charisjapan
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Everything posted by charisjapan
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Not really a poll, but really would like to get your thoughts on knobs. This is a passive circuit, so just unified tone, bridge and neck volumes. This body is so compact, there's not a lot of room ... but I don't mind, as I don't fiddle with controls a lot. I'm concerned about aesthetics more than ergonomics, so ... what looks best? Or something else entirely?
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The pickup routing template I got worked nice. I may have to go a bit deeper, but won't know until the foam "springs" arrive later today. Bridge position is set, and started cutting the brass nut slots. Now that I know the neck angle works, I have to deepen some of the fret slots ... well, most of them. The fretboard was way too thick. And this is what the Q-tuner pickups with locust wood covers looks like.
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Picture worth more than two words! Mrs. Charisjapan and I took Beaujolais to an outlet mall the other day ... in the shadow of ________.
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Did some measuring, and looking good. (Phew!) The neck has a slight back bow, maybe 1 mm with no tension on the truss rod. I expect adding strings will bring that straight, or maybe even a bit more, but hoping the truss rod will get me where I want to be. As it is, the bridge location is spot on for length, needs to be about 0.9 mm left from my original centerline (pretty happy about that!) and smack dab in the middle of the height adjustment. I was surprised to find that this Hipshot bridge allows about 2 mm of side-to-side saddle adjustment, which allows me to fine tune the string spacing ... cool! Overall, happy camper! Oh, yeah ... I "sharpened" the end of the soft-V neck a bit, after confirming I wouldn't expose the carbon fiber rods. It feels great so far, and looking forward to my first "tailor-made-for-me" guitar!! Last picture is the brass nut coming along. The marks are 1st fret height and approximate string bottom ... which I will probably go below after confirming location and playability. After slotting, will sand it down and polish. Do you clearcoat the brass, or just let it age? My first brass nut, so a learning experience.
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Finally got time to drill for the neck bolts. The weird pattern is because of the carbon fiber rods ... something I should have thought about beforehand, yeah? I forgot to install the 6 mm flange nuts before gluing the fretboard on (sigh ... again, forgot to think) so went with screw in inserts. It went well, but I was really worried about splitting the wood at the base of the heel. Clamped before installing, 1/4 turn in, 1/8 out ... repeat 20 times ... and they went in just fine. Next routed around the bolt holes to sink them flush. Three of the bolts screwed right in, but one must have got a tad cocked, so is a bit "squeaky" ... but has loosened up after a few times. Now to check alignment and height. [
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Yup! Looking forward to how it will work with the tuners ... it's a bit cramped. And I'm looking at tweaking the headstock for a 6-string.
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And a side-by-side comparison shot. Similarities are both are from the same slab of Chinaberry wood, and share basic body dimensions. Differences abound ... 30" and 34" scale ... headed and headless ... cherry/cherry and maple/rosewood neck ... jazz pair and single humbucker ... brass and zero-fret nut. Both are passive electronics, but I imagine they will sound a bit different.
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Three weeks and Page 2! Was laid up with Type B Influenza ... don't get that! A few things done. but little documentation, sorry.
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Hey Phad, Apparently, clamps "make the world go 'round," so you will need at least 40 more just to get started. Just kidding, but you should look out for sales on sets of clamps ... Spring clamps are handy and cheap. Get a couple sizes ... I have about 10 of the 50mm jaws and 4 of the 20mm. Bar clamps can apply a lot of pressure and have a wide clamping range. Too cheap and they can be a bit "wiggly" ... maybe look at Amazon reviews? I probably have about 20 of these in a few sizes. By the way, the painted wood handle in this picture is slippery ... rubberized handles are easier to grip! Eventually you will want to clamp something wide, and since these just use water pipe for length, are pretty inexpensive, yet sturdy. I have 2 pair (for now) About that neck shim ... make sure your saddles are set at about the middle of their up/down adjustment when you measure, so you can adjust up or down for fine-tuning afterward. Don't glue the shim in until you have done a basic setup. You don't want to have to shave the shim! Indeed, get a "feel" for sanding and finishing before you attack your body. Especially with stain, which is hard to re-do. But each piece of wood will react differently, so to get your desired color for the final, stain/paint inside the cavities to see what you have. Also, remember that your body, being a multi-piece, will have different characteristics of soak and texture. Keep that in mind to get the finish you want. Having fun, eh?
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Phad, Good show! One of the things luthiers do best is fill holes that are 1) in the wrong place, 2) of the wrong size, 3) unnecessary, or 4) all the above. Often, a toothpick is the answer, sometimes more than one. But remember these are not the strongest of woods, so maybe try to have some nice dowels over various diameters handy. The neck plate is about the strongest way to hold the neck, so find access to a drill press. Even then, it may be a little hard to match the holes to the existing holes in the neck (even factory holes wander a bit), but it's a good thing to learn. Good news, the plate covers a multitude of holes. So I can see your neck is aligned pretty nicely, but how much height will you need for the shim? Can't help but mention ... that is one serious shim clamp!!
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Neck Pocket Blues ... in Am. Of course, the best answer is to make an exact-sized block of similar wood to fit the present pocket, glue it in, then re-rout with your new router! But considering that particular piece of wood with a Squier neck and parts ... a business card will do the trick just fine. Even better with the maple cards! You could glue and clamp it into the sides and bottom of the pocket to make it a tad more toneful, but the difference between that and wood shims (even if they are primo tonewood!) is negligible. I would not use cheap cardboard or foam rubber, however (ya gotta draw the line somewhere!). About routers, I have a Hitachi MV-12E that is incredible ... but not sure if it's sold in Canada. Beware! Once you get a nice router, you WILL want a table, and high-quality (aka expensive) bits, and height adjustment, and featherboards, and stops, and dust collection, and ... well, you get the idea. AND, you get to make sleds and boxes and radius jigs and ... But Wait! There's more! You will want another router (or two) so you don't have to unscrew the first router and attach it elsewhere. IF you are careful, all the above can be added without attracting too much unwanted attention. Finish Build One (quickly), play some music that your wife and kids like, and Build Two is in the bag!!
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Knightro Guitars 2017
charisjapan replied to KnightroExpress's topic in In Progress and Finished Work
Knightro, As always, the 7 looks great. The top is fantastic. Yowzer! is that your chambering template for the maple?! Good on ya, man! -
Phad, As you said, you have enough to build a guitar. In fact, enough to build a guitar AND an extra body! Stripping, prepping and finishing the Squier will be a great experience as well ... I heartily recommend you do that. As you mentioned earlier, a router is a great tool for a scratch-build ... think about one that will fit into a table, and also about making a router sled box. All kinds of fun awaits!
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So got the neck profile into a "C" using #60 sandpaper with little drama, but trying to get a "V" was hard ... until I broke out my new spokeshave. Wow! The perfect tool for this, IMHO. In just a few minutes I hade a basic profile, easy to see and feel the profile change from "D" at 17th fret, to "C" at 12th, to "Soft-V" from the 7th to 1st. With a 7 mm thick fretboard, I should have a pretty smooth 26 mm at the 17th fret to 25 mm at the 1st fret.
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Nope! Just the CNCed body and a well-built pre-finished neck. Not a cheap option by any measure, but less expensive than buying quality wood and all the tools necessary to create a pre-finished guitar. If you want to nurture this hobby, take Choice #1 and see it through. Even a twisted neck (to a certain degree) can be overcome, and a finished guitar would be a source of pride. And you will know if you want to start investing in "the Rabbit Hole."
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Hey Phad, As much as I hate to say it, you might want to re-boot. Any neck you purchase (even a very expensive one), runs the risk of not fitting your body. There just is no reliable standardization except a true Fender or a Fender-licensed product. Apparently, your body is not that. Choice 1) Stick with what you have, make it work the best you can ... gain experience for the building process, not a perfect result. Choice 2) Get that inexpensive kit ... honestly, it might not be much better quality than what you presently have. Choice 3) Get a proven quality kit ... Precision Guitar Kits - Tele Style My experience was much the same as yours ... bought a cheap guitar and a few aftermarket bodies and necks. After a lot of failed (and embarrassing) guitars, ended up buying licensed parts, then later got a quality kit from Precision. Wished I had just got the Precision in the first place. Cheers! Randy
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Got a bit done on the neck. Carbon fiber rods epoxied in, truss rod fits, headstock shape done. Started carving ... presently a "D" to a "C" and working toward a "C" to a "Soft-V." Beginning to look like a guitar neck ... which makes the work fun, not a chore!!
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Thanks, Andy! 5mm, 8mm, and 5mm from a 30mm board. Lost 12mm from the saw wandering around the burl and knot, as well as a bit of movement after cutting. Those rightward sides have some nice chatoyance.
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My inlays. Resawed this by hand ... I might invest in a bandsaw someday. (or just go all "Popeye" )
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Hey a2k, That is not the fingerboard I'll be using for this guitar, just a cutoff I used to test the radius and frets. In fact, that piece became my fret miter! The board I will be using is almost all white sapwood, and will use some dark cherry for the fret marker inlays. As yet, that part is a secret. (which is code for "I haven't decided yet") I cut the fret slots today ... was obsessing about this, and trying to figure out how to do it without spending $300 at Stew-Mac. I came up with using the test fretboard, as it had a radius on top to help me guide the saw. Before anyone says something, I know it's not "the way" to make perfect slots. But I've been eyeballing for a long time, so we'll just see how it turns out.
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Hey Phad, saw the pics. That's about what you expect from an inexpensive body, but not a "firewood" situation. I would imagine a piece of quality card stock would just about make that neck fit in the pocket tight. Not the best material, but quite nearly as hard as that body wood. And put it on the treble side, which is shorter and not quite as visible from the players POV. Again, shim up the pocket with a light-colored piece of wood and then rout it down to exact height, or (gasp!) use a few layers of card stock. I know it sounds terrible, but a high-quality white card stock is going to be easier to make flat and will be just as solid as inexpensive wood. And when you paint or stain, nobody will know what the material is. I know are just using this as a "test" of your abilities and interest, so don't try to make a silk purse ... just get that neck in there reasonably tight and it will sound like a Telecaster. Taking that paint off the Squier is going to be a chore, period. I have used paint stripper, heat gun, and sandpaper ... and all three on one body. I liked the paint stripper best, but still had to sand out . Remember, they use thick paint to cover imperfections in the wood ... hopefully not to much bondo. (that's a joke, but you never know!) Don't mess with the Squier neck, as you may end up putting it on that body someday. I am in the midst of making my first scratch-built neck. It's a chore, but you might get the bug bad and be looking for mahogany or maple soon.
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Hey Phad, Nice score on the Squier, and great about the pickups, too! How was that neck pickup held in place with only one screw adjuster? About using that neck in the unfinished body, it might be easier to add a wood shim in the pocket of the body than to add wood to the neck. You will be finishing the body, and can find some way to hide the addition, which is probably easier than trying to match the neck's maple. The other concern I can see is that the neck seems to be sitting in a different fore-aft position. You should check the Squier neck's scale by measuring from the nut to the 12th fret, which should be approximately the same as the 12th fret to the "e" bridge saddle. make sure your new body has the pickup rout in about the same place as the donor body. Or just measure the back of the neck pocket to the front of the pickup rout ... they should be about the same. Often, a kit-making outfit will change some of those measurements to suit their manufacturing facilities, to keep from being exactly the same as the real Fender, or ... just because. Check that scale before you do any work! An aside, but for further experiemce, why not strip that Squier body (which is a chore!) and then finish that first? It will really help you to "know" the Tele shape more intimately, and how to go about sanding and finishing your kit. Have fun!!
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Okay, so an "Ovation" strat! SRD, I think the concept is valid, but maybe the ergonomics won't work very well. I'm not an expert by any measure, but my own take on the strat (and I love most everything about them but the scale) is that the tummy cut and the arm contour combine to give a "wraparound" feel, a "snugness" that would be lost with your design. To me a strat needs that flat back to make the contours work. If weigh is one of your major concerns, then the easiest way is to do some weight relief under your "cap." Or ... thin the whole body 1/4~3/8". One of the nicest strats I ever held was an early MIJ, total body thickness was 1-5/8" and the tummy cut and arm contour were more aggressive than any I have experienced. It was factory original ... kind of like a Japan market Custom Shop. Lightweight and drop-dead gorgeous. ... just my thoughts.
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Love the control cavity cover matching the through-neck! I'm hoping to build a 6-string multiscale, probably Gibby-to-Fender scale, and think the perpendiclular 1st like your, or possible 3rd is where I'm leaning. ... I'll just wait until you're done to decide!
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Today was testing my fretsaw and how it cut the cherry. I used a cutoff that has both heartwood and sapwood, but this particular guitar will have about 95% white sapwood. (I was able to get three more fretboard blanks, two are "two-tone" like this, another mostly white) The board is exactly the same radius as the Stew-Mac 12" and HOSCO 305mm sanding blocks, so I guess the JESCAR frets are pre-bent to a tad smaller radius. Just pressing down with my thumb they match the board, so I imagine they will work just fine pressed in with a caul and using Titebond. I feel I've turned the corner to finishing my first scratch-build ... and already actively thinking about a 6-string!
