Southpa

OK, judging by the pics your headstock is still glued onto the neck and still solid? If that is the case then all you have to do is some cosmetic work. That is, fill the holes with a wood filler, sand smooth and then lay down a solid coat of paint. If you aren't sure about the strength of the headstock then there is only one solution. Restring the guitar and tune it up to standard. Leave it that way for a while and see what happens. If the headstock cracks or breaks off then you know for sure. Your only option after that is to rout out slots for hardwood plugs that will span the break area, ie. mortice and tenon joints. Glue and clamp solid and then reshape the joint area. Thats about all you can do to keep the neck looking stock without adding pins, bolts etc.

I was given a no name classical that had that characteristic hump around the 12th fret. Since the guitar was worth next to nothing, I opted to yank the frets in that area and sand the bejeezus out of the fret board. Then I reset the frets and did a quick levelling. Your straightedge never lies. Check the neck over with a steel ruler and try to envision the profile you have and what it would take to get it flat again. If the hump is a gradual thing like Brian mentioned then you might just need to adjust. Otherwise, you can try a bit of heating and clamping, or go the route I took with the classical.

There are ways to fix a broken off headstock. It depends on the nature of the break and how well the two pieces still fit together. Got any pictures? If its an even break you could rout out 2 slots that span the break area and then insert hardwood plugs. Then glue and clamp. The other option is to replace the neck entirely. But you have to maintain the scale length and heel dimensions for proper mounting.

No I don't think thats the case. I had a lengthy phone converstaion with him and hes a stand up kinda guy. here is the email he sent: "Hi Alan, Your guitar has been rescued! The story of how I discovered that it was yours follows. I purchased it from a chap I was talking to at a community political forum on Friday evening, who said that he had loaned an acquaintance of his some money on collateral of an electric guitar, and the guy never came back to repay the loan and pick up the guitar. He understood from our conversation that I was a guitar player and wondered if I might be interested in it since he didn’t play and felt that he was out some money and didn’t have much hope of getting it back. He seemed totally straight up and honest to me, and since I am always interested in guitars, I said I would look at it. I saw the guitar yesterday, and could tell only that it was a custom made neck-through instrument with some outstanding woodworking involved, and tried it out on a tiny little practice amp he had. I noticed that the controls didn’t seem to work like a standard setup, since the usual 2 humbuckers and 3 position switch with 4 pots didn’t produce the expected pickup selections or any tone control for the bridge pickup at all (at least that I could tell); since the control cover was siliconed down, I didn’t try to open it right away (I usually would have done so just to see right away if the controls had been tinkered with, as so many of them seem to be). After I got home and finished project number one, installing a sink in my bathroom (an all day job lasting until about 10:30 last night), I carefully cut the silicone and opened the control cavity to see what the internal electronics were, and was surprised to see the multiple connections with white wires to the output jack. I like standard Gibson style setups, and my son builds tube amps and is great with a soldering iron, so as he was helping me rearrange the wiring (!!sorry!!) I noticed your name stamped in the copper foil. I immediately thought that Alan Gendron must be a guitar builder somewhere in Canada who had built this guitar for someone who had later modified it. For some reason Quebec sprang to mind, probably because of the progressive central top mount jack. Much later on last night, after resoldering the tone cap for the bridge pickup, installing a connector to allow it to control the bridge pickup’s tone, and removing a couple of the white jumpers (reconfiguring the controls to standard Gibson style, though the bridge pickup tone cap still seems to be unpredictable) I came upstairs to check my email. While on line, thankfully I was curious enough to run ‘Alan Gendron Guitar” in Google, completely expecting to find that you were a luthier somewhere in Quebec or wherever, and ran into a link to your post about the guitar being stolen. I was so shocked it’s hard to describe…and immediately wished I hadn’t removed those white jumpers. (I haven’t even touched it since, but we can change them back if you would like). Wanting to call you immediately this morning, I tried to look up your phone number in Telus’ online directory but the number I got (250-370-2664) gives a ‘no longer in use’ message, and no new number is listed in Telus’ 411 service. To make a long story short, I am delighted to be able to tell you that I have it here for you, but hope you aren’t upset that I standardized the wiring unwittingly…please call me at your earliest convenience so we can get together and you can recover it. I only paid $200 for it since I didn’t really know what it was at the time and speculated that since the electronics apparently weren’t standard, it might have been set up with coil sweep or stereo, or some combination of unusual phase reverse pickup configurations that would take forever to standardize…I also didn’t recognize the pickups as stock Gibson or Seymour Duncan, Di Marzio, etc. so had no idea of their worth, so all in all, generally didn’t have much of an idea how many owners the guitar had been through and (specially because of the hole in the stainless pickguard and the tuners having been changed) assumed that it had been a custom job that someone had ‘owner-modified’ (common)."

After all that fret levelling and dressing did you check the neck with a straightedge? When you are sure all the frets are level you should then adjust your truss rod for the proper neck relief. I have a hunch that is why a few frets are bottoming out. The finished neck (after truss rod adjustment) should have a very slight bow in it so strings will clear the frets when pressed down.

No idea Lex, but its quite possible. I will notify the RCMP when I get the guitar in my hands. I doubt if the thief will be caught, and even then whats the use? He'll be back on the street next day even if we could prove that he stole it and had it in his possession. Thats the thing about unique guitars like mine, they can be spotted easily from a crowd of guitars and nobody wants to run the risk of advertizing it if they know its hot. I learned my own lesson here, all guitars come inside with me. There won't be a "next" time.

My solidbody mahogany nechthru has been recovered by a gentleman in Vancouver. He emailed me this morning after doing a search for my name and came across one of the many notices I posted about it being stolen. He only found out my name after pulling off the back plate and seeing the name stamped into the copper foil. Apparently, he bought it from someone he knew who had an honest reputation. That person told him that an acquaintance wanted to borrow money and put the guitar up for collateral. The person didn't return to repay his debt so the guy sold the guitar to my new friend, Steve. I called Steve and had a lengthy chat with him about the guitar and "things" in general. He was impressed with my woodworking and the thick poly finish on the guitar. He says he has done his fair share of woodworking himself, but never on guitars. I told him I would reimburse him for the $200 he paid for the guitar when I head to Vancouver beginning of March. The recovery of my guitar was all a result of my own actions. 1. I stamped my name inside the guitar. 2. I put up notices to as many places (internet, email etc.) as I could dream up. Those are lessons for you all to learn in the event one of your guitars gets lifted. Record serial numbers, take pictures, get the word out fast.

Funny, the one you posted doesn't look the same as this tele schematic from the same site. http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/product/WDUSS4L1101 I don't know if there is more than one way to do stock tele wiring w/ a 4-way switch or not. Your diagram tells me to split each hot lead and solder switch contacts in parallel. The other diagram says run one hot wire across contacts in series and the same w/ the ground on the other pickup. May as well try both and see what you like best. You basically got the idea, except for the cap on the volume pot. Just treat that like a wire soldered to 2 spots.

I haven't read all the replies so forgive me if these guys were already mentioned. Martin Barre, Rory Gallagher, Mick Box, Randy Bachman, Jeff Beck, Chet Atkins, and... JOHNNY WINTER! Curt Cobain? Well, my momma told me if I don't have nothin' nice to say then don't say nothin' at all...nuf said.

Looks like fun Brian! I have just the right size chunk of mahogany for building one. Could probably throw one together for around 50 bucks.

Seth, if you want to enhance the wood grain then you have to get some color into the wood grain. As you've already tried, any stain applied now runs like water off a duck's back. You have to open up the wood again to get your stain in. Grab some sandpaper and get bizzy.

I just bought some abalone blanks of varying sizes. They are stained a beautiful deep blue color 3/4" and 1/2" dia. discs about 3/32" thick. In order to keep the blue on these pieces they can't be sanded or polished. So I had to countersink them into the rosewood fretboard and then lay clear epoxy over top. Then that can be sanded down and polished. Is this a common practice in some inlaying work?

I can't see any finished guitars in this so called hall of shame. It doesn't make sense, unless you have the "thats good enuf" attitude towards your projects. Maybe call it "Hall of Experiments Gone Awry But Will Be Sorted Out Posthaste" instead. Definitely a good learning experience for some folks when dealing with the obvious. But many mistakes are a result of lack of experience and technique in handling tools, materials, finishes, etc. etc. Personally, I find I learn more from my own mistakes rather than those of others for that very reason. I believe that ANY mistake can be fixed well enough to get you back on track without having to abandon the project or saying "that will have to do". I'll be the first to admit that I've made some real boners in my day. My first attempt at routing a truss rod slot comes to mind. I had my router set on the slower speed and had difficulty controlling it. The end result was a little crooked but still serviceable, at least the anchor points for the blocks were the right width. How about some tips on how you've rebounded from your mistakes? Now THAT would make some interesting reading. On my last guitar the hole I routed for my strat style plugin was too wide. Mount the plate and you could see about 1/16" gap on either side. I opted to make a 1/4" thick plastic retaining ring for the plate. Mounted that on the body and then mounted the plate on top of that. It worked out very well. How 'bout it? Any tips and tricks on how you managed to turn those lemons into delicious, sweet lemonade?

1. I wouldn't mix the two. Either stick with poly or sand it right back to wood and then shoot your nitro. 2. If you want to stain the top then sand everything off. I mean right past the sealer. If thats the way you want it then it is worth the effort.

I've built a few, rebuilt quite a few, and repaired/refinished too many to count, lol. I think everyone is satisfied with my work, no compaints anyway. I hope the SOB who stole my last project is satisfied. I have nightmares of him/her/IT stripping it down and selling off the hardware then tossing the body in the dumpster.

There are pros and cons for everything. My own experience so far has involved spar urethane, polyurethane and automotive clear laquer. So far I favor the laquer over poly because it dries quicker and you can apply more coats in less time. However, laquer is more toxic and requires proper safety equipment when applying. Polyurethane is a long chain molecule and, as a result, its VERY hard when cured fully. Furniture makers don't like poly because of its hardness and inflexibility. When applied over wood joints it will crack rather than flex when joints expand/contract. I have experienced this first hand on one of my guitars. If you are worried about yellowing in the future, spar urethane (used in marine applications) has UV protection. The urethanes are less forgiving than laquer if you make any mistakes when wetsanding. I've broken through in a few areas and marred the stain job underneath. With laquer I got good results at restaining those spots and reapplying laquer. The laquer patching blended right in with the surrounding finish. Patched poly shows up as a well defined layer with edges that look like contour lines on a map. No matter how much you sand it will not go away. The patch will just get smaller and you will eventually wind up back where you started...bare wood. Believe me, I've tried. So you gotta get poly right the first time. Regardless of what I'm using, I like applying LOTS of clear finish so I won't end up with any sanding problems later on. Avoid rough grits on your corners, you will break thru in no time flat. I prefer rigid sanding blocks on flat surfaces and foam blocks on the curves.

I use whatever scraps that came off my body cutout. No better substitute than the actual wood you are using.

I installed one in my previous guitar. Liked it so much I ordered another for the next one. It was perfect for a 1 piece mahogany neck w/ 1/4" rosewood fretboard and medium jumbo frets. When I adjust a truss rod I like to see instant results. You could see the strings move up or down off the fretboard as you turn both ways. I went out and bought the required 7/32" router bit, a real oddball, lol. They always manage to make you spend just a little bit more. Like fitting my Grover tuners required a 25/64" drill bit. Go figure, that size isn't part of a regular set. As far as routing the truss rod slot with a 1/4" bit, its definitely do-able. Whats in between the brass blocks doesn't matter just make sure you shim them tight so they won't rattle later on.

Thr trem system works independently from the body of the guitar. You have 2 thick metal plates that are sandwiched together. There is a screw running thru both plates with a large spring on the underside of the bottom plate. The bottom plate is firmly screwed into the body of the guitar. The trem arm is mounted to the upper plate. Loosening the smaller screw causes the back of the top plate to "float" off the bottom plate. So when you pull up on the trem arm you are adding string tension and expanding the spring underneath. Here is a pic of the top of the trem system. When you push down on the trem arm you are pulling up on the back of the top plate. This lowers string tension and compresses the spring underneath. The forward part of the upper plate rocks in the large hooks of the lower plate. Here is a pic of the underside of the trem system. I can't explain it any better. Have a close look at the pics and work it out. Better yet, get your hands on a Hagstrom and play around with the trem mechanism.

This is the closest pic I could find of the trem on my Hagstrom III. Sorry, the pic is a few years old and the only hold down screw, for the trem spring, I could find at the time was the handle off a bi-fold closet door, . Since then I've replaced it with a stainless slotted screw of the proper size. I have the trem set in the floating position on this guitar and it DOES NOT go out of tune not matter how much I pull on it. The graphite nut helps quite a bit. The design is simple, yet hard to describe. These people can do a better job of it than I. Enter the site and click on "Tremar" in the index. There are some real good closeup pics showing the spring mechanism in the back and the forward fulcrum between the two plates. http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hagstrom/redirect/index.html

OOps, sorry! Didn't even notice that thread. This thread can be dumped.

Even tho I don't actively post on MIMF anymore, I still browse around a little. I think this guitar is what we are all striving for in our building endeavors. Cudos to the builder, John Catto. Must've cost an arm and a leg tho.

This is a longshot. Not many guitars are made with incomplete f-holes. The closest one I could find that resembles yours is a Vega. I hope that helps a little. Maybe you can find other similarities between the Ebay item and your guitar.

MB is AMD ATHLON GA-7DXR. I made a few CMOS changes (forget what I did ) but it seems to be running fine now.

Yeah, its quite a dilemma among many many others we have to deal with. I assume the problem could be worked out from both ends. That is, stop cutting mahogany, which will limit supply and stop buying mahogany which will limit demand. I too am sick of seeing ignorant farmers cutting and burning their local wood, just so they can grow a few more yams. Thats all they know how to do, grow yams, but you can't blame them for trying to make a living. It all boils down to "the bucks" and it ain't gonna stop until its all gone. One of the boats I worked on incorporated prime, straight grain Honduras mahogany for all the strake rails, bumper rails, hand rails and all of the interior. I saw curved cap rail pieces cut from 16' X 2' X 6" blocks of mahogany. I would estimate at least 4 to 5 tons of Honduras mahogany used on this boat. Getting rare? I dunno, but since no expense ($8,000,000 US) was spared in the construction of this boat I guess it doesn't matter anyway. If you got the bucks you can get anything.