Thread: Decided to build another guitar

Originally Posted by Pauls321

Hi all,

I decided to build another electric guitar. My previous ones can be found on threads down below here somewhere. I thought I would make the neck first and if happy with that I will go ahead and purchase some timber to make the body. The neck which I have a couple of photos so far, is made from african mahogany and the fretboard from silky beech. The neck is still early stages in the photo. Since I took the photos this morning I have sanded the 12 inch radius onto the fretboard and also tapered the neck from 56mm down to 42mm. I now have to add a bit more timber onto the head to make it wider.

Now my question is,........I want the body to look nice but simple. I've seen a couple of guitars around with two pickups but just two nobs. Presumably they would be one for volume and one for tone. Any suggestions from your experience on pickups that might do what I am looking for. I want the body to be a very dark colour, possibly australian blackwood.

Any suggestions are most welcome,

Paul

hi Paul.....Tas blackwood will look great for the body. What about a Telecaster style body. I plan on doing one later in the year, after a couple of other builds. I have never done a neck with an adj truss rod. Done a few with solid ones like the older Martin guitars. Will have to do some homework before attempting it. Might buy the first adj rod and make them from then on. cheers, Graeme

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for that reply. Yes I don't really know yet what body shape I will go for this time. Just want the neck to be finished and be happy with it. Any suggestions on what pickups to purchase where I can only have 2 nobs, guitars I have seen like that look really clean, neat and uncluttered.

What do you mean by an adjustable truss rod. I just bought one, I didn't think there were different types. Sure I can adjust it and it fitted into my routered slot in the neck perfectly.

Regards, Paul

Originally Posted by Pauls321

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for that reply. Yes I don't really know yet what body shape I will go for this time. Just want the neck to be finished and be happy with it. Any suggestions on what pickups to purchase where I can only have 2 nobs, guitars I have seen like that look really clean, neat and uncluttered.

What do you mean by an adjustable truss rod. I just bought one, I didn't think there were different types. Sure I can adjust it and it fitted into my routered slot in the neck perfectly.

Regards, Paul

where did you get the TR from?

Hi Graeme,

I just bought my truss rod on ebay, from hong kong. Seems to work well and come with the allen key,

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Pauls321

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for that reply. Yes I don't really know yet what body shape I will go for this time. Just want the neck to be finished and be happy with it. Any suggestions on what pickups to purchase where I can only have 2 nobs, guitars I have seen like that look really clean, neat and uncluttered.

What do you mean by an adjustable truss rod. I just bought one, I didn't think there were different types. Sure I can adjust it and it fitted into my routered slot in the neck perfectly.

Regards, Paul

Any pickups will work with a 1 vol, 1 tone circuit. Which pickups you buy will be determined by what sound you want and how much you want to spend.

Here's a wiring diagram:
http://www.guitarelectronics.com/pro...e0Tone000.html
That site has a diagram for pretty much any combination of pickups and controls you can think of.

master tone and master volume circuit can be found at seymour duncan as well
i would suggest that you include a pickup selector switch

if you want reasonable pickups for a reasonable price look at toneriders
if you want to get something special try mick brierley -
best pickups money can buy and not hugely expensive -
a set of micks pickups will transform the guitar into something quite special
http://www.brierleyguitarpickups.com.au/

Have a look at Kinman pickups there beautiful

Hi and thanks for all these replies.

I've checked out those sites and will check them out much further as I progress down my track. I've now got my 12 inch radius pretty good. Got my neck tapered, glued extra timber to the head so I can cut that out today. I am going to (hopefully), cut some round circles from the African mahogany timber using a dowel cutter and use them for the fret markers. Should blend in well I hope.

Then finally put my frets in and then shape the bottom of the neck.

I'll certainly do more photos as I go along,

Thanks again,

Paul

I am pulling up a chair to watch this build as I think it would be interesting.

Hi there all, Well I have hit a bit of a snag in the progress of this guitar. This is just the second neck I have built, the other guitars I have made so far, (5 in total), the necks were premade. Oddly enough the neck I have made, made the guitar in full, turned out pretty good, sounds great. When I finished cutting the fret slots in this current neck I thought they were going along ok, but I went back and double checked the distances between each fret. And I was not happy with the results. I feel I would be wasting my time if I was to continue without doing something about this.

So what alternatives have I got now. I could try and slice the top off my fretboard, I do have another thin length of my silky beech left over, but only a few mm. This would be very hard to do on my table saw giving that the neck has the head etc on it. Trying to get it off clean would be hard. Or alternatively I start all over again. I have a lot of that African mahogany still. Then I have wasted a truss rod, but also have wasted my nice length of silky beech.

When I do start all over, and I hope to. I need to come up with a better method of marking my fret slots. I have been checking out jigs etc for this purpose. At the age of 65 your eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

I've got a couple of ideas at present, will see how they span out, I've kind of pushed this project to one side at present. I've got a few "box orders" to deal with at present, so gives me time to think on all this,

Paul

Originally Posted by Pauls321

Hi there all, Well I have hit a bit of a snag in the progress of this guitar. This is just the second neck I have built, the other guitars I have made so far, (5 in total), the necks were premade. Oddly enough the neck I have made, made the guitar in full, turned out pretty good, sounds great. When I finished cutting the fret slots in this current neck I thought they were going along ok, but I went back and double checked the distances between each fret. And I was not happy with the results. I feel I would be wasting my time if I was to continue without doing something about this.

So what alternatives have I got now. I could try and slice the top off my fretboard, I do have another thin length of my silky beech left over, but only a few mm. This would be very hard to do on my table saw giving that the neck has the head etc on it. Trying to get it off clean would be hard. Or alternatively I start all over again. I have a lot of that African mahogany still. Then I have wasted a truss rod, but also have wasted my nice length of silky beech.

When I do start all over, and I hope to. I need to come up with a better method of marking my fret slots. I have been checking out jigs etc for this purpose. At the age of 65 your eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

I've got a couple of ideas at present, will see how they span out, I've kind of pushed this project to one side at present. I've got a few "box orders" to deal with at present, so gives me time to think on all this,

Paul

hi Paul. Sounds like a real bummer about the fret board. I think you would be better getting the FB off somehow that way saving the neck and truss rod. Or making a new neck? The old what to do eh. If you went to a bit of trouble you could make a jig that your router could slide in and set up the neck to remove those few errant mm`s or route the whole FB off. Then glue a new FB on.

I`m putting new M/C heads on my first guitar build (1987) and the top and holes for the strings don`t come much above the surface of the head. Only putting classical strings on......flat FB, no truss rod. Made for nylon strings anyway. Just like to hear it again as it`s got a lovely cedar top tone. Pity I cant play it anyway . I just like making them and if that`s all I do then I`m still a happy chappy. Good luck with your decision on the fix. cheers, Graeme

taking the fingerboard off will be a good exercise
heat, patience and some very thin knives will get it off
any board under 6-7mm thick is not really a goer
use any dense hardwood - i've used cooktown iron wood, maple, rosewood- dont use redgum
the cooktown is mighty hard and fretting will backbow the neck unless you shave the fret tangs

Hi there, and thanks for those replies. Actually, that idea of using a router just might work, perhaps a planing bit next to the fence on my (home made) router table. Would need something to guide it. Just might work, but only taking off where I already have the slots cut in.

If it doesnt work I'll start all over again. I checked my timber and found a nice length of Red Ash, very whitish pale in colour.

Then I had another brainwave for cutting my fret slots this time. If it works I'll post it.

All the fun of woodworking.

Paul

Not really a huge financial lost

truss rod is about 10 bucks,

For cutting and marking fret slots, you can buy templates that have saw guides in them,

steve