# Tom P.'s eBay Project



## TomParenteau (Nov 1, 2009)

I don't get much time to work on it because I have other things like keeping vehicles running, cooking, yardwork, that bothersome "job" thing... But I did some things on it this evening. The original posting seems to have been deleted, so I'll try to do a better one now.





Pile of "junk" purchased on eBay, all from different sellers. 25" scale Warmoth neck ($81 shipped), Warmoth mahogany body, REAL Floyd ($200 shipped).





Unacceptable job of bridge relocation. This body was made for a 25" scale neck, and someone did a horrible thing to use a neck with a 25.5" scale on it. Check out the metal plates screwed & glued! This is why a carved-top Warmoth body went for $46 shipped.













The de-butchering begins. I bored through with a 5/8" endmill. Maybe not necessary to go all the way through, but I was so disgusted that I wanted to remove all evidence!





Hard rock maple dowel is difficult to find, and probably wouldn't fit quite right anyway. So I turned my own from an especially hard piece. I used a wood that sounds good, and is plenty strong to support the Floyd. Rather than having the grain run lengthwise, as in conventional dowel, I turned these pieces to have the grain run the same direction as the body's. I "snuck up on it," checking the fit until I got it just right.









Home-turned dowels glued into the body. I got the grain running fairly close to the direction of the body's.





...and from the back. 





Look! This neck only ever had 6 tuners on it! Strange.





The body says "Hollow." The current Warmoth site says 7-string bodies are not available in hollow or chambered. To knock on it, it sounds like it could really be hollow. Ah, the mystery...





6105 has to be the fretwire, but what about the 1988? Is that really when this neck was made? It was on a different body, so the holes don't quite line up for the body I have. I need to get the neck joint tight & just right for correct scale length before I mount the bridge. I don't know what the fifth hole is for. I don't need it, so I might as well fill it while I'm filling!





How about this "106?" Is that from Warmoth, or somebody else?





Holes drilled & filled with 1/4" oak dowel I got from my friendly neighborhood Rockler woodworking store. These will be left to dry for the week. 

I hope to post more progress sooner than later. Thanks in advance for any facts or ideas about the "hollow" designation & numbers! Tony Flying Squirrel?


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## Empryrean (Nov 1, 2009)

Yes, progress.


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## Konfyouzd (Nov 2, 2009)

^ 

this looks very interesting indeed.


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## I_infect (Nov 2, 2009)

Nice job repairing that botched bridge. I hate seeing guitars torn up like that!


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## Rick (Nov 2, 2009)

This will be cool.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks, guys! 

I found out from somebody on unofficialwarmoth.com that the "1988" is actually 1.988, the nut width in inches.

My original intention was to put another solid strat-shaped guitar together. But as I stumbled upon these deals, I started to think about something with a different character. I'm hoping the combination of Gibson & Fender traits will make for a great guitar.


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## Vletrmx (Nov 2, 2009)

Looks pretty cool so far, man. Keep it up!

On a different note, I've always wondered what people around here thought of Warmoth? Are they a reliable service? Their prices don't seem very outrageous, but something in the back of my head is telling me that it's just an indication of sub-par products.


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## Ishan (Nov 2, 2009)

As far as I know they make high quality parts.


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## Fred the Shred (Nov 2, 2009)

Ah, now this is interesting. Keep us posted, mate!


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## mattofvengeance (Nov 2, 2009)

Yeah, dude. I am very intrigued. Keep us updated!


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## Apophis (Nov 2, 2009)

looks good so far


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 2, 2009)

sounds like a nice kick ass project to keep your sinter nights busy!!! total win!!


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## cycloptopus (Nov 2, 2009)

Good Luck! Seems like you will be able to kick this product of 'isle of misfits' back into shape. I think it's hilarious that the 7 string neck never had 7 tuning machines in it.


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## JohnIce (Nov 2, 2009)

vineroon said:


> Looks pretty cool so far, man. Keep it up!
> 
> On a different note, I've always wondered what people around here thought of Warmoth? Are they a reliable service? Their prices don't seem very outrageous, but something in the back of my head is telling me that it's just an indication of sub-par products.


 
I'll vouch for Warmoth, they make great stuff. My main guitar is a Warmoth, and I own a PRS, Fenders, Schecters and Gibsons all of which cost more than the Warmoth. It's good stuff.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 2, 2009)

Hell yeah! I have been using Warmoth stuff since it was called Boogie Bodies. The necks & bodies are not cheap, but they are excellent. Made right here in the beautiful Pacific NW of the USA. 

Putting a guitar together part-by-part often costs way more than buying an off-the-rack mass produced one. But you get what you want, you don't have to replace anything, and it's really good!

The common gripe about Warmoth around here (me included) is the limited number of options for their 7-string necks.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Nov 2, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> I don't get much time to work on it because I have other things like keeping vehicles running, cooking, yardwork, that bothersome "job" thing... But I did some things on it this evening. The original posting seems to have been deleted, so I'll try to do a better one now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



6105 is indeed the fretwire size.
1.988 is the actual nut width as measured in thousands of an inch by digital calipers.
106 is just an internal production list number, which gets recycled often.

As for "Hollow", to my knowledge, at least while I was there, not one single 7 string body was made as a hollow because it was not offered. In fact, not even the VIP body style was programmed for hollow by the time I left Warmoth. I would venture to guess that this was written in the neck pocket in error, but to verify, you can look inside the control cavity, and if their is a square or rectangular shaped channel the goes from the cavity parallel with the centerline of the body towards the lower cutaway, similar to a hollow tele Warmoth body, then it is likely hollow. If it has only the standard holes drilled from the control cavity to the trem claw cavity, and a wire hole drilled from each pickup into the control cavity, it is likely a standard solid body. Just a note, on all standard solid bodies, the way Warmoth drills the wire channel from the neck pickup to the control cavity is by using a very long drill bit, and actually drilling from the inside wall of the neck pocket nearest the neck pickup, all the way through the neck pickup cavity into the control cavity. Warmoth can, upon request, for an upcharge, hand route for the OFR 7 if you do not wish to have it routed for the Takeuchi Lisenced Floyd. It's best to send in your OFR 7 to ensure accurate fit. That retro job in these pictures are offensive to look at.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks for the info!

Don't worry about the "retro job" bridge butcher. I'll fix it! I need to know exactly where the OFR will live. Once I have the inserts in, I'll be able to carry on with the filling & milling.


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## norrin radcliff (Nov 2, 2009)

Looking good so far! Good luck!


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## poopyalligator (Nov 2, 2009)

cant wait to see this one finished. It should be pretty cool when it is done


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## TomParenteau (Nov 3, 2009)

You mean this rectangular channel?




Woo-hoo!


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## JohnIce (Nov 3, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> You mean this rectangular channel?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Schweet, congrats! You should f-hole that sucker!


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Nov 3, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> You mean this rectangular channel?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yup, thats the one, that couldn't be more that 5 months old, because they were working on the program when I left in May 2009.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 4, 2009)

Tony Flying Squirrel's date of manufacture estimate tells a lot. Thanks again!

I have had this body for several months myself. If it's really that new, somebody had to have spent well over $500 to buy it. They wrecked it almost immediately to put a 25.5" scale neck on! 

Pure speculation on my part of course. The mystery of the history (rhyme!) of this thing is fun!

Got more stuff for it coming, and should get some more work done on it this weekend.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 6, 2009)

I've been doing some wheelin' & dealin' & tradin'. This thing will need a case, and here is what I got:





I came home from work, and Chopper said, "The UPS man was down!"





Absolutely cherry tweed case with money inside!





Chopper said, "Nice!"





Looks like Tom P.'s eBay project will be living in the lap of tweed-a-licious luxury!





The Chopster notices that it's quite a tight fit on the lower bout, but should work well once it's broken in.

I like tweed cases because they are easy to see among a bunch of black ones. Makes 'em less like to get stolen, too.



JohnIce said:


> Schweet, congrats! You should f-hole that sucker!


 
Why you son of a... I never thought of that, and you just made me consider it!


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## Fred the Shred (Nov 7, 2009)

I have a good feeling about this project, starting with the oddball semi-hollow body!


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## I_infect (Nov 7, 2009)

Very unique, with alot of character. That's awesome it is in fact, a semi hollow.


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## mattofvengeance (Nov 8, 2009)

Yes indeed, do as John says and F-hole it. That would be full of pure awesome.


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 8, 2009)

pretty sweet man, how is it coming along then?


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## IAMLORDVADER (Nov 8, 2009)

sick job on the repair man, it looks at home in that sweet case too


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## TomParenteau (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks for the F-hole suggestion. That's a great thing to consider. There is already a ton of work to do in the bridge area and in relocating the controls, and cutting an F-hole or two would only be more. 

More importantly: I decided I like the idea of it being hollow without looking hollow. Why show everybody? Keep it mysterious.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 11, 2009)

Some more stuff arrived today. Warmoth sent me a big ol' bag o' Gotohs!




Has nothing to do with the neck joint work, but hell, it's More New Stuff Day! The gold ones are not for this guitar. They are to replace some that went away in the trade for the case.





Holes drilled in the neck.





I like to wax the threads up on these screws at first. It makes it much easier to put them in, and helps keep the wood from splitting. Draggin' 'em through an old candle works fine.





Here at the bottom of the joint is where I got some gap-osis. The holes in the body were much smaller than they needed to be. I enlarged them just enough so the screws would slide through to allow myself some room for adjustment. I also did some light sanding on the neck. This is still the closest it has gotten. It must be the angle the at which the neck sits in the joint. To see it in real life, it's miniscule and acceptable. I will probably call it good enough. 













On the sides, it's tight like a nun! I want the neck mounted and the nut installed when I plot the bridge location. 

A bolt-on with a looser joint is easy to adjust for string alignment---just back the screws off, yank the neck the appropriate direction, and tighten 'er back up! That is not the case with a joint this precise. It's critical that I get the bridge positioned exactly right side-to-side, hopefully the first time.

So onto thinking about installing the nut:




I swiped this photo from the Warmoth site. This is how they do their tilt-back headstock necks for a Floyd nut. Very nice!





I'm not so lucky. My neck was made for a standard nut. Not a clear photo, but the neck obviously needs more than just an easy milling to make a Floyd nut fit.

I thought of two ways to accomplish this. The easier one would be to hog away with an endmill until I get deep enough into the neck that I have a .612" (the size of the nut) surface perpendicular to the end of the fretboard. Then make a .612" maple block tall enough for the nut to sit on, and glue it in where I milled out. This only involves right angles, but damn! That's a lot of material to remove from the area where necks tend to break. Sure, the maple block glued in would make it plenty strong. But it still seems kinda scary.

The other way actually involves a 13-degree angle, the tilt of the headstock. I wouldn't remove ANY material. If you look at Warmoth's photo, it's easy to imagine the little piece I'm missing. I would just make one out of maple and glue it on. Harder to make than a square block, but I would leave the neck alone until I was gluing the piece on. I'm leaning toward doing it this way.


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## IAMLORDVADER (Nov 18, 2009)

> The other way actually involves a 13-degree angle, the tilt of the neck. I wouldn't remove ANY material. If you look at Warmoth's photo, it's easy to imagine the little piece I'm missing. I would just make one out of maple and glue it on. Harder to make than a square block, but I would leave the neck alone until I was gluing the piece on. I'm leaning toward doing it this way.


 
this sounds like the safer option to me, wouldnt compramise the necks structural integrity and saves on a lot of work


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## TomParenteau (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks for the input. It's actually more work to make the more complex part, but so much less risky! Also, not nearly as much end grain-to-end grain glue joint. I could mess the part up 100 times before getting it right, and the neck would still be sitting there intact.

I have already arranged to go visit my dad & use his shop for this on Saturday. Some more parts arrived, too! So there will be more progress & photos soon. I don't want to rush because I want it to turn out nice. At the same time, I'm getting pretty excited to play it!


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## TMM (Nov 18, 2009)

This is an awesome project! I'm surprised I didn't notice those parts coming through, I definitely would have snapped them up if I saw them. Looking good so far!


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## TheSixthWheel (Nov 18, 2009)

Well done so far Tom, I can't wait to see what you do with it. Looks like you've got a number of options at every turn, which is never a bad thing. Especially considering what it looked like in the first few pics. Somebody did indeed slaughter that body.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 22, 2009)

I wasn't able to get over to my dad's shop as originally planned. I did manage to take some measurements & draw up the part I need to make in order to install the nut. Also, some more stuff arrived! So I'm posting to keep the thread alive.




I didn't bother to trig it out, but slapping a protractor on my drawing does indeed indicate the 13-degree angle I need. I designed the part to leave room to shim the nut for the best height. That's good for the future as well, since a fret dress often requires some lowering of the nut.





I love it when new stuff gets delivered! Battery box, and bigger block for the Floyd.





I put the block on to check the fit. Very good! See how much bigger it is than the stock one. I can't submit a proper review because I will never play this guitar with the stock block. I have nothing to compare it to, sound-wise. I'm just starting right out with the good stuff. 

The purpose of the block on the original strat vibrato is to make up for the loss of mass from the big hole in the body. So I figure since this is a semi-hollow body, I need even MORE mass!

This block came from "hoockey" on eBay. Much less expensive than floydupgrades, and it got here pretty quickly. Could I have made this simple piece myself? Absolutely. But don't I already have enough to do on this thing? And I don't have a chunk of brass lying around. AND for $30.49 shipped, this is a great deal.

The holiday weekend is coming up, so there will be more progress on this guitar.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 27, 2009)

I started making the part for the neck today. I cut this from the same piece of maple that I used to make the dowels I put into the body.




My dad has a cool little vise for his milling machine that will set up for angles. I mostly went by eye to get the 13 degrees I was after because the scale on that vise is not super precise.





The fit to the neck came out as good or better than I expected. 





I will do the final sizing & shaping on the sides at home with files & sandpaper.









This is obviously too high, but the part is already thin & delicate. I plan to glue the part onto the neck, then machine it to the proper height for the nut. That way it won't break.


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## jymellis (Dec 1, 2009)

looks like the locking nut you got was to small.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 1, 2009)

It's the nut that came with the rest of the OFR. I don't have it here at work, and I don't know what size it says it is. I like it. I usually go one size narrower than recommended because I don't like the high E falling off the side of the fretboard.

Remember the 1.998 I was wondering about? If you look at my drawing, you can see that I measured the neck at 2.15" at the nut! 1.998" my ass.


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## jymellis (Dec 1, 2009)

werd


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## BrainArt (Dec 1, 2009)

Lookin' good, Tom! I'll definitely be watching this thread for updates.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 5, 2009)

I let the part I made last time stay in the house to dry out. It came from a piece of maple that had been sitting out in my dad's shop. That's my excuse for taking so long for the next process!









A big honkin' half-round file can get away from you almost as bad as a power tool. I should have been a little more careful. I made both sides look the same, and changed to finer files & sandpaper. I don't feel like making this part again, so it's plenty good! My camera battery went dead, so I wasn't able to get any shots of the final shaping. After the machining for the nut, I will sand the part & neck smooth together.









I got these neat little clamps for Christmas some years ago. Perfect for this! I brought the neck inside my house to dry for a few days. I can fill the knob & switch holes in the body in the meantime, and some really cool parts should arrive that I'm excited to post next time!


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## Empryrean (Dec 5, 2009)

I think I might have missed something, what is that piece of wood for?


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## Customisbetter (Dec 5, 2009)

^Shelf for the locking nut.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 11, 2009)

Got some more stuff!




Gotoh are my favorite tuners. Special thanks to Elysian for steering me to Sperzel for these pearloid buttons & white washers. 





I was unable to shoot a photo that shows the pearl look, but look how great these look together! You'll just have to take my word that these tuners & knobs match perfectly.

I got the real shell-top knobs from Guitar Fetish. They were not nice about answering questions. They sell these knobs in pairs, but I only plan to use one. I like these knobs better than the similar-looking Q-Parts ones because they are taller, the same size as a regular dome knob. I use my pinky to slam the volume knob all the way open or shut 99% of the time, so I wanted the tall size. I don't really like Guitar Fetish, but that's where I found the knob I wanted.

The buttons fit the tuners, and with the white washers I think they look wicked cool. I am so pumped for the way this thing is gonna look. This is snazzy stuff!


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## TomParenteau (Dec 12, 2009)

Busy as hell today, but I did get a little time on the neck. Dear old Dad blew his back out pretty bad and didn't want company, so I did some stuff at home since I was already out in my garage working on my car.




I decided to blend the part to the neck before machining. That will ensure a nice flat surface for the nut.





The gaps in the glue joint are pretty embarrassing, even though I know it was a difficult part to fit to the neck. It's actually glued pretty solidly. I think I'll use some filler here just to make it look better.









I don't like the sharp edge of the fretboard left by the machines at Warmoth. While I had the neck in one hand, sandpaper in the other, I knocked that edge off. I did this to the 2 other Warmoth necks I have had (Boogie Bodies back then) and it gives a nice, comfortable, broken-in feeling even when brand new.


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## BrainArt (Dec 12, 2009)

I love progress pics. The shelf is looking good, too, Tom!


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## TomParenteau (Dec 12, 2009)

I think the "shelf" looks like shit, but thanks! It'll do the job.


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## BrainArt (Dec 12, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> I think the "shelf" looks like shit, but thanks! It'll do the job.



If it was me working on this, I probably would have given up already.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 12, 2009)

Imagine that your only working 7 is a GiO, but you also have a pile of parts that could become a killer Warmoth 7. I bet you wouldn't give up!


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## BrainArt (Dec 12, 2009)

^ True. That would give me reason to finish the job.


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## st2012 (Dec 13, 2009)

It's looking good man!


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## TomParenteau (Dec 18, 2009)

I'm doing some major front-end work on my car right now, so I probably won't be able to post a new progress installment until the long holiday weekend coming up.

I love working on my vehicles, but I would really prefer to be getting further on my project guitar right now. If I get the car done early I will get back on the guitar!


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## BrainArt (Dec 18, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> I'm doing some major front-end work on my car right now, so I probably won't be able to post a new progress installment until the long holiday weekend coming up.
> 
> I love working on my vehicles, but I would really prefer to be getting further on my project guitar right now. If I get the car done early I will get back on the guitar!



No rush, Tom.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 19, 2009)

You're right about no rush. The work itelf shouldn't be rushed, but it should be getting done. I also have to make spaghetti today! Geez, it never ends. Is this why people get married? 

Thanks for your support.


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## NiCkMiLnE (Dec 20, 2009)

TomPerverteau said:


> I don't like the sharp edge of the fretboard left by the machines at Warmoth. While I had the neck in one hand, sandpaper in the other, I knocked that edge off. I did this to the 2 other Warmoth necks I have had (Boogie Bodies back then) and it gives a nice, comfortable, broken-in feeling even when brand new.



something i always do aswell on all of my guitars that have a sharp..i believe fender call is 'rolling off' the fretboard..or 'rolled edges'...and strangely i always found fenders have the nicest feeling fretboards  god bless simple ideas


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## TomParenteau (Jan 17, 2010)

I haven't forgotten about it! The past couple weekends has been a major rebuild of my car's front end.

I did sit in front of the TV this evening and assemble the tuners with the Sperzel pearloid buttons just to feel like I did a little something on it. Next weekend I'll get back to the milling machine & finish the installation of the nut.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 1, 2010)

I just got laid off, so expect more progress soon!


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## mlp187 (Feb 1, 2010)

=( That sucks man. I hope you find a job quick.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks, but I don't have time for a job right now.


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## Rick (Feb 1, 2010)

I can't wait to see this thing finished, but that sucks that you lost your job. I'd rather wait and have you employed.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 2, 2010)

Aw, shucks, guys! Thanks for the well wishes. In my line of work, the trend these days is job/layoff/job/layoff/job layoff.

My job only ended 6 weeks early, and the timing was perfect. I really need the break to get my vehicle situation solid & stable. I haven't had my truck on the road & legal in years, and it's a good gear hauler. My car needs a bunch of care, too. These are oldies, and the way to stay mobile is to have 2 in case I have to leave one apart temporarily for some reason. 

And of course I really want to complete my project guitar!

I'm already full-on into the job search, and things are much better than this time last year. I figure if I get right after it, I'll still have a few months off to take care of these projects.


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## mlp187 (Feb 2, 2010)

Cool man. I read your prior post and was thinking, WTF does that even mean?!  But now it all makes sense.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm a decent machinist, but when I'm at my dad's shop, it's all his stuff. He knows what he has, and where everything is. So he usually ends up doing most of the work when I'm there. I don't blame him--again, it's his stuff!





There is not a straight line on the whole neck to clamp to, so he found these neat rubber jaw thingies that worked.









Milling the "shelf" for the nut on the milling machine with a router bit. We used the cool vice he has that's adjustable for angle, or "roll" as we called it. I kept checking with the nut to get the correct angle.





These "bow" things are cheap & effective setup tools that everyone should make & have around. I couldn't find any wood that was springy enough; it all kept breaking. I ended up using the edge cutoffs from some circuit boards, which are fiberglass. The high & low strings for this guitar are a .009 & a .054.





I'm back at my shop at this point. See how we milled the "shelf" to set the strings at the correct height for the first fret, and didn't pay attention to the headstock. The angle we ended up with shows it.





The low B has just a tiny gap to the first fret. The high E sits right on it. I can shim to the correct clearance. This leaves some adjustability in the case of a fret dress.





Centering up the nut to drill the holes. This is an R7S nut. As JymEllis pointed out some time ago, this nut looks too narrow for the neck. I like some extra neck on the sides so the strings don't fall off the edges when I play, but this is even more than I like. This neck is a gigantic 2.15" at the nut. I don't know if there is a wider Floyd nut available. Comment is welcome here!





Holes drilled for the nut.





Knocking the "nurdlies" off the holes so the nut has a nice, flat place to sit.





Floyd Rose himself once told me on the phone that top-mounting the nut isn't any sronger than drilling all the way through the neck & bolting it on from the back. Whether or not that is true, I prefer to remove the least amount of material. It also looks much nicer not to have those ugly holes in the back.





I like extra room to keep the high E from falling off the edge, but my holes ended up a bit further toward the bass side than even I like. Before I re-drill, I want to investigate the possibility of getting a slightly wider nut. I figure I can start cleaning this neck up & getting some coats of tung oil varnish on there at this point, now that the real dirty work is done.

Let's talk OFR nut widths! Nut the light, crappy LFR nuts. They are a different height anyway. Again, this is an R7S.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 12, 2010)

Tom - do me a favor:

BUILD FASTER! 

Shit's lookin' sweet.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm working plenty fast. It's all those weeks-long gaps in between that make it seem slow!

Now help me out by turning me on to a good source for a wider nut!


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 12, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> I'm working plenty fast. It's all those weeks-long gaps in between that make it seem slow!
> 
> Now help me out by turning me on to a good source for a wider nut!


Wish I could help... 

Don't mind me... I just feed my modding anxiety by watching other people build shit for now since I don't have the $$$ to do it myself


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## TomParenteau (Feb 12, 2010)

Being unemployed right now, it's a damn good thing this guitar project and my vehicles aren't requiring money at this point. Just time, which I actually have!


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Feb 12, 2010)

that bow is a very cool idea! I just use a string with my hands...facepalm.
keep workin, this is going great.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 17, 2010)

The nut I have here is 1.92", or between 48 & 49mm.

I talked to Warmoth, and their 7-string Floyd nut is 50.4mm, or 2". It's not OFR or Schaller, and it doesn't say anything on the bottom of it. It's probably Takeuchi.

If the height dimensions are the same, this nut would probably be about right for my 2.15" neck. But they want $40 for it! That seems awfully steep for an FRL nut. Remember, I'm not working right now.

Does anybody out there know a source for a 2" nut that may have a more reasonable price?


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## jymellis (Feb 17, 2010)

have you tried ibanezrules? i know its not an iby but they may have the size you need, bu the price will prolly be pretty high


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## TomParenteau (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow, that's an excellent idea! I'm kind of anti-Ibanez, so I never even thought about Ibanezrules.

That's why I ask for help from you guys! Thanks, Jym!

EDIT: The Ibanezrules site only lists 48mm, and they want $75!!! Makes 40 seem cheap. I could call them on the phone to find out if they have something wider, but that price is pretty discouraging. I still appreciate the input, Jym. It was worth a shot.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 21, 2010)

The guy I talked to at Warmoth didn't know who makes their 50.4mm nut. The site says Schaller. My local stores were not able to help me at all. I went ahead & ordered the one from Warmoth for $47.50 shipped. Ouch! I won't know if the holes I drilled will match until the nut arrives. And I forgot to even ask if it's top-mount ready.

I drilled the holes for the tuners last night. Know what's really weird? The spot that has never had a tuner installed in it is where the D string goes! How the hell would that work? 

EDIT: I got a 10-pack of 1/16th-inch drill bits (because they are the ones that always break!) at Harbor Freight Tool for $2! When you're unemployed, it's easier than ever to get out of Harbor Freight having only spent two bucks!

I have a bit of filler to apply, and then I'll be putting on coats of tung oil.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Feb 22, 2010)

Warmoth has them in available nut widths of 1 7/8" or 2", the same as the available nut widths for their 7 string necks.

The locking nuts are made by Schaller, and if you do not have the mounting holes drilled into the neck yet, by all means, absolutely wait until you have your actual locking nut in hand before drilling them. This is one of the reasons why Warmoth prefers to only drill them out if you are purchasing the trem system or nut-only from them, so they can use _your_ actual locking nut to make sure the holes are centered and appropriately spaced.

Contrary to popular belief, Schaller locking nuts are not CNC drilled & tapped as far as the mounting holes are concerned, this has been confirmed with Schaller while I was working there. Schaller machines every thing else, then puts them in a vice, & drills & taps them with a drill press before sending them off to be plated.

Ever notice a neck in the showcase that has been Floyd Shelf prepped only? This is precisely the reason why, and the shelves are cut rather non-specific on non-fretted showcase necks because Warmoth never knows exactly what fret size a customer will choose for one. The only reason you'll likely find one in this stage will likely be because a customer flaked half way through the process with $$ or changed their mind & paid the change fee. 

It really is best for Customer and Warmoth to have all of your homework done in advance, so they can cut once & get it to you ASAP.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 22, 2010)

Thanks, Tony. As the previous pages show, I have already made & installed a "shelf" and drilled for top-mount to fit 48-49mm OFR nut.

If I have to re-drill the "shelf," it's not a big deal. I just hope the nut I ordered from Warmoth is countersunk for top-mount. If it's not, I'll do that too.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Feb 22, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> Floyd Rose himself once told me on the phone that top-mounting the nut isn't any sronger than drilling all the way through the neck & bolting it on from the back. Whether or not that is true, I prefer to remove the least amount of material. It also looks much nicer not to have those ugly holes in the back.
> 
> .




It can depend on the amount of tension that the locking nut has to hold back at the headstock if you do a lot of excessive divebombing to slack.

On a standard six string tuned to A-440 with a set of .010-.046 strings, there can be upwards of 103.51 lbs for a 25.5 scale neck, that jumps up to 118.29 lbs for a 7 string using a .056 for the low B. 

From my experience, if the screw holes are not drilled to very exacting, tight tolerances, and the screws are not deep enough to anchor the nut in there solid as a rock, they can work loose and eventually you'll notice that the nut moves when you whammy. I know this because my main sixer, the TFS6 is setup exactly like that, and in redesigning the neck for the upcoming 7 string and further 6 string versions, I'll be designing in a volute to add more mass for strength where locking nuts will be used.

With the additional width (mass) of the 7 string necks, drilling through holes shouldn't have any adverse affects on the stability and stiffness of the neck, especially considering the long kiln dried process and reliability of Warmoth necks. Since it appears as though you have a maple neck, adding a finish to it certainly will aid in its stability as Maple is just one of those species of wood that is always responding to fluctuating humidity conditions, hence the requirement for a hard finish on such species within 30 days of receipt in order to validate the warranty.

Both my TFS6 and my Ibanez RG7620 have slim Wizard-ish necks with no volute. The TFS6 stays in tune quite well, but it's been maintained very well over the 14 years that it's been my main guitar. The Ibanez stays in tune quite well, with the through-holes on the nut prep, also attributed to maintenance, but also to added mass throughout the neck overall, both with hard finishes.

My Warmoth Z/KL has a maple neck with an ebony board. It, like the previous two instruments, also has a tilt-back headstock, and a OFR nut, but it also has a Scarf joint and a slight volute, and I honestly feel that it is the most seasonally consistent of all of my guitars. I've litterally never adjusted the truss rod on it, there hasn't been a need, and we're talking the Puget Sound area here, it rains or is foggy or overcast one day and not the next. Our humidity levels are all over the board.

Anyway, hope that helps.



TomPerverteau said:


> Thanks, Tony. As the previous pages show, I have already made & installed a "shelf" and drilled for top-mount to fit 48-49mm OFR nut.
> 
> If I have to re-drill the "shelf," it's not a big deal. I just hope the nut I ordered from Warmoth is countersunk for top-mount. If it's not, I'll do that too.



The holes are indeed countersunk, at least they were when I worked there.

The hole in the end of the neck where it says "106" which is a production number, that hole is what we referred to as a "butt plug". on all necks with straight headstocks, it's where the truss rod adjustment nut ends up, before that gets put in, that hole is so that the fingeboard radius machine can have somethine to hold onto while it is being radius sanded on the homemade radius sanding machine, which has been copied by Grizzly. That hole is also on my Warmoth KL neck, even though it also has a tilt back headstock with the truss rod adjustment up there also.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 22, 2010)

Good stuff, Tony! Thanks again.

I just saw the UPS tracking info, and the nut should be here tomorrow. I don't live very far from Puyallup.

I have used Floyds hard for as long as there's been Floyds, and have had good results with top-mounting the nuts. In fact my first one wasn't even countersunk for top-mount, so I did it myself (that's where my phone conversation with Floyd came from). 

I will consider doing it the drill-through way, but will probably top-mount again. I will keep a close eye on the nut, especially at first. Like you say, there is a whole 'nother string on this guitar and it's a big one.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 24, 2010)

New Nut Day!




The new nut from Warmoth arrived. It's visibly wider than the OFR nut.





The bottom of the new nut is blank; the OFR one says "R7S" & stuff. The new one feels plenty heavy, and looks to be every bit as well-made as the OFR one.





The new nut definitely fits this neck's width better than the OFR nut. The mounting holes do not line up.









It has the "one size narrower than recommended" fit I always go for: Some extra room at the edge of the fretboard for the high E.









Well, look at that. This new nut is substantially taller that the OFR nut. Looks like I'll be putting the neck on the milling machine all over again!





This SculpWood 2-part epoxy wood filler is $35 at Rockler's. That means it can be had cheaper somewhere else. It can be drilled, sawed, tapped, screwed, sanded, painted, stained, or whatever. Way out of my budget right now! I need so little of it that my dad just let me use some of his.





I used the SculpWood filler on the old tuner screw holes, some filling on the edges of the headstock, the tiny gaps in the glue joint of the "shelf," and now the mounting holes for the OFR nut. I cut a straight edge on this plastic knife to apply it & scrape it off kinda like peanut butter to toast. I rolled the filler into little mouse-turds & stuffed it into the holes. I tamped it down with this little tool I made from safety wire to make sure I had filled the holes completely. The stuff has to be used within 15 minutes, so I kept mixing up tiny batches as I worked. It's ready to sand in 4 hours.

I have to re-mill the "shelf" and make new mounting holes to fit this nut. That means I'll be at my dad's shop where I have access to precision machines. So I decided to take TonyFlyingSquirrel's advice and bore all the way through the neck to mount the nut solidly. That will allow me a bit of side-to-side adjustment. I also like the idea of not worrying about the nut coming loose & moving around under hard bar use. That would be a disaster at a show: "Why does this thing keep falling out of tune?" I certainly don't need that! That's a worthwhile tradeoff for having visible holes in the back of the neck. I'll be at my dad's shop with Forstner bits & endmills anyway, so I'll be able to do a nice job making the holes.


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## 13point9 (Feb 24, 2010)

Your resolve astounds me Tom really good work and I hope that when the guitar is done it is a beast after all your hard work you have put in it =)


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## TomParenteau (Feb 24, 2010)

Well, 13, this can't be a hurry-up process. If I stay patient, think everything through, and do a nice job, it will be a wonderful (and most likely my MAIN) guitar. Warmoth is good stuff. Just because somebody was bad to this thing in the past doesn't mean it can't be nice again.

See how after only about a day's thought I decided to go with bolting the nut on. I appreciate the input & support from the sharp group of players on this site, and I think carefully about every bit of info I get!


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## 13point9 (Feb 24, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> Well, 13, this can't be a hurry-up process. If I stay patient, think everything through, and do a nice job, it will be a wonderful (and most likely my MAIN) guitar. Warmoth is good stuff. Just because somebody was bad to this thing in the past doesn't mean it can't be nice again.
> 
> See how after only about a day's thought I decided to go with bolting the nut on. I appreciate the input & support from the sharp group of players on this site, and I think carefully about every bit of info I get!



haha I am beginning to do the same patience wise and listening to advice on here. I really want to do an extensive mod or an all out build but I have next to no handyman skills. Which is why I'm in such awe of all you gents on here who create such masterpieces 

I guess this is my patience, just looking up on here learning techniques, materials etc until I'm competent. I've only been on here about a week and I already feel majorly informed lol


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## TomParenteau (Feb 24, 2010)

I sometimes think that this project would be less work if I had just started with some lumber!


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## TomParenteau (Mar 6, 2010)

Since I used the same setup on the milling machine as before to mill for the new nut, I didn't bother with photos of that this time.





The bass side of the "shelf" still has some meat to it...





The treble side, however, got milled down to paper-thin to fit the new taller nut.





I left the neck set up in the milling machine and just switched to a drill bit to bore all the way through for the screws. Shown here is the crude setup I used at the drill press to counterbore for the screw heads using an endmill to make a nice, flat seat. Pure eyeball job!





I only counterbored deep enough so that the screw heads wouldn't stick out. The screws that came with the nut could have been a little longer. Rather than remove more material from the neck to fit fit some cheap screws, I just stopped by the Ace Hardware for some longer ones.





The counterbores aren't perfect, but not too bad for doing it by eye. I'm calling it good enough!





I opened the holes up side to side a bit with this small rat-tail file to allow myself some adjustment for string alignment.









This is as close to being set up the way I like them as I'll get with a nut this wide.





After cleaning up the edges of the counterbores with some sandpaper. The neck can now be used to locate the bridge, which means I can get back to work on the body. The neck is ready for steel wooling & tung oiling, and I can even paint the headstock face at this point!


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Mar 9, 2010)

That actually looks quite good considering what has been done to it. Your patience & precision is paying off.


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## BrainArt (Mar 10, 2010)

Damn, Tom! It's looking good so far, man! I almost forgot about this thread!


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## Evil7 (Mar 10, 2010)

Tom gets shit done. I admire your determination!


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## Galius (Mar 10, 2010)

Looking great so far man!! I will be keeping an eye out for progress for sure.


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## dan0151 (Mar 10, 2010)

nice..looking forward to seeing the finished item


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## technomancer (Mar 10, 2010)

wow not sure how exactly I missed this thread before... that's coming along really well


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## Shawn (Mar 11, 2010)

Wow I totally missed this thread. Looks awesome! I dig the maple neck and the body reminds me of a PRS.


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## TomParenteau (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks, guys!

Shawn, you're right. It is much like a PRS. 25" scale, and the body styling is pretty obvious. I just ordered a truss rod cover (eBay of course) for PRS to put on it!


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## TomParenteau (Mar 17, 2010)

Things are getting even more interesting/frustrating.




I got this PRS-shape truss rod cover on eBay. It wasn't beveled or countersunk (like PRS), so I sent it back. The guy says he has a beveled & countersunk one on its way.





25" bridge-to-nut, right?





With the saddles on the middle hole and at the middle of their adjustment slots, here is where the bridge lands at 25".





My son thinks he's helping me measure.





With the saddles on the closest hole and as close as they'll go in their adjustment slots, here is where the bridge lands at 25".





StewMac's handy fret & bridge placement guide says the studs for OFR should go here, at 24.51".





Boring the holes for the inserts centered at 24.51" would cut right into the factory bridge route. It looks to be about the same 1/4" too far away from the nut.

I want the very middle of all adjustment to be at 25". How this body got out with the original bridge route set up for about a 25.25" scale is a mystery that I really don't even care to explore at this point! I obviously have more filling & milling to do than I thought.

There is nothing I can do but keep on fixing. I have only begun to imagine how I will center the bridge side-to-side. This project is getting to be a major pain.


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## Empryrean (Mar 17, 2010)

Tom you're a cat? thats awesome!


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Mar 17, 2010)

Stay the course of patience & precision, looking good.


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## guitarplayerone (Mar 18, 2010)

why not just see if you'll be able to install the bridge there and still intonate? (totally random baseless why)


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## Fred (Mar 18, 2010)

Haha, wow, I definitely would have given up on this or at least made a "fuck it, that's good enough" gesture a long time ago. I'm sure your patience and precision will pay off though!


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## Rick (Mar 18, 2010)

That sucks, Tom, but please for the love of God, keep going. I can't wait to see this finished!


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## TomParenteau (Mar 19, 2010)

To Fred (Dave?) and G.PlayerOne: There is no "there" at this point to be "good enough." There are no holes to install the studs into. That means I need to bore holes. That means bore the holes where I want them.

I will install the bridge so that the strings are centered perfectly on the neck. When the center saddle is on its middle hole and in the middle of its adjustment slot, it will be 25" from the nut. Period! Unless I mess up...

And Rick, you're absolutely right. It's only a couple extra swipes on the milling machine to put the relief for the front edge of the bridge in the right place. I had just assumed that since what's already there is the factory route, it would be right, and I got a little flustered. There is so much filling & milling to be done to the bridge cavity that those couple extra passes are not an issue after all.

Thanks again, guys!


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## jymellis (Mar 19, 2010)

maing! this is gonne be sooo badass when its done, i can already feel it!


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## TomParenteau (Mar 19, 2010)

Here is how I'm figuring out exactly where the bridge will go:




I installed the spring claw, a couple springs, set the bridge in...





and the 2 outside tuners and strings. I found a new acoustic set that I don't even remember buying! Who knows how many sets I have bought since then without knowing I already had some? Anyway, the .047 from those was as close to a .054 as I had at the time, and will be fine for this. I knew I had plenty of .009s because SIT sets used to come with extra ones.





I can just move the bridge around to get the side-to-side string alignment just right. Look how far off to one side the routing is! The sustain block is right up against the body. I can use a suitable shim material between the body & block to get the distance to the nut right. It looks like about a 3/16" piece of something will put the center saddle 25" from the nut. Then I can mark it and be ready to machine.





I learned a bunch of stuff doing this. I now know that I need to fill & almost entirely re-route the bridge cavity. I don't need to use the ugly string retainer bar that Floyds come with. I need 2 tall mounting rings. I won't have to shim the neck joint to get the action right. And I twanged the strings & even sort of "played" it. It's not representative of how it will sound with the bridge mounted properly to its posts & tuned up to pitch, but I can tell you right now that this sucker is LOUD! It wants to sustain like crazy, too. That really got me pumped.


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## TomParenteau (Mar 31, 2010)

I am hand-filing a piece of wood to use as the shim to locate the bridge.


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## TomParenteau (Apr 4, 2010)

Remember that little gap in the neck joint that I called "good enough?"





Well, it's bugging me. I'm locating the bridge, and I don't feel right compensating for the 1/16" or so this gap puts the nut further away. I better backtrack & fix this gap!





The neck wears a sock on its head while I work on it to protect its pretty parts.





While the neck was still attached to the body, I made some pencil marks in the areas I figured I could remove material to make it fit better.





I was surprised at how tiny an amount of filing it took to make the neck fit perfectly. Good thing I was careful & didn't overdo it! Made me wonder why the hell I didn't just do this before.





I have already plugged & re-drilled the screw holes in the neck, and shouldn't have to do it yet AGAIN for such a miniscule relocation. Instead, I slotted the holes in the pocket a bit with a round file. Man, this mahogany is some hard stuff!

Now I'm all happy with the neck joint! Fixing that gap moved the nut in the direction that makes the factory bridge route a little closer to being right. And it just plain made it look nice!


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## Sebastian (Apr 4, 2010)

nice update 
More pics soon please


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## Rick (Apr 4, 2010)

Excellent.


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## TomParenteau (Apr 6, 2010)

I remember working on the neck joint months ago, and thinking it was about as good as I could get it. This time around it was so easy to make it perfect!

My new policy for this project is that any compromise I make, I will check back and look again after some time has passed.


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Apr 6, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> My new policy for this project is that any compromise I make, I will check back and look again after some time has passed.



this is a very important lesson.


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## TomParenteau (Apr 6, 2010)

It is important, but not really new! I have been working on stuff for longer than I can remember, and learned that one a long time ago. I admitted that it's "my new policy for this project," so I must have forgotten!


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## zerohawk (Apr 15, 2010)

I believe the most important info that we can learn in this thread thus far is to let a cat double check your measurments and that it is most imprtant to put a sock on the headstock when working on the neck. It also improves tone so you can play with a sock on too!


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## TomParenteau (Apr 16, 2010)

And I agree with that. Look at how Mako's Tethan's latest project came out, partly because of the help he got from his guinea pig.


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## TomParenteau (Apr 22, 2010)

I've been making this shim:




The variances in thickness should allow me to get the bridge positioned right where I want it.





Spending what seemed like hours jacking this shim around until the bridge is in the correct location. It's between the sustain block & the body. This is the method I came up with for locating the bridge.





25", right on the money. The saddles are on their middle holes, and in the middle of their adjustment slots.





Getting the string alignment the way I like it, the bridge perfectly parallel to the factory pickup route. Notice I got some .054s now, so I'm using the actual string gauges I plan to have on the completed guitar.





Quick! Grab a straight-edge and mark this up before something moves! I made the lines as long as possible in order to optimize the accuracy of setup on the milling machine.





I traced all around the bridge. This is all I have to show me where to bore for the studs. I would like to mill this area flat first, but I'm afraid that would remove the lines I drew.









Lines all drawn, and some notes. Looking at it makes me think about the patch blocks I will have to make. They'll be kind of a bitch. I have a piece of mahogany to cut them out of. The patches will just be rough, and the final milling & some Bondo will make it all pretty.

Next step: Back to my dad's milling machine.


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## Customisbetter (Apr 22, 2010)

Dude i love the determination shown in this thread, but at this point, i would just make a new body.


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## TomParenteau (Apr 23, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> Dude i love the determination shown in this thread, but at this point, i would just make a new body.


 
Make a semi-hollow carved-top body from scratch?


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## ralphy1976 (Apr 23, 2010)

sorry to ask something totally irrelevant with this thread, but is that you on your avatar?!!


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## TomParenteau (Apr 23, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> sorry to ask something totally irrelevant with this thread, but is that you on your avatar?!!


 
Yup. That's me racing BMX in 1977.

EDIT: Wait, that's wrong. Going by some parts on the bike, this would actually have been 1978.


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## ralphy1976 (Apr 23, 2010)

holy smokes man!!! 1977...i was...1!!!!!

mucho respect though, BMX in those days must have felt a bit "light" a bit like the MTB in the early 90s!!!!


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## TomParenteau (Apr 23, 2010)

Racing was much more popular back then compared to now. We had several tracks around the state, and turnouts of hundreds of riders at each event.


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## ralphy1976 (Apr 28, 2010)

yeah, sports are no longer cool now..Xbox is all the rage!!!

How's your axe coming along by the way?


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## TomParenteau (Apr 28, 2010)

I plan to be at my dad's house to use his milling machine today!


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## ralphy1976 (Apr 28, 2010)




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## TomParenteau (Apr 30, 2010)

Things are really moving now! I think I'm over the major hurdles.




Milling the new front edge of the bridge relief.





Boring one of the 10mm holes for the body inserts.





On this milling machine, I only have room to work on one side of the body. I had to turn it around & set up all over again to do the other side.





Milling the other side. The other hole is already bored at this point because I left the machine set up for boring as I switched sides. I ended up slightly off on the setup compared to the first side (still pretty damn close). This is a powerful machine that can wreck a lot of stuff in very little time! I decided to stop machining at this point, and fix up the cosmetic difference by hand with a file later.





I got this piece of mahogany at Rockler's for about a buck. Here I am cutting the patch blocks I will need on the bandsaw. I also did some rough shaping of the blocks on a belt sander.





Here you can see how I milled the freehand bridge relief butcher-job close to square just to make my patching easier. Also the new holes for the body inserts, and front edge of the bridge relief.





Ready to install the body inserts, check the fit of the bridge, and glue some patch blocks in. I'm excited!


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## TomParenteau (May 1, 2010)

Got some more stuff done it at home today.





Put the body inserts in.





Here is where the bridge landed. It looks a tad further back than I intended. That's OK, it has lots of adjustment for intonation. More important is the side-to-side location for string alignment. According to the lines I drew, that's right on the money. Yay! It came out pretty parallel to the pickup route, too.

The early Floyds had the C shape in the knife edges on both sides. I spaced the studs here like on an early one, even though the bass side knife edge has the straight area that allows some room for error in the bass direction. There is almost 0 clearance between the head of the stud and the saddle! This freaked me out at first. I double & triple checked on the treble side (the side with the C knife edge shape). It's right where it should be (center of the "C"), but damn! that's a close fit.





Test fitting 3 mahogany filler blocks I made. Remember, this will be Bondo-ed up & painted, so the blocks only need a rough fit. There will also be a final milling for cosmetics to get everything lined up & looking correct to the bridge once the filling is done. I used mahogany just to stay consistent with the rest of the body, thinking about the sound.





Filler blocks glued, clamped, and left to dry. There are still more blocks to make & glue in after this.

The de-butchering is moving along!


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## Customisbetter (May 1, 2010)




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## TomParenteau (May 30, 2010)

I put the bridge on using one spring and the 2 outer strings to check things out. With the strings tensioned up enough to level the bridge, I twanged it. I can feel it resonate. It sounds lively & loud, and sustains like a piano! Very encouraging. I can already tell that once it has all 7 strings on, tuned up to standard pitch, this thing is gonna kick ass!








Yay! The side-to-side string alignment looks perfect (sigh of relief)!





The middle-of-the-middle saddle position landed closer to 25.25" than 25". Of course my target was 25. I obviously don't want to re-do the body inserts, and I'm fairly confident that there is enough adjustment on the bridge to achieve proper intonation. How did it end up so far back? I don't know, but that's where it's at.





There is some interference between the post & the saddle on the bass side. I moved the saddle to the back screw hole, and the bridge rocks smoothy & properly. Any closer together and these body inserts would have to be completely re-done. I may have to grind a little off the side of the saddle, but I won't know until I'm setting the intonation. The treble side has adequate clearance by about...0"!





It's now time to take the neck off, and take the hardware off the neck. Here I marked the location of the screw hole for the truss rod cover. I want to drill this hole before starting to put the finishes on. The neck will not go back on the body until the finishing is completed. I have shifted my effort back to the neck because I want to start applying coats of Formby's Tung Oil Finish. The neck can soak up oil while I do more work on the body.


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## ralphy1976 (May 30, 2010)

man this thing is putting up a fight, but the results looks very promising!!!

this is as interesting as Mako's thread, loving every update!!!!


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## technomancer (May 30, 2010)

Looking good. Hopefully that intonates for you


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## TomParenteau (May 30, 2010)

Thanks, Ralphy! I'm glad you're enjoying it. 

Technomancer, you got that right! I better make sure this puppy will get to perfect intonation before I paint the body.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.


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## TomParenteau (Jun 3, 2010)

I am working on this neck AND getting my car ready for a show at the same time. As I said before, I want to get this neck soaking up oil while other things happen.




I just set up this new shop entertainment center. I ran cable TV out there. Now I don't have to miss my racing, gearhead shows, and other quality programming while I turn wrenches & make sawdust.





The nut was a little high, so I knocked a bit off the "shelf" with a file.





Flattening the headstock face with a sanding block. The flatter it is, the better the paint will look.





While I was at it, I straightened out the corners on the headstock with files & a sanding block.





Before I got this neck, somebody had lazily slathered a coat of some sort of clear goop on it. It had obviously been done while the neck was ON A BODY! They didn't put anything on the fretboard itself, so it was all stained with black marks.

After a whole lot of elbow grease with red ScotchBrite, sandpaper, and finally 0000 steel wool, the neck is about as clean as I can get it. The edges of the fretboard are rounded off nicely. It feels VERY nice, like my old Boogie Bodies necks.

I have used a some-brand Tung Oil Varnish on necks with great results in the past. I haven't seen that stuff lately. I got this Formby's Tung Oil Finish. I hope it's the same thing or similar.





The neck is drinking up the first coat of oil like crazy! I can tell I'll be doing this 5 or 10 more times.





The oil helps show what this maple really looks like.





Time to hang it up to dry.


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## ralphy1976 (Jun 3, 2010)

man this is a labour of love, you will be eligible for a few GOTM considering the time it is taking you to finish this bad boy off!!!

have got to say that your choice of bike stand is pretty good too!!! do you build your own bike frames / BMX frames?


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## TomParenteau (Jun 4, 2010)

No, I don't build frames anymore. I never used a stand like that for building anyway. It's for cleaning & working on bikes. It falls into the "How the hell did I ever get along without one of these?" category!


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## TomParenteau (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm still at it. Trying to be sure that no matter what else is going on, I buff the neck with 0000 steel wool & apply another coat of finish every day.


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## Justin Bailey (Jun 6, 2010)

You should call this thing Dr. Mephesto


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## Ironbird (Jun 7, 2010)

I admire your skills and patience, Tom!


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## TomParenteau (Jun 7, 2010)

How about "Man-Bear-Pig?" I'm serial!


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## TomParenteau (Jun 10, 2010)

I didn't like any of the control locations, so in this update I get rid of all of them! I also did some more filling in the bridge cavity.








Making some more little chunks of mahogany and checking for square.





I found these 1/2" walnut plugs at Ace Hardware. The holes I want to fill are only 7/16", so I punched them out to fit the plugs with this neat reamer. I also did some filing on the plugs to make them fit the carve of the body.





Before I filled the cuts for the blade switch, I traced them onto masking tape. I stuck the tape to a piece of heavy paper. Now I have a template for a blade switch.









Here everything is glued up. The mahogany piece I made to fill the slot for the blade switch came out especially nice. I filled the rest of the holes with dowel I already had lying around.

Next, I break out the Bondo!


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## ralphy1976 (Jun 10, 2010)

man, when you finish this one up the amount of time you spent on it would have qualified for a "luthier" work!!!

of course since you are doing it at your own pace (for your own pleasure) then it is free!!!

Have you thought about a finish yet? What about nitro antique white? with matching head?


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## Justin Bailey (Jun 10, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> How about "Man-Bear-Pig?" I'm serial!



that could work, this thing is a beast after all! 

Great work so far man


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## TomParenteau (Jun 11, 2010)

No, I don't consider myself a luthier. I am less of a hack than whoever mangled this body before I got it, though!

Yes, before I even bid on this body I envisioned it white with a black binding, and matching headstock face. Not very original, but I really like white guitars and haven't had one in a long time.

Yup, I will have a US-made 7-string for pretty cheap. To count the hours I will have into it would make it not so cheap, but like you say, I am enjoying it. I also have more time than money. It will be quite satisfying to see & play it, knowing how much effort I put into it.

When I ordered the truss rod cover (eBay again, for consistency!) maybe I should have had the guy engrave "Man-Bear-Pig" on it!


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## Rick (Jun 11, 2010)

Tom P: the hardest working man on ss.org.


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## TomParenteau (Jun 11, 2010)

Rick said:


> Tom P: the hardest working man on ss.org.


No way! Mako's Tethan is. He is the king of making something from nothing. I shouldn't even compare myself to him until I have parked a car on something to clamp it!


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## jymellis (Jun 11, 2010)

i can tell you 100% im voting this for guitar of the month the second its completed!!how do you like the formbys? i use thelow gloss on necks and high gloss on bodies, im happy with the formbys brand tung. are you?


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## TomParenteau (Jun 11, 2010)

The Formby's seems kinda sticky, but maybe I'm not letting it dry long enough. I really liked that Tung Oil Varnish stuff. I think it was Watco. I'm going to be watching for it and if I see some I'll snag it.


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## jymellis (Jun 11, 2010)

i had the same problem. i found that when you are applying the il ( i use an old sock) if you rub really fast while applying it wont get all gummy


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## TomParenteau (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks "maing," I will try that. It's still sucking it right up, so I know I have lots more coats to go. I have been using a paper towel & just throwing it away. I'm rubbing it in firmly, but not fast the way you describe.


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## jymellis (Jun 11, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> Thanks "maing," I will try that. It's still sucking it right up, so I know I have lots more coats to go. I have been using a paper towel & just throwing it away. I'm rubbing it in firmly, but not fast the way you describe.


 
hell yeah maing loving this project to death


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## technomancer (Jun 11, 2010)

Looking good, should look awesome in white when it's finished


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## caparison_x (Jun 16, 2010)

Oh man , I read 6 pages of blood sweat and tears and I was SO hoping to see how this one came out! You HAVE to finish this one for me !!! haha

Good luck man,

Great restoration work too !

Mark


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## Variant (Jun 17, 2010)

jymellis said:


> i can tell you 100% im voting this for guitar of the month the second its completed!!



Same here, this thing is made of pure dedication.


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## TomParenteau (Jun 18, 2010)

The neck has pretty much stopped absorbing the tung oil, except for the fretboard. The moistening of the oil has also caused the grain to raise a bit on the fretboard, so I am changing back to sandpaper to smooth it out.

That's all the update I have for now. Some other things came up that took priority, so I haven't worked on it as much as I want to.


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## Mvotre (Jun 18, 2010)

pictures of said show car 

great work, by the way


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## TomParenteau (Jun 18, 2010)

It's actually just my daily driver. I bring it to our annual European Ford Meet. That forces me to clean it up!


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## rebell82 (Jun 22, 2010)

Looking good! Love your attention to the details! In the long run it´s the details that makes the different between a guitar and THE guitar. Keep it up!


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## TomParenteau (Jul 23, 2010)

I was buried in automotive projects for some weeks, then I got an opportunity to make a shit-ton of money. I'll be working 60 hours per week for the next few months. 

I turn wrenches at work all day, so I won't be working cars at home unless it's absolutely necessary. That means the guitar will get a little progress here & there, and I already have visions of some really cool parts to buy for it with my newfound wealth!

EDIT: I have been putting coats of tung oil on the neck, and it won't take any more in. My next step is to paint the headstock. I want the neck done so I can string the whole guitar up to pitch. That will tell me if my bridge location came out good for intonation.


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## TomParenteau (Jul 26, 2010)

Take one last look at the bare maple headstock face...










Because I'm paintin' it!


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## JohnIce (Jul 27, 2010)

Hey Tom, I have to ask something... I notice the truss rod is adjusted at the headstock, so I wonder if you have any estimate of how far that hole in the bottom end of the neck goes? My reason for asking is because I just ordered one of these necks, but I'd prefer it to be 22 frets, and now I'm wondering if it might be possible to simply cut it just below the 23d fretwire without cutting into the trussrod?


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## Rick (Jul 27, 2010)

I'm loving this, Tom. So glad you'll be working again!


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## TomParenteau (Jul 28, 2010)

JohnIce, I would be glad to give you the depth of the hole at the butt of the neck, but I have it thoroughly masked at the moment. As soon as my paint work is done on the headstock, I will post that dimension.

Rick, thanks for the well wishes!

I used 3/16" thinline masking tape as a guide to put regular blue painter's tape against (3/16" from the face surface of the headstock), then removed the thinline tape. I'm doing a kind of painted "binding."


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## TomParenteau (Aug 16, 2010)

I ordered a pickup from Zimbloth.

EDIT:
I have a Duncan JB in my GiO. I planned to put the stock pickup back in to sell it, and use the JB as a "get by for now" pickup in my project guitar. I still plan to keep the JB. Better than having a stock GiO pickup lying around! 

Right now I'm working so much that I have very little time for projects, and plenty of money to buy parts with. So I ordered up the bridge pickup that I think I really want.


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## JohnIce (Aug 17, 2010)

Cool to see things happening at least  Don't worry about getting the neck dimensions though, I recieved my neck and it turns out the truss-rod is adjusted from the butt-end of the neck  It doesn't have an angled headstock either... you definately did the right thing getting the Super 7 neck instead of the paddle one


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## TomParenteau (Aug 18, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I never knew the paddle one was different.


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## TomParenteau (Sep 7, 2010)

N-PUD (New Pickup Day)




My pickup came today! Special thanks to Zimbloth for the fast, courteous service and information about the different Bare Knuckle models.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 7, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> Special thanks to Zimbloth for the fast, courteous service and information about the different Bare Knuckle models.


 
Dude is legit. He totally helped me out and hooked me up too. Very informative and awesome to deal with. Keep up the awesome progress...


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## TomParenteau (Sep 7, 2010)

Yes, Zimbloth is a pleasure to do business and just talk gear with. I checked around my area because I like to support my locally-owned stores, but most had never even heard of Bare Knuckles. Nick also gave me a great price.






Block-sanded with 320-grit. You can see my little bit of Bondo on the curved edge near where the nut goes. Another coat of primer is on there drying now. I hope to move to 400-grit next, and go on to paint.


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## Rick (Sep 8, 2010)

Hell yes.


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## Empryrean (Sep 11, 2010)

wait I don't get it tom, you painted it; to sand it back off?


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## TomParenteau (Sep 11, 2010)

Yup. And I'll Bondo & spray more primer, and sand some more. I'll sand between coats of paint. I'll even sand the last coat of paint before buffing that baby out to a shine!

Add material, remove it. Add material, remove it. Eventually the whole things flattens out & looks great.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 2, 2010)

NSD (New Sustainiac Day)
I have been so damn anxious to get back on this thing! I hoped to be on my last coat of primer before paint on the headstock, but I had to fill some more on the corners.








This will sharpen the corners up once I sand it to shape. It's time to move up to 600-grit, as you can see by how I went through to the wood again with the block. I thought it was done, but NO! My guitars are always really nice, so I had to make it better. A guy could spend days on end with this headstock, but I'm at the point of "Hell with it! Paint the sonofabitch!"





My Sustainiac arrived! I'm nowhere near ready to wire it, but I wanted to have it so I can see where I will mount the circuit board. And I can afford to buy it right now, $270 shipped. I put a Bobbin Topper on the dummy side of the "humbucker" to match the bridge pickup and to give it some stealth factor. I have another Bobbin Topper that I could slap over the driver part of the Sustainiac for extra sneakiness, but I probably won't.

It looks like my job might slow down with the insane amount of hours, so I hope to have some time for this project soon!


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## TomParenteau (Oct 10, 2010)

I didn't think I needed to post ANOTHER photo of sanding, Bondo-ing, and priming the headstock. I just got another coat of primer on there. It's not PERFECTLY perfect, but next time will be paint. No, really!

I'm getting real sick of dry-sanding. The 600 loads right up, and I have to change the sheet on the block after only a few strokes. I'll be able to wet-sand the body once I get it sealed up with some paint. I don't dare get water on the neck.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2010)

I know this is probably answered about a half dozen times, but what where you thinking about finishing this beast, color wise? 

/Me being lazy.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 10, 2010)

That's it, Max. I'm reporting you to a moderator!

I know it's not very original, but I love white cars, bikes, and guitars. I haven't had a white guitar in forever. I'm painting it white with a kind of painted fake black binding. Body & headstock matching, of course. The carved top just screams for binding on the front, like a Les Paul. Black binding will look bitchin' with the hardware!


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> That's it, Max. I'm reporting you to a moderator!
> 
> I know it's not very original, but I love white cars, bikes, and guitars. I haven't had a white guitar in forever. I'm painting it white with a kind of painted fake black binding. Body & headstock matching, of course. The carved top just screams for binding on the front, like a Les Paul. Black binding will look bitchin' with the hardware!





That is going to look HOT with the trick binding. Great idea! White guitars look so good with Maple boards too.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 10, 2010)

Yes, I know how you & Rick like maple with white. The black "binding" will also look great with the ebony fretboard inlays. I don't want to simply stick car pinstriping tape on it. The fake binding will go in front & sides to look like real binding.

One guy (jerk) on unofficialwarmoth dot com told me to "throw it in the trash can and just move on." I am getting tired of it still being a project and not a completed guitar. The guy has a point in that it's not moving along fast enough. It has been like, a year and a half in "progress!" 

I certainly will complete this thing, but I won't do it again. I will buy new from Warmoth if I like the scale length, and/or build from parts that are less wrecked.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2010)

Yeah, some projects have a way of just becoming stagnant, and others become mountains out of nowhere. I can certainly relate. 

Best of luck man, I really want to see this sucker with strings on it (all 7 of them ).


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## TomParenteau (Oct 11, 2010)

I want to play it! I WILL play it. It will be my main guitar.


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## Hollowway (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey Tom, on the block you added to patch the route for the Floyd, it looks like the string lock screws are going to hit the block. Are you carving that away some more yet?


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## Mordacain (Oct 11, 2010)

Good to see some progress on this one Tom. I think this was one of a couple build threads that actually got me to join this forum, so nice to see it again!


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## TomParenteau (Oct 12, 2010)

Hollowway said:


> Hey Tom, on the block you added to patch the route for the Floyd, it looks like the string lock screws are going to hit the block. Are you carving that away some more yet?


 
I plan to verify that the bridge is positioned correctly for intonation, then resume work on the body. Yes, when I put that big patch block into the bridge route, I kept in mind that I would make a final pass on the milling machine later.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 12, 2010)

I finally got the headstock to where I'm satisfied with it.




This is a masking technique I saw on one of the many gearhead shows I watch on TV. You roll the tape so it leaves a tapered edge instead of a sharp dropoff. I have never tried it, and it seemed like a good idea for this step.





Ladies & gentlemen, we have paint! But wait...See how it's not sticking. I suspect the tack rag I used to remove the last bits of sanding dust is leaving its waxy stuff behind, and the paint won't stick to it. The primer did fine with the tack rag. I'll leave it to dry one more night, wipe it with naptha, rough it up with some 0000 steel wool, and try again using dust removal methods other than the tack rag.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 18, 2010)

More trouble with paint not sticking. I'll block-sand again. This time no naptha or other solvents, and no tack rag! This part of the process is taking way longer than I expected, but I'll be patient and make it nice.


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## leandroab (Oct 18, 2010)

That sucks! Keep us posted!


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## ralphy1976 (Oct 18, 2010)

man, sorry to hear this!!! considering how long this is taking you, finding out that the painting process sucks must be a big pain!!!

Keep it up thought, this is as epic as Mako's build threads!!!


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## TomParenteau (Oct 23, 2010)

It looks like the paint stuck this time. I have the white primer and paint ready & waiting. The "backtaping" masking technique did not give good results, so I just went to straight masking and a couple very thin coats of paint.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 12, 2010)

I'm painting! Hopefully the last coat of the "binding" on the headstock.


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## TheWreck (Nov 13, 2010)

Keep up the good work!! I've been reading this thread all over, and I'm really amazed by all the work and patience you put into it!


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## TomParenteau (Nov 30, 2010)

I decided to be done with the "binding" on the headstock. I masked with 1/4" pinstriping masking tape, then with bigger blue tape. I hope it doesn't leak!






This is white primer, although the lack of light makes it look gray:




The white primer reveals a big ledge where the black paint was previously masked off. I had sanded it to where it felt pretty smooth, but obviously not well enough. I am actually considering putting a thin coat of Bondo on there! But I'll probably just sand/spray/sand/spray with primer until it's decent.

This little headstock has been pretty tough. I think the body will be easier; bigger curves, bigger sanding blocks. Bodywork always takes more work than we expect. I want to be done with this neck so I can move on!


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## Invader (Nov 30, 2010)

I stumbled upon this thread, noticed the date of the first post, after that checked the page count. I thought: "Yes! A lengthy build thread with a finished guitar at the end", only to end up on the last page to realize you're still painting the thing! 

I salute you and your effort with this project which must've felt like a PITA at times.

Keep up the good work, I'm one of the many who can't wait to see this one finished! Oh, and white+black binding? Excellent choice!


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## TomParenteau (Nov 30, 2010)

Give me another year...


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## Elysian (Dec 1, 2010)

Instead of using primer, pick up a quart of this:

STEWMAC.COM : Seagrave Vinyl Sealer

Thin it 50/50 with lacquer thinner and use it as your base instead of primer. It's made to stick to wood and paint will stick to it. You can even brush it on if you want, just make sure you flat sand it before you spray color on it.


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## TomParenteau (Dec 1, 2010)

That's an idea. I wonder if it would stick to what I have here; the grain is filled with primer.


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## Elysian (Dec 1, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> That's an idea. I wonder if it would stick to what I have here; the grain is filled with primer.



As long as you sand it as close to back to wood as you can, you'll be fine.


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## Rick (Dec 1, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> Give me another year...



I'll be here waiting for it.


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## technomancer (Dec 1, 2010)

Rick said:


> I'll be here waiting for it.



Ditto, got a feeling this is going to be really sweet when it's done


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 1, 2010)

technomancer said:


> Ditto, got a feeling this is going to be really sweet when it's done


Aye, dont rush it now after all the work you have done... we will be waiting...


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## TomParenteau (Dec 1, 2010)

Thanks, guys! I haven't rushed, of course. The long periods of time that I don't get to work on it are frustrating. I think it will be a good one, too! If I like the scale length when it's done, I'll start another one like it. Next time will be with a neck & body that are already made for Floyd Rose and have not been violated.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 30, 2011)

tom we need an update please!!!!


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## TomParenteau (Jan 30, 2011)

Update is as follows: NO "update!" 

My employer won't allow my car on the parking lot anymore. They got all fussy about the big, stinky puddles of gear oil it leaves behind. I'm on the bus (just to work & back) until I get my truck all legal & roadworthy. I tried to fix the car, but I don't have a spare tranny & it won't come apart without dropping the trans & re-building it properly. My 13-year Fiesta hobby is about over. Many people want to buy the car. Bottom line: Your vintage hobby car & your daily driver should be 2 different cars!

Even though I have had some nice temperatures for painting out in my shop for this time of year, I have had to put my shop time into my truck. Yes, it's frustrating for me because I do want to play this guitar.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 30, 2011)

sorry to hear about it Tom, but sometime priorities are not what we'd like them to be

i hope the cars(s) will get fixed so you can finish this project!!

good luck to you Sir.


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## TomParenteau (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks, Ralphy! I've been socking money away to buy a Miata, and will still be able to get my wrench-head ya-yas out on my truck. I just don't have the energy to be grease-monkeying away on cars all the time anymore.


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## TomParenteau (Jan 30, 2011)

There will be update on the guitar soon, though. Like you said, "Priorities!" I will neglect some things to do the guitar, in an irresponsible manner!


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 30, 2011)

there is a time for everything, and if the fun out of grease-monkeying as gone then ....

still, i am pretty sure eventually it will work out. my sister-in-law has got a miata and she loves it, but the hood is crap and the brakes aren't that great either (hers is a 2000 model i think, not sure)


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jan 30, 2011)

Nice build! I hope it works out well for you!

I've always sent my guitars out to be painted after a long attempt at spraying with rattle cans...

Don't forget to use grain sealer on the body!  Otherwise the wood will soak up the paint.

BTW I have some spare Fiesta brakes right here beside me in my soon to be eBay'd pile...


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## Blood Ghost (Jan 30, 2011)

TomPerverteau said:


> Give me another year...









I just discovered this thread today. Man, you have some serious dedication. I'd kind of like to thank you in a way, you've inspired me to work on my Les Paul project again. Can't wait to see the end result of your project, I'm sure it will be beautiful.


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## TomParenteau (Jan 30, 2011)

LAWL! "Just waiting here for a pick-a-nick basket!" --Yogi Bear

What's really funny is that I now have the money to just have Warmoth make me this same body brand new. I am so stubborn & frugal that I feel that I must complete this one before moving on to the next. There is this "I got it for dirt-cheap" theme to the whole thing, and I don't want to spoil that. Kind of stupid in a way. This "on-the-cheap" theme is depriving me of a killer guitar.


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## Rick (Jan 30, 2011)

That sucks about the car but I'm a patient bear as well.


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## TomParenteau (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks, bears! There is also the point that I have a lot of time invested in this body, anti-destroying it. A guy on unofficialwarmoth said I should just "throw it in the trash can & move on." I will not be defeated.


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## TomParenteau (May 14, 2011)

I'm painting the headstock right now. It won't be real pretty, but I'm tired of it. I need to move forward & get this thing playing!


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## Rick (May 15, 2011)

Excellent.


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## TomParenteau (May 15, 2011)

I un-masked it and it's unacceptable. I just thought of a way to fix it. Re-do the top flat surface by sanding it smooth, then doing the white. THEN mask & put the black "binding" on the top, leaving the black that is already there on the sides. Should come out OK. 

It would have been so much simpler & easier just to skip the "binding" altogether!


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## LetsMosey (May 18, 2011)

wow, talk about an epically long project. lol. Great stuff though! Can't wait to see how the finished product turns out.


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## TomParenteau (May 18, 2011)

Well, it has done a lot more sitting around than being worked on!

Hey, I'm starting to think of a bit different paint scheme for the body. Maybe just paint the top white, with a painted black "binding." Then leave the rest of the body natural, with some tung oil finish. Like a Les Paul gold-top, except it would be white.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 4, 2012)

OK, I'm never gonna paint a binding again! This is my second attempt, better than the first. I used the best pinstripe masking tape I could find, from Eastwood Corp. 











Pretty heinous, but I'm done painting on the headstock. Hopefully it will clean up some with the buffing.


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## ASoC (Nov 5, 2012)

great to see that you're back at it, I can't wait to see your finished product


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## teleofseven (Nov 5, 2012)

damn. just when i was about to...


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## TomParenteau (Nov 5, 2012)

Now I want to re-do it AGAIN! I know I can get a clean line. I peeled too early. Peeling too late can be disatrous as well. There is that perfect time to peel masking tape when striping, and I totally missed it. 

This thing has already taken years, so why be in a hurry now?


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## jarnozz (Nov 5, 2012)

get a router, buy black binding and some glue. one day of work and you´ve got yourself the real deal! looking good!


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## TomParenteau (Nov 5, 2012)

I have considered doing the binding for real. I checked out the tools at StewMac. "The real deal" might actually be easier and this is a good enough guitar to deserve it.


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## USMC_OriginalSin (Nov 5, 2012)

It's kind of funny... Doing things the "hard way" might have actually been easier


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 5, 2012)

USMC_OriginalSin said:


> It's kind of funny... Doing things the "hard way" might have actually been easier


Often times the "hard way" is the right way, we just end up learning that a bit too late. But that's why we do this to ourselves.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 5, 2012)

Yup. I'm ordering the tooling from StewMac tonight or tomorrow. Now I need to decide whether to go with a solid black binding, or a fancy (although possibly too "busy") black/white/black binding. I want to do a smaller size on the headstock, and close to a Les Paul-size on the body.


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## TomParenteau (Nov 5, 2012)

Wait! Wait! Not so fast! I came home from work and the stripe has really tightened up & straightened out a lot! It might polish out to look pretty decent.


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## Majkel (Nov 7, 2012)

Take this with a huge grain of salt as I've never done it on a guitar myself, but when you paint walls and want a super sharp line you always mask it off and first paint with the paint UNDER the tape (in this case the binding). This makes the tape stick down to the wall 100% and when you then paint with the color meant to be next to the tape (in this case the white) that line will be completely solid and no spill will get under the tape...

Might be an idea if you're inclined to do it again


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## TomParenteau (Nov 7, 2012)

That's the way I did it on my first try: I sprayed the black first, masked for the binding, then sprayed white.

Yesterday I ordered 3-layer binding from Luthier's Mercantile and some tools & glue from StewMac.


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## Majkel (Nov 7, 2012)

No no, what I meant was: you spray black first, then mask, then spray black again along the mask line, THEN without having removed the tape you spray white. The mask line is saturated with black and no white can creep in


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## TomParenteau (Nov 7, 2012)

Gotcha.


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## Rick (Nov 7, 2012)

teleofseven said:


>



This is totally me in this thread.


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## TomParenteau (Jan 5, 2013)

Cutting the ledge for the binding




The power tool ran into the nut shelf, so I'll have to use something else to complete it. Maybe the hand scraper for making binding ledges that StewMac sells, and/or a very sharp chisel.

Test-fitting the binding




This shot doesn't show the detail of the black/white/black triple layer binding very well, but it's gonna be fancy!


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## Altar (Jan 6, 2013)

TomPerverteau said:


> Thanks, bears! There is also the point that I have a lot of time invested in this body, anti-destroying it. A guy on unofficialwarmoth said I should just "throw it in the trash can & move on." I will not be defeated.



Yeah, we're all pretty pessimistic over there, aren't we?


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