Southpa

So now we got everyone measuring their nuts... Its hard to replace with new nuts of the exact dimensions of the old one. I usually go down to the local "nut store", with one of my old nuts in hand, and look for the closest match. Then shave it until I'm satisfied. I bought a bone blank for a classical acoustic I own which measures about 2-1/16" long. To make it fit your Washburn would be relatively easy, just try to copy the old nut.

I have Grovers on one of my acoustics and installed mini-Grovers on my last solidbody project. And I still have spare set to go on my next guitar. The full-size ones are a little on the heavy side, as far as tuners go, but last a long time.

Poly is fine but expect hairline cracks at wood joints. It happened to me. Wood WILL expand and contract with temp/humidity conditions and , unfortunately, poly doesn't like to stretch. My last guitar finish looks like the bartop at your local pub. I laid it on THICK. Mostly because I didn't use grain filler on the mahogany. But once you get above that level its easy going. I sprayed every 2nd day over a 2 hr period, 3 to 4 coats within that period. Light scuffing with 320 and a once-over with a tack rag before every spray session. Don't press too hard with the tack rag, sticky residue left behind and the poly WON'T stick. There are about 15 coats laid down. After a couple weeks I gave it a quick once-over with 320 to 400 grit to get larger blemishes, drips etc. out. If I hit wood anywhere I laid down more poly. I wetsanded with grits ranging from 600 to 2000. Don't use the coarser grits on sharp edges/corners. If you break thru to wood you got trouble. Poly is hard to patch to look uniform. Thats why its wise to lay lots down in the first place. Flat areas were sanded with a rigid block while curves etc. with a sponge block. I hand polished with Meguiar's step 2 polish and swirl remover. Yes I'm still happy.

yes, I'm back from working on the mainland with the herring fishery. Did a couple long graveyard shifts etc. , basically on 24 hr call, until things started to peter out. Got home to a pile of bills. I won't get paid 'til the end of the month so I'm basically following the "in for a penny..." scenario. We are all in debt some way or another so the credit card paid the bills. Was tempted to use the extra to buy a cheap digital camera but my better judgement took over. On the brighter side my erstwhile stolen guitar is back in its womb where it was created..welcome HOME man! Its a shame I had to pay 200 bucks to get it back but thats the way it goes. The weather is starting to smarten up a little bit, ie. warmer in the daytime so I will soon be smelling that sweet mahogany dust again. My primary workshop happens to be the workbench I set up in the back yard, . I'm working on an SG stainless pickguard for the next "baby" and got some Metadi diamond polishing compound from my bro, up to 1/4 micron grit. Lots of rubbing and polishing ahead.

I just got called for work with the herring fishery. Been waiting for the last week for this call and it tends to be a real "hurry up and wait" sort of business. So I'll cyas in a week or two.

Exactly. It doesn't matter, the truss rod will cover 95% of the neck anyway so it won't make any difference in its performance. I always rout my truss rod channel BEFORE I shape the sides and back of the neck ie. while its still square. But you aren't screwed yet. I found its easier to rout a truss rod slot from above so you can see what is going on. Clamp your neck down onto a table and set up a guide (for the router) so it is aligned as if the neck were still square. There is a certain order to making your neck and I think you should sit back and think about everything that needs to be done to completion before continuing. Figure out what sort of problems/difficulties might arise if you did one thing before another. Its all common sense. I don't start ANY project until I have it right in my head. During that time I am constantly working out ways to get things done the easiest way possible with the resources I have on hand. Hard lasts much longer, but you need to work a little harder at levelling and dressing. Sometimes its worth the 70 bucks Stewmac charges for the REAL diamond fret files.

I was (and still am) very interested in this concept. But I'm not going to attempt it until I've personally played on one of these fretboards and decide whether or not I like it. But the reasoning, as far as intonation goes, is sound. I know that the intonation system for regular fixed pitch instruments ie. guitars, is not perfect. Having a separate scale length for each string makes it so they (strings) are not dependent on each other where intonation is concerned. Anyway, here is a site I found on how to throw one together involving the use of 1/2" aluminum angle stock. Just measure out for the 2 outside strings and everything in the middle will fall into place. http://www.doolinguitars.com/articles/novax/

I would think the straightest, tightest wood grain would be the best for sustain. Basic physics states that soundwaves travel fastest and farthest thru dense, homogenous material. Any joints or grain imperfections will cause the vibrations to alter from their intended path. That said, I believe a neckthrough guitar would have the best properties. I'm still working out a way to have the nut AND bridge mounted on the same piece of wood. Maybe use a neck that widens at the bridge area to encompass the mounting studs. Of course, this still has to be proven but I aim to check it out...someday.

The filler should be applied with the grain then scrape off at a 45 degree angle to the grain. So, as is, the surface of the guitar is level? That is, the white areas were low spots? If that is the case I would scrape off what you can with a putty knife, if its still gummy, and then sand flat with a rigid sanding block. Just check the surface from every angle with a straight edge like a steel ruler looking for gaps and pinch points (humps).

The stwemac rod requires a 7/32" wide slot but thats only really necessary at the anchor blocks. You can use 1/4" bit but should shim the blocks in solid afterwards to prevent any rattling. The standard length for a normal size guitar (standard scale, short scale , doesn't matter) is the 18" truss rod. As far as "where" you rout depends on where you want to place the fretboard, allowing for a spot to get adjustment access. Heres a tip for keeping things clean when gluing and clamping the fretboard. Just prior to applying glue lay down a strip of 3/4" masking tape over the length of the slot, spread the glue on the neck face and then pull the tape off. This keeps the immediate area around the truss rod free of glue. Set and clamp the fretboard.

You need a rasp. They are fairly inexpensive, can get a set of 3, round, half-round and flat. Best thing I ever used for roughing in and getting the basic shapes down.

Tools can go the same way as guitars, ie. sometimes the name itself on the tool will hike the price without adding a whole lot to performance and durability. I was out shopping for a jigsaw the other day and noticed the extremes in pricing. Cdn Tire was selling bargain basement 3 amp jigsaws (Jobmate brand) for $24.99 while another place was selling the same size Makita for $120. I opted to buy the Mastercraft 3.2 amp jigsaw for about $30 from Cdn Tire just to cut a hole through a countertop to mount my double kitchen sink. I'm sure it will cut through my 2" thick mahogany without burning out. But I can't see the Makita being $80 better than the lower cost brands. I just stay away from brand names out of Taiwan etc. that I've never heard of before. Its also easy enough to handle the tool and see where the weak points might be. If I buy a machine that has certain adjustment areas I usually test them out by moving the areas around and putting a little bit of stress on them. Things like adjustment screws inserted into plastic or cast aluminum are bound to strip sooner or later. Lots of other obvious things to look for. I never buy online, like guitars, I need to hold it in my hands before yanking out my wallet. Also, if a tool isn't used or stored correctly its surely not going to last as long as you'd want.

Are ALL the frets coming loose? If thats the case then I guess it is because the fret slots were too big and the glue used 12 years ago has cracked or denatured somehow. That said, obviously the only thing that was holding the frets in the first place was the glue. If that is the case you can buy a tool called a fret tang resizing pliers which will allow the frets to fit into a wider slot. With the proper fit you can do away with using glue altogether. If you plan to remove the frets and then replace you should exercise caution when removing. Those frets that are still firmly seated by glue have to be removed very carefully to avoid pulling up surrounding fretboard chips. Your best bet is to heat the frets with a large soldering iron first. This will soften the glue and the fret will just slide out.

Good point derek, unfortunately thats the only size they had available. Its ok tho, I just happen to have some 3/4" thick scrap particle board material handy for making templates. I could make 2 passes with that then remove the template and use the area just cut as a template to finish.

I've learned my lessons too. Since my spray booth happens to be my back yard, I don't spray on windy days. I've had good results at spraying laquer on a hanging guitar, the stuff sticks like sh*t to a blanket, pardon the lingo. Never had one run yet. But poly is an entirely different aminal. Its VERY heavy stuff when compared to laquer. Sometimes you think you can manage just one more coat, next thing you see is that curtain effect as the poly sliiiides down.

I plan on building another neck thru myself. But it won't look like a neckthru until you see the butt end of the guitar. I want the grain on the wings to meet (bookmatch) so I will cut the body portion of the neck smaller to fit inside channels routed in each wing. This will also give me a sort of mortise and tenon joint for attaching the wings together. Wish me luck, .

Its always good to have everything clear and up front. Too many friends are lost because of misgivings and misunderstandings. I would have initially set up the deal where your friend decides on what hardware he wants, then buys it and supplies it to you. From there you can dicker over the cost of your woodworking, finishing, assembling etc. You can always expect to take a few financial hits when making a guitar for someone else. But thats how things get started, if your friend likes what he gets and feels he didn't pay too much for it then he will surely tell his friends and acquaintances about your work when they approach him and say, "MY! What a NICE guitar you have there!"

Hear ye! Hear ye! I am nowe in ye olde chatte room! Its 7:30 PST, will hang arounde.

Cutter length is 3/4" juuuust right. I could manage a pickup cavity in 2 passes.

Sure, 100 is ok to start with, just make sure you glue the paper to a flat, rigid sanding block to get a nice flat face. Then you can go to 220 or so before gluing and clamping.

OK, just picked one up at Lumberworld. Funny, they only had one size, luckily it was the one I was looking for, 1/2" top bearing flush trim bit. Cost was $21.99 Cdn and they have an "exchange-a-bit" policy where I can return it when it gets dull and replace for only $12.99... good deal .

Not a good fit between mating surfaces. You'd best break them apart and try to sand both surfaces as flat and flush as possible. Only glue when you are sure your joint is fine as a hairline.

Yesterday was out searching for one of those router bits that have a shaft mounted bearing. I checked Home Depot and another place, both had a huge assortment of various shapes and sizes of router bits but none available for working off a template from above. What gives? Both places told me there wasn't a large demand for such equipment so no reason to stock them.

HMMM, all my bits have the bearings at the wrong end. I guess I should buy one w/ the bearing on the shank. 1/2" X 1/2" seems like the most useful size. Time to get the hang of making templates.

Here is what I usually do. When I'm sure I have enough clear finish and the laquer has cured for a good time, I start wetsanding. You can check the hardness of your laquer with a fingernail and see if it dents easily, I usually just wait a few days but it also depends on curing time between coats. The basic idea is to remove any blemishes like orange peel texture, bumps etc. to get a near perfect, smooth surface. I start with 600 grit paper and affix it to a rigid, flat sanding block for the flat areas of the guitar and a sponge pad for curves. Keep a roll of paper towels handy for this. I dip the sandpaper in a bowl of water and rub the surface of the guitar in small circular motions. You can hear and feel the rasping of the paper working on the finish. The result will be a milky liquid which should be blotted up very frequently. Each time you mop up the water check your work. Make sure you don't break thru the laquer by only applying very light pressure, let the paper do the work. You can tell when you are finished with an area by a visual check and you can sort of feel the paper "hydroplane" over the finish. Your orange peel ends up looking like golfball dimples and your bumps spread out after a while. You are looking for that happy medium where the lows meet the highs for a level surface. Thats why its important to make sure you have enough clearcoat laid down. Go over the whole guitar with 600 grit then repeat with a finer paper, whatever is available. I had success by going from 600 to 1200 or 1500 then 2000, and 2500 if available. You can find the finer grits at autobody supply stores. Once that is done and I'm satisfied with my results I give the guitar a real hard going over with Meguiar's Deep Crystal System step 2 polish on a clean soft rag. Here are the results of all that rubbing, I can see myself!