SwedishLuthier

Dont agree about the heat resistance. Also have a look here: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Da.../gluechart.html One more person that think SG is OK for stuctual use strengthvise. Having said that, I must add that I woudn't use it when building a new guitar. I've got stuck on the glue one time to much, and having to cut my self loose with a knife. I also would hate to have the mess all over the shop when the clamps start to press the glue out off the joint...and sticking to everything... including the clamps...and the clamping blocks...and the bench...and everything else

Try this: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p..._Coil_Wire.html As always with StewMac: A litle bit pricy, but you find all things needed there, even a very expensive readybuildt winder.

I have actually built two instruments with teak set necks, an electric mandolin and an electric ukulele! (OK the second one was mor of a toy) It worked fine for those instruments and the sort scale I was using. One thing to consider is that teak has very much oil in it. I always (nearly) have angeld heads, cut from a straight board and glued on, and I had a glu failure in the head joint on the mandolin. I think it was caused by the glue not getting enough "stickum" to te oily wood. For that joint I used white PVA glue (i think!). For the repair i used thin viscosity superglue, and it still holds the head in plase after about two years. Peter

I've used straight canning paraffin (Gulfwax), and even bayberry scented candles in the past without issues - why is beeswax important? Some beeswax won't even melt below 150ºF! Don't you think it's a lot more important to mention that one should never heat wax over an open flame than to recommend a specific blend of wax? ← I think the idea of the beeswax is to crank up the melting temp. I have used just paraffin and the guitar sat in a shop window for an afternoon. The paraffin melted in the sunlight and ran down the front of the guitar. Ever since I have used a 70-30 blend of beeswax paraffin blend respectively. Then again I haven't put a guitar in that situation again either, but I think that is the idea behind it. ← Nope, the idea is that the two different materials move (expand) different when heated (warmed) by body heat. The beeswax is softer and will compress slightly when the paraffin expand. Haven't tested it sientificaly, but is sounds right. BTW, and this is IMPORTANT, it should be 80% PARAFFIN and 20% BEESWAX, not the other way arround Peter

Stay away from the locktite and just cut of a small piece of the spring!! Also: check the string angle over the bridge sadles. I had a similar problem when changing between string brands (on a 5-string bass, but you might get the same problem). I noticed that on the B-string the string, when tuned to pitch actually didn't followed a straight line from the bridge to the nut. It was slightly curved!!! IMPOSSIBLE to intonate. I just pressed lightly on the string to kreate a small kink over the bridge saddle and I was able to intonate properly. Probably a more common problen on basses but check it out

Mattia is on the spot, exept for one thing (and I think he knew this was comin). I never radious befor I cut the recess for the inlay. It is a bit harder to sand the board if its full of MOP, but you get better support for your router/dremel if you have a flat board. Peter

Just be aware. Guitarbuilding is addictive

Am I the only one that think that Jason Lollars book is overrated? OK he show how to build a automated winder, BUT fail to discuss some important things that is of more interest for beginers. Like bobin design, magnet design (rods vs screws) ets. Steven Kerstin share more info than the Lollar book (IMO). Check out www.skguitar.com

Havn't tried metal shims, but I don't see any reason that it wouldn't work. Why not test both wood and metal shims and tell us the difference in sound!

Fan-tas-tic

Sorry for not being clear enough. Standard procedure if you done a few, and then you forget that there were a first time... You should try to find a piece of the same wood as the peg head. I you don’t find proper size dowels, you can chuck a reasonably straight, oversized piece in a drill and get custom sized dowels by holding files and sandpaper against your dowel in spe. Works with non round pieces too. Just be prepared that it will be a bumpy ride. Go slow and measure a lot. Perfect size is when you need just a little bit of pressure to push the dowel into the hole. Make it a little bit longer then you need. Put some god wood glue on the dowel and push it in. No need to clamp if your size is right. Then trim off the excess wood and if you’re lucky you do not need to touch up on the finish. OR, you can make your dowels like this guy: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Te...nsizetuner.html I think it might be a little over kill (Frank Ford is one of the best repairguys there is), but you have some nice pics in there to help you Peter

I always use steel threaded inserts, which has an inner machine-type thread, and an outer wood-type thread. It will give you an enormously stable fastening. I also use Torx screws for maximum holding power. With this system you can turn the Torx handle until your knuckles turn with without any risk of the wood being chewed upp by the screw.

I have built two necks from oak, one finished with water based lacquer and one oil finish. The oil finish really let you feel the grain and might not be for every one, but I think that it’s OK. It brings kind of a rough feeling to the guitar, and that IS a rough guitar. If you go for the lacquer finish, be prepared to do a lot of grain filling. Its much like ash, really sucks up the filler and lacquer. What about the sound then? It is somewhere in between maple and mahogany. A little less high than the maple, but a little faster response than mahogany. The look? Quite boring if left unaltered, but for the back of the neck OK. Wouldn’t use it for a body, though. Its WAY to heavy to build bodies from.

I'm not sure if you mean a Tele-bass or a Tele-guitar-shaped bass. Remenber that the first P-bass had a Tele shaped head... I would stay a litle more mainstream with the first project. Do a full scale bass. Then you will have many more sources for references. Its easier to meashure a friends instrument, etc. I would go for a standard J or P-bass. If you decide to build a Tele-shaped bass, I would still make it a full scale bass. A 30" scale will only (IMO) give you a rubbery strings with duller sound och the notes vill go out of tune more easily only because of the preasure from your fingers. At least go for somethin like 32". It will give a little more tension to the strings. It would bevery interesting to hear how those woods will sound together. Keep us posted Peter

I'd say a Tele. Thats what got me started. Though I did a thinline... I have never done things the easy way!!!

If you’re contouring the top there is another way. Plane down the top in the required angle. Cut a square out of a piece of MDF or plexi and use the new surface to mount the simple jig. Then rout the recess. No need to angle the neck or the neck pocket anywere

Yup

No, either way. A compression rod is straight and a "traditional" (fender style) truss rod is curved. The compression rod helps counter the string pull by simply adding a counter force in the neck. The traditional is a cuved rod. It is closer to the fret board at its ends, and furter away in the middle. When a curved rod is tightened it will try to straighten itself, thus bending the neck backwards, away from the strings. Modern, two-way adjustable rods is another thing. Tey are usualy put in a straight chanel beneth the fret board. The mechanism (it is actualy a mecanism, quite advanced too) bend itself in either of two ways, depending on what way the nut is turned. Peter

8 percent is usualy regarded as "instrument making quality" but I have seen guitars that been build with wood containing 12 percent and they were OK.

You can practice on nearly any thing with paint on. If you are on the right side on the atlantic i'd invite you to practice on my Windows. They badly need to be repainted Seriously, if you are afraid of using the heat gun, there are two main alternatives: Sanding and chemical stripper. Check this out: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...987&hl=stripper Peter

This tread raises a few questions about how much research you have actually made before asking the first question. Have you read a few books on guitar design? If not, DO IT. It will actually give you the info you need. Searchin the net will not give you all you need and the cost for a good bok is way smaller that the cost of all the stuff you already have got. If yes, GET ANOTHER BOOK. The one(s) you have are not good enough. I’ll recommend Melvyn Hiscocks book “Make your own electric guitar” any day. It got me started and covers your initial question and then some. I STILL have to look something up in it when it comes to design, and I’m on to my 13’Th guitar now. Peace Peter

For "left hand pots" just use the other lug on the pot and you're there. It might be hard to find knobs that go the other way around

Jonny: If it as John Paul Jones you saw, it probably was a BASS lap steel. Yes that's tru, he has one!!! That would explain the long scale length

When you have a hump in a section of the neck like that, you will not fix it by bending the neck. The correct way would be to put the guitar in a neck jig (I know a saw a tutorioal about building one recently), pull the frets, level the fretboard, install new frets, dress the frets, and your problems are gone. Peter

A P90 without dog-ears is a little different from most of the other pickups if you chose to mount them Gibson-style. They used to rout the cavity to the depth that gave them the appropriate string clearance and then screw them solid against the wood. The pole screws were the only way to adjust string-to-pickup distance. When using this method you have to rout an additional cavity within the first one to accommodate the pole piece screws and the lead. If you choose this method, the best thing to do is to measure the bridge height, the thickness of the fret board, and all other measurements you might need, and draw it full scale. Then you decide the string clearance, draw the pickups, and measure the depth needed. There is no fast answer to this question, because it depends on your hardware etc. I usually rout a little deeper and use some rubber tubing or other material placed in the cavity to be able to adjust the over all pickup height. Peter