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Bertbart

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Everything posted by Bertbart

  1. I recently built a 22" scale 3/4 size guitar and I used 11's on it and it works fine,
  2. Scrape the fingerboard with a single edge razor blade.
  3. It appears that some thought and craftmanship went into those instruments. It's kind off gimmicky but cool.
  4. I've had the numbness and tingling in my pinky and ring finger since a motorcycle accident in 1972 where I crushed the radial head of the left elbow. I just learned to live with it. This is the first time I've ever heard that there was a name for it. Also my playing hasn't improved from how well I was playing before the accident even though I play nearly every day. I guess now I have an excuse.
  5. I've been doing fret ends this way for over thirty-five years. I will attempt to explain the method. File the fret ends flat and flush at 90 degrees to the fingerboard. Next use a crowning file to roll the top edge of the crown slightly until you achieve a round appearance in profile. Looking at the end of the fret from the side. Next use a *modified three corner file to file the the pointy corners off of the skirt of the fret crown where it meets the very edge of the finger board. If you stand over the fret and look down from above the fretboard at the end of the fret these points are on either side of the fret where the skirt of the crown meets the edge. You want to not only file the points away but slightly under cut the crown end. After all of the dressing is done then use 600 grit sandpaper with your fingers and go up and down the sides of the fingerboard to remove the file marks. After that I use #0000 steel wool. Then I use a Dremel with a flex shaft and a felt wheel and rouge polishing compound (After taping up the fretboard and binding on the sides leaving only the frets exposed) and buff them to a mirror finish. I don't stay on one fret for too long because buffing builds up heat. Actually the fret ends are not truly rounded but they give that appearance * Modified I take a three corner file and belt sand one side smooth. I also round the very tip. When knocking off those points I referred to I hold the smoothe side flat on the fingerboard and use and exagerated sweeping motion in an arc around each side of those points with hardly any more pressure than to keep the file in contact with the fret. Go slow until you get a feel for it. Also it doesn't take much to cut too deeply. If you do there is nothing short of pulling that fret and starting over. If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I'll try to help you.
  6. Allparts has a bronze-ish or light brown "mother of toilet seat" faux pearl pick guard that would compliment the brown burst. As some have mentioned the finish could be thicker. It's not too late just dis-assemble and re-sand lightly and shoot some more clear and buff it out.
  7. Looks good to me. Please take photos of the finishing and how about a link to that Sherwin Williams product you mentioned. I always use Nitro but maybe it's time for a change. I agree with the statement that "you should build a neck for it".
  8. I would go an 1/8 inch thick with a route depth of .060 inch. As someone already stated you can always sand the excess off.
  9. Sand the body using a block down to 320 or 360 grit dry paper and make sure there are no scratches left Then use a scraper blade Then seal with sealer. Scuff the sealer (Re-shoot sealer if necessary and scuff again) It has to look like it's perfect before you shoot the first drop of color Then shoot the background color amber or yellow mostly in the middle to the edges Let it dry for and hour or so Shoot the red around the edges as far into the middle as you prefer Let that dry for an hour or so Then shoot the ebony dark brown concentrating on the sides of the body slightly overlapping the red you put down Let that dry for a couple of hours Start shooting the clear coats I usually put at least five coats of clear before I sand back with 600 grit (I don't go for broke just a good sanding) Apply at least four more coats Let dry a 48 hours and use 800 grit until there are no shiny spots (If there are any spots I re-shoot at least two more coats and repeat the above) Thin the final coat by 25% and put at least two coats on Let it sit for a week Color sand using naptha using 1200...1500...2000...2500 grit (After finishing up with 2500 grit I let it sit over night to vent out) Then buff.
  10. Those long drill bits are called "aviation drill bits" if you go searching for them. I don't know why they are referred to as "aviation bits" but they are. You can actually flex the bit after you penetrate the head of the bit say an 1/8" and alter the bits path. I start with a 3/16" and follow with a larger bit if necessary once the 3/16" hole to the control cavity is established. The larger bit will not flex as much but it will follow the path of the least resistance.
  11. How about a picture of what you need?
  12. I built a one piece guitar...headless in 1978 out of Cocobolo with a Rosewood fretboard. So I guess it was two piece. It was indeed a lot of hand work. Coupled with the fact that there were no headless systems for sale at that time. The piece that held the tuners was one inch brass bar stock drilled to accept Shaller tuners and brazed to a brass bridge plate with brass saddles. All hand made including the string retainer at the top of the neck. It had a quarter moon or sythe looking wings at the top so it would hang on a regular guitar hanger. It had two single coils and a humbucker at the bridge. The pick/ups were rear mounted and the area around the pick/ups coming through the face were bound with creme binding. It was bound with creme binding all the way round front and back and the fretboard. I hated it but somebody liked it because I sold it. It was very thin sounding way to much treble. Definitely unique... And no I don't have any pictures of it. I wish I did but then again I really didn't like that much. I caught a lot of grief from friends and other builders about that one.
  13. Loving that blue....yes sir. Nice work!!!
  14. It's leaving home Friday...tomorrow. I thought you guys might want to see it before it's gone. It's a Klein sort of guitar but a little different. It belongs to the kids father that got the "Lefty" Still no case for it. The owner is going to send off a cardboard outline of it and have one made. http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/Ax5pT3xr
  15. Chrome rings were per the customers request. I only followed orders on this one. Yea, it's because I have to assemble them with left handed metric Cresent wrenches. LOL
  16. Regularly $40.00 plus on sale for $17.99 http://woodworker.com/drill_press_planer.htm
  17. Thank you..the pictures really don't capture the curliness when tilted in the light. His dad dictated the body shape...he's paying for it so I did what he asked for. Really lucky kid...also a good kid...he has his own lawnmowing business with about seven accounts. I don't hate building "Lefties" but I don't enjoy it either. Mainly because I can't tell how it plays. Yea it took me a lot longer to build. Also I just barely caught myself before drilling the side marker dot holes on the wrong side of the neck. Thanks for the positive responses. Bert P.S. if you want to see the kid and his dad you can take another look at the phptoshow link. I've added a picture of the kid and his dad when they picked up the guitar today. When they left my house they were headed to Sam Ash's store to buy a hardschell case for it.
  18. A customer asked me to build him a guitar...which I'm still in the process of completing. At the same time he asked me to build his son a guitar. I started on both at the same time but as things go his son's guitar finished up first. Building a "Lefty" felt strange and uncomfortble and the worst part is that I can't really play it and get a feel for the set up. The recipient is a beginer and he can't give me feed back either. Here is the link to a photoshow of it. Dial up beware: http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/Gz6Ad3WS
  19. Allparts has some nice thin double acting truss rods. One side is round and the other is flat. (They look like the Allied's rods)The round part installs down with the flat on top. I looked on Allparts site and didn't see any truss rods but I was calling in another order and asked if they had truss rods and they said quickly, "Oh yes". Apparently Allparts carries quite a few items that are not represented on their web page. Now I know to ask if I don't see it.
  20. If it were my guitar I'd refret it and leave the frets nearly 90 degrees to the edge of the fretboard. Then slightly hit the ends with a crowning file and then take a 3 corner file and hit the corners of the crown edge on the edge on either side. Then hit it with 400 grit and then 600 grit paper. Then four ought steel wool. The fret ends will appear to be balled or round. (Similiar to the way old Martins were fretted) Then dremel the frets with a felt wheel and red rouge polish paying particular attention to the very ends. When playing with proper hand position you will not even notice the fret ends and you'll gain plenty of fret real estate, perhaps an eight inch overall.
  21. That is killer I will get one somehow. Thanks for the tip.
  22. I make a template for the cover recess using the cover I've made. Then I use a piece of muti-laminate plywood to make my template taller. Then the pattern bit bearing can ride on the template while I cut the slight recess for the cover. I then free-hand draw the inside control cavity leaving a shelf for the cover and bump-outs for the cover screws. I use a #11 exacto knife on the line. I hog out most of the cavity with a forsner bit. Then cut to the exacto line about the depth of the follower bearing. Then I route the cavity with the pattern bit just to clean the cavity up.
  23. I built this jig: http://pweb.jps.net/~kmatsu/htmlpages/scarfjigplan.html I found it on Kathy Matsushita's site. It works great every time. And as you stated "If you have the tools" namely a table saw.
  24. I built a solid black walnut 7/8 size Telly style with a 1/4" maple top...it weighs a ton. I didn't weigh it but it feels as heavy as the heaviest L.P. I've ever picked up. It doesn't sound dark but metalic bright. Maple with E.I. board neck. Also it wanted to splinter at the slightest provocation. Very britle, stringy wood. It came from a friend who's grand-dad cut and resawed the tree 55 years ago and stored it in the rafters of a barn. I've made a few fretboards from what was left over.
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