.

Well, probably the last thing I need right now is another build going but I couldn't resist once the idea popped into my head...maybe I should have. It's going to be shaped like my 2 prototype builds except without the "hook". I'll round it out to match the top contour. I'll have a mock up posted soon. 3-peice, chambered walnut back with maple laminates...center section angled like a D-35. Bookmatched, flame maple cap, double bound in W/B/W binding...may go with flame maple instead. Maple neck, rosewood board, 14 degree headstock. 25.5" scale, 22 frets, hardtail bridge. Not sure on electronics yet. The wood pile. Walnut and maple. Ignore the alder blank...it was an early thought that I changed my mind on. I laid out the center section so the space between the maple strips at the end of the neck pocket is the same width as the pocket. This will let the maple strips run out on the end of the body with no walnut against the neck...only below it in the bottom of the pocket. After rough cutting the center on the band saw, I cleaned it up on the jointer. I saved the scraps to use as offset gluing cauls. Dry fit looks good. Clamped up and drying. I used a clamp across the end of the boards to keep the wedge from spurting out...quite different from the dry clamp test when slick glue is applied I had to cut some waste off the ends to get the blank under 13" so it would go thru the planer. I didn't plan on the angle making the outside corners a bit farther apart. Trimming worked out fine though. All planed and ready for profiling and routing.

Thanks!

Not much to report on this one but it's ready for finish prep. I have made some changes to the electronics design. With the help of some very knowledgeable folks, I've corrected some major design flaws. First, I decided there would be functionality in 2 volumes and a master tone. So, I have a volume on the bridge PU and a shared volume for the mid/neck PUs. Here's the first revision of this approach. The biggest issue I had was the 2 volume pots were inteacting to the point that if one was turned all the way down, the other would be at zero also...not good...guitars are supposed to make noise. Second revision... The bridge volume pot was placed before the switch to eliminate the interaction with the other pot. Next issue: the way the tone is connected, it was shorting the volume pots together. So, the tone is now fed from the output jack which is after both volume pots. Other than the possible addition of a treble bleed on the HB, I think this is the final revision...Of course, now that I said that, I'll get some bad news. Fingers crossed.

I have made some changes to the electronics design. With the help of some very knowledgeable folks, I've corrected some major design flaws. First, I decided there would be functionality in 2 volumes and a master tone. So, I have a volume on the bridge PU and a shared volume for the mid/neck PUs. Here's the first revision of this approach. The biggest issue I had was the 2 volume pots were inteacting to the point that if one was turned all the way down, the other would be at zero also...not good...guitars are supposed to make noise. Second revision... The bridge volume pot was placed before the switch to eliminate the interaction with the other pot. Next issue: the way the tone is connected, it was shorting the volume pots together. So, the tone is now fed from the output jack which is after both volume pots. Other than the possible addition of a treble bleed on the HB, I think this is the final revision...Of course, now that I said that, I'll get some bad news. Fingers crossed.

A little more done on this one last night. It won't seem like much but there was a lot of measuring and fitting and such that doesn't photograph well. :wink: I started by laying out the control cavity. Because I've lengthened the scale to 25.5", the stock position of the cavity puts the vol control in a bad spot. You can see the pencil lines from the stock position and from sliding it back 1". That solves the location issue, but there's no room in there for a coil cut mini switch. So, after looking at several options with the templates I have, I decided on this one. It's roomy, lets me put the controls where I want them and it's big enough that it reduces weight a bit. It's turned sort of up side down from how I would normally use it but there's a long flat edge at the top that makes it sit well. I also transferred the location of the bridge to the back to make sure I was leaving enough meat for the bushings to live in...looks good. Then I routed the rounded over. I'll have to finish the area under the neck by hand. Looks like a rookie mistake, but the pocket was too deep for the bearing to ride along the edge anyway. Then I added the recess for the cover. If I could do this one over, I'd slide the whole thing toward the neck a bit. It's a bit close to the edge for me but actually not as close as the bottom two corners on a Les Paul so I'm okay with it. Then, after checking the center line, taping down the bridge and checking string alignment, I located and center punched the bushing locations. Working from this, I located and routed the PU cavity. I gotta get a proper set of HB templates...I really don't like the look of using a Forstner bit to deepen the ends of the cavity...yuck! Mark

Peace, Mark

The length of the neck is taken to rough thickness with a combination of Ibex plane and a rasp. I work along the path between the two depth cuts I made earlier until the calipers slip over the neck all along the path. I try to focus on keeping the edges lower than the center so I have unobstructed access to the center with the calipers. Now back to the volute. At the base of the triangle, I run a half round rasp directly across the neck,,,bass to treble side...this puts the concave scoop at the bottom of the volute. It rounds down into the neck carve at the edges...this is one of those places where feel is important...no guidelines, just work it until it transitions smoothly. Pick it up and slide your hand into firsat position...this will tel you when you have a good, comfortable fit. The next step is to use a VERY sharp chisel and work down the edges of the triangle to the center line. You can see a bit of the line remaining here. Just stay on the proper angle until the top flat spot is gone. That's is! Block it out to clean up any saw marks or chisel slips...there will be some of each. I didn't mention this earlier, but leave the headstock about .050" to .070" thicker when you trim it down. This gives you plenty to work with when you're blocking it out. The neel is finished out with a half round rasp. If you have a glued on heel block, watch the glue line carefully as a guide. It will help keep you even from side to side. Again, pick up the neck and check the feel with your hand tight to the heel.

I 've made good progress on this build...namely the neck. I've had some questions about how I carve my necks and specifically, the volute. So I thought I would show some of the steps. It's easy enough to do once you have some practice. Carving is more of a feel than technique so I would encourage practicing on scrap before taking a chisel and file to your prized neck blank. :idea: Starting on the heel first, I use a 1/4" chisel and, working away from the line, I carve down the end of the neel into a slope away from the butt end. This shows half of the carve. After thinning out the back of the headstock on the band saw, I draw out a triangle with a line down it's center. The base of the triangle is at the glue line of the scarf joint. Then I use a fret saw or flush cut saw to down cut to the side lines of the triangle. Then I under cut to meet the first two cuts. This gets rid of most of the waste. Before doing anything more to the volute, I want to get the neck to rough thickness. I clamp it in an upside down radius blck so I can slide the calipers under it. Then I take it to depth in two or three places with a rasp,

Out of the clamps and trimmed up.

After squaring up the corners and back beveling the center portion of the cut to accommodate the neck angle, it fits like a glove. So, it's time to glue in the neck. Yeah! When it came out of the clamps, I trimmed the tenon flush and blocked the area smooth. Clampzilla!

One more test fit... Now I neede to cut a notch in the top so it would wrap around the portion of the neck that's i the pocket. While I had the neck clamped in, I marked the points where the fretboard ends on the bass and treble sides. ' The I placed a block of scrap in the pocket and lined it up with the marks. I clamped the top in place using the marks from the earlier trimming step. And using a flush trim bit, I routed away the waste area.

Next was carving the neck.

I've had this build sitting while I get the Strat build close to prepping for finish. Back on it today. I got some more work done on the neck...actually, I'm running two necks...one's for my flat top prototype build. I needed to thin out the headstock so I decided to run them thru the band saw. My bad saw has a custom table on it with large openings in the center so I can reach adjustments. So, running the HS on edge wouldn't work. I made a temp table out of a piece of pine. I ran it half way thru and then clamped it down. Now I have a flat surface to run the necks. I added a resaw fence to keep them flat to the blade. Here they are after trimming the waste. With a flush cut saw.

Thanks for the input. The center position on each switch turns the PU off. I have this setup on my Strat-Tele hybrid with single coils and it's fantastic...all the combinations are awesome! I can get B/N, and B/M/N that a 5-way doesn't do. Plus the single coils all have phase capability. I'll take a look at the bass control...interesting. I had considered using a master tone but had no idea what I would put in the other hole of the PG. Thanks again for your comments. Peace, Mark

I have the rough carve of the neck done. This one's getting close to prep for finish.

I used the pin register method of lining up front to back. I always place tape over the mounting holes to keep the pin from settling in one of them by mistake. Still using the pin in the front holes, I widened the back for the ferrules. I also took care of the HB screw issue by cutting 2 pockets under the screws with a Forstner bit. You can see them in the last pic below. I also drilled paths for the output wiring and bridge ground wire.

Next thing was to mount the bridge and drill the string thru holes. After drilling the tuner holes in the neck, I started by installing the E string tuners and setting up a simple jig that lets me put tension on the strings while I slide the bridge into place. The piece of MDF is drilled at Strat string spacing if you continued the lines past the bridge, and countersunk on one side to keep the string balls from digging into the top. The neck is clamped into the pocket. I line it up so it looks best visually to start. If all works from there, then I know I'm good later on without having to wiggle the neck around in the pocket to line things up. After locating the bridge, I remove the jig and drill the mounting holes for the bridge. Before screwing it down, I open up the string holes to make sure I can get an 1/8" bit thru them. Then screw the bridge down. At the drill press I can use the bridge as a drill guide and drill the thru holes half way thru the body.

Thanks for the link John. At $40, that tool just moved up the list. Mark

After posting my control layout over in the Electronics forum, Ripthorn was good enough to confirm my suspicions about how I was feeding the tone controls. Feeding them from the output side of the switches placed the 2 circuits in parallel which meant they would combine their results, as well as affect all pickups...not good. So, I created paths from the input side (green traces) of the respective switch to feed each tone circuit independent of the other. This is how it's done with a 5-way blade switch which has 2 banks, each with 3 inputs and 1 output. The output feeds the vol control but the tone feeds are taken from the input side thru internal connections in the switch. So, applying this to my setup...The North coil of the bridge PU is always in play when the bridge PU is being used, so I took a path from the input side of it's switch location. The second pole on the coil tap switch of the neck PU was unused so I jumped each state of the PU across and used the output of the switch to feed the tone circuit. I think I'm on the right path here...comments and corrections welcome.

Thanks Kammo1. Gotta be faster for sure. I don't currently own an angle grinder but it's on my list. This time around, since I haven't done one of these cuts in years, was better by hand but I will use a faster means in the future...most likely as you suggested. Peace, Mark