simon1138

Hello, i have now built my first guitar, problem is the action is very high. i did not know about checking the height of the bridge at lowest setting and routing the neck pocket accordingly. the bridge is a chinese floyd rose and i have not recessed into the body. i just want to use the bar to go down not up and i heard this causes less issues with tuning. should i shim the neck to bring action down? or is there some other way. any suggestions on next move? also, how do i change the height of the individual strings? they seem to be at different heights. thanks simon

Hello, recently i bought a cheap kit off ebay for cleaning and repair. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-Fret-Crowning-File-Rocker-Luthier-Tool-Kit-Fingerboard-Protector-6Pcs-set/254619917862?hash=item3b48879e26:g:mHAAAOSweMNe3aXs the stones were broken as when they were posted through the letter box and not protected by bubblewrap, they smashed when hitting the floor. i can still use them to some extent. are th stones any good for polishing? i want to clean the gunk off the fret board. i have bought dunlop polish and lemon oil. not looking into it properly i dont know if i can use the lemon oil on either of my guitars. i have just recently got a jackson ex stealth and shine strat. i have some wire wool but not too sure of the grade. i want to clean the fret board, then set up the guitar. i have made the neck on the shine guitar straight as it had a lot of forward bow. i have not touched the jackson yet. i noticed that a shim fell out after removing the neck. how will i know where this went? i want to polish the frets, can i use those stones? i assume they are like the abrasive rubbers what can i use to clean gunk off the fretboard and can i put lemon oil on the board after? i imagine the shims were there for a reason, what would i have to check for to find this reason? thanks simon

new discord link https://discord.gg/NZKDWB5 thanks

Hello, I like a chat with like minded people and having used discord in a few subjects thought that there might be a guitar server. there is, at https://discord.gg/U4RZTeJ if anyone else wants to join that would be great! all the best simon

do you have a web site that talks more about your set up/where you are? any youtube presence? thanks, really nice guitars simon

Hello, i have thought about making my own truss rods and wanted to learn a little more about brazing. i have watched a few videos and it looks similar to soldering which i can do well enough. i was thinking about making truss rods that bend both ways and have ordered a left handed thread die. i have some metal working skills but not brazing. anyone made this sort of truss rod? what materials did you use? b and q do rods and bar that seems quite cheap, which will immediately trigger a lot of quality responses. also, i am not sure of length required for a truss rod. any help would be great, thanks simon

Hello, i bought a second hand guitar the other day, a shine stratocaster. it has 24 frets and a floyd rose. i have managed, i think, to set up the floyd rose some what successfully as it was not holding tune at all before. the strings are old and i will change them but i want to do more. the frets have clear gaps under them, i have not yet got my notched straight edge but ordered one. i have a soft faced hammer for the frets and i am going to make a caul to sit the neck on. 1. should i remove the neck from the body to hammer the frets or is it ok to leave it on? 2. i want a low action so what is the procedure for all this? i am thinking, seat all frets and add glue. after that i am not sure. i think that check the neck is straight or slight relief? that part is worrying me as if i do either and it is wrong everything else will be out of wack. then filing the frets down with a straight edge and rounding over. that part is also a worry as i dont want to screw up my frets. i think that checking string height should be easy enough and i would imagine that would be next. i want to lower the action as at the moment. at the first fret the low E is at 2mm, 13th fret it is 5mm and 4mm at the 24 fret, i think this is suggesting there is a slight bow. thanks

Hello, new to this and struggling. i have an oak wood body and it has these nasty gaps in it. i was thinking about using a regular wood filler i bought from lidl to fill it and then sand down. i started sanding using a grinder and 120 grit but that started to affect the shape of the guitar and i think i may have to go and roundover the edges again. i would like to paint this guitar so what is the best method. i have to finish shaping and sanding it smooth. i am guessing an orbital is better than a grinder? round over before that though. then paint with spray paint. are other woods this awkward. do these cracks appear in other woods like basswood? thanks

i have since been able to get it where i want it. drilled the holes and fitted the neck so now it sits where i wanted it to go. i just have a few unsightly gaps that are bothering me

i was checking it against fret spacing of the other necks that i have. i bought this template from a british shop online, wont name him but i think he sells poultry as well. i dont want to slag him off as that is not the case. just curious what is going on with my template. i have one notch that is for a zero fret.

hey curtisa thanks for the reply, i was comparing it to the other guitar necks that i have just to see if they match, which they don't, except my bc rich. i just found that odd and thought that maybe the necks i have are not correct in some way.

Hello i bought a 25 1/2 inch and 24 3/4 inch fret cutting template. it does not match the guitar neck that i have. i thought that i would check it against a few necks that i have. one is cheap chinese banana head stock, another is a stagg strat, these do not match the template. the bc rich 24 fret neck does though. does this template only work for 24 fret necks because i would only really like 22 frets. i am thinking that maybe this wont work?

hello i was in wilkinsons the other day and found that they sell a double headed hammer for £4. two different heads, one a transparent yellow and the other black. usually online about £5 not including postage. thought that i might mention it for people on a budget and not sure of where to source things. also, brad point bits. i bought some cheap brad point bits off ebay, not straight and create a nasty hole that is not roiund. wilkinsons do a 10mm for £1, anything smaller and its two for a pound.

Hello, I have a question about my neck fitting. preferring the arse-about-face methods and the many problems it brings. i have fitted my neck by clamping in place, laser level it "straight", superglue/masking taped two bits of mdf either side to create a neck pocket jig. routed and the neck seems to fit with a little bit of a gap. problem is when i try to get the neck where i want it, it is under strain and when i let go moves back. if i clamp in position and then drill it will this strain cause issues? or should i recut the neck pocket? please tell me the first is ok as i am not enjoying the back and forth that poor planning brings.

hello i have a problem with my neck plate and wanted to try using washers instead. is there anything specific about this that i might need to know i am thinking that i will need shorter screws for one thing. any specific type of washer required? what about spacing? thanks simon

Hello, i am using an oak worktop for my guitar body. it was free and i am new so thought it was best going with something free. i am having a hard time cutting this wood i have a cheap asda 500watt jigsaw that seems to make no dent in the wood. could it be that the wood has been stained or treated? also, i heard that oak could dull a bandsaw blade quickly? also, my bandsaw seems to be taking up room and i have used it to burn some wood. i just dont like the idea of changing blades on it regularly which could be expensive. i just watched a video of a guy on youtube cutting through what looks like the same wood and thickness with a battery dewalt jigsaw. he mentioned remvoing the pendulum motion. my basic jigsaw doesnt have that option. i was thinking about getting rid of my bandsaw and jigsaw and buying a battery erbauer as i have some of their batteries and a great drill. would a better quality jigsaw make a difference or is it the wood? thanks simon

i am a little unsure of my markings. i have now marked what i think is the intonation line. i have measured out 648mm or 25.5 inches from nut to intonation line. i have to fill the hole that i made and cut a new hole. what templates can i use to make a route for a floating bridge, one that goes up and down in pitch? i read somewhere that i can only use two of those templates? i think number 2 and 3? thanks for the help all the best simon

https://www.electricherald.com/charvel-5150-evh/

Hello, i was using a template that i printed off and it seems out on measurements. i want to have a floyd rose that is level on the body. i followed the template exactly without measuring anything. now, when i fit the neck and measure from the nut to the line i marked it says 25.5 inchs. the line is where the studs go. i have already routed the bridge position. using inkscape and setting the scale, everything looks like the line on the guitar (parallel with the bridge, for two studs) to the nut is 25.5 inches i have no idea if this is correct. from what i have seen it should be 25 inches? any help would be great thanks simon

Hello, I got a bandsaw on marketplace a few weeks ago. it came with a blade that seems quite sharp. it is a 250 watt saw. i tried to cut some 40mm pine on it and the wood started to smoke. it seems to cut straight. though looking at the cut after it seemed as though there may have been an angle. could this cause the overheating? or is the smoke from something else. should a bandsaw go through 40mm without hassle? or would i have to change the blade? thanks simon

Hello, i bought a cheap floyd rose and without a left handed locking nut available i have opted for locking tuners. i have a floyd rose and from looking at pictures there seems to be some difference with the two posts the bridge sits against. they seem to fit into the bridge, recessed somewhat. whereas my bridge has them sat in front of the bridge. this is what my bridge looks like, as though the posts would sit in front of the line (i dont know what its called, the horizontal line that the bridge lines up with on the guitar) the above brdige is a more expensive one. this shows the recess i mentioned. reason being i think that it alters where the bending angle is.

hello, i bought a lidl router a month ago and a few bits to go with it. i also bought a new collet as the one provided was no good, spinning slightly off centre. however, this new collet is also slightly off centre. i returned a bit to toolstation that i thought was slightly off centre. could it be the router? i find that the quality of finish on the wood is poor possibly because of this. it has chewed into a few of my templates that i have made. i am not sure that i am fitting the bit properly or if the roiuter itself is off centre. is there some way i can check? its really annoying me because it is holding up my build. thanks simon

ordered locking tuners, thanks either way. all the best simon

i have read before that you can use a floyd rose without a locking nut but the tuning is not great. all i want the bridge to do is go down, not up (in pitch) and not necessarily a lot. either that or buy a cheap tremelo. i want to do stuff like van halen sounding bombs. would that be possible on a floyd rose without the nut or would that affect tuning too much? EDIT, what about locking tuners, bang good are doing them for about £10 a set, right handed tuners on a left handed guitar but they would just turn the other way. i have heard you can go with out the locking nut.

Hello, I wanted to start from scratch with my locking nut so i looked for a cheap left handed version, i think the cheapest is about £30....for a locking nut? anyway, i found on ebay a nut for £5 and thought that i would call on the off chance they may sell left handed versions, the guy said the nut was a universal nut and would fit left or right. looking at the pic on ebay, it looks as though all slots are equal, i thought great, nut for £5 and its gonna fit! got two today for £11 and they are both right handed. i am concerned that the thick string will be affected by the smaller slot and the thin string affected by the extra space? what should i do here, can i use this nut or is it a return and hopefully get a full refund? thanks simon