# 3rd Build : Nebula Superstrat



## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 19, 2017)

While I wait for the finish to cure on my second build, I'm moving forward on my third build. I'm going even further down the road of "template everything" for this build, in an attempt to build something really good, so for this one I've done the whole design on the computer. I'm printing it full size tomorrow and will be gluing it to 1/2 inch hardboard to make router templates. 

In the meantime, here's a mockup. 







Body: Alder 
Body Finish: black with a nebula photo laminated to the top and clearcoated
Bridge: Floyd Rose special 
Pickups: Nazgul Bridge, Sentient Neck

Neck: 5 piece maple (maybe Walnut stripes or something) 
Fretboard: maple - not figured this time.


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## MikeNeal (Mar 19, 2017)

good templates are key.

i design mine in google sketchup, convert them to DXF files and have a local cnc guy cut them for me. it's fairly inexpensive

love the headstock shape too


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 19, 2017)

Thanks! A coworker recommended using Sketchup and I might try that next time. This time I used Inkscape, and it was pretty great. 

I don't know a local CNC guy, but I have CNC templates of the pickup and floyd routes, so that'll help a lot.

And thanks, I like the headstock too. I wanted to design something sleek and low profile to go with Grover mini-tuners.


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## KR250 (Mar 19, 2017)

That Nebula idea is cool! I use Sketchup as well, but just printout paper and glue it MDF board that I trace to. Might have to shop around for a local CNC cut now. 

Only thing I'd change with that template is moving the neck pickup right up to the fretboard. Diggin' on the shape though.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 20, 2017)

KR250 said:


> That Nebula idea is cool! I use Sketchup as well, but just printout paper and glue it MDF board that I trace to. Might have to shop around for a local CNC cut now.
> 
> Only thing I'd change with that template is moving the neck pickup right up to the fretboard. Diggin' on the shape though.



I suppose the sound would be better that way, huh? I wanted to do it this way because I thought it would be easier to align the neck and such. But then I guess that's sort of the point of the templates, isn't it.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 21, 2017)

For some reason I'm really jonesing for an HSS guitar right now. And I've got an extra mahogany body blank lying around. So I might end up making two of these:

1. The one pictured above, but with a mahogany body finished natural on the back and sides. 

2. An Alder one with an hss setup, probably a jb and some American standard strat pickups I have sitting around. And some kind of paint job. Maybe blue metallic. And possibly a full body carve like an ibanez s. 

This might be a stupid idea, doing two at once, but if I'm making templates anyway...


Edit:
No. Not doing two at once. I told myself I was going to keep this build simple and precise. And that's what I'm gonna do. 

I just want to build ALL the guitars!


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## MoonJelly (Mar 21, 2017)

Dude I know the feel.


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## MikeNeal (Mar 21, 2017)

i also know the feel. i have my next 6 planned out and most of the wood bought.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 22, 2017)

Glad I'm not alone. I have a stash of nicely figured maple under my bed because every time I see a nice board at my local home improvement store, I just HAVE to grab it for "a future build"


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 22, 2017)

I've got stashes of wood just sitting in my bedroom for future builds. I have too many ideas for guitars and not enough time to build any right now :/


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 31, 2017)

The templating has begun!

The body shape I band-sawed roughly and then sanded into shape by hand and with a drum sander. Then I used my pin router to duplicate the shape onto the second template. This is 1/2" hardboard/mdf, and I'm REALLY liking it.

For the pickup and floyd routes, I'm using cnc-milled templates I've bought online and transferring them to my main templates with my pin router. For the neck pocket and control cavity, I will make temporary templates ("temp-templates"?) out of straight edges taped to the workpiece and route along there, again with the pin router.

Have I mentioned how much I love my pin router? I love it.

Anyway, here's some pictures.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 2, 2017)

Just about done with my body templates.

Here's my temp-template for the neck pocket:






Got the Floyd routes on there too. Looking good so far.






Glued up my body blank. I said I was going to do alder and laminate that nebula to it, but I found a piece of mahogany I've had stashed away and decided I need to do this one in natural mahogany with a maple neck instead. It is too pretty to be ignored.






And of course I'm already thinking about build #4, or at least a future headless build to improve on my last one. This one should be easier to tune. I wonder how it would look on an explorer shape...


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## KR250 (Apr 2, 2017)

Very nice! I'm doing a template re-design before I start my next build so may take some of your ideas with the neck pocket.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 3, 2017)

KR250 said:


> Very nice! I'm doing a template re-design before I start my next build so may take some of your ideas with the neck pocket.



Thanks. I suck at freehanding straight lines so I just cobble together straight edges and make more permanent templates.

Finished the body template. Neck template next. And/or routing my body out.


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## Phantom (Apr 5, 2017)

"Like"... We really could use that like button back lol. So maybe I missed it but, how are you going to do the nebula graphic?


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 5, 2017)

The nebula graphic is a photo print I bought on Amazon. I'm going to laminate it to the top (if I can get it to work on samples). I'm evading doing this one in a natural finish because this mahogany is so pretty, but I'm also not crazy about natural mahogany guitars in general. We'll see.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 5, 2017)

Does anyone have any thoughts on the sound of the nazgul/sentient set in Alder vs mahogany? 

I don't 100 percent believe that wood affects solid body sound in a noticeable way, but have both in my shop and I'm curious what people have experienced with these woods and these pickups.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 7, 2017)

Glued up my neck blank today. 






Maple and mahogany. 






Can't wait to run it through the planer. 

Planed and sanded my body blank. It will need more of both of those, but I'm gonna need to figure out hand planes more first. Sharpened mine up more though and it works a whole lot better. 






Also I tuned up a cheap spokeshave. This cuts well and I can't wait to use it to shape the neck.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 11, 2017)

I was getting some tear out with my low angle plane so I decided to have some fun tuning up a cheap smoothing plane I had sitting around and use that to surface the body blank. 

Flattened the sole after MUCH sanding :





Planed it smooth :





And there we go:


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## MikeNeal (Apr 13, 2017)

looks awesome. I'm definitely going to be doing some mahogany in the future, i can get it really cheapish around me.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 13, 2017)

MikeNeal said:


> looks awesome. I'm definitely going to be doing some mahogany in the future, i can get it really cheapish around me.



That's awesome. This is the only piece of it I have used, but my experience thus far has been that it planes like a CHAMPION.


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## MikeNeal (Apr 13, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> That's awesome. This is the only piece of it I have used, but my experience thus far has been that it planes like a CHAMPION.



good to hear, after planing this zebrawood down, i'm ready to pull my hair out.


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## IGC (Apr 13, 2017)

Dude, your flyin! Looking good bro.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 15, 2017)

Planed my neck blank and fretboard (ebony). Might still use maple, but we'll see. 







I also called an audible and decides to drop on a figured maple top I originally bought for my first build. It is bookmatched but I put the back side up because I like it better. I'll have pictures later.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 15, 2017)

Rough cut the body. I need to build new legs for my router table next (so I can fit my dust collector baffle underneath), and then it is time to try these templates out.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 20, 2017)

I rebuilt my router table: now with under table dust collection and a big, red safety switch. 






Tonight I mill a body!


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## Mr_Mar10 (Apr 20, 2017)

loving how this is evolving! That top is a great addition

I've got some mahogany to try next.

Can someone explain how the cavity template works. I can't figure how you do the cover rebate (lol its late  ) I'd usually go freehand at the inner route then do straight edges like you to get the cover route.... I'm just using a hand router.. not a cool pin router

Usually works OK but I'm also getting obsessed with templates thanks to you clever buggers on this subforum 

(Lol I've made templates for guitars I haven't even made yet  )


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 20, 2017)

Mr_Mar10 said:


> loving how this is evolving! That top is a great addition
> 
> I've got some mahogany to try next.
> 
> ...



I make a template-template out of Lego pieces and use that to route the cavity, then I move the bricks out one dot and use that to route the cover cavity. Bear in mind I'm using a pin router for this, so I can put both of these on the same template.


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## Mr_Mar10 (Apr 20, 2017)

Oh yeah. Saw that on your headless build. Genius.
Time to visit niece to borrow some lego


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## IGC (Apr 20, 2017)

Dude, this is a sweet router table, I'v gotta make one!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 20, 2017)

So tonight I started routing my body. Strapped my first template on and let 'er rip! I'm already loving the new router table switch and dust collector.






First I flush-cut the body. Looking pretty nice!






Started working on the top. Nice and slow and careful.






Looking good so far.






And then: CATASTROPHE!






But... It's really not a huge deal. I mean it is an eyesore but I'll live. Its only build number 3 after all, and my templates are still okay.

Worst case scenario, I'll just throw some pickup rings on there and cover it up.

Everything is fine!




...




...




...




Except






...





... I slipped again! 






And at this point, thoroughly bummed, I decided to call it a night. Though I'm still not TOO worried about it. While this IS pretty gruesome, it is on the back, and I'm sure with some careful redesign I can hide the majority of the ugliness. Probably I will just extend the control cavity cover right over to the trem cavity cover. And I'll make it out of mahogany so the back still looks pretty and wooden.

But still ... damn.

Here she is, dry fit WITH pickup covers:






And here is without. Even with the slippage I have to say I still prefer without:






I'm considering a black binding around the body though, which may help the pickup rings fit in more. We shall see.


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## odibrom (Apr 20, 2017)

Those slips... damn... can't you convert the pickup routes into soap bar ones? that would mean a probably pickup change, but since they're Seymour, I'm sure you'll be able to get then in soap bar form.

The control cavity problem is no so bad since it can whatever shape you want, it is more a question of digging too much wood or not...


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 20, 2017)

Do they make soapbar 6 string hums? Either way I'll stick with the duncans I've got since I already paid for them and I'm really excited to try them. 

Looking at the hole, I think I may be able to fill in the gaps with some maple cutoffs of the top. It won't be easy and it won't match perfectly, but I think I can do it and I think it will look okay.


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 20, 2017)

if you wanted to make them soapbar humbuckers you could pick up some covers from mojotone or ebay and then just do it yourself.


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## Mr_Mar10 (Apr 21, 2017)

disaster. Gutted for you

You could go pickup surrounds n Binding? But yeah.. not ideal

The back is easy enough to 'adapt'  the mahogany is easier to patch or hide the filler 
(Maybe try routing out the bad bits & planing a small patch above the cavity route n glue/blend in )

You could try to rebuild the pickup route with offcuts n filler then maybe a 'reverse burst' or something to hide it?  (eg dark stain in the middle round pickups n trem. The fade out towards the edges? ) .... maybe even route & patch a small rectangle at the fubar'd edge of the pickup route & redo it?? (I've had to do that before lol  )

I'm sure we've all done it (I've a bass sat here I've just started working on again due to a similar oopsie )

Chin up bro. You clearly have the skills & tools to sort it out!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 21, 2017)

Thanks guys. I'm learning as I go.

I think I'm going to patch the top with offcuts, and just be as meticulous as I can in getting it to fit. If i can get it patched with minimal gaps, I'll still finish it natural because I'm going to be damn proud of they patch job. Also it would be a sin to cover up this maple.


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## KR250 (Apr 21, 2017)

Bummer, but I agree with others. Patch it up with off cuts and filler. With the film/cover you posted originally for the top should be able to hide the pickup route without being able to tell. I made similar mistakes on my 3rd build, but managed to salvage it and is my best player at the moment, so keep at it.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Apr 21, 2017)

Patched it with some cutoff. It isn't perfect by any means but I'm pretty happy with it. 






And here it is after some sanding and rubbing with water (couldn't resist)






This is gonna look pretty nice. I will likely do a little detail work with a brush and some dyes before finishing to blend the patch, but either way this should look nice once I route it out clean. 

I'll get to the back probably next weekend.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 5, 2017)

Fixed my goofs


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## KnightBrolaire (May 5, 2017)

you can barely tell that you patched it on the top, nice job.


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## IGC (May 5, 2017)

Still got all your fingers after that controll cavity slip  ?


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 5, 2017)

IGC said:


> Still got all your fingers after that controll cavity slip  ?



Yes. Fortunately the bit is on the bottom when I'm routing, so my fingers are far away from it with the workpiece in between. Almost got whacked by a spinning guitar body and a flying template though.

What I've learned from this is that you absolutely do wait for the bit to stop spinning before trying to remove the workpiece. Every time. It seems obvious but it's easy to get cocky when you're in the zone. I'm just glad I have the big red stop button now. The back cavity got away from me as I was starting the cut, and the damage would have been way worse if I couldn't shut it off so fast. 

Safety first, guys. For real.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 5, 2017)

KnightBrolaire said:


> you can barely tell that you patched it on the top, nice job.



It isn't perfect but I'm very pleased with it.


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## odibrom (May 5, 2017)

I bet those slips will better the guitar's tone, giving it more growl and grind and fatness... lol...


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## IGC (May 5, 2017)

I totally buzzed my finger tip one time on the retaining nut that tightens the bit in when I was sled routing last year! So lucky I didn't finger the router bit, OMG that really would have sucked!


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 7, 2017)

odibrom said:


> I bet those slips will better the guitar's tone, giving it more growl and grind and fatness... lol...



Oh totally. It'll have a way more _organic_ tone now. If you're not playing on a guitar with routing mistakes, you may as well give up on having good tone.



IGC said:


> I totally buzzed my finger tip one time on the retaining nut that tightens the bit in when I was sled routing last year! So lucky I didn't finger the router bit, OMG that really would have sucked!



I'll bet that hurt. Good thing you still have all your fingers.




Well I carved the back






and I bound the top






Never done a binding before. I used acetone. It worked pretty well, though I've got some perfecting to do on my technique for sure.

Very nearly ready to start finishing!

I should probably build a neck too...


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 11, 2017)

Finishing begins! 






I am using a water based polyurethane made for floors (varathane brand). I like it a lot so far. Builds nicely. Very clear. Dries fast. Sands well. We'll see how it buffs.


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## IGC (May 12, 2017)

Nice job on the binding, finishing looking good too


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## KR250 (May 12, 2017)

Dig it, curious how the water based poly holds up.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 14, 2017)

Plugged in the hardware for a quick mockup with the finish. Results were not disappointing. 






I'm assuming the finish will hold up well, since it is made to be walked on (hardwood floors). I'm not sure how well it will buff, but it seems to hold a gloss well on its own, so I'm thinking it will do well in that department. 

I have noticed a bit of weird interaction with the figuring in the wood. I'm not sure if it is just what the wood looks like or what, but there is a little light colored blotchiness here and there. Could easily be related to the water based aspect. Though I would think maple would be just as blotchy with oil, so it might just be what the figure looks like. It certainly is a weird looking piece of maple.


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## IGC (May 14, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Plugged in the hardware for a quick mockup with the finish. Results were not disappointing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Could the botching be from stray glue? That's what happened in certain areas with the guitar i'v been making.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 14, 2017)

IGC said:


> Could the botching be from stray glue? That's what happened in certain areas with the guitar i'v been making.



Definitely possible, but I don't think so. It looks more fluid than I think that would. Also I sanded the hell out of it after the last time I used any glue on it.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 16, 2017)

So last night I finally figured out a good way to route a truss rod channel. Made myself a 1/2" pin template and just used a 1/4" bit in my router. Perfect. Routed the channel in my neck blank, glued up the fretboard. So far so good. 

And then I saw the truss rod sitting on my bench. 

Fortunately it had been about a minute, so I was able to pull the board and reglue it with the truss rod in place. 

Phew! Disaster averted! 

... And then this morning I realized that for this build, I'm putting my threaded inserts in UNDER the fretboard. And I definitely did not do that last night. 

So... I guess I'm going to try bamboo for this neck instead of the maple/mahogany laminate blank I made earlier. Fortunately this one isn't a total loss. I can still use it on a build with conventional screws sometime.


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## odibrom (May 16, 2017)

Lol, it only builds character on that guitar. Try to be more aware when doing those things. VERIFY EVERY STEP CAREFULLY and CHECK IF EVERYTHING IS CORRECT before advancing. Takes e little more time at those moments, but saves a lot more time latter. We have a saying that goes like this "não ponhas a carroça à frente dos bois" (_Do not put the cart before the oxen_ - google translate), meaning to take things the easy way.

Nevertheless, the body looks pretty nice!


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 16, 2017)

odibrom said:


> Lol, it only builds character on that guitar. Try to be more aware when doing those things. VERIFY EVERY STEP CAREFULLY and CHECK IF EVERYTHING IS CORRECT before advancing. Takes e little more time at those moments, but saves a lot more time latter. We have a saying that goes like this "não ponhas a carroça à frente dos bois" (_Do not put the cart before the oxen_ - google translate), meaning to take things the easy way.
> 
> Nevertheless, the body looks pretty nice!



Yep, you're right on the nose. Normally I have a carefully crafted set of steps in my head when I start building something and in this case I was kind of winging it. I've got the steps in my head now though


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## IGC (May 20, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Definitely possible, but I don't think so. It looks more fluid than I think that would. Also I sanded the hell out of it after the last time I used any glue on it.



There was a professional wood working video I watched on line a while back. It was about gluing carpentry joints and specifically about how to remove "squeeze out". This guy stressed the importance of not using a wet rag to wipe it off but to let it dry and actually scrape it off! 
Because the glue will actually " permeate" the wood grain if a wet rag is used.
-not that I actually thought it was all that important, and didn't exercise the advice to any great extent on my build. But when it comes down to finishing, I really learned!


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## Lemonbaby (May 20, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> ... And then this morning I realized that for this build, I'm putting my threaded inserts in UNDER the fretboard. And I definitely did not do that last night.
> 
> So... I guess I'm going to try bamboo for this neck instead of the maple/mahogany laminate blank I made earlier. Fortunately this one isn't a total loss. I can still use it on a build with conventional screws sometime.



... or just use Rampa inserts.


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## LiveOVErdrive (May 20, 2017)

Lemonbaby said:


> ... or just use Rampa inserts.



Heh. A good point. But after making this template perfectly for the t nuts I really want to use them for this build. I also really want to try bamboo, so this will be fun. 

That neck will get used somewhere though. I kind of want to build a Tele to kick around, so maybe I'll use it on that.


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## MikeNeal (May 20, 2017)

old necks make good body hangers while you are waiting for the finish to dry


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jun 5, 2017)

Just a great idea with the hangers, but I went with Lemonbaby's idea and decided to just salvage this neck and use threaded inserts from the outside. 

Looking pretty nice. 





I changed my plans slightly and extended the fretboard a little further north so I can use a zero fret. 

I also routed a little too aggressively (someday I will learn, I swear) and gouged a little out of the neck, but otherwise things are looking pretty good.


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## Walshy (Jun 6, 2017)

Bit late to the party here but am glad you're OK after that router slip. I too have learned the lesson of ALWAYS waiting for the bit to fully stop before moving the router/workpiece, though I didn't cause nearly as much damage. You've covered it really well, though.

I was going to say you might have gone for a pickguard to cover the pickup area but with that lovely top, maybe not, eh?

The one I'm currently working on has some minor flaws which does add to the 'character' a bit. I had to reassure myself it'll still play really well as it's only cosmetic damage. Though I've taken each step carefully and been learning obsessively for four years, there's always a good chance you'll mess something up and have to learn from your mistakes!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jun 14, 2017)

Slowly making progress here. I finally got my threaded insert situation sorted out. I bought some from the local hardware store but they went in poorly - I think they were designed for softwood. Anyway, I ordered some different ones (a pack of 100 for the price I paid for 4 at the hardware store) and was able to get them to work. The fit is a little loose but they seem to hold well. Hopefully on the next build, I'll remember to put in the T-nut inserts before I glue the fretboard on!







Having the neck attached definitely makes this thing FEEL a lot closer to done. Feels good. Looks good.






And here's a picture of the radiused fretboard:






I think I'm going to fret it next, and carve the back afterwards. I think pressing the frets in will be easier while the back of the neck is squared off. This might make carving the neck a bit difficult though, so we'll see.


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## MikeNeal (Jun 14, 2017)

i always put the frets in when its square, then level them after carving.


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## KR250 (Jun 14, 2017)

I think either way is fine as long as you plan out the steps in advance. I prefer doing the neck carve first, leave the wood for a while, then re-level the top of the fret board if anything shifts, then press the frets in using a curved neck support caul. If I've done a good job with all that and fret board is flat then I barely have to level the frets. Haven't had any issues with this method, but adds another piece that can flex when doing the pressing so just have to be mindful of that.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jun 14, 2017)

Thanks for the input guys. 

I went ahead and pressed the frets in before carving since I hadn't tried that before. I also haven't pressed them before (only hammered) but oh MAN do I ever like that feeling. I used a stew Mac caul on my drill press and it went great. 

Here it is halfway through filing the cut ends flush with the board. I'll level and dress after carving. 






That fret nipper is new and it is awesome. Previously I tried to use a stew Mac fret puller on SS frets and notched it up pretty bad. It's awfully soft. This one was advertised on Amazon as being good for SS frets. I can confirm that it is. I trimmed the whole board worth and it worked great. Nice long handles and hard cutters.


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## J_Mac (Jun 16, 2017)

NICE fret job man \m/


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## LiveOVErdrive (Aug 4, 2017)

I decided to take a break from my cnc machine and actually finish up this build, so I carved the neck. 




I cut REALLY close to the truss rod in the thin section. Hopefully it doesn't burst out. 



Anyway. I coated it in grain sealer. I'll sand that down later this weekend and then get some satin poly going (and maybe a logo decal on the headstock). Finish up the poly on the body and then I'm good to go!


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## LiveOVErdrive (Sep 19, 2017)

Well I decided I don't like how the above neck came out, so I'm just going to make a new one on my cnc machine.

Just for fun I'm gonna use some weird materials:
- bamboo neck
- black abs plastic fretboard

Might be terrible, but I'm betting it will at least work. If they can build clarinets and oboes out of abs in place of grenadilla I'm sure it will at least function for a fretboard. And I'd love a pure black alternative to ebony.


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## MikeNeal (Sep 19, 2017)

curious as to how the bamboo feels.


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## MikeNeal (Sep 19, 2017)

curious as to how the bamboo feels.


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## Lemonbaby (Sep 19, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I cut REALLY close to the truss rod in the thin section. Hopefully it doesn't burst out.
> 
> View attachment 55429


Looks scary - how thin did you carve that neck?


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## LiveOVErdrive (Sep 19, 2017)

Lemonbaby said:


> Looks scary - how thin did you carve that neck?



I took it down to more than 20mm with my router (uniform profile) but then ended up taking more off as I shaped it. Shaping by hand is hard. I don't plan to do it anymore now that I have a cnc router


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## MikeNeal (Sep 19, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> I took it down to more than 20mm with my router (uniform profile) but then ended up taking more off as I shaped it. Shaping by hand is hard. I don't plan to do it anymore now that I have a cnc router



i'm the opposite. i think i will do all my neck carves by hand, that way i have cnc accurate body, frets, and neck joint. but a hand built feel on the neck


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