# Renk - Siren7



## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

So I've been tinkering around on a new build. I haven't had a hankering for a 7 string since I saw a used white Universe with the pyramid inlay in a music store in the late 90's. That "K" band came out and flippin took an instrument with limitless potential and desecrated it. But I digress...

I haven't really had an urge to own a 7 string guitar because honestly you can always tune down, and I have never been accused of not being able to play a high enough note, so I never saw the point.

I joined this forum in search of builds to feed my ravenous hunger for guitar construction methods, and you guys stoked a fire within me that had been dormant for nearly 2 decades. I want to build a 7 string. 

Being a man of action, I got started right on the heels of my last Siren build. I've been blasting through my process. Not really keeping time on this one like I did last time, but I'm following my procedural notes from the previous build.

Don't have hardware, don't have pickups, but I'm building this guitar. There was a time during my last build, just before finishing, where I loved the natural maple contrasting against the darker woods. 





That right there. I loved the way the black to natural burst turned out, but there's something to be said for natural, unadulterated curly maple on ebony on mahogany. Makes the pants a little tight, ya know?

So I decides I've got to recreate this, but I want to use an even darker wood for the back and neck than the mahogany I used. 

Enter: Peruvian Walnut.

This stuff is really dark and it was really cheap compared to ebony or rosewood. It also smells heavenly. When sanding a blank of maple and walnut, it smells like a delicious pancake flavored cigar. 

So physical traits of this build. I'm using the Siren body once again, and the Renk 3/3 headstock. Hipshot Hardware and whatever pickups I can find along the way. I've been intrigued by modern superstrat engineering, and I'm going to work some things into this build. 

I've rambled on for long enough...without further ado, I bring you the Renk Siren7











Our journey begins much like any other...a trip to Woodcraft to see what's in stock. I pick up a couple 8 footers. Top board is Peruvian Walnut, bottom board "Mahogany"(whatever that means these days(this will be for another build)). 






Cut some stringers and grabbed some pre-cut stringers leftover from the last Siren build.






The usual...drum sanded the stringers and glued them up into a neck blank.






Drum sanded the neck blank and hit it with some naphtha.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

Scarf on the bandsaw. Cleanup on the flat rock.











Drilled 1/16" index holes for brads to hold the scarf joint from slipping under glue. Cleaned joint surfaces with naphtha and left to dry before gluing.












I just got these clamps and I've been trying them on just about everything I can. This is the ultimate test, IMO. 













Clean registration. Index pins for your scarf joints, kiddos. First time, every time.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

Leveled the FB surface of the neck after scarf joint had cured. Flat rock again. Useful tool.











I just built a new free standing router table out of my cobbled together bench-top job. I kept the deck and added 2x4 legs and braced them with plywood, boxing in the underside. I made a quick fence and planed the edge flat. Wing nuts on bolts lock the fence down. Luthiers don't really need a fancy split fence, and this one does fine. The insert plate is 3/8" acrylic.












Perfect 1/4 x 3/8" truss rod channel.









Truss rod fits nice and flush. Here's the fretboard I'll most likely be using. I've got 4 nice East Indian Rosewood boards and a killer Gaboon Ebony board coming in, so this is the fretboard for now unless the other boards scream "USE ME".










After routing with a 1/4" bit, I replace it with a 3/8" bit, place the fence at the exact same location and rout the access for the truss rod's nut.











Came out really clean. I've done truss rod channels with a table saw, a router with an edge guide, and I've finally found the easiest way to do it with perfect results.


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## Knarbens (Feb 11, 2015)

Now that's a nice neck and very clean work! I've never done a scarf joint, but your work looks perfekt!! Great you're doing a 7! 

Btw: What's the headstock angle on this?


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## immortalx (Feb 11, 2015)

Great start man, looks super clean work


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## KnightroExpress (Feb 11, 2015)

Awesome! I'm excited to see this one


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## metaldoggie (Feb 11, 2015)

Subbed!

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

One question.....if it's the Renk 3/3 headstock, where is the 7th tuner going


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

Ohhhh snap. You got me. That was a total brainfart. I adjusted the dimensions of my 3/3 to a 4/3 layout.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

Knarbens said:


> Now that's a nice neck and very clean work! I've never done a scarf joint, but your work looks perfekt!! Great you're doing a 7!
> 
> Btw: What's the headstock angle on this?



Hey Knarbz! I use a 13 degree angle on my scarf joints. Lucky 13.


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## pettymusic (Feb 11, 2015)

Off to a great start!! Looking forward to this!


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## skeels (Feb 11, 2015)

skeels likes this!



*runs out to but some Peruvian walnut*


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

skeels said:


> skeels likes this!
> 
> 
> 
> *runs out to but some Peruvian walnut*



Woodcraft, man. I don't know if all locations get the same woods, but they had stacks on stacks of it, so I was able to pick and choose. Their maple selection was abysmal this trip.


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## KnightroExpress (Feb 11, 2015)

I can usually find some cool stuff when I hit up WC. They sell nice little 3x0.25x24 exotic boards too, pretty much ideal starting point for fretboards.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

KnightroExpress said:


> I can usually find some cool stuff when I hit up WC. They sell nice little 3x0.25x24 exotic boards too, pretty much ideal starting point for fretboards.



Yeah, that thin stock section is great. They're perfect for fretboards or necks if you scarf joint a separate piece. It's usually picked clean of more desirable grain and figure patterns. The ziricote and PME in that section were underwhelming at best. I still check it every visit though.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

I glue the scarf joint with the headstock portion at full thickness. If you do this first, you can transfer your headstock template to the back of the headstock without having to make a shorter template. I've found that shaping the headstock first makes it way easier to line up your headstock from the back. If you cut the excess off the headstock part and take it to final thickness first your template will not fit.






I cut the excess headstock material from the back on the band saw and drum sanded to 1/2". I'm undecided if I want to do a headstock cap, so I've left it at that dimension for now.






Edge of the ebony FB blank was crooked as hell, so I was happy to put a straight edge on it. Get out the #5!!!






Ebony and steel are 2 of my favorite things in the world. No sound in my shop is as satisfying as a plane taking shavings off ebony. It's a beautiful experience, and makes for great pictures.






Alriiiight....so here's something new. Seeing I'm building a 7 string, I need a new template. I mark the taper (1-7/8" @ nut, 2-7/16" @ 24th) that I borrowed from the EB Majesty and flush trim using a straight edge. Well my straight edges are not perfect so again, back to the flat rock! A couple licks on each side straighten it right up.





I cut the neck taper on the band saw and flush trim with my new template on the router table. 






Oh yeah...remember that Irwin Quick Grip scarf joint test? Passed with flying colors. Those clamps are nothing short of amazing. I'll be buying more....a LOT more.


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## SilentCartographer (Feb 11, 2015)

.... i love those scallops


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## Renkenstein (Feb 11, 2015)

Thanks! I'm sure they'll find their way into this build as well. They're a lot of fun to make, and I love having them up in the meedly-meedly range.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 12, 2015)

Cleaned up the transition from nut to headstock on the Ridgid.






Clean clean.






Alriiiight...here's where things get interesting. I hate using C clamps, and F clamps, and whatever clamps on top glue-ups. I wanted to make a press fixture that I could regulate pressure evenly around the body for clean top joints. Random clamps end up with random amounts of pressure, and a C clamp can easily cause a gap to open up under an F clamp. 






Long story short, I bought a handy panel of 3/4" birch ply(the flattest sheet available) a bunch of carriage bolts, lock washers, fender washers, and nuts. All 1/4", but the lock washers are 5/16" so they fit around the little square nubbin on the underside of the carriage bolt head. I made the template an extra inch around the outside edge of the body style. 





Put down wax paper, put the body in the fixture, spread glue, place top, put top piece on and put on fender washers and nuts on the bolts. I got a nut driver and a 7/16" deep well socket. The drill's clutch will give at the same pressure on every nut, giving consistent pressure around the body. Snug them up by hand first then switch to the drill. Start with a light clutch setting and tighten in a crossing pattern, like you were changing the tire on a car. Repeat on a higher clutch setting, maintaining the crossing pattern until you are satisfied with the joint. Squeeze-out all around should let you know when you've got a good joint.





This is not the body, and was only used for illustrative purposes, but you can see how well it sits in there. Bolts are spaced evenly at 3-4" apart. No clunky clamps in the way, so squeeze-out should be a breeze to clean up at the edge. 





I had this cranked down as hard as the drill could go and there was no deflection on either piece of plywood. This should work a LOT better than my random clamps. It also makes the body a LOT easier to handle. You can even hang it up on the wall out of the way as it dries. I imagine with longer bolts, I could even glue 2 bodies at a time.


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## immortalx (Feb 13, 2015)

What a fantastic idea and so nicely executed


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## KnightroExpress (Feb 13, 2015)

That jig is badass! I sorta kinda definitely want to build one of my own.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Feb 13, 2015)

Yes... Looks great! that is a nice setup that someone could put together with a trip to lowes/home depot. Thanks for the tip man, I might soon be working on my own version of this. My only concern is how well does it get clamping pressure in the middle of the piece? Like will there be any noticeable glue joint inside the pup cavities? I suppose it matters how thick you put on the glue.

I've never worked with this type of clamping jig, just trying to brainstorm the process...


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

Bout to glue it up. Y'all will get a full performance report when I get to pickup cavity routing....that will tell me how well it held in the center of the body. I'm expecting my best results to date, but we'll see.


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## pettymusic (Feb 13, 2015)

Yeah, if that pup cavity looks good, I'm definitely going this rout. But, one could easily apply clamps in that area if necessary. One around the neck pup area and around the bridge area maybe?

Edit: I don't know, man., I think you got it covered looking at that mock up you did. Even pressure is what you were after and it looks like you get that with this set up.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Feb 13, 2015)

pettymusic said:


> Edit: I don't know, man., I think you got it covered looking at that mock up you did. Even pressure is what you were after and it looks like you get that with this set up.



Yeah... That is a thick and solid looking piece of ply, If it does allow for any loss of pressure in the center its probably a negligible amount. Maybe I just tend to over think things lol... regardless, its a cool looking build, can't wait to see it progress!


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## metaldoggie (Feb 13, 2015)

I'm on the fence at whether there will be any significant defection or not.

On the one hand you have a very small angle, because of how close the bolts are to the body being glued. On the other hand, it is amazing how much wood can shift with not a lot of pressure.

If this doesn't work you could consider metal plates instead - dill (edit....I hate pickles.....I meant drill) a grid pattern of holes across the face for bolts and then you can just adjust the position of said bolts depending on what the shape of your body blank is.

Wait.....I should patent that lol


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

Oh, I also put 2 countersunk screws in the body for middle pressure....always have. One is in the neck pocket, and one is in the bridge pickup rout location. I've never clamped in the middle due to not having a deep throat C clamp, so I've always used a screw. My tops have come out clean before, so I don't expect any different. Also...the threaded portion of the bolts was too short, so I've got the MDF template sitting on top of both pieces in the fixture for added height. You'll see here once this thread catches up to real-time.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

I went back to Woodcraft to grab another board of that Peruvian Walnut for the body. Cut a couple pieces and jointed them with the #5. Sandwich it between a couple flat rocks and clamp it up. Fred Flintstone style lutherie. 






Flashback...before I cut the body pieces, I decided to make a quick X-Cut sled instead of going at it with a handsaw. Works like a boss. I would normally use the manual crosscut saw, but I threw my back out something fierce and I knew that'd eff it up even worse. I've been meaning to make one of these for a while to improve the performance of this very very hobby-level table saw.






Removed the body from clamps and drum sanded everything flat. 











Drum sanded to 1". We'll have a 1/4-3/8" top on there for a total body thickness of no more than 1-3/8".


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## BlackMastodon (Feb 13, 2015)

That top clamping jig is genius. This is why I love this site, seeing how people use really smart but seemingly simple solutions to get great results.


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## pettymusic (Feb 13, 2015)

BlackMastodon said:


> That top clamping jig is genius. This is why I love this site, seeing how people use really smart but seemingly simple solutions to get great results.



^^ True this! I mean, I've read some books, researched and etc. but, nothing beats the things I've learned from those guys on this forum!


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

D'awww...y'all makin me blush.

Work smarter, not harder...that's what my daddy always taught me. 

I've been thinking about different ways to simplify this process, and this is what I've come up with. I thought about using a frame fixture like Ruokangas has here:





I don't have a welder though, and after thinking it over, I declared it overkill. I thought about steel plates like Metaldoggie mentioned, but again, I thought it'd be overkill...not to mention a complete pain in the ass to machine. 

After ruling those more complicated devices out, I figured why not build it out of birch? I built a head and 2-2x12" cabs out of the stuff a couple years ago, and they've held up just fine.

For those interested, I was able to make this out of a handy-panel of birch at Home Depot (~$21) and 18 1/4"x4" carriage bolts, nuts, and fender washers(roughly another $15 or so). 

I had enough birch left over to make a Myka neck pocket jig, which will be coming up soon in this thread.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Feb 13, 2015)

Man that's dank. How many builds have you done? Looks like you got this stuff down...

I would love to build a jig like the one shown in this video around 5:40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rxc67NDaA4

Just an automotive suspension air bag and some pieces that look like granite almost. Hook it up to an air supply line and let it sit for a couple hours


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

DistinguishedPapyrus said:


> Man that's dank. How many builds have you done? Looks like you got this stuff down...
> 
> I would love to build a jig like the one shown in this video around 5:40
> 
> ...




This is my 3rd build if you don't count the LP I aborted last year....but 4th if you count the cigar box guitar I built to kick all this off. I don't know why my first REAL guitar build was an LP copy. I had really good plans, so I thought I'd be better off going with those. Trouble is, nothing about an LP is friendly to a small builder. I didn't experience much success until I started building my own designs. 

I'd really like to rig up a hydraulic press, but with air or fluid, there's always a risk of bleed that will reduce pressure over time, which is no bueno. 

I thought I saw a vid where Perry uses a hydraulic press. I've looked for it, but couldn't find it again.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

Flush trim the body to the template. 





Mock it up. 






The top wood may look familiar. I used the other piece of this board on the last Siren build. That's the last of that magical $23 board of curly maple.






Bookmatched and drum sanded






Drew the orientation outline. Tomorrow I'll have to fix my car window(power winder fell off the track), but if I get that done in time I'll joint the maple and glue it up. Excited to try my new top gluing press.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 13, 2015)

I jointed the top with my #5 and glued her up. 





Got a delivery from Shad Peters. If you haven't heard, his shop completely burned to the ground, and he's been selling some fretboards off to raise more money. I was happy to help him out and he sent me some fiiiine specimens. Look at that fkn ebony board! Blacker than the blackest black times infinity! Pre-slotted to a 26" scale too. Noice! 






Rough cut the top on the band saw and sanded to the line on the ROSS. 






She's a fit girl...does her yoga and her crunches, and has a runner's ass. Slim profile.






Dry clamping run...making sure everything fits right.






Lookin good





Ready to glue!





Spread some glue. 






Put my screws in. I use these for 2 reasons. 1) Added downforce in the middle where it's needed. 2) It keeps the body from sliding laterally under clamps. I countersink them so they're below the surface. 






Nice squeeze-out all the way down. I cleaned up a bit of it before I realized I hadn't taken a picture.






This is a good sign....all the way around.


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## jwade (Feb 13, 2015)

I love that top gluing jig! Is Shad still selling any fingerboards? I don't see anything on FB or anything.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 14, 2015)

Email him. I responded to an ad he posted on luthiertalk. He said to let him know if I wanted any more, so I'm assuming there's more.


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## jwade (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks for the head up, I really need to spend more time over there!


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## Renkenstein (Feb 14, 2015)

You should...it's pretty flippin dead over there, really. SSO now gets most of my time these days.


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## metaldoggie (Feb 14, 2015)

I think with the screws, you should be all set.
That's healthy looking amount of squeeze out!


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## Renkenstein (Feb 14, 2015)

Yeah, I pulled it from the clamp-press thing, flush trimmed the top, and carved the bevels on the bouts today. Cleanest top joint I've done yet.


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## BlackMastodon (Feb 15, 2015)

And you didn't even bring pictures??  Oh Renk...I thought you were better than this.


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## pettymusic (Feb 15, 2015)

Glad to hear your top clamp jig works. I sure will be building myself one now! Haha!

Yeah, pics man! Why you do us like dat?!


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## Renkenstein (Feb 15, 2015)

I'll get em up fellas. I usually do my photo uploads and updates when I'm at work, and I spend my off time in the shop.


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## Prophetable (Feb 15, 2015)

Renkenstein said:


> I'll get em up fellas. I usually do my photo uploads and updates when I'm at work, and I spend my off time in the shop.



I like the way you think.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 15, 2015)

I've flipped my schedule at work for the last year to support more building time. I get an average of 3-4 hours in the shop per day. The evening shift in network operations is usually slow...electronics love cold weather. Hurricane season is another story, as are the snowstorms on the eastern seaboards, but the latter haven't affected us as much as the fiber techs. My son has completely commandeered my PC at home and turned it into his personal Netflix machine, so I get my uploads in when I can.


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## Knarbens (Feb 16, 2015)

Nice job Renk! This is going to be a gorgeous guitar! The top gluing fixture is brilliant.


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## pettymusic (Feb 16, 2015)

Renkenstein said:


> I've flipped my schedule at work for the last year to support more building time. I get an average of 3-4 hours in the shop per day. The evening shift in network operations is usually slow...electronics love cold weather. Hurricane season is another story, as are the snowstorms on the eastern seaboards, but the latter haven't affected us as much as the fiber techs. My son has completely commandeered my PC at home and turned it into his personal Netflix machine, so I get my uploads in when I can.



Ahh, a fellow I.T. guy. I work for the local hospital. Rainy days are what kill us! 

Of course when we are in lock down mode for a hurricane, there's no external network and with all of our applications being web based now, we just sit back and enjoy the hurricane party!


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## Renkenstein (Feb 17, 2015)

I removed the body from the top sandwich press and had a hell of a scare. The screw wouldn't budge and it started to round out the phillips tip. I really gave it hell and broke a #1 phillips tip. Wow...that's a first. It came out with a bit of effort, but it scared the bejesus outta me.






Alright...so here's the results. The top sandwich press worked like a flippin charm. I'm shocked at the results. 






Close-up.






Carved a couple bevels and took a shot with some naphtha before I blended the transition at the waist. 






Hard angle transition worked out. 






Bout bevels done!





Carved my micro-bevels by hand as usual. I love this part of the body build.






It was a COLD night and snow was falling, so I decided to light a fire and catch up on Shameless and The Walking Dead. Needed a lil kindling. 





Hogged out the material in the neck pocket. That guy on the left is another build I've got going. Doing my best impression of Pondman. 





My boy got to my template. He loves to draw.





Aleister's SCARY MONSTER. 3 years old and drawing like crazy. He's his father's son, that's for sure.






There's the little vandal. Look at that hooligan smile. Kid's always up to no good. If you look at my earlier pics of this jig, I used strips of 3/4" birch ply for the runners. I was getting a bit too much flex in those, so I switched it up to a couple pieces of 4/4 white oak. Zero flex.






Routed the neck pocket. The cross piece is for the edge of the router to ride to make the end of the pocket. I didn't trust double sticky tape for this task, so I went ahead and screwed it down. Can't have any slips in this critical area.






Neck pocket passed the gravity test with flying colors. It was a bitch to get that neck seated, but it finally fit. I used 2 pieces of masking tape on each side. I removed one of the layers of tape and routed the edge, but I left one on. Next time I'm definitely going to remove both pieces for the final pass. That should be a lot easier to fit the neck. Better too tight than too loose(that's what she said).


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## KnightroExpress (Feb 18, 2015)

Awesome work, as always! Next time you glue a top, try waxing the central hold-down screws. The threads will still bite, but they'll be easy to remove.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 18, 2015)

KnightroExpress said:


> Awesome work, as always! Next time you glue a top, try waxing the central hold-down screws. The threads will still bite, but they'll be easy to remove.



Good call, man! I'm glad we have this little community, because I can't think of everything all the time! Thanks brohammer.


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## KnightroExpress (Feb 18, 2015)

I'm glad to contribute what little I can


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## Knarbens (Feb 18, 2015)

Wow dude you keep getting better and faster! The last neckpockets I did came out aesthetically ok, but not nearly as tight for a glued neck joint. Gotta improve that!! The gluejoint of the sandwish came out highly desirable!  Nice contrast btw.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 18, 2015)

Thanks Knarbens! I gotta give credit where it's due and say that I've learned quite a bit from you. I'm still a hell of a messy builder, but I try to keep every step clean and every task precise and deliberate. Every sketchy process from the previous build, I spend time and think about how I can make it easier, how I can improve efficiency, how I can minimize risk, and improve safety and repeatability.

My last neck pocket wasn't tight enough to hold the weight of the body, which is why I was determined to improve my routing process there. My first Siren's pocket came out perfect, the second not so much. The unpredictability from build to build is what spurred me to get something new going. 

Same can be said for my top joints. The first Siren, perfect top joint. The second Siren, I had a bit of a gap open up on the bouts. I had to carve the bevels deeper on #2 to get past the gap, so that's what motivated me to make my top press. 

I make it a point to try something new every build. This keeps me from going stagnant and repeating the same mistakes over and over, or building the same guitar over and over. My next build will be a new body shape that I've given a peek of in my most recent post. Kind of an RG meets Siren type of vibe that I'm really excited about. Oh, and it will be multiscale.


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## Solodini (Feb 19, 2015)

Oh, baby! Looking sweet! What neck did you burn?


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## Renkenstein (Feb 19, 2015)

Oh, that was just an old headstock template made out of pine that I used to layout a straight string pull a couple years ago. I have yet to mess up a neck so bad that it warrants a burning. Fingers crossed that never happens.


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## Renkenstein (Feb 19, 2015)

Routed the control cavity after hogging out the bulk of the material on the drill press.





Round-over on the back. 





Look at that skinny chick. 1-3/8"(~35mm) body thickness. I picked up a ding on her ass by carelessly shelving her and smacking her right into my granite slab. D'OH!!! It'll sand out. 












Gettin' there!


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## Solodini (Feb 20, 2015)

Why not just steam out the ding?


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## Renkenstein (Feb 20, 2015)

I've done that before on a ding I got on a top, and it worked well. I figured the corner would be a different story, and it's so superficial that sanding it would be the way to go. I sanded the bevel and side a bit more and it's practically gone. When I do a finish sand and round out that edge a bit, it will be gone completely.


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## Renkenstein (Mar 4, 2015)

Wow...sorry for the lack of updates, fellas. I've been buried in work prototyping a new multiscale model and getting that build caught up with the Siren7. Here they both are as they stand. I'll be starting a build thread on the prototype. Her name is the Renk RAZE.


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## Knarbens (Mar 5, 2015)

Zebrano neck??


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## Pikka Bird (Mar 5, 2015)

Kind of a perfect mix of the Languedoc and "strings over a chasm"-type headstocks on that proto. I love it. Wonder how it'd look with the Siren body shape?


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## BlackMastodon (Mar 5, 2015)

Where are the build threads, Renk? WHERE ARE THE BUILD THREADS?!


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## metaldoggie (Mar 5, 2015)

Sexy

...and the guitars too!


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## Renkenstein (Mar 5, 2015)

Knarbens said:


> Zebrano neck??



Yessir! Zebra and Peruvian Walnut. I'm loving the combo, but zebra's a bit of a bitch. It likes to chip, so I had to take it slow on the flush trim for the neck taper. Sanding to the line before flush trimming is KEY with this species. My lady made some guitar picks out of my offcuts and they just snap snap snap. As a neck material though, it looks like it's going to do a good job. It's VERY hard and rigid. This is a perfectly quartered piece as well. 



Pikka Bird said:


> Kind of a perfect mix of the Languedoc and "strings over a chasm"-type headstocks on that proto. I love it. Wonder how it'd look with the Siren body shape?



Thank you! I had to Google Languedoc, but I immediately recognize it as Trey's guitar maker. Never been a huge fan of Phish, but his guitars sure are gorgeous. Nice to put a name to those guitars, finally. It does kinda look like that. I was kinda going for a katana blade meets a string-over-air and that's how it turned out. I call it the Hanzo Headstock. It's got a very gradual curve on the side of the tuners which is kinda making a straight string pull a bitch to calculate.



BlackMastodon said:


> Where are the build threads, Renk? WHERE ARE THE BUILD THREADS?!



BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Love dem kitteh gifs. I'm typing up the image descriptions(build notes) as we speak. I'll start the thread either this evening or tomorrow night.



metaldoggie said:


> Sexy
> 
> ...and the guitars too!



it's the beard...it has that effect.


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## Knarbens (Mar 6, 2015)

Oh well ... zebrano neck!?! Niiiiice!


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## Pikka Bird (Mar 6, 2015)

Renkenstein said:


> I was kinda going for a katana blade meets a string-over-air and that's how it turned out. I call it the Hanzo Headstock.



Don't get all conceited now, but I think yours is way sleeker. Nice reference in the name too.


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## Renkenstein (Mar 7, 2015)

Pikka Bird said:


> Don't get all conceited now, but I think yours is way sleeker. Nice reference in the name too.



Many thanks, sir! I had a solid 2 weeks where it seemed everything I drew was just gold. Filled a notepad over that time. I'd start idea on the last page of the notebook, then every time I flipped a new sheet over, I'd trace the design on the new sheet, adding elements while subtracting others. 

I should scan them one day and make an animated gif of the guitar designs taking shape.


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## immortalx (Mar 8, 2015)

Pat, you probably got sick hearing that from me, but your eye for detail is out of this world man! Everything is so nicely balanced on your designs


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## SilentCartographer (Mar 8, 2015)

mmmmmmmmmmmhhmmmm lookin tasty Renk

EDIT : The Guitars, and maybe you too, just a bit


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## pdotson (Mar 9, 2015)

those headstocks are badass


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## SilentCartographer (Mar 9, 2015)

Oh yeah, didn't notice that Langeudoc(how ever its spelled) style headstock, one of my favs!! Trey Anastasio what


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## Renkenstein (Mar 9, 2015)

pdotson said:


> those headstocks are badass



Thanks fellas! 

I've kind of hit a wall(I always seem to hit walls when funding is concerned), and I'm waiting on a slotted fretboard and multiscale template. I'm getting a slotted board(26.25" scale length) slotted from LMII for the Siren7. Last time I ordered a slotted board, in my rush to get the neck progressing, I forgot to transfer the slots onto a template so now I get to wait...again.

I'm working on a new fret slotting miter box that should do both parallel frets and multiple scales, based on the 2 types of templates it is compatible with. SSO's very own Adam Bath of Elysian Guitars is being kind enough to CNC the multiscale templates for me, and any static scale length boards will use a pre-slotted board from LMII as a template. Once I've got this built I'll be able to ensure dead accurate fret slots, which I'll admit...I've got an OCD when it comes to this subject.

My miter box will be a manual operated job with a gents saw(backsaw) doing the cutting, but it's not far off from the table saw slotting jig Adam offers from his shop. 

Here's the basis for my miter box, but will undoubtedly need tweaking when the template arrives.







If it looks big, that's because it is. I've got the base at over 5.5" deep to allow movement of the multiscale template since it will index on a couple of static pins that will be installed in the base. For straight scale fretboards, a feeler gauge sits in the slot in the center of the base and will index a pre-slotted board that will be taped to the bottom of the board I'm slotting. Make sense? Good. 

Another good friend of mine from LuthierTalk made me the aluminum pieces and the nylon guides. The guides are held on by set screws. The clamps won't be there when it's finished, obviously.


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## Renkenstein (Mar 10, 2015)

I actually just thought of something that's right around the corner for this gal. I need suggestions for pickups. She'll be getting Hipshot hardware as usual(excellent gear), but I've got nothing on pickups. Hell, the last time I was looking at a 7, they all had Dimarzio Blaze pickups. 

What's a good 7 string pickup that would give me a nice sound and not break the bank?

I'd like to stick to something that has traditional bobbins and passive. I don't really care to rout for EMGs, nor deal with actives.

*edit - I've been using Dimarzio Illuminators in my Siren and they flippin slay. They roll back into some really nice warm ear sauce too.


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## pettymusic (Mar 11, 2015)

Renkenstein said:


> I actually just thought of something that's right around the corner for this gal. I need suggestions for pickups. She'll be getting Hipshot hardware as usual(excellent gear), but I've got nothing on pickups. Hell, the last time I was looking at a 7, they all had Dimarzio Blaze pickups.
> 
> What's a good 7 string pickup that would give me a nice sound and not break the bank?
> 
> ...



Love the miter box! When I decide to cut my own fret slots, this was the direction I plan to take. I've seen some really good and simple ideas for this. 

For pickups, I will always go BKP when possible. Believe me, I would not pay for hype. I've got a set of Juggernauts in my Km7 and an Aftermath in my Ibanez 6er. These particular sets are medium output and very "open", not compressed. Probably the opposite end of the spectrum from actives. You can back of your picking get slightly dirty or pick heavy and well...you know. 

They are pricey so, what I did for my ibanez is when ahead and got the Aftermath and paired it with a Dean Dimetime for the neck. Came out pretty good and brought the cost down. 


I've also liked Duncan Distortion and the Nazgul/ Sentient set. 

I've got a Lace X-Bar in my Agile Multiscale 7 and it sounds really good. You want traditional bobbins though so, that one wouldn't do.

If I was building a 7 string and couldn't get a BKP at least in the bridge, I would probably go with a Duncan Distortion or a Nazgul and for the neck probably a '59 or Sentient. That's just me though. 

Since you like the Illuminators, why not get the 7 string version?


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## Millul (Mar 11, 2015)

Nice, nice work going on here!


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## JuliusJahn (Mar 11, 2015)

Pat, talk to Dale @ the Guitarmory, on his facebook page or through his site. His sets are 190 US or so, handwound, and you can choose the bobbins and all that jazz. 

He has 3-4 sets out now, and is working on one more. I just got 2 of his Minuteman sets, and they were VERY consistent with each other. I have another 2 in my name from him, as well as a slanted set for a fanned 6 in the works. 

(I have no affiliation, just saying what I've experienced)


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## Renkenstein (Mar 11, 2015)

Millul said:


> Nice, nice work going on here!



Thank you very much!



JuliusJahn said:


> Pat, talk to Dale @ the Guitarmory, on his facebook page or through his site. His sets are 190 US or so, handwound, and you can choose the bobbins and all that jazz.
> 
> He has 3-4 sets out now, and is working on one more. I just got 2 of his Minuteman sets, and they were VERY consistent with each other. I have another 2 in my name from him, as well as a slanted set for a fanned 6 in the works.
> 
> (I have no affiliation, just saying what I've experienced)



Thanks for the recommendation. If I go with a small builder though, I'm definitely going BlackWater and Elysian. I've got a friend down the road that has gotten into the pickup winding game in addition to his Scarlett Amplifiers. Adam and Aaron have been there all the way for me, and I'm loving what they're doing in the pickup game. I haven't heard Scarlett pickups yet, but I'm going to very soon.

So I've got 3 very good options for boutique pickups, and all 3 are priced very similarly. 

I can't afford BKP. Those are prohibitively expensive, but I'm very eager to try them out. It's crazy how much pickups have changed just in the time spanning my musical career. At the beginning, everyone was scrambling for EMGs. Players everywhere switched back to passives, and now we've got all these mid-output pickups everywhere. 

It's pretty cool seeing that evolution, and the progression of high gain amplifiers driving a decline in output needed from pickups.


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## Purelojik (Mar 12, 2015)

These BlackWater Dirt Wizards are really kicking ass right now. got this low mid grind and grit that is so satisfying and it stays articulate and clear even while eating a ton of gain.


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## Renkenstein (Mar 12, 2015)

Purelojik said:


> These BlackWater Dirt Wizards are really kicking ass right now. got this low mid grind and grit that is so satisfying and it stays articulate and clear even while eating a ton of gain.



Diggit! I've talked to both Aaron and Adam on the subject of pickups and I'm splitting my business between both builders.

I think that Dirt Wizard could use just a touch more output, but fuhhh...that clarity, man. Amazing.


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## JuliusJahn (Mar 12, 2015)

I want you to get some tuned aperture ones so I can use you as my audio guinea pig . Might start offering them on my builds as well


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## Renkenstein (Mar 12, 2015)

Man...so much excellent conversation that I've fallen way behind on my build updates. 





Neck pocket from behind.





Hit it with some naphtha. This stuff is DARK.





Didn't really want the racing stripes on the front face of the headstock, so I made a walnut overlay to match the back of the body.







Spent the better part of an afternoon laying out a straight string pull. Picked up an extra wonky hole...just ignore that lil guy. 






Pilot holes pinned and ready for glue.






Gluing the headstock overlay.


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## Renkenstein (Mar 12, 2015)

Routed the recess for the cavity cover. 





Made a 4/4 cavity cover. Sliced it on the bandsaw, flattened on the drum sander. Repeat 2x.





Both fit nicely in their new homes. Looks like the one on the left needs another couple passes through the drum sander.


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## JuliusJahn (Mar 12, 2015)

If the darkness bothers you, keep in mind that walnut is one of the only woods that gets LIGHTER with time, which is why you see people use walnut stain on walnut! 

I used linseed (the most darkening of oils) on walnut as part of a xmas gift, and it's already lightening up to a nice chocolatey color. I'd start finish testing now so you can have it sorted by the time the guitar is done!


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## Renkenstein (Mar 12, 2015)

Dark is goooood. Not worried one bit. I love everything about walnut. This particular batch has been amazing. Easy to carve, but pretty rigid. It routs effortlessly.


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## superash (Mar 21, 2015)

These builds are really shaping up well.
Loving the design, keep up the good work!


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## Renkenstein (Apr 2, 2015)

This poor girl hasn't had any progress for 20 days?!?! Let's remedy that, shall we?





Did a lot this week so far. Slotted and rough tapered the fretboard. 




















Drilled holes for index pins in preparation of fretboard glue-up.


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## Renkenstein (Apr 2, 2015)

So after the Raze's fretboard switcheroo, I decided to use the ebony on the Siren7. It'll look much mo' bettah this way.

With the exception of the maple headcap, this one will pretty much be a dead ringer for the 6 string Siren I completed in January. Not a bad choice, given the feedback I had on the Renk Signature Siren.


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## Steinmetzify (Jun 5, 2015)

In and can't wait to see this done. Amazed at how clean your work is, and I really like the shape and the way the headstock compliments.


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## DIM3S0UL (Jun 5, 2015)

Renk you should really consider to do this as full time job, your guitars are beyond amazing. 

Oh and may i suggest that you maybe could built a V with your headstock design  would be perfect


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## Renkenstein (Jun 8, 2015)

steinmetzify said:


> In and can't wait to see this done. Amazed at how clean your work is, and I really like the shape and the way the headstock compliments.



Thank you! 



DIM3S0UL said:


> Renk you should really consider to do this as full time job, your guitars are beyond amazing.
> 
> Oh and may i suggest that you maybe could built a V with your headstock design  would be perfect



Thank you very much. I'm definitely considering! It's always been a dream of mine. Right now it's just amazing to be able to think up a guitar I'd want and go into the basement to build it. 

You're in luck. The other guitarist in my band wants a V, and it's next up on the list. It's going through the design process, and I'll be revising before final approval. I'm going for a King V meets a Flying V. 






Upper fret access will be addressed as well. This was literally a throw-together in 15min while my son let me use his Netflix machine(My PC). 


The Siren7 is still on the back burner until I have the funds for hardware and pickups. I've also left her neck square because I'm going to get a round-over bit for the pin router and use that method to shape the neck. I'll get perfectly consistent results that can be fine-tuned with a spokeshave.


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## Taylor (Jun 8, 2015)

Renkenstein said:


>





This needs to happen.


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