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charisjapan

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Everything posted by charisjapan

  1. charisjapan
    I decided I wanted a "same-wood" binding on the Wenge fretboard. This is mostly because I don't want binding, AND I don't want to see the tangs OR fill the tang slots with sawdust + glue. I was told that Wenge was not a very forgiving wood cut thin, but ... I gave it a shot! So here's what I did to support the Wenge as I was cutting. After planning, I cut a slot in the 2X4 that would be 6mm deeper than when I cut the fretboard. I then mounted that to the board with "low-adhesion" double-sided tape. I didn't put any tape on the cut side, which nearly ended in disaster ... after cutting, the blade began to draw the slice backwards! I was able to press on the 2X4 and stop the saw before I had a Wenge explosion/ejection. Only chipped the end a bit ... Phew! Next cut I put a few little pieces of the tape on the cut side, too, and worked smoothly. Both wood binding strip look good, as smooth as Wenge can be, I imagine. It's a new blade, so the cut surface doesn't look like it needs to be fussed with. I will se tomorrow if they twist or self-destruct. They are now 4.1mm, and I plan to cut them down to about 2mm when finished.
  2. charisjapan
    Thanks for the encouraging words, guys! O joy! Truss rod access hole day. One headstock, one heel. It actually went pretty smoothly. (again, thanks to @LtDave32 for his primer thread) I used my trusty 6mm guide block, and eyeballed it ... it'll do. As you can see in the last pics, that repair job is not going to be as invisible as I'd hoped. But at least it looks to have set in the pocket well, so no problems structurally.
  3. charisjapan
    Took a chisel to the side a few hours afterward, and this. Color and grain don't match perfectly, but at least texture and color tones are in the ballpark. Happy that it seems to be a pretty tight fit. This morning spent a few minutes cutting the "ledge" and flattening the front of the headstock with chisel and sandpaper. Both headstocks are now 16mm, and will come down at least another millimeter, which should clean up the boo-boo a bit more. Also, the template was made 0.5mm (not .05mm!) oversize, so everything will come down 0.25mm after gluing the fretboard, which should clean up a few surface blemishes (including that tearout). I was not planning on making two necks, but the opportunity was there so ... One will use a front-adjusting low-profile truss rod, the other a heel-adjusting Hot Rod. Both are now cut for a multiscale, but don't really even have a second multiscale planned. ( ? ) I suppose one could become a standard scale with any problems, so in the meantime the Limba 6 will have a spare neck. ( hoping this is not a prophetic preparation for disaster!!!) Just having fun building a guitar!
  4. charisjapan
    Prostheta, I CAN taste the dust in my nose!! I am thoroughly enjoying Padauk ... power tools and hand tools all work very predictably, and love the color of the wood (and chips and shavings, too ) This morning spent a bit fixing that errant saw cut. Made a reference cut in the face of my offcut, then another cut at 1.6mm (the blade kerf). Then cut that off and ground it to shape with the belt sander, made a few adjustments, and Titebonded in place. We'll see if it is seated later on!
  5. charisjapan
    After cutting the two necks from one board, they both twisted a little bit. A very little bit. A couple swipes with a block plane and done. Then ... Oops! When cutting the "guide slots" with my table saw, I went too far on one cut ... into the neck near the nut. (sigh) I will try to cut a 2.3mm (the blade kerf) slice from the same wood, match the radius of the saw blade, and glue it in. And one small tearout. Hope they won't be horribly obvious. I know that I will know it's there! After routing with the template, beginning to look like a pair of necks!
  6. charisjapan
    Page 2, and three weeks gone by ... sigh Well, I did NOT fall off the end of the planet. Mrs. Charisjapan had several home projects that have been back-burnered too long for happy domestic life. They (and a few extra-point home things), got done ... and I can happily be guitar-centric for a little bit. I made a sled (of sorts) for my 6mm router (trimmer, in Japan) to rout truss rod slots. Truss rods tend to be 6.35mm (1/4") or 5.35mm (whatever"), and I can't find a 6.35mm bit for my router! I could spend $30 for a 1/4" collet chuck and then another $30 for a "non-standard" 1/4" bit, but just made a sled with 0.35" slop ... which worked great. I did not precisely measure the guides to get said slop, but did very carefully make sure they were parallel, and a "bit loose" ... Voila! 1/4" slots and 5.35mm slots using 6mm and 5mm bits. It was very close, but looks like I can get two necks from this piece of padauk, so slotted that today. Gorgeous Cayenne Dust!! I just love that color ... too bad it fades. I also want to get control cavity covers to match the neck, but have no bandsaw. so, I used my makeshift table saw to cut "guide slots" in the ends, and a Japanese saw to cut the remainder. I left myself 16mm for the headstocks, but will probably plane down to more like 14~15mm. Anyway, I got to (finally) cut some wood for this build!
  7. charisjapan
    ... ... ... yeah.
  8. charisjapan
    So I made this neck out of a 2X4 a while back, thinking about a slightly angled snakehead. Might make an angled Mt. Fuji some day. In the meantime, I think I'll stick this on the SPF body to get a feel for ergonomics. Not much of a guitar, but maybe a fun decoration.
  9. charisjapan
    Size comparison with the Chinaberries ... 1/2" roundover ... I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've got several sharp edged instruments. I am rather pleased with the joint! And with a few "bevels" ... which I turned into something more like a larger roundover. This was to alter the shape subtly (slim-and-slant), and it's really comfortable to hold. I realize this won't show too much on a non-solid color, but the keyword is subtle. Now, about this experiment ... I really doubt it will be made into a playable guitar. It has a lot of history for me, but it's just too thin, the wood is too soft, and it's not exactly a tonewood. But I may put a 2X4 neck on it that I made last year, and hang it on the wall for fun ... or it might make a nice clock. But it was very instructional, helped me finalize my template, and the school kids are getting a kick out of it ... some remember the lectern!
  10. charisjapan
    Bingo! The cap WAS the wrong value ... and possibly not functioning at all! All fixed now, sounds great! Well, it sounded great with all pots wide open before, but now have full functionality. When I removed the cap, one leg just fell off ... not sure if it was working or not. But now the tone pot has a nice sweep from treble-muted to growl, and the volume pots have a more interactive sweep as well. As to the neck, I did some final action tweaking, and all is well. Happy to report that the Japanese Mountain Cherry IS a viable neck wood option, and stays straight and holds tune. I love the lighter tension strings and playing this scale wonder if I want to play a full scale bass again. This puppy (or maybe these p'ups!) has all the bass depth of my Stingray, but over 4 pounds lighter and more compact for our tight stage. I am guessing that the Q-tuner neodymium pickups are a significant part of the equation.
  11. charisjapan
    Better idea ... if I put the pickup on rails, I could infinitely adjust it! Even better idea ... make a lever adjustment like a whammy bar that I can move while playing!! Or ...
  12. charisjapan
    Busy weekend on the home front. Got a little work done today, making the new template. I like the new one a lot, a bit fuller, better balance, IMHO. Also, (finally!) got a spindle sander! I love it!! It came only with #60 drums, but the #120 and #240 drums came late in the day. Yesterday, I cut up a few old 2X6 ... REALLY old! These were from the skids of the small cargo box I send from Pittsburgh to Japan 30 years ago. That box was dismantled and used for all kinds of things, the 2X6s became a lectern that I used for 25 years. It got so wobbly, I retired and dismantled it, the legs were kind of warped and beat up. Great for a practice body blank! I used my router table as a jointer, and it glued up nicely. Now that it looks like a guitar, I might just ... make a guitar!
  13. charisjapan
    Hope all is well, please take care! Any time that's good for you, well take that trip to Shinkiba! (apparently, I am going to have to save up some cash for this!!)
  14. charisjapan
    Saturday practice with the Chinaberry Two, then just after Sunday gig. Loved it! Balance and ergonomics are absolutely perfect, weight is light ... One trouble is not a complaint, but it will take a bit more playing to get used to the short (30") scale. Hit a few sharp notes ... nobody noticed. Everybody liked the Mt. Fuji headstock! But ... as some noticed, the tropical fish cap is the wrong value. Everything wide open sounded great, but the tone control didn't work anything like the Chinaberry One. Will change out tomorrow. Altogether happy with my first scratch-build (even though it's not a 6-string ).
  15. charisjapan
    ... and your advice greatly appreciated! I was about to cut the Limba today, then came to the same conclusion ... will go digging in the woodpile tomorrow and see if I can glue up something. It'll only be 38mm, but if I like it, might make an SPF guitar someday!
  16. charisjapan
    Trying to keep some momentum ... in answer to a2k, this is the slightly enlarged lower bout, hard to see, but 15mm wider and 8mm deeper. The waist/horns are unchanged. Not much of an artist, but an idea for some bevels, along with a medium sized tummy cut on the back. The rest will be the same large radius roundover as the Chinaberries. Really hoping I can pull off a nice transition ... the bevels will be smooth-edged, not sharp. The idea is to keep the basic shape, but make the flat surface a little more "skinny-waisted" and "forward-leaning" (Jazzmaster?) to accent the multiscale neck. Please, anyone with ideas, bring them on!
  17. charisjapan
    Next week? Btw, tomorrow I practice with Chinaberry Two for Sunday gig ... Yay! (and hope to find out if I can hear any difference by changing the tone cap)
  18. charisjapan
    Why? 'Cuz I'm in Japan, and feel safe. I really want to get my hands on some Black Limba, but have never even seen it available here. I know it's not considered a terribly expensive wood, but shipping to Japan would put it into old-growth Honduran Mahogany territory. (which, strangely enough, I CAN get here!) Japan just doesn't have enough guitar builders to make the import of common wood. Ash and Alder are available, but incredibly expensive. Thanks for looking, and don't drool-short your keyboard! Cheers!
  19. charisjapan
    Beaujolais ...
  20. charisjapan
    After a bit of juggling, and realizing that the Padauk part of the headstock only goes as far as the Limba "snowcap." I think I can get two necks out of this! One for this build, and another Mt. Fuji with 228mm (Gibson) scale normal frets (24).
  21. charisjapan
    On another forum, I was advised to look into a passive treble/bass circuit by @Ripthorn. I like the idea! With minimum fuss, this can happen. Here's the link I found: Tonefiend PTB And here's what I got out of it ...
  22. charisjapan
    Na~h! Not feeling any pressure whatsoever. I haven't made the new template yet, but pretty sure to give it an extra 10mm, which would be the same as a LP, then accent bevels in the both front waists and forearm bout. Finally, a medium tummy cut, then the rest a generous radius like the Chinaberries. If I can pull off the transitions, it should keep the basic shape, but the flat top will look a bit slimmer-waisted and a bit more of a "forward slant" to draw attention to the fan-frets. ... if that makes any sense? I am not much of an artist, but pencil-shading my outline seems to work. I like the horns ... reminds me of Beaujolais' snout!
  23. charisjapan
    Thanks, Scott! I am seriously considering getting a set of black Hipshot tuners and juggling the pieces, too ... especially if I can figure out a way to remove the locking knob (tiny hex?). Of course, by doing this, I am setting myself up for another build using Filter'Trons ... my supplier has the Brian Setzer set in stock. Hmmm ...
  24. charisjapan
    The bridges switched out, and why. Made a neck template so I can start to imagine what I'm doing. I got a pair of Stew-Mac rasps, and they even work on MDF ... which clogs up any other rasp with two swipes. I can get 10-15 swipes, then just tap it a bit and unclogged. Also, trying to ruin the bearings on my drill press, but they are still tight. Just kidding, but have decided to pop for an inexpensive spindle sander. And all together ...
  25. charisjapan
    Hmmm ... sounds like a good excuse to experiment! Whatever these are now, I would like to try a proven 0.047uF cap. Mainly, these are Q-tuner neodymium pickups, and the winder was pretty strong in suggesting 500K pots and 0.047uF caps ... and no active circuit. I'm already messing with a normal bass "formula" with a short scale (less tension) and unusual woods. But in any case, I gig on Sunday, and can A>B>C with the Chinaberry One and my MusicMan SR4 as is, then will change the cap to the Yellow/Violet/Orange cap to see if things change. Yeah, have charts that were up on the wall when I was actively building amps, but not nearly as necessary these days. Now I have multiple mobile devices to find erroneous info or misread good info, lol!
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