# 8 String Domestic Wood Build



## speedy thrash (Feb 22, 2012)

Since I began planning to build a guitar some things have changed, mainly because I had so much time to think. But here are the final specs and the build will more than likely start Saturday:

8 strings
Fanned fret from 65-68cm
Maple neck
Oak fretboard
I will attempt a neck through set
My hand-wound single coil will go in neck position
Seymour Duncan Blackout 8 string in bridge
I will also attempt to make tuners (like SD83 did, so it wasn't my idea)
The body is to be spruce with an oak top
Tele shape with a deeper cutaway to compensate for 30 frets

Let's see how it goes


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## speedy thrash (Feb 25, 2012)

The build has begun! The maple wasn't long enough so I had to put a piece of oak on the bottom of the neck. The headless clamp changed, there will be a hole to get at the truss rod and the string holes will go over that and into the piece of steel, so it will all fit together perfectly! Pictures will come soon!


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## ejendres (Feb 27, 2012)

looking forward to pics bro, sounds sweet


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## speedy thrash (Mar 13, 2012)

I finally have pictures! Currently the guitar's a chunk of wood with a truss rod though:


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## speedy thrash (Mar 25, 2012)

The fretboard has been cut out and marked. Now I would like to know if medium fret wire wears faster than jumbo fret wire, medium is cheaper but would jumbo be worth the extra bit.


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## ElRay (Mar 25, 2012)

Nice start. I've added the "member built" tag. Be sure to post over here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...1-guitars-built-members-ss-org-pic-heavy.html when she's done. 

Ray


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## HighPotency (Mar 25, 2012)

If the fret wire material is the same, they would theoretically wear at the same rate. The difference would be that there is less metal when using medium fret wire.

If you're that worried about wear, get stainless steel fret wire. It's a bit pricy, but it's a lot cheaper than a $75 fret job or $250 for a complete re-fret later on.


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## speedy thrash (Mar 25, 2012)

So what does Warmoth mean by `neck quantities`, does it mean enough for a 6 string neck.


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## HighPotency (Mar 25, 2012)

Neck quantity is their way of saying it's enough to fret an entire neck. You'd probably have to call or email them to find out how long it actually is, though I'm sure it's more than enough for a 6 string guitar.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 1, 2012)

Here are some pics!!! I finally cut the body and took pics after rasping the crap out of it:





Now beside the fretboard:




And the back:


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## BlackMastodon (Apr 1, 2012)

That is a very thin lower horn, gotta be careful with that thing. Probably gonna be great for fret access though.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 2, 2012)

Just wondering: is it easier to play a fretboard with a radius? I have a block for roughly a 16" radius, but could I leave it flat?


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2012)

I personally don't like flat fretboards at all.


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## UnderTheSign (Apr 2, 2012)

I like flat boards but that's because I'm used to playing a nylon. It's all a matter of preference.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 2, 2012)

I'll try some nylon strings tonight, and then I'll decide what to do before I put the frets on, if I do radius the board, what grit sand paper should I start with? The board's oak, so I want to take it down fast but I don't want to chip it if I go against the grain.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 4, 2012)

I'm gonna put 16" radius on it and I just got fretwire. Now, how would I slot the fretboard? I was thinking a hacksaw with a board on either side tho hold it in place, but after seeing what it did before even going down 2mm, I'm a little reluctant to do so.


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## rick0link (Apr 4, 2012)

speedy thrash said:


> I'm gonna put 16" radius on it and I just got fretwire. Now, how would I slot the fretboard? I was thinking a hacksaw with a board on either side tho hold it in place, but after seeing what it did before even going down 2mm, I'm a little reluctant to do so.



I got a small mitre box to cut slots. If you have a lowes or home depot up your way, you can get one for a few dollars.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 4, 2012)

I have one, it's just that with it being a fanned fret guitar I didn't know if it work.


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## korodesu (Apr 7, 2012)

Cutting a Fanned-Fret Fretboard

The mitre box should work fine as long as it's wide enough for you to angle it properly over the fretboard.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 7, 2012)

That's a really good idea, thanks.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 9, 2012)

PIIIIIIIIICS!!!!!!!

The top and bottom are now complete, and here's what it looks like:






The neck's fully shaped now, but here's a picture from the process:






Finally, hers' the completely slotted fretboard:






The fretboard has since been radiused, and I found that the fretwire tang is really thick, so I need something to tap them in well, but wouldn't a brass hammer dent the frets? They are steel, but not stainless, so how could I tap them in without to much denting?


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## Empryrean (Apr 9, 2012)

^when I pressed my frets and then tapped them to get them all seated, I used a block of wood on top of the fret, so the mallet I was using didn't hit the frets directly. Good progress man


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## Munch (Apr 10, 2012)

This looks like it will be awesome, good going!

Some cautions and suggestions: If the fret tangs are way thicker than the slots you can run into a problem where the frets force a back bow into the neck. This would normally be countered by string tension pulling the neck forward, although the back bow can be more than the strings compensate for. I found this out the hard way, although I had a two-way truss rod from StewMac and actually had the truss rod put front-bow to even things out. Even still, this is a bad situation because the denser cluster of frets on the high end means that there is more back-bow there than at the nut end of the neck, so it's not an even hump. This makes leveling a much longer and more difficult process. I have come to hate this.

I get frets with huge tangs that don't fit in my slots (I need to get matching frets and tools soon) so I use this to shave the tangs down: STEWMAC.COM : Fret Barber

It's fast and works well, and has saved my ass a few times. StewMac has some awesome tools, even though they get pricey.

Oh, as a reference, I used a .023" keft saw from Stewmac without thinking about this problem, and the fretwire I get has tang barbs that go out .032, so my situation was pretty absurd. Hopefully your frets and slots aren't as grossly mismatched as mine, but the fret barber still would really help if it's super tight. Good luck, I am excited to see your build!
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Pullers,_nippers,_sizing/Fret_Barber.html


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## Munch (Apr 10, 2012)

Oh, also, I have used the plastic end of this hammer for my frets: STEWMAC.COM : Fretting Hammer

You could probably use other stuff, but theirs does work. When I ran into the really difficult frets (stainless steel) from the problem I mentioned, I used the brass end and it did in fact dent the frets mildly. I am guessing normal-fitting frets would only need the plastic end.


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## speedy thrash (Apr 10, 2012)

The thing is, (being the clumsy person I am) the hack saw made the sides of the neck have thicker slots than the middle, so an idea came to me; would it work if I filled each slot with glue and clamped the frets down? I have done things similar and I know it'll hold, but does wood glue expand when it dries? My fretboard also has a weird radius, around 16" at the edges and 30" in the middle, I think it's cool but it makes fretting a bitch


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## speedy thrash (Apr 22, 2012)

I have fretted the guitar!







But more problems , I found some real tuners from an old build that "happened" to break . But How would I put them on the body without making it ugly? I'm thinking I might have to put a headstock on....


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## Empryrean (Apr 22, 2012)

Huzzah! Lets make a single-cut 8 string headless club


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## speedy thrash (May 21, 2012)

Started working on it again. Turns out I can't get just one blackout in Canada, so I ordered a D activator. But, the frets are level! I found some ideas for headless tuners, so I may consider it again, but one question: is fret crowning mandatory? if so I'll just use a file, but some of my frets are rectangular rather than round, my guess is that the guitar will be done within the next 5 weeks, when the parts arrive.


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## ECGuitars (May 21, 2012)

speedy thrash said:


> Started working on it again. Turns out I can't get just one blackout in Canada, so I ordered a D activator. But, the frets are level! I found some ideas for headless tuners, so I may consider it again, but one question: is fret crowning mandatory? if so I'll just use a file, but some of my frets are rectangular rather than round, my guess is that the guitar will be done within the next 5 weeks, when the parts arrive.



If you have levelled of the crown of the fret and made it flat, then yes, re crowning is mandatory. Id suggest picking up a re-crowning file from stewmac or lmii, as you wont be able to re crown them with a regular flat file. Try to buy one as close to the size of the fret wire you use as possible.


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## canuck brian (May 23, 2012)

Where in Ontario are you located?


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## TheBigGroove (May 23, 2012)

don't pop a boner when you're playing or you might snap that lower horn off.

Juuust kiddin man. Looks great thus far keep it up man can't wait to see the final product!


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## speedy thrash (May 24, 2012)

canuck brian said:


> Where in Ontario are you located?


Kawartha Lakes, Why do you ask?


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## HighPotency (May 24, 2012)

He's going to steal your guitar!


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## MrHelloGuitar (May 28, 2012)

Dude, this is looking amazing!


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## speedy thrash (Jun 4, 2012)

Inlays 






some copper side dots






There's three dots on the 24th and 30th fret






And... A penny on the 12th fret, took a ton of drilling and filling, but it's in! There's black marker on the frets because I coloured each fret and filed until it came of the tops to know when it was level, so I hope the rest comes off after crowning and maybe I'll clean them.


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## speedy thrash (Jun 8, 2012)

Okay, so I got the parts, how far should I put the pickup from the bridge? I want something that will still work with sweeping, but not too far so in still sounds tight.


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## speedy thrash (Jul 6, 2012)

It's finished, and well no doubt I could have used a better colour. It works pretty damn well considering it's my third build and the other two (which should never be spoken of) were the only woodworking experience I had before it, it's been done for a over a week but I was to lazy to put anything up. The D-Activator sounds pretty clean but my amp (Crate) obviously isn't supposed to go into such a low register as it has almost no gain right now and almost no lows on the EQ. Overall, pretty good for youngling!


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## Vicious7 (Jul 7, 2012)

That's beyond cool man! Especially with you saying you having not much experience. Kudos to using domestic woods too, and the penny...I find that amazing. =D


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## speedy thrash (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks! It needs a bit of fretwork still. A lot of it is literally junk from my basement and garage. I only spent a bit less than $250, and there is no eight I have ever heard of that cheap (please tell me if there is though).


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## Empryrean (Jul 9, 2012)

Gaah I need to get mine finished, congrats dude! I like the green, personally


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