Thread: Progress - where are you at?

The neck has been ultra stable it hasnt moved a bit . It has only 10- 46 gauge strings on it so it is fairly standard.
The only time i adjusted the trussrod was just before i dressed the frets.

i havent posted much progress in a while. here are the instruments i've been working on. some have had very little progress recently, some a fair bit. i've also started another guitar. (as if i need to).

this is an instrument along the lines of a bass VI (guitar but in the basses range/bass with closer strings and a bit shorter scale), but with an offset telecaster shape. the shape shows a standard tele pickguard, but i plan on doing my own pickguard that better matches the offset style. it will be along the lines of a traditional tele design. there will be 2 pickups in it.
there will be the usual tele bridge pup, but with longer magnets and some more wire. this will get a bit more output and a lower resonant peak. that should make it a bit better suited to the lower frequencies, but still have more bite and brightness than one could expect from a "bass guitar". the neck pickup will be similar to a p90, but it will be my construction due to the string spacing being a bit too wide for a regular p90. the top will be wenge to match the fretboard.
the switching will be a 5 way switch. this will have the 3 usual positions (bridge, bridge +neck in parallel, neck) as well as the 2 in series (in phase for a very deep sound, and out of phase for a thinner sound). then theres the vol and tone pots. i may put a switch in to change the tone pot so it can cut lows in one direction (for a more guitar sound) and the usual tone control to cut highs.
the bass/guitar has a 30.75 scale. the neck is a sapele/wenge/maple/wenge/sapele laminate with a wenge fretboard. the body is NG rosewood with a makore top. the neck will be a set neck, with the tennon going deep into the body to improve the mechanical connection. there will be a belly cut and a elbow cut as well to go along with the fender style. the finish will be danish oil.

mockup


timbers


this is the new guitar i started to do. i decided to do it as an instrument that a friend (shes quite artistic) is going to paint (dont know what yet, but im sure it will be interesting). i decided to do it the same shape as the VI instrument above, but it will be a bolt on so she can paint the body while i do the neck. the neck will go a bit further into the body than a usual bolt on. i plan on using some threaded inserts to get a stronger more reliable connection. its basically the same design as the VI but a shorter scale length, which means the bridge will be further from the neck. it will have a p90 in the neck, and the same electronic design, minus the bass cut control.
the body is makore with a qld maple centre (couldnt find cheap timber the right width, it was either much wider or not wide enough). the neck is makore/NG rosewood/makore with a wenge fretboard.



here is a hollowbody i'm making. it has a ng rosewood body, a tas myrtle top. the neck is qld maple/tas myrtle/qld maple. fretboard will be stripey ebony.
the pickups are going to be split coil humbuckers (ie pbass style). the body will be pretty similar to a double cut les paul, but hollow. not sure about headstock shape, but it will be 3 a side.





this one is an iceman for a friend. its nearly done, i'm just stuffing around with winding some humbuckers, and will carve around the neck access spot a bit more before its ready to be finished. will be black all over, with most of the neck laminate showing. hardware will be chrome

electronics will have 2 vol pots wired to blend (like a jazz bass so that they are actually properly independent). there will be 2 tone pots, and pp pot switches to put the pup coils in series/parrallel as well as the pups in series/parallel.

jeez black_labb you dont muck around do ya

just noticed your in sydney too, good stuff

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

jeez black_labb you dont muck around do ya

just noticed your in sydney too, good stuff

you wouldnt say that if you realised how long i've been sitting on these instruments without doing too much with them...

theres always something to do though, but deciding what to do can be difficult.

there are a few of us in sydney. might be a good idea to have a get together sometime to compare work and projects again. i want to get some more things actually done before then though.

Originally Posted by rdiquattro

The neck has been ultra stable it hasnt moved a bit . It has only 10- 46 gauge strings on it so it is fairly standard.
The only time i adjusted the trussrod was just before i dressed the frets.

aah ,,,this is wht i expected of a true dalbergia neck

i have been contemplating a no trussrod strat neck out of cocobolo (have a nice 1" plank here heh)

do you think the lack of a trussrod would be a problem?!

would you give it a high chance of success (ie coco neck will remain stable and not bow after fretting and attachment)?

just trying to get some 'gut feel' here before i go crazy with my tools heh

Originally Posted by R3R

i have been contemplating a no trussrod strat neck out of cocobolo (have a nice 1" plank here heh)

do you think the lack of a trussrod would be a problem?!

would you give it a high chance of success (ie coco neck will remain stable and not bow after fretting and attachment)?

martin made many guitars without truss rods and it took a very clever refret job to correct a bowed neck . they began installing all necks with truss rods many years ago

leo fender made the early esqures and broadcasters without truss rods - it took a few weeks and they began installing truss rods as standard in every guitar they had many warranty returns right up front . there are no examples of these early guitars surviving today with the original non trussd rod neck that i am aware of.

admittedly the mahogany used by martin and even the back sawn maple necks built by leo fender may not be as stable as coco but someone owning the guitar in the future may wish to set it up with heavy strings and use odd tunings.- extra stress on the neck may well move it

Originally Posted by old_picker

martin made many guitars without truss rods and it took a very clever refret job to correct a bowed neck . they began installing all necks with truss rods many years ago

leo fender made the early esqures and broadcasters without truss rods - it took a few weeks and they began installing truss rods as standard in every guitar they had many warranty returns right up front . there are no examples of these early guitars surviving today with the original non trussd rod neck that i am aware of.

admittedly the mahogany used by martin and even the back sawn maple necks built by leo fender may not be as stable as coco but someone owning the guitar in the future may wish to set it up with heavy strings and use odd tunings.- extra stress on the neck may well move it

...this does not inspire confidence! LOL

...but thanks...yeah i knew about the old fender necks but i had hoped a true dalbergia was wht Leo was missing when he went the no truss rod route...he was just too cheep here imo

...in any case...it will be a personal instrument unlikely to be played by any other and i will make sure the 10's are the limit (it is MY limit anyways )

...crikey ...i am in a thrill seeking mood

martin made many guitars without truss rods and it took a very clever refret job to correct a bowed neck . they began installing all necks with truss rods many years ago.

I have a Martin D-28 acoustic in it's 31st year, no truss rod slight bend in the neck, still playable with extra light strings, I've been advised to leave it alone but still think/dream about getting it looked at some time.
I've only owned it about 9>10 years and didn't pay much for it ($150) but if paying a lot of $ would want a truss rod regardless of how the neck was built/designed and especially if I was to build a guitar, it would be heartbreaking to have the neck come up after all the effort/time you blokes put in, my hat's off to you all.

Originally Posted by bille

martin made many guitars without truss rods and it took a very clever refret job to correct a bowed neck . they began installing all necks with truss rods many years ago.

I have a Martin D-28 acoustic in it's 31st year, no truss rod slight bend in the neck, still playable with extra light strings, I've been advised to leave it alone but still think/dream about getting it looked at some time.
I've only owned it about 9>10 years and didn't pay much for it ($150) but if paying a lot of $ would want a truss rod regardless of how the neck was built/designed and especially if I was to build a guitar, it would be heartbreaking to have the neck come up after all the effort/time you blokes put in, my hat's off to you all.

thanks for comments billie...most welcome input to my deliberation

currently i have 2 options re:coco-caster neck

1. truss rod using 2-way thing from stew mac already in my possesion...and ebony f/b over top cos i will have to finish the cocbolo to bring out the red/vivid colours

prob situate truss rod nut at head stock end just under the nut

or

2. no truss rod, no ebony f/b ...just cocobolo but finished like a maple neck (poly everywhere)

obviously #2 is much easier and quicker to do but #1 makes more sense....

this is a classic personal dilemma...

i need to dwell on it for a while and make something else first

Originally Posted by R3R

thanks for comments billie...most welcome input to my deliberation

currently i have 2 options re:coco-caster neck

1. truss rod using 2-way thing from stew mac already in my possesion...and ebony f/b over top cos i will have to finish the cocbolo to bring out the red/vivid colours

prob situate truss rod nut at head stock end just under the nut

or

2. no truss rod, no ebony f/b ...just cocobolo but finished like a maple neck (poly everywhere)

obviously #2 is much easier and quicker to do but #1 makes more sense....

this is a classic personal dilemma...

i need to dwell on it for a while and make something else first

what about doing something like a fender 1 piece neck and put the truss rod in through the back?

Originally Posted by black_labb

what about doing something like a fender 1 piece neck and put the truss rod in through the back?

yes indeed...thanks...this can also be an option

thankfully i have other things i can get on with ...so i can take my mind of it for a while

but i will get back to it cos the cocobolo is a most magnificent wood

Originally Posted by R3R

thanks for comments billie...most welcome input to my deliberation

currently i have 2 options re:coco-caster neck

1. truss rod using 2-way thing from stew mac already in my possesion...and ebony f/b over top cos i will have to finish the cocbolo to bring out the red/vivid colours

prob situate truss rod nut at head stock end just under the nut

or

2. no truss rod, no ebony f/b ...just cocobolo but finished like a maple neck (poly everywhere)

obviously #2 is much easier and quicker to do but #1 makes more sense....

this is a classic personal dilemma...

i need to dwell on it for a while and make something else first

Why do you need to finish with poly on the fretboard? Why not just finish back of neck and leave the fretboard unfinished like a traditional neck? Or even beter still (in my opinion) a 1piece cocobolo neck with nothing but an oil finish? Would look and feel sensational.

Cheers,

Peter

Originally Posted by peterbrown

Why do you need to finish with poly on the fretboard? Why not just finish back of neck and leave the fretboard unfinished like a traditional neck? Or even beter still (in my opinion) a 1piece cocobolo neck with nothing but an oil finish? Would look and feel sensational.

Cheers,

Peter

adding more options...the oil finish suggestion on neck is super idea...thanks for reminder

this is the guitar that a friend is going to paint artistically



this is the general layout. i will make my own pickguard to suit the offset design, but otherwise this is how it will look (but with a wenge fretboard, so it doesnt look so monotone)



showing the cavities. havent done the control cavity, as the pickguard will determine exactly where they end up.



heres the rear. notice the bolt on neck uses threaded inserts (their decorative ones for furnature and such, but seem to hold really well). using this arrangement the bolts are spread much further than most bolt on necks, so it should be significantly stiffer than usual. the 3 and 1 arrangement means they can be well spread, and still give plenty of access to the upper frets. i was planning on doing a fair bit of carving around the heel, but i dont know if i need to after feeling it.

i'm going to try and get the body ready for my friend to paint while i finish the neck (and the hundreds of other projects i still have to do)