216 replies to this topic

[insolent cur]

Those Duncan triples look awesome. So, it's effectively a single coils and a humbucker in one?

the p-rail is the pick-up and the triple shot is the wired pick-up ring. when you run the 4 leads from the p-rail through the wired switches of the triple shot...you end up with all of the different sonic options.

[TakeAStepBack]

Yeah, the fog was lifting after I read instead of talked.

[insolent cur]

confirmation from bubba that he's picked up the hipshot tuning machines. their products are mechanical works of art ( http://store.hipshot...ct_detail&p=247 )... .

4 bass side/2 treble side

[insolent cur]

5/2 - more sanding. more sanding. more sanding. the pick-ups have also landed. have to rout out the spaces for their placement.

[Lazy Lightning]

Awesome work, Cur!

[Joker]

Sweet

Love watching it come to life

[insolent cur]

after a week away from the project, i spent some time this evening catching up.


5/9 - flat sanded the bottom and worked on the forearm bevel


5/9 - additional shaping and sanding the heel area


5/9 - headstock marked for drilling


5/9 - milling spaces for dots


5/9 - milling and fitting spaces for dots


5/9 - setting fretboard dots


5/9 - workbench overview

[JBetty]

What are the dots for?

[insolent cur]

What are the dots for?

they help identify where on the fretboard/neck one is playing.

[JBetty]

Can you feel them with your fingers, or do you have to look down at them?

[TakeAStepBack]

Mother of pearl inlay, cur?

[insolent cur]

Can you feel them with your fingers, or do you have to look down at them?

i won't be able to feel them. there are also smaller dots which will be set on the top edge of the neck, visible when one looks down at that edge.

Mother of pearl inlay, cur?

yup.

[TakeAStepBack]

Interesting choice to align them on the side of the board as opposed to the typically seen center positioning. Looks nifty.

[insolent cur]

i think godin guitars uses a similar pattern for their dots, and of course gretsch uses the half moon at the upper edge.
also, i discovered yesterday that the mahogany i used for the back, came from the martin guitar factory.

[insolent cur]

some of today's progress...


5/10 - drilling headstock


5/10 - drilling headstock


5/10 - drilled headstock w/markings


5/10 - drilled headstock/sanded


5/10 - hand sanding dots


5/10 - fretboard end binding


5/10 - today's workbench overview

[insolent cur]

it has it's own gravitational pull...back in the shop today.


5/11 - initial setup


5/11 - pick-up placement/milling outlines


5/11 - milling pick-up cavity


5/11 - milling pick-up cavity


5/11 - milling pick-up cavity


5/11 - setting the remaining fretboard face dots


5/11 - taped off for routing


5/11 - taped off after routing

[insolent cur]

5/12


trusted canine assistant


hand sanding mop fretboard dots


pickup cavities routed clean


oops


truss rod cover solution!


workbench with taped on layout


routing access cavity


routed access cavity


routed access cavity with beveled edge

[insolent cur]

5/13


cleaned up access cavity edge/lip.


trimmed and sanded truss rod cover


cleaned up fretboard end binding


filled fretboard binding gaps. i used a sticky mixture of purple heart dust and titebond, smooshed into the gaps with my fingers.


flush sanded fretboard binding fills


flush sanded fretboard


fitting the neck pickup


today's canine assistant, tova, woody's mom (it is mother's day after all).

[TakeAStepBack]

Looking awesome, Adam!

[insolent cur]

thanks, dave! it's starting to look less like a cheese board and more like a guitar.

[insolent cur]

5/14 - today's adventure...


adding frets to the fretboard


a fret slot cut too wide and filled with ebony dust/titebond paste.


a total of six fret slots needed to be filled with the paste mixture. they'll set/cure overnight and i'll re-cut those slots tomorrow.


the pick-up cavities routed and sanded to appropriate depth.


today's workbench overview.

[Deadshow Dan]

You've been a busy bee while I've been in Costa Rica.

Folks, without the gear on, the guitar is feather light. Will that Duncan triple (or whatever that is ) shave some weight off the final ?

Great progress!

[insolent cur]

the triple shot wired pick-up rings eliminate the need for two of the three toggle switches.

[deadandgrateful]

[fit4lyf]

Sweet, keep up the great work!

[Deadshow Dan]

the triple shot wired pick-up rings eliminate the need for two of the three toggle switches.

So that's not a lot of weight. But sweet nonetheless

[insolent cur]

So that's not a lot of weight. But sweet nonetheless

correct. the little toggles weigh very little, so it's not really weight saving but for a few grams. i like the wired pick-up rings because they should allow for more versatile sonic combinations than the three-way toggles, and by eliminating two of the toggles, the face of the guitar will be less cluttered.

[insolent cur]

Sweet, keep up the great work!

thanks! it's an adventure and i'm learning a great deal, including how to walk away when it gets frustrating.

the frets are still an issue which i am going to try and troubleshoot again this afternoon. even after filling (monday) and re-sawing the six slots yesterday, those frets still wouldn't sit down...and others are showing signs of wanting to jump ship.

both the fretwire tang and the saw are specifically matched at .023" (.58mm) wide.

[insolent cur]

5/16 - using a 1 ton arbor press with a fret caul to try and seat the troublesome frets. today's attempt was unsuccessful.

[sarah b.]

I'm loving this thread. Need cbg workshop out tasb's way.

[insolent cur]

took today off from guitar building and ordered a rosewood fretboard from stewmac...with 24 pre-cut fret slots. third one will be a charm.

[insolent cur]

after an intense week and another busy work day yesterday, i stopped at the wood shop for an hour or two.


5/18 - electrosocket jack mount hole markings


5/18 - electrosocket jack mount hole


5/18 - electrosocket jack mount not yet flush to the body


5/18 - curly maple planed down for access cavity cover


5/18 - rough cut curly maple access cavity cover


5/18 - rough sanded curly maple access cavity cover


5/18 - curly maple access cavity cover

[insolent cur]

spent a little time in the shop this afternoon...


5/19 - access cavity cover and threading tool


5/19 - screwed down access cavity cover


5/19 - flush sanded access cavity cover


5/19 - filling two tiny gaps with black walnut dust and titebond mixture


5/19 - filling two tiny gaps with black walnut dust and titebond mixture


5/19 - milling volume, tone and 3-way toggle holes


5/19 - workbench overview

[Smiles]

How's that fretboard coming?

[insolent cur]

How's that fretboard coming?

by ups i think.

i ordered a rosewood fretboard with 24 pre-cut fret slots from stewmac.

http://www.stewmac.c...der_Guitar.html

[Smiles]

hahaha word. The one you were making was quite handsome. But I can understand avoiding the frustration of getting those frets in the way you want them.

[insolent cur]

hahaha word. The one you were making was quite handsome. But I can understand avoiding the frustration of getting those frets in the way you want them.

the one ton press cracked the ebony and the frets won't stay seated. it's a beautiful, but quite possibly useless, fretboard. since this is my first build, after two aborted attempts, i decided to buy a fretboard with pre-cut slots.

[insolent cur]

5/20


5/20 - sanding the electrosocket hole flat


5/20 - electrosocket sitting flush with the body


5/20 - finishing the access cavity cover


5/20 - preparing to finish the back


5/20 - finishing the back


5/20 - finishing the front


5/20 - finishing the front

[insolent cur]

5/20 - filling a gap in the grain with finish


5/20 - filling a gap in the grain with finish


5/20 - filling a gap in the grain with finish


5/20 - filling a gap in the grain with finish


5/20 - finishing table

[insolent cur]

5/20 - one more from yesterday. these are guitars being built by my friends Tim (lp) and Bubba (strat-like), which are currently also in the finishing stage. they are both using a poly/gloss finish as compared to the nitrocellulose lacquer satin finish on mine.


5/20 - the three amigos

[TakeAStepBack]

Almost ready for hardware?

[insolent cur]

Almost ready for hardware?

the short answer is yes.

but i hope to resume finishing today. also the new, pre-cut fretboard, fretwire, tusq nut and m.o.p. dots arrive sometime today, and i'd like to measure, add the dots and frets, and set them up first. after that, start in with the electronics and then, finally, intonate and set up the tailpiece/bridge piece and tuning machines. i could add the tuners almost anytime after i finish lacquering, but would rather wait.

[TakeAStepBack]

The first board went sour?

[TakeAStepBack]

Just read my answer.

Board building seems like a tough chore. Right from the start.

[insolent cur]

Just read my answer. Board building seems like a tough chore. Right from the start.

the first two boards went south. first the maple board with the missed second fret cut, and then the ebony board with purpleheart binding went down, due to slightly wider than .023" fret cuts, and a crack caused by too much pressure from the 1 ton arbor press. i'm not convinced either is irreparable, but both require time consuming, frustration producing work...with no guarantee that either will be any better when i'm done. so i ordered a pre-radiused (12"), pre-slotted (24), rosewood fb from stewmac ( http://www.stewmac.com/ ) for this guitar.

[TakeAStepBack]

Nice. And hey, at least you gave it a lot of effort! Looking great, Adam.

[insolent cur]

Nice. And hey, at least you gave it a lot of effort! Looking great, Adam.

thanks, dave!

if i can resurrect the first two fretboards, they'll find life on another build. for this first project, i'm more interested in finishing and playing it, than making a complicated fb. the rosewood has a warm tone and color and less chance of cracking, especially pre-radiused and pre-cut. i'll add frets and dots, trim the bottom (past the 24th fret), and glue it to the neck.

[Jabadoodle]

Inspirational, Adam. Nice job!

[insolent cur]

thanks, gary!

the new fretboard, fretwire, nut and dots arrived today!

5/21


5/21 - new rosewood fretboard prepped for tapering


5/21 - new rosewood fretboard being prepped for tapering the second side


5/21 - new rosewood tapered fretboard ready to be milled for dots and sanded


5/21 - wah! i found a serious flaw in the lighter swirl/grain at the 15th fret as i sanded down the rough surface. i'll call stewmac tomorrow. they have a good reputation for dealing with defective products.


5/21 - maybe 4th time will be a charm


5/21 - i hit the front with another round of nitrocellulous satin finish


5/21 - filling a flaw in the mahogany back by puddling the clear lacquer in the low spot


5/21 - working on the flaw fill and finish on the back

[Jwheelz]

sorry to read you're having so many problems with the fretboard... I can't believe the one you ordered has a problem too... I think the finish is going to look great on the body when it's done, I love the natural wood grain with the satin finish