# New 6 string build.



## Connor (Nov 17, 2011)

Hello all, 
Just starting this thread to go from start to finish of my 6 string build.
The reasoning behind the build to start off with is partially for a university assignment, I will be building the guitar with HAND TOOLS, no CNC's no routers, no power tools.
I've got about 12 weeks from now to have it done, I'll update this possibly weekly, maybe more frequently depending on what's happening etc.
I'm hoping this thread will inform everyone how much work actually goes into building a guitar from scratch, I haven't even started the build yet and I'm already losing sleep.
Now for the fun stuff, here's the specs:
Curly Maple top
2 piece Walnut body
1 piece Curly Maple set-neck
Pacific Blackwood Finger Board
25.5 inch scale
Bareknuckle Aftermath covered calibrated set*
1 vol 1 tone 3 way switch*
Hipshot Bridge*
Schaller locking machine heads 3-a-side*
500k CTS pots*
(things marked with * haven't been bought yet)

Total budget from start to finish is around $1600 at the moment including the tools that I'm going to be using.


And heres a picture of the top I've sourced:






Obviously not the shape that is drawn on.
I've got someone drawing up the designs on 3DS Max, when he's finished I'll chuck the designs up saving you from seeing my dodgy drawing skills.
The neck has arrived today too, I'll be picking it up and getting it prep'ed for some intense shaping.
Wish me luck, especially with routing using chisels, files and sandpaper, it going to be a long 12 weeks, hopefully my patience will hold up.

Let me know what you think of the build below and any advice or any questions are welcomed!


----------



## HighPotency (Nov 17, 2011)

It all sounds well and good but I'm curious about the neck... isn't figured maple not as stable as non-figured maple? I've heard it's not good to use it in necks on its own.


----------



## Connor (Nov 17, 2011)

I forgot to mention that it is roasted which would give more strength. I've also seen it used on a lot of EBMM guitars as well as the Family Reserve series as a one piece neck so I hopefully won't have too many issues.


----------



## Pikka Bird (Nov 17, 2011)

Figured maple is used on necks every now and then, but mostly multi-laminated ones.

So, Connor, will you at least allow yourself to rough in the cavities with a hand drill?


----------



## HighPotency (Nov 17, 2011)

Connor said:


> I forgot to mention that it is roasted which would give more strength. I've also seen it used on a lot of EBMM guitars as well as the Family Reserve series as a one piece neck so I hopefully won't have too many issues.


Ah, it all makes sense now. Apparently even roasted soft maple is extremely resilient.


----------



## Connor (Nov 17, 2011)

I will probably use some form of drill for the tuners and for the installation of the bridge and the strings thru body. For the cavities I probably wont worry too much, I'll go at it with a chisel, file it down then hack at it with some 40-60 grit sand paper. 
I'm also going to chuck the input at the back angled at about 30 degrees away from the headstock probably at a similar position as it would be on a strat, but on the back. Seems logical to put it over the strap when playing live.


----------



## Connor (Nov 17, 2011)

Here's the neck with the rough shape. 42mm at the nut and 56mm at the 24th fret.
Took forever to file/cut/sand it just to the rectangle, I'm probably going to want to end my life in a few weeks time.





(Taken with iPhone)
The figure looks better in real life theres an almost quilted kind of look to it at certain angles. (Taken with iPhone)


----------



## BlackMastodon (Nov 18, 2011)

Connor said:


> Here's the neck with the rough shape. 42mm at the nut and 56mm at the 24th fret.
> Took forever to file/cut/sand it just to the rectangle, *I'm probably going to want to end my life in a few weeks time.*
> 
> 
> ...



Ohhhh yeah. Huge props for doing it this way though. Excited to see how it turns out.


----------



## Connor (Nov 21, 2011)

For anyone wanting to hand craft a guitar, Filing will take you approx 45 minutes for the top curve of the headstock as seen above. Only the top curve, everything else is untouched.
On the plus side, that 45mins will lose you what seems like 5kgs of fat.
I'm planning on finishing the shape of the neck/headstock by the end of the week.


----------



## dis89 (Nov 21, 2011)

stoicism is war, dude...


----------



## Connor (Nov 21, 2011)

Progress! 




... Kind of.
Thats about an hours work, tools used:
- Chisel
- Saw
- Half round file.

The 3DS Max drawing is taking longer than expected so heres a ROUGH idea of how the body will look...






The rough sketch lines are approximately where it will curve. I'm not going to measure everything out perfectly in terms of shape for this build, a lot of the decision making will be made at the bench.

Any thoughts on the design? I'll upload the vector design when it's finished.


----------



## scherzo1928 (Nov 21, 2011)

I like that shape. I'm a sucker for asymetrical shapes.


----------



## BlackMastodon (Nov 21, 2011)

I really like that shape, too. My arms hurt just thinking about working on that by hand.


----------



## Connor (Nov 22, 2011)

The fretboard is here!




Its Pacific Blackwood, Probably going to stain it a bit darker.


----------



## HighPotency (Nov 22, 2011)

That has some really cool grain patterns... How much was it, if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## Connor (Nov 22, 2011)

It was surprisingly cheap, only just over $50AUD including shipping. Dimensions of the blank are 510mm x 70mm x 8mm.


----------



## Connor (Nov 24, 2011)

Headstock shaping complete.




Still a bit of sanding to do.
I also have a AAAAA curly maple head piece coming for it which will match the body top.
I think the top is waiting for me at the post office so I might have some photos of it for you guys tomorrow.


----------



## Connor (Nov 24, 2011)

The top came through customs with no issues and its here 
I ordered it from Northridge Hardwoods, a quick google search will find them.

Heres a couple of photos, once again, sorry for the iPhone quality.











Can't wait until the body gets here so I can start shaping!

Today I'm going to try finish a rough carve of the neck and hopefully get close to getting the trussrod cavity in.


----------



## havocvulture10 (Nov 29, 2011)

Really liking that rough body sketch. Sub'd!


----------



## crazygtr (Nov 29, 2011)

Using hand tools builds stamina and really connects you and your work. If you have any doubts or questions on any of the upcoming steps look for a guy named Barnaby on the MLP forums, he has some hand tools only builds under his belt and he has it down to a science. Good Luck.


----------



## Ironbird (Nov 30, 2011)

Wow, this is going to be great, I can tell!


----------



## idunno (Nov 30, 2011)

1000 points for hand tools. I love the way it feels to chip bits away little by little with a chisel, very zen. But then again sometimes its nice to take a belt sander to something and tear that shit up!

Very nice lumber you have there! Whats your plan for the trussrod cavity? Drill a line of holes and chisel it square?

DO you have a hand crank drill?


----------



## Connor (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks for the reference crazygtr, will definitely try getting in touch with him, its hard to find people doing this purely with hand tools. Then those lke ViK guitars and .........t are incredibly hard to get in touch with.
Trussrod cavity is done, I put masking tape pretty much everywhere that I didn't want to chisel, I then got two 500mm aluminium rulers and clamped them either side of where I wanted the cavity to be then got a 6mm chisel and started with a very tight angle to give myself somewhat of a guide as to where I was going to chisel. From there it was just a matter of spending about 2 hours or so getting the cavity to be 9mm deep to fit the dual action trussrod. 
The fretboard is on now and I'm filing and sanding the neck to the right size before I start shaping it. 
I don't have a hand crank drill but I am looking at getting one in the near future.
It will be 42mm at the nut, 56mm at the 24th fret. Then for the fretboard radiusing and possible staining.
What do you guys think about staining the fretboard? It's a bit too light for my liking but I do like the figure.


----------



## Purelojik (Nov 30, 2011)

Connor said:


> Thanks for the reference crazygtr, will definitely try getting in touch with him, its hard to find people doing this purely with hand tools. Then those lke ViK guitars and .........t are incredibly hard to get in touch with.
> Trussrod cavity is done, I put masking tape pretty much everywhere that I didn't want to chisel, I then got two 500mm aluminium rulers and clamped them either side of where I wanted the cavity to be then got a 6mm chisel and started with a very tight angle to give myself somewhat of a guide as to where I was going to chisel. From there it was just a matter of spending about 2 hours or so getting the cavity to be 9mm deep to fit the dual action trussrod.
> The fretboard is on now and I'm filing and sanding the neck to the right size before I start shaping it.
> I don't have a hand crank drill but I am looking at getting one in the near future.
> ...




why not just get a dark color oil and just oil it? that could work well rather than staining. there was a thread here recently with someone who stained their schecter gutiar with that stew mac ebonizer stuff and had a beautiful result.


----------



## silent_k (Nov 30, 2011)

Purelojik said:


> why not just get a dark color oil and just oil it? that could work well rather than staining. there was a thread here recently with someone who stained their schecter gutiar with that stew mac ebonizer stuff and had a beautiful result.



You may not even need a dark oil -- the "natural" version of Watco Danish oil will make it significantly darker (although they also make darker shades). You definitely want to use an oil on the board, not a stain. Danish oil isn't very expensive, and if there's a Woodcraft store near you, they may have samples on display of the different shades. Depending on the look you're after, it may be a good overall finish for your guitar. It doesn't give the same level of protection as lacquer or poly, but it's easily applied with a rag or a brush. Do some testing on your offcuts and see what looks best.


----------



## Connor (Nov 30, 2011)

Sounds good guys, I was going to oil it eventually but wasn't sure if it would get it dark enough.
As for hardware what do you think? I'm considering gold to make it look all classy and stuff but black could be cool too.


----------



## Connor (Dec 2, 2011)

Slotting the frets





Fretboard has been radiused to 12" and the width is within 1mm of what I want it to be, Leaving that extra 1mm for intense sanding when I shape the back of the neck.
Hoping my walnut body will come early next week so I can start getting into it properly.
In the meantime I'm planning a 7 string build starting in around Feb next year.


----------



## Connor (Dec 5, 2011)

So I've started thinking about finishes before I'm even close to that stage. With my flamed maple top I ordered 3, 150mm x 100mm x 2mm pieces to try out some stains/oils and also to chuck one on the headstock.
Here's the results of the first test.




Top half is only 2 coats of stain, 24 hours apart followed by 1 coat of tung oil which was another 24 hours, between each coat I sanded it back with a 240 grit piece of sand paper then a 400 grit. This was to "pop" the grain which seems to have worked, definitely has a nice looking 3D effect but not certain about the colour, looks a bit orange/red for my liking. 
I like the real natural look of Viks Duality build for Nolly but at the same time I really love the colour of oiled mahogany. Of course I'm going to chuck a few more coats of tung oil on it.
The bottom right of the image is just 2 coats of tung oil, this is what I started with thinking that maybe I'd keep it natural but the stain really makes a difference.
What do you guys think, any other suggestions? I'm going to buy a few more stains and oils next pay day to muck around with.


----------



## HaMMerHeD (Dec 5, 2011)

The stain looks good. I don't know if I'd go with that honey/amber color, but if it rocks your boat, have at it. I'd probably go with a purple stain on that nice maple top.


----------



## silent_k (Dec 5, 2011)

You might think about using a dye rather than a stain. The difference (as I understand it) is that dyes penetrate the wood while stains sit on top of it -- this can give you some really nice, deep color effects and really enhance the figure, especially if you alternate with complimentary colors of dye. It looks like you're getting some nice effects already but if you're feeling experimental it might be worth a try. I've been experimenting with dye combinations for a semi-hollow build with a quilted maple top and back by first applying a black dye, sanding back, repeating that process, then applying a red dye. For this project, the red with the black enhancing the figure looks pretty great.

If you're using tung oil, be sure you're giving it plenty of time to dry -- I wound up with a sticky, gooey mess on my hands for my first finishing project with pure tung oil. I've been using Waterlox on a build, which is a catalyzed tung oil-based finish and dries much more quickly. Although it has a different feel, you could also try polyurethane, which can really enhancing figure, too.


----------



## Connor (Dec 5, 2011)

I was thinking maybe using the dye but I've heard it wont be as even and dyes tend to seep more. I want more of an even darker look all through it rather than just the grain popping. 
I might try the dyes for my next 7 string build. Thanks for the input. 
Will be sanding it back and applying another coat of tung oil tonight. These are just practice coats, the effect will more than likely be different on the proper wood. I will probably go a darker less reddish/orange stain.


----------



## Connor (Dec 5, 2011)

I was thinking maybe using the dye but I've heard it wont be as even and dyes tend to seep more. I want more of an even darker look all through it rather than just the grain popping. 
I might try the dyes for my next 7 string build. Thanks for the input. 
Will be sanding it back and applying another coat of tung oil tonight. These are just practice coats, the effect will more than likely be different on the proper wood. I will probably go a darker less reddish/orange stain.


----------



## silent_k (Dec 6, 2011)

Connor said:


> I was thinking maybe using the dye but I've heard it wont be as even and dyes tend to seep more. I want more of an even darker look all through it rather than just the grain popping.
> I might try the dyes for my next 7 string build. Thanks for the input.
> Will be sanding it back and applying another coat of tung oil tonight. These are just practice coats, the effect will more than likely be different on the proper wood. I will probably go a darker less reddish/orange stain.



In my (albeit limited) experience, that's true -- dyes do tend to seep in and get pretty deep in the wood. I should have mentioned that I've used Behlen's Solarlux dyes, but there are others that are commonly used for guitar finishing (Transtint dyes are used a lot, either on their own, or added to things like shellac to give them some color). Behlen makes a reducer for dialing back the intensity of the color, and a retarder to slow down drying time, which can help with the unevenness issue (Solarlux are aniline dyes and dry out very quickly). I think the key is making sure you're always applying to a wet edge, and doing multiple applications. I did a bass with General Finishes dye/stain a while back, and the first application looked crappy, but the second really evened things out nicely. It sounds like you're on a good path -- looking forward to seeing the progress!


----------



## Connor (Dec 9, 2011)

So the walnut body came today (finally, hating the christmas period shipping times)
It's also about double the thickness I was after which means there is more to mess around with but it'll also be a heap more time consuming.
Anyway, heres a photo with 1 coat of fresh tung oil on it. Tung oil on Walnut makes me tingle downstairs, just sayin'.




Fretslotting should be finished tonight, the neck shape should be finished this weekend. 
Also, *does anyone have any tips on joining the two pieces of maple that im using for the top.* Joining them together and then joining them to the body. Do I do it similar to putting the fretboard on the neck?


----------



## Connor (Dec 12, 2011)

So I've finished the neck (I'll upload some pics when it's fretted).
Last night I had to make some intense decisions about the top wood, my supplier didn't cut the two pieces perfectly straight at 90 degrees, which gives me all sorts of troubles, I really need the whole body glued together in the next day because I am running out of time quickly, although most of you will be off work through the Christmas period, it will be my busiest time and the only day I've got off from now until the 4th of January is Xmas day.
Anyway, back to the point, I tried to sand it straight, spent a solid 45mins doing it, wasnt going anywhere so I had to join it awkwardly, so the two pieces sit together perfectly but won't sit on the walnut properly:




I'm gonna sand it down as much as I can but this is really where machine work is needed at the most, If I could plane it it'd work beautifully and I'd be happy but I can't so I'm just going to have to deal with the failure and do What I can later to get it sitting nicely.
Heres the top of the joined wood, its like a puppy, its all nice and stuff to look at in photos but when you actually have to pick up its poo, you're ready to throw it at a wall. 




In saying that, I'm in the process of designing/sourcing woods for a seven string build commencing late feb/early march. Once again it'll be completely handbuilt but this time woods will only be sourced from Australia


----------



## Munch (Dec 13, 2011)

Wow, man, that's really impressive. I get impatient using power tools to build my guitars, so I can only imagine the perseverance you must have.  I'm also kind of a hippie these days, so I think it's totally bad ass that you're doing it all by hand. Good job, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes!


----------



## silent_k (Dec 13, 2011)

Is there any chance of stopping by a cabinet shop or something and having them put the pieces of the top through a jointer? It would take probably one or two passes to flatten everything to a 90 degree angle. I've run into this problem before, too, and much as I wanted to get things properly flat by hand, it just wasn't happening. I know that violates the by-hand aim of your project, but it would also allow you to continue on your schedule.

Barring that, maybe rig up something like this: http://www.stinnettguitars.com/images/shop-1%20(Large).jpg

This is from the Stinnett Guitars website. I've seen a similar rig for doing acoustic tops and backs in the shop where I built my first guitar. If you have time to build a jig like this maybe that will get things properly square.


----------



## Connor (Dec 13, 2011)

So I tried some more to get it flat, tried my own hand-made dodgy jig thing and it still wasnt working so I've just glued it. as it is, chances are the top will open up a bit of a crack, if it's that noticeable I'm going to get a thin piece of lumber, maybe a piece of walnut to match the back, and carve a slot into the middle, this might stop it making looking trashy and might look nice.
After all, this is just a project to see what hand tools can do. I'll be typing up a report so everyone can learn the super intricate details and where the flaws are etc.


----------



## Connor (Dec 15, 2011)

First of all, Walnut + Tung oil = Secks. 
Photo evidence:




Second, I have the glued the top on, left it clamped for 48 hours, then got the (rough) design drawn onto the wood. Greatest thing about building a guitar for yourself is that everything can be your spec, ie. the bottom curve is going to be tailored to my own knee.




As you can see, there are some rough sawn off bit on this photo, that was just to test if I'll use the same saw for the whole body as I did the neck, turns out I won't, its way too weak, so I went down to good old bunnings to get some supplies and got me a monster saw and attacked the body for about 45mins - an hour. I feel like my biceps are bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger now. (And yes I did google how to spell his name).
Anyway, heres a proper progress photo:




I want to get the body shape ready for intense rasping by the end of the weekend, unfortunately I won't have a great deal of time as I'm working 7 - 4 Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Friday night I have to go and review an Opeth gig being all metal and stuff so I am starting to fall behind way too quickly.
Anyway, Issues arisen, as I had expected from gluing the wood all wonky and stuff, it has split a little bit in the middle. No more than 1mm, but it looks tacky, First attempt to fix it will be grain filler, if that still looks dodgy...
I'm going to order one of those binding things that they use on acoustic guitars in the middle at the back. They're called "back strips" apparently. Either way, it might look all fancy and jazz. I've also come up with the idea of chucking a fake f hole in it by carving so far that it reaches the walnut, but I might not, probably not considering I dont have that much time, but its an idea


----------



## Connor (Dec 20, 2011)

Bit of a progress update...
Shaping is nearing completion, here are a few photos from yesterday, now I've almost finished doing the wings and I've started routing the neck joint... by hand...








I've also smoothed it out more, especially where the jack is gonna go. Next stage is bringing down the overall thickness by around 10mm and start getting some curves happening.


----------



## Connor (Dec 26, 2011)

Christmas day was spent getting some top curves happening (these are only rough, as is everything else at this point)
Boxing day was spent carving out the neck joint/cavity.


----------



## SirMyghin (Dec 26, 2011)

Out of curiousity, what else have you built? Or did you decide to use all this expensive timber on a first one?


----------



## Danukenator (Dec 26, 2011)

Man, major respect. I get so pissy using a router and tools. I can't imagine doing any of this by hand. Power to you (teehee).


----------



## Connor (Dec 26, 2011)

I've done 2 kits, a flying v and a cheap superstrat shaped one.
They all used power tools though.


----------



## SirMyghin (Dec 26, 2011)

Well have fun, at least using hand tools making BIG mistakes is much more difficult. A slip with a chisel << a slip with a router. Best of luck on the fretwork and such, as that is the REAL part of building a guitar. Shaping the wood, is just basic carpentry (from the perspective of a carpenter anyway, which was my trade when I was exercising it). I hope you are able to craft something that is more than nice looking guitar shaped object.


----------



## AwakenNoMore (Dec 27, 2011)

That body, is REALLY thick. best of luck to you.


----------



## Connor (Dec 27, 2011)

Certainly is, 0.75 inches thicker than I had ordered. In saying that, walnut is much softer than maple and therefore much easier to shape. I want to shape the top and do all the routing before working on the walnut so the back is a flat surface to work on rahter than it jiggling around while im impaling chisels into it. I also plan on shaping it perfectly to my body so the extra thickness might come in handy, I'll soon find out. 
Estimated date of it being completely routed is around Jan 12.


----------



## Connor (Dec 27, 2011)

And SirMyghin, from experience routers and power tools provide a much cleaner cut than chisels do, and the wood tends to splinter along the grain if you're not careful with hand tools.


----------



## Connor (Jan 4, 2012)

Alright, here's a quick update.
Routed the neck cavity, with a chisel, saw, files and knives. My advice for those considering doing this; Dont.




Fretting almost finished. Just have to level them, then get the nut and stuff happening. Ended up putting danish oil on the neck (thanks Silent K)




The headstock is almost complete too, using a hand crank drill to drill the holes for the machine heads is hard work. I just have to make the headstock around 2mm thinner. And yes, that is a bit of snakewood where the nut is going, I had a bit left over and thought it might look nice, and it'll take some pressure off ensuring I don't file too much off the nut. (I'm using the same nut ViK uses, Black Horn)




Also a side shot of the neck to see the thickness etc. for those who are interested.




Then theres a whole bunch of gold hardware, makes me feel like a mad rapper guy with all the bling and jazz.




I'll be starting pickup routing tomorrow sometime. I've gone for a set of gold covered warpigs, they should be here in the next few weeks.
Deadline for the guitar is mid Feb but I plan on having it done by late January. I should be starting another build as soon as this one is done. Going to get some crazy redwood happening if I can.


----------



## Connor (Jan 5, 2012)

So today was the day I decided to get some of the baby fat taken off the wood. 
Starting at a massive *60mm* at 11am this morning, I did a rough route of the pickup cavity, now I'll wait until they come to get them fitting as close to perfect as I can.




That took me to around 12:30 or so where it was time to destroy it with a bastard rasp, a few chisels and a whole bunch of 40 grit sandpaper.
60mm all around down to between 30-45mm. (Keep in mind I'm trying to curve it to my body and keep a good balance)








Being summer in Australia I was sweating like a pig and I smell worse than one. I've probably lost more weight than the guitar today too.
Thoughts on the thickness?
I'm considering going even less in some places.


----------



## Connor (Jan 13, 2012)

mm, dat contrast! one coat of tung oil and look how they sit together.
but seriously, not that long to go until she's finished. bit more fret levelling, I've gotta finish routing the electronics cavity then its up to finishing.

Few questions for you guys:
1) has anybody tried recessing the bridge into the guitar? 
It'd be like a lo-pro bridge. I'd obviously have to route the neck cavity a bit further but its just an idea I've had.
and 
2) Has anyone else been having delays with Bareknuckle?
I've ordered 3 sets of pickups from them before, taken them less than 5 days to ship them. I'm still waiting on shipping confirmation from an order placed on boxing day. 
I can understand with it being the holiday period and now that the whole "Djent" thing is happening but I was just wondering if its just my order or others too.

Keep posted for a "real" update in the next few days.


----------



## silent_k (Jan 13, 2012)

Wow, this is looking fantastic. It's amazing you've done all this work by hand -- bravo!

If you haven't already, you might want to draw a side-view of your guitar to get an idea of the height of the strings relative to your bridge and the depth of the neck pocket as it is. That will help you figure out how much, if at all, you'd need to recess the bridge to achieve the action you want. BUT, before you do start in with the chisels, and assuming this is a bolt-on neck scenario, you can also make some drawings with the neck at a slight angle and see if that makes the difference. A small shim in neck pocket under the heel might tilt the neck back enough that you won't need to recess the bridge -- just something to try before you go to all that trouble.


----------



## Connor (Jan 13, 2012)

Yeah, I've had a friend do me a 3DSMax drawing so it is "theoretically" perfect where it is now. The idea of recessing it is more of an aesthetic thing. In saying that, to route further on the neck, pickup cavity and making a bridge cavity would probably take another 3 hours or so.
It's going to be a set neck.


----------



## idunno (Jan 13, 2012)

Ive recessed a TOM before, I liked it much better than the way they stich right off the guitar.

I ordered a set of BKP about a month ago and they came in yesterday. They are custom would so IM sure thats why it took so long. Looking good dude!!


----------



## Floody_85 (Jan 14, 2012)

Good work so far man. Mad props for using hand tools!!


----------



## Connor (Jan 14, 2012)

Yesterday I was doing some sanding and finishing on the neck/headstock. Left it there overnight. 
I'm currently in the process of moving houses and my mums partner was moving boxes and stuff around my workbench this morning, he's gone and bumped the workbench, knocked the neck to the floor and by the looks of it, my hand plane has fallen on top of it, cracking the neck, forcing some of the frets out and ultimately making it impossible to use.

Therefore I have to get a new neck blank, new fingerboard, new fret-wire and a new truss-rod. 
Crafting the neck/headstock will take approximately 8-10 hours then fretting another 1-2 or so.
The build needs to be finished by the 10th of February. I can't order the parts until Wednesday, when I get paid. 
As if the timeline wasn't tight enough as it is, This will be a massive struggle.


----------



## Floody_85 (Jan 15, 2012)

That sux man. I would be crushed aye lol.
Hopefully u get it sorted. If the fingerboard isnt damaged, you could steam it off and reuse it. Just replace whatever frets popped out. Its pretty easy. Just use an iron with steam and a putty knife to seperate the two


----------



## Connor (Jan 15, 2012)

I'm just happy the body is still in shape.
I'm just gonna start the neck from scratch, I wasn't 100% happy with it anyway, lucky theres less than $100 worth of damage.
It's just going to be a pain to find the time with moving, recording and work.


----------



## Floody_85 (Jan 15, 2012)

Well if you werent happy with it, take it as a positive then lol


----------



## silent_k (Jan 15, 2012)

The first neck I made from scratch got destroyed, too, but it was entirely my fault -- a little too eager with the bandsaw cutting the taper in the back. So I had to start over even further back in the process (the original neck's fingerboard was already slotted and radiused), but I ended up with a way nicer neck in the end. Your situation is a massive bummer, but given what you've been able to accomplish with a lot of constraints already, I'm sure you'll pull it together. Everything will go faster the second time around, too.


----------



## Connor (Jan 26, 2012)

After about 2 weeks of stressing and all that shit because I didn't have any woods for a new neck and I was moving houses along with a whole heap of uni assignments due, I've finally got my new woods! 
I got this from Australian sources (guitaraust.com.au) they were super awesome with getting me everything on time and the wood is awesome.
I'll be getting some shit done tomorrow, hopefully having the neck finished by next weekend.
Anywho, heres some pics of the new wood. Queensland maple neck, rosewood fingerboard.


----------



## HaMMerHeD (Jan 27, 2012)

That's a damn nice piece of rosewood.


----------



## Connor (Jan 29, 2012)

Frets slotted, neck drawn up.
I know the little yellow patch might be considered as an imperfection but I love it, so thats why I decided to use that side to slot. What do you guys think of it?










I'm currently using my iPhone internet to upload this stuff and I've gone over my cap which means I have to pay a ridiculous amount of money per mB (so far I'm paying about $200) so you won't be hearing more from me until I get my home internet up and running which should be next week which is hopefully around the same time that the project will be finished. So be ready for a pic-heavy post next time.


----------



## Purelojik (Jan 30, 2012)

Connor said:


> Frets slotted, neck drawn up.
> I know the little yellow patch might be considered as an imperfection but I love it, so thats why I decided to use that side to slot. What do you guys think of it?
> 
> 
> ...



dude that adds such a nice splash of color. lots of character. its why i chose macassar ebony for my build instead of gaboon. i love the streaks of color.


----------



## Connor (Feb 3, 2012)

Pickups are FINALLY here. I ordered them on the 26th of december. 
Czech these out. So shiny!!!




Ended up going warpigs because of their awesome bottom end, I think it will go well with the thick maple top along with the neck and it will bring some more of the bottom end slap that walnut tends to have.
Specs of the pickups:
Warpig calibrated set, 4 conductor, short leg, Ceramic bridge, Alnico V neck.
22k measured on the bridge and 17k on the neck.


----------



## BlackMastodon (Feb 3, 2012)

Ooooooo pretty.


----------



## damigu (Feb 3, 2012)

it's looking sexier with each update. good job so far. 

i've recessed a kahler flatmount and it really made the guitar look and feel sleeker.
but i also had to route the neck pocket and pickup cavities about 1/8" deeper to accommodate how much lower the strings were.


----------



## Connor (Feb 11, 2012)

Progress!
No luck on finishing the neck in time so I've chucked on the old one hoping it'll hold for about 2 weeks (while it gets assessed for my uni assignment)

OIL!





Neck on/rough positioning of shit!






I have until Thursday (Wednesday for you guys in the US) to finish it.

Now its just really a matter of electronics, putting parts on, filing the nut and levelling the frets to be "playable".
I'm not too fussed about the neck/ frets being perfect because it'll be getting ripped out in about 2-3 weeks time anyway. 
I'll probably continue the re-necking in this thread rather than making a new one. 
There will be another 3-4 coats of tung oil applied between now and Thursday


----------



## Connor (Feb 15, 2012)

This is the final product!
Well, at least for the next few weeks. After that I'll be taking the neck off and putting the new neck in. 

Thoughts, Comments, ideas for a next build (probably 7 stringer)?


----------



## Solodini (Feb 15, 2012)

That looks really like a bongo bass, to me!


----------



## Munch (Apr 3, 2012)

Man, that is awesome! I still can't believe you did all that stuff by hand. I am majorly impressed. Maybe someday I'll try that myself for fun, we'll see if I have the patience...


----------



## Crowned (Apr 27, 2012)

that looks awesome!


----------



## cosmitron (Apr 27, 2012)

Damned! I envy your skills SO much!


----------



## cosmitron (Apr 27, 2012)

Connor said:


> This is the final product!
> Well, at least for the next few weeks. After that I'll be taking the neck off and putting the new neck in.
> 
> Thoughts, Comments, ideas for a next build (probably 7 stringer)?


If I had the chance to be you, I would build myself some Eclipse meets Les Paul 7 Strings Blacktop or tobacco plaintop with a nice pair of reliced nickel covered BKPs. (as this is/was? a project I want to order from my favorite luthier)


----------

