# I'm committed... first build ever.



## FrznTek (Mar 31, 2017)

OK, so building a guitar from scratch has been on my mind for more than a year. I have been watching videos, and reading about making guitars for months. I even joined a facebook group for luthiers. The other day someone posted 3 wenge drop top sets for sale and I really liked the 3rd one. Jon Sullivan (of Sully Guitars) bought the first 2... the fact the 3rd one remained was like a sign I needed to buy it! well I wound up buying a rock maple neck blank and bloodwood freatboard from him as well.

I have decided that I'm going to go with a Flame maple freatboard instead.
so this is the wood list so far:
Wenge top (bought)
Flame maple fretboard
rock maple neck (bought)
Black Walnut laminates
Swamp Ash body

I'm planing for a natral finish.
It's going to be a tele style, or explorer style, I'm leaning towards the explorer style. (still 3D modeling the designs) I don't know if I'm going to try multi scale or not.... I do want to though. 16" radius fretboard, 25.5 "or 25.5" - 27.5" multiscale.

for tools I have:
Drillpress
router
tablesaw (needs a new fence)
circuler saws
jigsaw
palm sanders
drills
files, small and some bigger.
3D printer (going to print some templates and such with it)

tools I think I need:
fret saw
bandsaw
hand planer
Fret Press Caul and Insert for 16" radius
PLANER SAW RASP (http://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/luthier-tools/files/shinto-planer-saw-rasp/) for shaping. (is there something better?)
fret dressing/nut files
am I missing any?

I might call my cousin who is a licensed carpenter and see if he either has tools I can use and or willing to help. (he also plays guitar.)

So this is going to take a couple months just in terms of money. I need to buy some tools, but will buy them as I need them.

Wish me luck!


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## Mr_Mar10 (Mar 31, 2017)

Best of luck!!1 sounds like u have the know-how & a good fleet of tools to get u started 

It's so rewarding at the end to thrash a guitar u made with your very own hands 
Remember to double, triple check any cut/route/thing before u do it

Practice anything tricky on scraps first (I wish I would have followed this on my first few lol)

That top is tasty  looking forward to seeing th3 progress


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## Rachmaninoff (Mar 31, 2017)

Please post your progress, it'll be interesting to see. Best of luck!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 31, 2017)

Good luck! Really excited to see these 3d printed templates! 

That rasp is funky looking, but probably works great. I just use a round-faced Stanley rasp from the home improvement store and it also works great. And costs about half as much.

For a fret saw you can save some money buying a dovetail saw with the right kerf (like this one, which I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBPU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) it works fine as long as I sandwich it between two flat blocks while I saw. You will likely get better results with the real thing though. 

I'd also recommend getting a set of cabinet scrapers. They are really helpful when shaping the neck, and they cost next to nothing (if you don't already have them). 

Can't wait to see this shape up.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 31, 2017)

It's pricey but the stewmac dragon rasp is ridiculously good (get a fine one, not the coarse). also iwasaki rasps, which are really aggressive, can remove a lot of material quickly if need be. 
You can get away with out a bandsaw for this build if all your wood is already bookmatched, though it will make cutting out the body easier than using a jigsaw (still totally doable with a jigsaw though).

Have fun dude


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## MikeNeal (Mar 31, 2017)

I love those Shinto rasps. But FYI, it's cheaper to get them on amazon


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## FrznTek (Mar 31, 2017)

Thanks for the tips guys!

I ordered the rest of the wood today. The supplier is being nice enough to thickness plane the body blank a little thinner for me, which is good since it's 15" and already glued.


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## IGC (Mar 31, 2017)

I decided to go multi scale for my first build 30 x 28 and 9 string. Doing one fret slot at a time with my harbor freight flush cut saw took a while, but the slots sized up/spaced supprisingly accurately. I also have an opti-visor (harbor freight) wich is a fantastic magnification aid for lay out and cutting of fine, fairly critical details like fret slots, and aligning my single straight fence saw guide. It may have been faster to go single scale. I can imagine there is far more tooling (templates) readily available for more standard designs such as single scale. Have yet to finish the build I can't wait to play it, hope it sounds good! Fantastic luck, have fun! hope I passed some helpful info along


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## electriceye (Apr 1, 2017)

I know where you got that fretboard and neck....  I ordered a couple of quilted maple boards from them today! Love W2W.

Anyway, is your body blank big enough for an explorer body? For flying Vs and explorer styles, you need typically over-sized blanks, unless you scale it down. 

Really looking forward to whatever you are building!


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## FrznTek (Apr 1, 2017)

should I get a "Spoke Shave Plane" for shaving the neck? I think I saw Ormsby useing what looked like one in a video of him shapeing a neck.



electriceye said:


> I know where you got that fretboard and neck....  I ordered a couple of quilted maple boards from them today! Love W2W.
> 
> Anyway, is your body blank big enough for an explorer body? For flying Vs and explorer styles, you need typically over-sized blanks, unless you scale it down.
> 
> Really looking forward to whatever you are building!


Yeah, that's actually "Black Walnut Guitar Neck Laminate" going to make the neck stringers out of it. 
I bought the swamp ash body blank, black walnut neck laminate, flame maple fretboard, and Control Cavity Cover Plates (1x flame maple and 2x swamp ash... they were cheap enough to have options, lol) from them.
They have some sweet looking Myrtle and Maple/Cottonwood Burl tops. I'm going to have to go back for my next build.

For the body size, what I'm designing has a 14.5" max width ATM.


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## Lemonbaby (Apr 1, 2017)

I shape my necks roughly with a saw rasp and a rounded rasp, then do the fine shaping with drum sanders (http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-drum-sander-set-810477) in the drill press. Ready for final sanding in 30 minutes.


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## FrznTek (Apr 1, 2017)

Not a bad idea^, I'll look into it.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 1, 2017)

I've done my two necks with a rasp, then a Scraper, then sandpaper. Works good but takes some time. 

I just ordered a spokeshave to try on my next neck. Of course it isn't an expensive one so I'll have to spend a few hours tuning it. Oh darn 

The drum sander idea is a good one. I'm gonna have to try that. I've only used mine on bodies so far.


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## electriceye (Apr 1, 2017)

Lemonbaby said:


> I shape my necks roughly with a saw rasp and a rounded rasp, then do the fine shaping with drum sanders (http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-drum-sander-set-810477) in the drill press. Ready for final sanding in 30 minutes.



I used my Shinto rasp to shape the neck on my Gibson V build.


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## MikeNeal (Apr 1, 2017)

Rasp, scraper, sand paper in that order.

I did the spokeshave. It works but I don't find it as fast as a Shinto Rasp. Those things seriously hog away material. Takes me about an hour or so to Rasp the neck shape in. Then use the scraper to get rid of tool marks. Then just sand it with fine grit


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## MoonJelly (Apr 2, 2017)

If you want to go full beast, I use an angle grinder with a 36 grit flap disc to do my rough carving--including belly contour and the neck shape. I even use a 60 grit disc to carve my tops sometimes. It's FAST, proceed with caution and use a light touch 

I've also started using an Arbortech mini grinder for tight areas, but they're expensive, so can't really recommend to someone on a budget.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 2, 2017)

MikeNeal said:


> Rasp, scraper, sand paper in that order.
> 
> I did the spokeshave. It works but I don't find it as fast as a Shinto Rasp. Those things seriously hog away material. Takes me about an hour or so to Rasp the neck shape in. Then use the scraper to get rid of tool marks. Then just sand it with fine grit



Damn. I've got to get one of these shinto rasps.


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## MikeNeal (Apr 2, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Damn. I've got to get one of these shinto rasps.



https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-SR-10...=UTF8&qid=1491167933&sr=8-1&keywords=saw+rasp

thats the one i use, its great. its coarse on one side, fine on the other.


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## IGC (Apr 2, 2017)

Yeah rasps are fast, then like a coarse file, then course to fine sand paper. Rounded files and rasps are handy, you can even wrap sand paper around round rods and stuff. Dunno know about spoke shaves but if they are like chisels, you'll want to keep them razor sharp.


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## electriceye (Apr 3, 2017)

MikeNeal said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Shinto-SR-10...=UTF8&qid=1491167933&sr=8-1&keywords=saw+rasp
> 
> thats the one i use, its great. its coarse on one side, fine on the other.



That's the one! I was able to do mine fairly quickly, when all was said and done. And this was my first time! Just be careful of when you get close to your desired thickness. I have a few deep gouges that I hope will fill in when I grain fill and sand (I guess I can simply use the wood filler paste I just got...).


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 3, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I've done my two necks with a rasp, then a Scraper, then sandpaper. Works good but takes some time.



Forgot a step. Before I start with the rasp, I rough cut the profile with a band saw. Saves a whole lot of time. And leaves me some scrap wood to use wherever.


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## FrznTek (Apr 5, 2017)

I sent a message for a 10" bandsaw on crigslist, so we'll see if that pans out.

I'm going to try the shinto rasp, scraper, drum sander route this time.

I have been GASing hard for a Tele for months now, in paticular a Tele with a hum in the bridge and a p90 in the neck. so I think I'm going to go with that.

I started the modeling, the body is just a little longer with a modified lower horn and better freat access (needed since its going from a 22 fret to a 24 freat design.)

not 100% on the head stock yet.

What do you think so far? Do you think I might see neck dive with this?






Colors are temporary as I have to make UV maps and textures for them to be close/accurate and that comes after the modeling is done.


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## electriceye (Apr 5, 2017)

This may not matter, but if you think you'll want to create your own bookmatched tops by resawing wood, get at least a 14" or bigger bandsaw. I have an old one that is only 8" and I regret getting it (although it was cheap on CL). I have so many figured slabs that I need a much larger saw.


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 5, 2017)

another way to bookmatch pieces (though it's a bit messier) is to hit it with the table saw on both sides of the board and then use a sawzall or such to cut whatever the table saw couldn't hit. That's what I've been doing since I don't have access to a bandsaw.


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## FrznTek (Apr 10, 2017)

Well, the guy with the band saw bever got back to me. I have been looking and think I might buy a "WEN 10" Two-Speed Band Saw with Stand and Worklight" I can get it for about $230usd shipped to my door, and it "cuts up to six inches deep and 9-3/4 inches wide. Two-speed operation allows for speeds of either 1520 or 2620 FPM." and would have a 2-year warranty. The only options on CL localy are WAY too much money/industral grade or do not cut any deeper. There is one old (but recently refirbished) Jet 14" BS, but it also only cuts 6" depth, and the guy is asking well over $100 more for it, on top of having to get a hold of a truck to tansport it and drive an hour or so one way to get it.

Here is an update to the model.(with textures,lol!) I'm still not sure on control positioning.


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## cesar (Apr 10, 2017)

Hey OP, what program you used to do the 3d model


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## FrznTek (Apr 10, 2017)

MODO, although I will likely transfer it to a CAD/CAM program at some point... I am just used to MODO.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 10, 2017)

Love the design. If you're worried about neck dive I would extend the upper horn (or whatever you call it on a single cut) just slightly but still have the body meet the neck at the same place. I think that would look pretty cool actually. Make it a little sleeker than a standard Tele. But I mean it looks great as-is. 

Regarding Wen tools - I haven't used their bandsaw, but I have their buffer and drum sander. They are good quality for the price. Online reviews seem to agree.


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## FrznTek (Apr 11, 2017)

^thaks.
I think i'm just going to keep it like it is.
I keep thinking about the bandsaw and continue to go back anf forth on wether I should just save and go for the 14" version that has a bigger motor and cuts "boards up to 8.85" deep and 13-3/8" wide. Two-speed operation allows for speeds of either 1420 or 3280 FPM." but that extra about $250 could go a long way in terms of fret saw, nut files, trussrod, etc... the blades are a bit of a weird length as well (100.75"), but I found a way to get them, so it's not too big of a deal.

Should I put in carbon fiber reinforcement rods in the neck? They would add about $30 to my list of stuff I need...

I moved the controls a little, probably not worth re-rendering the image, but the jpeg compression on the one I posted looks bad, IMO..... so here's an updated one, lol!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 11, 2017)

My two cents - keep your first build simple and cheap.


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## Pikka Bird (Apr 11, 2017)

Are you at all concerned about how the strings are going to fan out over the headstock? Because the string pull you're looking at here isn't what most people would call ideal.


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## FrznTek (Apr 11, 2017)

^ no I didn't, now that you mention it, I'll have to look into it. Thanks.


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## FrznTek (Apr 18, 2017)

I decided to just get the 10" bandsaw.

IDK what to do with the headstock angle, I have it at 10 degrees ATM... is that good? I also dont know what to do for the trussrod cover, with it being multi scale after the tilt one side is higher then the other and looks weird to me. If I level it, it puts a twist in that area....





here is an updated pic with to scale medium/jumbo frets and adjusted headstock.





Also, I got wood!




















Flame maple top, bloodwood bottom.... still think I like the contrast of the maple a bit better.


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## FrznTek (May 3, 2017)

So for a scarf joint... I looked into it a bit and it seems a compound cut would do the trick. I figured out that a 4 degree twist down seems to make it line up. so 10 degree front to back and 4 degree down... would this jig work?

(laminated wood is the neck.)




I went to check out the router we have and the bit was stuck in it. after working on it, I got the bit AND the collet to come off together. now the router is a craftsman one from the '60s/'70s and I couldnt find any collets that looked like the one it had in it. there was one that looked like it might work.... but it was going to be about $22 shipped and I'd need both the 1/2" and 1/4" collets.....with no guarantee they would work.

unpland new toy! LOL
2HP craftsman variable speed with both fixed and plung bases. I got it on sale so it didn't sting as much, lol.




Router bits show up this week and the bandsaw is here.

I ordered "Jet Onyx" recon stone dot inlays for it. I wanted something nicer then plastic, lol. It turns out the place I ordered from is not too far from my house!(relatively speaking... about 45min to an hour drive one way.)


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## warped (May 3, 2017)

Good Luck with the build - I jumped in the deep end as well with my first build attempt being a 7 string fanned fret. I've made a few mistakes along the way (almost every step) - sandpaper, wood dust and glue can cover up a lot  but really happy with how it's turned out so far.

Nice wood choices and your design looks great - would love to try a modern tele style next


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## FrznTek (May 30, 2017)

Not a whole lot to update other than I have changed neck wood choice. I found a good deal on a rosewood neck blank, so I decided to buy it and a flame maple neck to make stringers out of/for the neck of my next build....

Now I'm debating on weather I should should just do a 1 piece rosewood neck or go with the flame stringers/laminate?

top to bottom, Padauk 6" x 36" x .25" bought for no real reason other than it is a great size and cost me only about $5 usd!, flame rock maple neck blank, rosewood neck blank.


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## MikeNeal (May 30, 2017)

one piece rosewood, and thank me later!


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## KnightBrolaire (May 30, 2017)

FrznTek said:


> Not a whole lot to update other than I have changed neck wood choice. I found a good deal on a rosewood neck blank, so I decided to buy it and a flame maple neck to make stringers out of/for the neck of my next build....
> 
> Now I'm debating on weather I should should just do a 1 piece rosewood neck or go with the flame stringers/laminate?
> 
> top to bottom, Padauk 6" x 36" x .25" bought for no real reason other than it is a great size and cost me only about $5 usd!, flame rock maple neck blank, rosewood neck blank.


rosewood and padauk would look very nice together, but then again so would the flame with the rosewood. I say do the rosewood with the flame maple, it'll look killer.


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## KR250 (May 31, 2017)

+1 for solid Rosewood.


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## electriceye (Jun 5, 2017)

RW with a flame stringer would look gorgeous. And vice versa.


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## FrznTek (Jun 17, 2017)

Man, you guys are not making the choice easy for me, LOL. 
I think I'm going to go with the flame maple laminates, a 5 piece like the example in post #34.
I almost have my work space cleaned out, after it will be set up then start!


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## KR250 (Jun 17, 2017)

FrznTek said:


> So for a scarf joint... I looked into it a bit and it seems a compound cut would do the trick. I figured out that a 4 degree twist down seems to make it line up. so 10 degree front to back and 4 degree down... would this jig work?



This is exactly what I did for my first multi scale. In addition, I added a strip of wood to slide through the channel on the band saw table to keep it aligned and push it through. Just ignore my rookie move in the picture with the added spacer to angle the jig up...my band saw table can angle and do the same thing. This was on some test pieces to make sure I got the angles right, in the process found my jig wasn't completely perpendicular either.


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## dxjxrose (Jun 18, 2017)

looks like its gonna be a sweet axe man...


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## FrznTek (Jun 30, 2017)

Bought a thickness planer, it's the WEN 12.5", Walmart had it on sale + my sisters employee discount made it about $180!!!! I couldn't say no, lol. I also bought a Stanley 8gal 6 peak HP wet/dry vac to hook up to the equipment for dust removal. I bought a Vintage Stanley No. 5 Type 16 Bench Plane on ebay. The listing said "No cracks or repairs. In all likelihood, this jack plane never did much work. Great wood tote and knob, plus a full blade.", all the cheap ones looked like they wouldn't handle hardwood, and people online seem to always say buy an old Stanley one... so that one seemed like a good score to me.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jun 30, 2017)

FrznTek said:


> Bought a thickness planer, it's the WEN 12.5", Walmart had it on sale + my sisters employee discount made it about $180!!!! I couldn't say no, lol. I also bought a Stanley 8gal 6 peak HP wet/dry vac to hook up to the equipment for dust removal. I bought a Vintage Stanley No. 5 Type 16 Bench Plane on ebay. The listing said "No cracks or repairs. In all likelihood, this jack plane never did much work. Great wood tote and knob, plus a full blade.", all the cheap ones looked like they wouldn't handle hardwood, and people online seem to always say buy an old Stanley one... so that one seemed like a good score to me.



Great score! The old Stanley planes are great if they are in good shape. I've got a number 4 that I bought off a local guy who refurbishes them and it is just perfect. The modern Stanley ones are pretty solid, too, actually.


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## FrznTek (Oct 2, 2017)

so.... where to start.....

I got the bridge pickup from Ormsby (it's their Hot Rock model), but they sent a bridge pickup baseplate instead of the bridge. I contacted them and they got back to me that night, and said they would send the bridge out ASAP.





On the pickup subject.... I'm thinking about ordering a BKP Stockholm 90 for the neck, any other suggestions? (should I go with the a little bit less hot Supermassive 90?) going for a versatile set up.

I had to buy a table saw rip fence for a different table saw, then modify it. It works, I'm just going to have to measure front and back as well as use a square. :/ The table saw is a 3HP Alltrade, from what I gather they havent made the model since the earily 90's.





My work space is just about ready. It was a LOT of work cleaning and reorganizing it. lol.

I bought Hipshot open gear tuners. (Yeah... I made a 1 to 1 visual model of it to make sure the dimensions are right.)





Got my plane..









Here is the model as it sits. I am going over it to make sure everything is in the right place before I make the templets. I moved the lower horn down a bit so it is a little more inline with the bottom of the body, but IDK if I like it yet.... I also modified the headstock a bit. (I also might make a waterslide decal for the headstock )





I saw these go up for sale and since they were a slight bit cheaper then Gabbon Ebony and long enough for muli scale builds, I had to buy them, LOL. "Uniquely figured Ebony" fretboards!





Let me know if the pics earlier in the thread still work. They are hosted on photobucket, but still show for me.... I'll re-upload them if they are not working.


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## Mr_Mar10 (Oct 2, 2017)

Pics not working for me 

Goes to Dropbox error


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## FrznTek (Oct 2, 2017)

well, for what ever reason I can't edit the post.....
so here are the pics in order.




























Hopefully that worked.


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## FrznTek (Oct 20, 2017)

I went for the Supermassive 90 with burnt chrome bolts! After listening to the demos again I decided the Stockholm 90 is a bit too harsh. I emailed them to see if they could make it 53mm spaced, but they said all their tooling is set up for 50mm (for P90's), sigh.... seems to be the same everywhere, I'm starting to see the struggle of making a multiscale with such an extreme angle. Luckily 50mm for the neck fits well enough, just not perfectly lined up. They said it should be fine.




Well!!! other than some odds and ends drill bits I think I finally have all that I need to build this thing!!! Just need to finish checking the model out, then start printing the templets!




^ I got both of the Ibanez Prestige Nut File Set for Electric Guitar, 6x Pieces (.010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046" Gauge) and Electric Bass Guitar, 6x Pieces (.032/.045/.065/.085/.105/.130). They were/are on sale, and now I'm set for everything I think I will ever need (as for nut files any way).


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