MP63

I just thought of something... What about the Steinberger tuners on the body end, with the back slightly routed out so that the tuners are just above the front face of the guitar. The head would be parallel with fingerboard line and have back ferrules and the Stew-Mac front ferrules for "tail-less" guitars. So, the string would feed through the back ferrules and come out the front ferrules. The head would be about 1" thick, but be short and stubby. Hey, it ain't going for a beauty contest. This is getting more interesting...hmmm? Has anyone used Stew-Mac's front ferrules? Thanks, Mike

Thanks for the sugestions. There seems to be a lot to concider. This idea was primarily to use up the piece of wood I had, but now I want to see if I can do it first and not just make it a gimick guitar. I want to try it on a cheap guitar and see what the best angles will be. The bridge needs to be higher than the tuners, so maybe recessing the tuners might work, or I can cut an angle like Rickenbacker does on the tailpiece end. Lots to think about. The biggest is getting the strings to line up for the bridge. Since the spacing that the tuners will be at will be greater than the bridge spacing, something has to bring them closer together. I am not a machinist and buying something too expensive will defeat the purpose and challenge of this idea. That's where the strap buttons would come into play. I definitly will post pics of what I complete. Thanks for the help.

The reason being, besides the length, was to allow easy tuning while the left hand is still fretting the string. There's a guitar on a Telecaster Gallery site that shows a great idea, although it is complex to make. My only problem was to make something that would lessen the string angle from the tuners to better match the bridge. I thought of using strap buttons to have the strings to wrap around so that the strings line up just like the bridge spacing. I would route out the back side of a guitar at the edge where the tuners would go. It WILL look weird but how it functions is the key. I plan on getting a used, cheap Squire type guitar to do this on. Cut the head and install furrules to the back of the headstock nub. Just thinking and seeing what the feedback is. The other option is to install the bridge/tailpiece at the edge of the body to allow the most space at the head. Thanks, Mike

Anyone have ideas or pictures of headless guitars that aren't Steinberger or Horner? Has anyone made a guitar with the tuners mounted on the body? Regular tuners? I have a short piece of wood that is just a hair too short for the regular headstock. If I can create a tuner mounted body design, I should be OK. I have a couple of ideas, but not sure if the practical aspect will really work. Thanks, Mike

I tried what you said, but no luck. I still need to manually check for new messages. I know the computer is set right, as I get Reranch web site notices all the time. Hmm. I will explore futher. Thank you, Mike

Thanks fells. That's just what I needed to hear (or read). I feel better and safer now that I learned a little about the differences. Nice to have someone assist with explaining something rather than criticizing Both were helpful Mike

Both.

I thought I set my forum controls correctly, but I still don't get e-mail notices to my replies? What must I be doing wrong? Let me know and I'll give it a go. Thanks for the help. Mike

I have a Seymour Duncan '59 humbucker. I plan on making a simple guitar with one single volume control and that's it. Often, I'll read something or hear one comment on coil-tapping, having pickups out-of-phase or in-series and the like. What do they really do to the sound? Will it be something I might consider, knowing what pickup I plan on using? Will I miss out on something so fantastically special that I need to install these options or do I leave it as, with one volume? I just don't want the guitar to be full of bells and whistles that will never get used...like the tone control on every electric I own. Tone controls, when not on 10, always make a guitar sound like a wet towel has been jammed up into the speaker cabinet. They end up being more of a muffle control. Thanks for any help and suggestions, Mike

Thank you mattia. I like the lower angles like 10 degrees, because it allows more wood to be used and can provide more gluing surface. My only concern was the possibility of string buzz due to lower string pressure on the nut. I have a Rickenbacker 12-string and it is very shallow and has no buzz, so that makes me feel a bit more secure. I thought the "under fingerbaord" joint would provide more protection as the fingerboard is, in essence, a big veneer. You find the headstock glue joint better? I thing it is easier, but for strength, I don't know. Do you veneer both sides of the headstock when gluing up at the headstock? Many thanks, Mike

What is the opinion on the best scarf joint? Two types I am interested in. One: Fingerboard on top of the joint. That's where the peghead piece is glued to the cut edge of the neck. Not requiring a headplate veneer because the glue joint is under the fingerboard. Two: Headplate veneer on the glue joint. Where the peghead piece is glued to the underside of the neck. Veneer required on the headstock because the glue joint is at the headstock. Question 2; What is the best headstock angle? I am looking at a 10 degree to 12 degree angle. I don't think I need that sharp an angle. Fender and Rickenbacker's angles are very shallow. Gibson's is very sharp and needs a more precise joint as the gluing surface is smaller then the shallower angles. 13 - 15 degrees seems way too sharp for me. Opinions please. (I don't have the computer skills to draw that out and post it. Sorry) Thanks for any help, Mike

Headplates are veneers, but thicker. They run about 2-3mm. I think you put one on already. They really add strength to the wood where the grain runs out. It helps resist the breaking of the head you were talking about. It looks nice no matter what you've put. Great work.

Have you thought about a headplate? Thay are thicker than a veneer and will add lots of strength to the headstock. Ebony makes a great contrast to the MOP. You can still glue it to the peghead and have the nut area just abit deeper for the nut. Check LMI and see what they got. Many places have the wood and the can sand them for you. The guitar is looking great. Do you have pictures of the neck pocket? I may have missed that. Thanks for the pictures and documentation. Mike

Thanks fellas for the suggestions. It's mainly the damn sanding that gets me. I just bought some cherry wood for a body. See how that goes. It's a beautiful piece. I just cut some plywood for a little table I was making for the "shop." That thing had my skin going too. I am becoming senstive to many things now, but plywood was expected as it's nothing but chemicals mixed with a little wood. I'll keep you posted.... Thanks again, Mike

If spruce is used for acoustic tops that are only 3/32" thick and handling all the string tension, then why not for a neck? How much of the wood choice is just "old habits" and how much is really proven? Any ideas? Thanks, Mike

I was in the process of making a guitar with a maple/mahogany/maple through the body guitar, with mahogany sides. Just as I was sanding another mahogany bodied guitar, I started to break-out with weird blotches and itchiness on my exposed parts, especially the face. I know enough about anaphyilactic shock where any allergic reaction is a warning sign that the body just doesn't like that thing you happen to be next to. Breathing problems are a risk too. It usually affects those sensitivity to multiple objects like I am becoming, so the vast majority will probabalty never have any reacton to any wood, or mild ones at the most. I'm finding out that it can happen at any age and any time. Gosh dang it, NOW it hits me. I'm pretty sure it is mahogany because after I bagged the wood and put it away, the symptoms began to subside. So my question is: What's a good mahogany substitute for neck wood? I'm hoping for a domestic wood and not a very exoctic one, as they tend to be the most reactive for sensitive people. I just became reactive to avocados! And I almost planted two avocado trees in my back yard! What the ...? Hey, I'm well, in a great country with great friends and family, and I ain't putting my life on the line like my brave brothers and sisters overseas are. God bless them all. So what's a little wood allergy? Thanks for the help, Mike

Here's another site that might be easier to read: http://www.gvwg.ca/docs/Articles/WoodToxicity.htm What have you guys found is the safest of woods to use? I worked at a factory 22years ago and all they used was maple and poplar. Never a problem. About 15 yeras ago I used Phillipine mahogany for a neck and I got a rash all over my body. These past two weeks I was sanding a mohogany body and I am getting a reaction to something. Might be the wood. I can't be sure. I'm going for an allergy test this next week, that will test for mutiple things including woods. If it is mahogany, I will need to rid myself of my 2x24x48 beautiful piece of mahogany and my 2x8x40 piece of zebrawood. I have an unused mahogany guitar set that might have to go too. We'll see what it is. It sucks getting old. To be young and stupid again is just priceless. Stupid, my wife says, I never grew out of. I tell her that I wasn't that stupid when I married her 10 years ago, then she just smiles and tells me that I can have lapses in my stupidity. What good is guitar making if it makes you sick? Maple acoustics sound nicer anyways. Thanks for this great topic. Mike

I have a couple of twelve-string Rickenbackers, and the ability to adjust two sides is nice. I am still thinking about the string balance issue. Even though the 4,5 and 6 strings are bigger, the core isn't that much bigger than the thicker plain strings. Do the wraps make it that much harder? I also thought about what you guys have suggested about the three big strings equaling the pull of the "six" higher strings. That guitar will have no frets beyond the 16th fret. The reason was that the last guitar I fretted took a beating above the body because of no suppoert. Then I thought, who really frets beyond the 15th anyways? Maybe on an electric, but on a non-cutaway acoustic? OK, maybe on one song for just about 10 seconds. Instead, I will inlay the fretboard with fancy stuff where the frets would have been. I will definitely post a picture. Thanks for all you help. Mike

Maybe I can help a bit SMellmo. The middle of the scale is the 12th fret. Measure from the inside edge of the nut to the 12th fret. Then measure from the 12th fret to the saddle. That should confirm the right measurement. The only thing to remember is COMPENSATION. That is the affect that fretting does to the string. Because it stretches the string a bit, and therefore raises the pitch, the bridge saddle needs to be a bit farther back than the "exact middle" location. How far back depends on the scale (shorter scales are tougher to keep in tune than longer scales) and the string size, etc. The Irving Sloane scale ruler includes compensation, which is about 1/8" to 3/16". That's what you see on acoustic guitars. The bigger strings get more compensation, so the saddle is put further back on the bass side. If you want to figure out your own scale, then you have to read up on the "rule of 18" Which says that the first fret is 1/18th the scale. Then the next fret is 1/18th of the remaining scale. It's actually some number like 19.8787878787, so it's rounded off to 18. But, if you jack up just one measurement, then the whole thing is ruined. Better to use the fret rulers. Places like Luthier's Mercanatile can slot any scale on a fingerboard. I don't know who else might have that feature. Any help? Mike

Try wood bleaching. I've not done it, but I have heard many say it works good. Try going to a Rockler store and asking around. It's not that bad, really.

I'm in the Los Angeles, California area. I'm wondering if a finish from, say, Min-Wax and those similar that are available in most areas might be good. Thanks, Mike

I'm searching for a tobacco stain for an old acoustic. I have some Mcfadden's lacquer, but am trying to find something locally; really don't to wait one week for a single order of stain from Stew Mac or Luthier's Mercantile. What's a good, local stain? Something my local hardware store might have. Thanks, Mike

I just was't sure about any weird twisting because of one side having only three as opposed to six strings. Thanks

Many years ago I saw an ad for an Alvarez, 9-string acoustic. The 1-2-3 strings were doubled and the 4-5-6 strings were single. It was advertised as having the best of both worlds. A singing chorus on the treble and definition on the bass. I thought of building one, but wanted to make sure that this wasn't something I would regret. I'm not too sure if one truss rod would be enough for balancing this thing out. Anybody have experience with something like this? Thanks for the help. Mike

Brand new to this forum. My first post. Seeing all the topics has me entusiastic about asking questions and learning all I can about my guitars. I used to build guitars as a hobby over twenty years ago, and now, time and work allows me to restart my passion. I look forward to writing to all those who care to share their experience and knowledge. Did I sound too formal? Well, I thought I'd make a good impression. You know, it's just like my first impression to my father-in-law. He bought it....now he regrets it, sort of.. Take care all, and thanks in advance for any and all information. Mike