WarriorOfMetal

apparently a 1/16" shim at the bridge end of the neck pocket is all that was needed

I have 2 guitars...one is an '80s USA B.C. Rich Warlock with a 22-fret bolt-on neck and non-recessed Floyd Rose. The other is my first build, a 7-string 24-fret bolt-on with a non-recessed Floyd Rose. The distance from the bottom of the neck heel to the top of the frets is the same on both necks (1.0625"), and the neck pockets are the same depth (3/4"). The Warlock's bridge is set with the strings leaving the bridge 11/16" off the top of the body, and the action at the 22nd fret is just under 1/8" (yeah, I like relatively high action). On my build, the strings are leaving the bridge at 9/16" off the top of the body (the lowest the bridge will go), and the action at the 24th fret is 1/4". Why is this such a drastic difference, and how much can I expect to need to shim the neck pocket to make it match?

yeah, if i can find a longer screw that's the right size, with a head that will fit properly, that may be a viable option.

I don't trust Dunlop straplocks, and I find them much too difficult to put on a strap. I do not consider them to be an option.

I'm nearing completion on my first build, and I came across a bit of a dilemma with my strap button placement. The body has already been finished, so dulling the upper horn's point is not a realistic option for me....however, I plan to use Marvel straplocks, so I don't feel like putting the upper strap button on the back of the body is a good option in terms of physical comfort (or lack thereof). What I'm wondering, is how sharp of a point can you get away with, and still have a strap button be reasonably secure, and not worry much about it breaking through the top of the horn? The body is alder, and the screw is about 1" long. Here's a picture of the screw and strap button held against the tip of the upper horn:

i'm gonna take it to someone with more experience on wednesday to take a look at it.

i'm confused, i just measured my insert with a tape measure and the diameter looks to be 3/8"....so why is the 3/8" hole i drilled too small? i don't have access to a drill press, so i need to find some other way to get the inserts in

does anyone know what the exact size drill bit needed for Original Floyd Rose inserts is? i don't have calipers or anything to check, and the 3/8" forstner bit i drilled the holes with doesn't seem to have made the holes *quite* large enough. it appears to be a very small amount that the holes need to be enlarged....maybe 1/32" or less. i attempted to press in one of the studs last night, using a quick-grip clamp, but it was extremely difficult to even get the stud half way in. thoughts/suggestions?

there are a few very small shallow spots that are more like nicks than holes, but are too deep to sand out. i want to use it more to clean up some sloppy routing for recessing cover plates Epoxy is a waste of money buy some Bondo used in autobody repair. Also sold as a wood filler, Smallest can you can find. Hardens in a few minutes so You can build up the coats and it allows you to scrape off high spots as it hardens, Bonds well with wood and easy to sand out. You can also use it to fill any mistakes in the body or joints or pot marks in the wood. thing is, i've already got the SculpWood...when i bought it a few months ago, it didn't occur to me that there could be any potential issues. does anyone have any personal experience using this for guitars? You should have mentioned you bought it in your original post. If it's similar to some of the epoxy fixes for rotted wood it should work fine. Just Bondo is a much cheaper product. I dont see the problem or any issues using it to fix mistakes. Learning to be a woodworker is first learning to fix your mistakes then learning to not make them in the first place. Go for it but dont leave too much material to sand off; may take a while. I dont know how hard that material gets when it's fully cured. yeah, i was planning to be fairly conservative with whatever i use. most of the spots are on the body edges, which will be getting sanded down anyway. i figured i'd fill the holes and then use something to get most of the excess off before it hardens

That's exactly what I had in mind! I do not want "dead" spots in switch positions 2 and 4! And, yeah, a photo would be very useful, even a poor photo might be of some use?? Thanks! DJ i think that the only guitar i have wired that way right now has a pickguard, which i'd prefer not to open up right now. i'll see if i can make a diagram for you, or find one i've made before, and scan that...unless someone else beats me to it lol

Yeah, a 3 pole 3 way switch may be hard to find. 4 pole 3 way will work just as good, and give you a spare pole to play with, but I can't find either after a quick Google. I don't think you could modify an existing switch to fit another pole, probably more trouble than it's worth. A 5 position 4 pole switch is an idea you could try, you may be able to incorporate some alternative pickup combinations in the switching? With a little ingenuity you could possibly modify the 5 way switch to skip the 2nd and 4th positions to have it "operate" as a 3 way switch? the way i like to do it is using a 5-way 4-pole switch wired as a 3-way. what i do is use jumpers to connect the first two positions together, and the last two together, so that you have essentially neck-neck-both-bridge-bridge. wish i had a decent camera so i could show you.

there are a few very small shallow spots that are more like nicks than holes, but are too deep to sand out. i want to use it more to clean up some sloppy routing for recessing cover plates Epoxy is a waste of money buy some Bondo used in autobody repair. Also sold as a wood filler, Smallest can you can find. Hardens in a few minutes so You can build up the coats and it allows you to scrape off high spots as it hardens, Bonds well with wood and easy to sand out. You can also use it to fill any mistakes in the body or joints or pot marks in the wood. thing is, i've already got the SculpWood...when i bought it a few months ago, it didn't occur to me that there could be any potential issues. does anyone have any personal experience using this for guitars?

there are a few very small shallow spots that are more like nicks than holes, but are too deep to sand out. i want to use it more to clean up some sloppy routing for recessing cover plates

I did a less-than-perfect routing job on the body of my first build. I'm planning to finish it in an opaque white finish, and I was curious if anyone had used this SculpWood stuff before, as a filler. the instructions suggest that you need an additional sealer beforehand for it to adhere properly, and it also says that stains will not work with it. normal primer and paint should be fine though, right? and is it likely that I'd really need to use the additional sealer for it to work with unfinished alder? it says on the package, "SculpWood will form a permanent bond to most rigid surfaces. Porous surfaces should first be coated with a low viscosity epoxy system such as RotFix. Use SculpWood to replace missing sections of window ssills, frames, furniture, or any wood structure. Use it to add new sections to already completed structures."

hm....i might actually even have access to a jigsaw without having to buy one....i'll look into that possibility. the suggestion of forstner bits for pointy parts sounds like a good idea as well.

a friend of mine has offered to help me cut out the body of my first build with his bandsaw, but ideally i'd like to get it done sooner than he'd be able to. anyone willing to help me out? thanks

figured that'd be the case....guess i'll be asking a friend of mine for some help with that, then.

I have a power drill, a dremel, some rasps and files, a block plane, a small spokeshave (probably cheap...was in a little woodworking kit type thing i got when i was a little kid), and some knives and such. how would I go about recessing cavity covers with what I've got? obviously the router is the best option for that, but is there any effective way to do it with hand tools? I had the neck I'm using custom made for me by Doug at SoulMate Guitars.

I did a search and couldn't find a whole lot of info on using hand tools for the majority of making a guitar. I have a router, but haven't had the chance to try experimenting with it yet, so understandably I'm a bit nervous about using it a lot for my first build. I have a set of scrapers, a set of chisels, some carving gouges, and a few other hand tools, and I'm wondering just how much I can realistically use these. I'll be working with alder for this project, and am having a friend rough-cut the body on his bandsaw.

i have done it with no problems whatsoever. i have done that on 9 previous builds, but with tom bridges and only 1 floyd. you have any pics? i'm curious what it would actually look like.

if you do an angled neck pocket, do you have to compensate for the angle when you consider how far into the body (in the bridge <--> neck direction) the pocket is? that is, would the last fret of the neck be moved enough from the angle that you'd have to adjust the placement of the pocket so that it's closer to the bridge?

that's basically what i'm asking, but here's what i don't understand...on a guitar with a recessed floyd, the neck pocket is flat, but on one with a non-recessed floyd, it's angled toward the back of the guitar, so that the end of the neck is a little bit higher off the body than it would be if it were recessed....so why couldn't you put the whole neck at that same height?

usually the neck/neck pocket is angled back, right? is there any reason you couldn't just make the pocket have a flat bottom, and be shallower than normal?

i know it's pretty short notice, but here's the deal: my band Requia will be playing our first show, opening for Scourge, Legion of the Dying, and Black Trip. We're trying to find another band...ideally to headline. if you're interested, let me know ASAP (please PM or email me), and i'll get you in touch with the necessary people. 21+ at the Baseball Tavern (on Boylston, near Fenway Park)...just re-opened, as i understand. www.myspace.com/scourge www.myspace.com/legionofthedying www.myspace.com/blacktrip www.myspace.com/requiametal

i don't think it really matters anyway, as long as you know which way to turn it.