# J_Mac build #1



## J_Mac (May 19, 2016)

Just doing a copy of my RG1527 so I don't have to worry about whether the design will work. Any crappy results will be down to my complete lack of talent. I've got this far without making any major cock ups and have learned a huge amout thanks to everyone in the luthier section  I would really appreciate some experienced eyes/advice on what I've done so far.

I'm surprised that the easiest sounding jobs were the hardest, like gluing 2 pieces of wood together:






Crappy jigsaw meant there was lots for the router to get through, combined with a total lack of skill resulted in a few tearouts. I have a bandsaw now as it took about 90mins to jigsaw the body out of the ash  Luckily there was just enough wood for a slight reshaping of the horn:





Body shape roughly sanded into shape with arm contour. Was really impressed with the japanese saw rasp for this job. Started to rout the trem cavity then realised the neck mount will determine the cavities so stopped.





1st attempt at the scarf was a bad joint so I had to saw through it. Then I was short for the headstock so had to do the 2nd attempt with the headstock piece on the back of the neck. Hope that will be ok. Cut-off staples were a genius idea to keep the pieces stable. I forget who said that now, but thanks! New bandsaw got me a much faster and neater rough cut. 





Truss channel was much easier than I thought. Although with 1/4" rod and bit there is about 0.5mm of play at the sides, it's not snug. Will silicone sort this out? Also didn't have the right router bit for the access channel so used sanpaper on a wooden spoon handle  seem ok?





Choice of ferretboards, ebony or rosewood? Was originally thinking blue stained ash, but now thinking natural/Danish oil.









So now I have the printed ferretboard from FretFind2d, I'm thinking:
1. Spray adhesive it onto the board
2. Rough trim board
3. Side dots
4. Sand board to final shape
5. Saw ferret slots
6. Glue onto neck and rout the shape
7. Peel off ferretboard print? 
8. Radius board & oil
9. Ferrets in
10. Use neck shape to make template & rout the body

Is that gonna work?

Then, it seems the neck meets the body at the 17th fret. Is there any method of determining where to mount the neck? Or will lining up the 17th fret with the body edge do the job?

\m/


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## Deegatron (May 19, 2016)

Do item 3 after item 6. its a bit of a pain in the ass but your side dots will line up better this way.

Items 5 and 9.. best autocorrect ever!

otherwise looks good.
I wouldn't be too worried about the loose trussrod... I've seen much worse... it will be tight as soon as you put some tension on it so it's unlikely to rattle... add some silicone for good measure and you'll be fine....


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## Hywel (May 19, 2016)

You could do a wrap of tape around each block end of the rod and then cut off the top and bottom of the wrap so it doesn't affect the height but will snug it up.

Masking tape on the fretboard before spraying adhesive on makes it much easier to remove and clean up.

So far I've liked gluing the uncut board to the neck, trimming it flush and then slotting it but YMMV.

Looking good so far.


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## pettymusic (May 19, 2016)

Haha! I love that you used a spoon handle for the TR access! 

Looks really good so far! 

I print my neck taper, stick it to MDF and make a template for routing with a flush trim bit.

I recently got a taper jig for a table saw. I'm going to see which one is better for me.


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## Pikka Bird (May 19, 2016)

The spoon handle approach is brilliant. I once wrapped some sandpaper around the nozzle of a barbecue lighter because it had a good diameter. If it's stupid but it works then it's not stupid.


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## MoonJelly (May 19, 2016)

That's a nice piece of ash.






Sorry, couldn't resist.


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## Pikka Bird (May 20, 2016)

MoonJelly said:


> Sorry, couldn't resist.



No one can. It's what makes us human.


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## J_Mac (May 21, 2016)

good advice dudes, thanks very much. So I'll do shape from template, glue, slot, rout, side dots, radius, ferrets. I made a neck template, band saw blade snapped towards the end. Think a little bit of wee came out. What a noise. 

I don't have a fret hammer or drill press. I'm hoping I can cobble something together. Drill press is on the cards in the future tho.


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## MoonJelly (May 21, 2016)

^^Been there, man. Make sure your blade isn't too tight, or you'll have a frustrating and costly day. 

Oh, and a dead blow or "engineering" hammer is what I use to fret. Worked like a charm today!


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## J_Mac (May 22, 2016)

Thanks man, yeah I think the blade was too tight. I've taken the new blade to tension and not forced it any further. Gone for 24tpi this time, much more stable cut than the old 6tpi that came with the saw.

Not sure how to go about the fretting yet, I'm scared I will bash the fretboard with a hammer >_<


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## MoonJelly (May 22, 2016)

I have used fret cauls on a drill press in the past, and found I actually enjoy using a hammer more. It's definitely not for everyone  Half the jobs I had as a kid involved swinging a hammer tho


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## Deegatron (May 24, 2016)

I find that I ALWAYS ding the fretboard when I hammer. but that might be from me getting more comfortable and overstepping my hammering skills.... that being said, it's always fixable... I recently tried pressing them in with a home made jig in my drill press. Sadly it doesnt work as well as the stew mac caul and a good arbor press... I'd say give hammering a go.... you just have to be significantly more attentive as far as ensuring the fret is 100% seated along the full length. I like to keep a piece of paper with a sharp corner handy... try to slide it under the fret along the full length... if the corner goes under anywhere... you need to seat that area better. also, having a SOLID workplace and a good neck caul to hold your work is CRITICAL.
otherwise it's pretty easy... start with multiple light taps until you get more comfortable... then you can move up to a couple good THWACKS to get em seated...


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## J_Mac (May 24, 2016)

Good advice Deegs ta. 



Deegatron said:


> >.. that being said, it's always fixable...



Can't imagine how a ding in a lovely finished ferretboard is fixable though


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## J_Mac (May 29, 2016)

Just the 2 cock ups this afternoon:

Planed the end grain without thinking:





Hopefully this will fix it. That's the back of the ferretboard so most of the chip repair will be planed off I think. 





Then I used the bandsaw to take material off the back of the headstock but overdid it by a couple of mm in the middle as you can see in the pic. The middle bows in to 12mm whereas the original Ibanez headstock is 15mm. I've left it as is at the moment, assuming more wood is better than taking it all down to 12mm? Do you think 12mm is too thin? There will be some maple laminate going on the front if that adds any strength?


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## Deegatron (May 30, 2016)

Dude,
Take the headstock down to 12mm and then glue a headplate to the front or back... or both. 
Problem solved, Invisible solution, FLAWLESS VICTORY!


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## pondman (May 30, 2016)

You'll probably just get away with 12mm and you can always grind a bit of the retaining bush. Once you get the Maple cap on it will be ok anyways.


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## JuliusJahn (May 30, 2016)

I usually aim for 14.5mm on everything, so if you're doing a cap you'll be fine.


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## J_Mac (May 30, 2016)

Wicked thanks chaps \m/


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## Manton Customs (May 31, 2016)

J_Mac said:


> Can't imagine how a ding in a lovely finished ferretboard is fixable though



Soldering iron and damp rag , assuming you use a suitable hammer then stray hammer blows come out really easily, as they are just compressed rather than damaged fibers. They are still obviously best avoided though, but I used to get a few when I was starting building.

Unless you meant finished as in a lacquered fretboard (ferretboard, sorry)...but that won't be an issue as you always lacquer the fingerboard after the frets are in.


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## OmegaSlayer (May 31, 2016)

Ooops, wrong forum...
Nice work so far btw


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## JuliusJahn (May 31, 2016)

Manton Customs said:


> Soldering iron and damp rag , assuming you use a suitable hammer then stray hammer blows come out really easily, as they are just compressed rather than damaged fibers. They are still obviously best avoided though, but I used to get a few when I was starting building.
> 
> Unless you meant finished as in a lacquered fretboard (ferretboard, sorry)...but that won't be an issue as you always lacquer the fingerboard after the frets are in.


I know a few people, myself included who clear coat the maple first. That way you can properly level and buff if before pressing in the frets.


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## J_Mac (May 31, 2016)

It's an ebony board. I've decided to go with a nylon dead blow hammer, gonna practise a fair bit first though. 

That makes sense about the wet towel fix, I've seen that in a video here, can't remember who shared it now...


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## Manton Customs (May 31, 2016)

JuliusJahn said:


> I know a few people, myself included who clear coat the maple first. That way you can properly level and buff if before pressing in the frets.



Cool, more than one way to skin a cat . I was generalising and most spray after, I'd be worried about the lacquer cracking under the fret crown if I fretted afterwards. But yeah, levelling and buffing in between frets isn't much fun either. That's why I finish off with a wash coat.


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## MoonJelly (May 31, 2016)

You're doing great J Mac. One of the most inspiring people I've ever known is Leon Parson, I took a couple painting classes from him. An example of some of his work:

















Yes, those are _all _paintings. Not digital, not photoshop. I asked him once what was the key to being a great artist, and the answer he gave really stuck with me on my whole creative journey. He said, "learn how to see your mistakes. Then learn how to fix them." I think you're doing a great job of seeing where you need to fix the little mistakes, and ultimately you'll have a great end product if you stick to it.


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## J_Mac (Jun 4, 2016)

Here's the result of the 4 lam headstock with birdseye maple and 'santos rosewood' (whatever that is - saw it on ebay, seems nice) 0.6mm veneers.
















Now the ferret is clamped in place with a couple of staples to deter slippage. Fingers crossed.






Now that the glue has started to set I can see (from the fretboard printout I have stuck to the board) that the heel end is lined up perfectly with the neck, but the nut end looks like it's out by about 1mm or so. (I cut the fretboard to size before gluing, there might be a little room for manouver). Might that lead to neck twisting if I can't even it out?

EDIT - actually it seems fine now I've looked this morning


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## J_Mac (Jul 28, 2016)

OmegaSlayer said:


> Ooops, wrong forum...
> Nice work so far btw



Only just realised that was a hyperlink, lmao! An actual Ferret Board! 

It feels like I've been sanding this radius forever. Didn't take the board down to the right thickness before slotting and radiusing. Certainly won't make this mistake again. At least I have a bag full of ebony dust now though.

Question is: the centre thickness of the fretboard on the neck I'm copying is 5mm (4mm at the edges). I've got mine down to just over 6mm. Shall I keep going? What's the right thickness?


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## dankarghh (Jul 28, 2016)

6mm is fine i'm sure. Mine usually start out as 6mm pre sand and slot. Depends on how deep your neck pocket is - as long as your bridge has enough saddle height adjustment (i'm sure it does) you'll be fine.


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## KR250 (Jul 28, 2016)

I'm not an expert, but I'm working on a build copying an ESP profile which is similar dimensions, about 4mm at the edges. I've got mine pretty close, just a hair thicker. I started off about 1mm higher than that and the neck felt pretty fat. Sanding down to roughly just over 4mm on the edges made a big difference in the feel of the neck to me. I can't go any thinner due to the side dots being on the verge of cutting through.

Great work though. Looking good.


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## dankarghh (Jul 28, 2016)

KR250 said:


> I'm not an expert, but I'm working on a build copying an ESP profile which is similar dimensions, about 4mm at the edges. I've got mine pretty close, just a hair thicker. I started off about 1mm higher than that and the neck felt pretty fat. Sanding down to roughly just over 4mm on the edges made a big difference in the feel of the neck to me. I can't go any thinner due to the side dots being on the verge of cutting through.
> 
> Great work though. Looking good.



Can't you just take more off the back of the neck?


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## MoonJelly (Jul 28, 2016)

To a point, yes. Go too far, and the truss rod may poke through the wood under string tension. I have this issue with my chinese LP copy, currently.

EDIT: on my own builds I've always tried to allow 1/8"+ of wood under the truss. I've made some pretty skinny necks and haven't had any problems. My crappy LP with the truss rod exposed has less than 1/16" in that spot


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## J_Mac (Jul 29, 2016)

Likes all round dudes thanks \m/

That makes a lot of sense, I'll keep going down to 5mm. I'd rather have a bit to play with at the back of the neck.


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## pondman (Jul 29, 2016)

Ferret looks fine 
Stop worrying and get on with it man.


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## J_Mac (Aug 7, 2016)

Cheers dude. My amazing trick today was sanding away half of my fret slots  then re-cutting them wonky. Filled em ready to cut again.


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## J_Mac (Sep 15, 2016)

One of the many reasons I haven't had much time on this build: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=315183

Hoping to get them ferrets in soon though...


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## pettymusic (Sep 16, 2016)

I actually do the same as well. Cut the fret slots, radius, then cut fret slots to their final depth. That way I can get the depth to just over the fret tang. 

Looking good!


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## J_Mac (Oct 29, 2016)

Ferrets are in, but it didn't go very well!

First few hammered in ok:





Around 1/3 of them didn't seat properly. I'm guessing the tang bent. So they had to come back out, pulling bits of the board off with them. The chips repaired ok, board cleaned up ok and the ferrets went back in on the second go. Looked like this mess:





Finally got there, but it was a much messier job than I expected. The board cleaned up ok after this photo though.





What do you think I'm doing wrong? I've read a lot about fretting but can't figure out why some of them wouldn't seat properly. I used this fret wire which is 0.63mm wide tang. My saw is 0.57mm, didn't think that 0.06mm would be a problem. Depth was definitely correct, slightly over in fact. Spent a while sawing straight, clearing out debris and putting a V channel in the top. Hammering technique varied from lots of light taps to a few big whacks. Didn't seem to make any difference to the seating. 

Anyone got any tips before I do my next neck?

Where does everyone else get their wire from & which type do you use?


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## pettymusic (Oct 30, 2016)

Did you slightly over bend the fret wire radius? Also, the technique I've found useful is hammer the fret ends first, then the middle. Hope that helps!


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## Bear R. (Oct 30, 2016)

Looking Great man..Cant wait to see this bad boy when it's finished...Good Job...


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## J_Mac (Nov 1, 2016)

pettymusic said:


> Did you slightly over bend the fret wire radius? Also, the technique I've found useful is hammer the fret ends first, then the middle. Hope that helps!



They were pre-bent pieces, over-radius actually. I don't have a bender at the mo cos the prices are silly. I'll try that hammering technique, thanks man.



Bear R. said:


> Looking Great man..Cant wait to see this bad boy when it's finished...Good Job...



Cheers bro, very kind! If it plays in tune I'll be well happy!


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## Deegatron (Nov 2, 2016)

I've had the opposite experience with hammering frets. if I do the ends first and then try the middle.... well.... things just go to ....... 
I've found that the trick for me is to start at one end and work my way to the other end with many gentle taps vs actual hard hammer blows.... then work your way back and forth until it's 100% seated.
Remember, if you try to seat your fret in 1 solid blow you wind up bending the fretwire which ruins that nice radius you had bent into it... try it both ways sometime and you'll see what I mean....

Keep a piece of thin paper nearby... once your happy with your hammering try to slide an edge of the paper under the fret all along it's length...... if it goes under you'll know you've got a spot where the fret isn't 100% seated.....

also, next time before you hammer, take a small triangle file and ever so gently put a small chamfer on the top of the fret slots. 
if you look at the profile of the fretwire where the tang meets the crown there is a small radius. if you don't chamfer the fret slots that radius needs to crush the wood to seat properly.

Good luck. build looks great by the way.


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## J_Mac (Nov 3, 2016)

Cheers Deegs!

I did the triangular filing all round, aye. The gentle seating makes sense. I think I was rushing, worrying about the superglue setting.


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## J_Mac (Apr 13, 2017)

Finally! Some build time while the wife had the child out for the day!

The line up:







Routed to depth (18mm) with the collar on, just incase I spannered it.






Now, this next bit was hard for some reason. Taking out the lump in the middle with approx 10 x 1.5mm passes was relatively easy, just wrist knackering. But taking the edge off around the pocket was tough. I think for these reasons:

- ash is a splintery t**t
- my router bit is a Silverline POS
- I was trying to take off about 2-3mm in one go. 

Nearly ripped out the pocket once or twice. I was a bit confused as to why taking a little bit off the edge of a pocket is harder that plunge routing the channel in the 2nd pic. But I guess it was the tips of the bit that were doing the work rather than the edges, tips give more pressure and the grain around the channel would hold the surrounding fibres steady perhaps.











There's a bit of noob routing on the body there, for some reason I thought that routing the bridge cavity before the neck was bolted on would be a good idea 











So there's 0.5mm on the lower edge of the pocket which allows for some play. But the RG1527 I'm copying has a similar amount of play. And I've read that super-tight pockets aren't the way to go. So I think this might be ok.






Seems flat!

I also did the fret ends with a makeshift 30 degree file holder. Seem better than before, this fret job is just shambolic! I'm gonna go ahead and blame the fret wire 






So next I plan to get the neck bolted on, then I can do the bridge cavity. It's a lo-pro system, maybe not the best idea for a first build! 

And BTW if you're still kind enough to be reading this and helping me out, thank you so much for all the advice!


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## Hywel (Apr 13, 2017)

Looking good! With the neck pockets I usually like to hog most of the wood out with forstner bit in a drill and a chisel before using the router to get the edges and final depth. Same for all the cavities. Saves loads of wear on the router!


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## bpprox22 (Apr 13, 2017)

MoonJelly said:


>



I thought this was Jeb Bush at first glance


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## MikeNeal (Apr 13, 2017)

as for the fretting, i always super glue and clamp my frets. never had one pop out with this method


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## IGC (Apr 13, 2017)

Aww man! I was gonna say maybe you could cut some small strips of that .6 mm lam and fit it in your truss rod slot to snug it up. Or maybe even some wax paper somehow. Anyhew sweet build bro


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## J_Mac (Apr 23, 2017)

IGC said:


> Aww man! I was gonna say maybe you could cut some small strips of that .6 mm lam and fit it in your truss rod slot to snug it up. Or maybe even some wax paper somehow. Anyhew sweet build bro



Thanks man 

Update, and some more bungles...

Neck mounted ok ready for carving:





Depths roughed out at two points:





Halfway, using a Japanese saw rasp:





90% done:





2 problems now:

1) the inserts had their own ideas when going into the neck, so there's a gap now:





2) Slip & tear out on the delicate lower neck pocket section:





Since there's balls-ups on both sides of the neck pocket I'm tempted to fix it with a different wood. Maybe hack away the ash either side and do strips of wenge or mahogany. Then maybe continue the theme down the whole front of the guitar so there are two strips running either side of the pickup cavities to the tail. Or shall I just patch it with more ash as best I can, trying to match the grain?


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## Grand Rabbit (Apr 27, 2017)

I would just go with using the ash, as that would be the simplest solution, and save the more complicated details for future builds. However, it could be a good opportunity for practicing joining techniques with various types of wood. Also, I have yet to see a detail like that around the top of the neck pocket: it could look really cool.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Apr 27, 2017)

Man looks so much better than what my first build looked like. Even some of my more recent stuff  (Some things just don't get posted haha) Totally boss job on shaping that neck.

I was looking through the post a little ways up about fretting, have you thought about trying pressing in the frets for your next project? Pressing the frets in is very smooth and consistent. I've actually whacked a few frets too hard with a hammer and dented the crown down into the fretboard nearly a millimeter, so now I only resort to hammering just to tidy up the occasional slightly proud ends. Like I may apply 5 taps to an entire fret job, the rest is all pressed. It doesn't have to be expensive either, I often use one of the cheaper wooden radius sanding blocks available at StewMac or elsewhere as the pressing caul on top of the fret, and pressed it in with the pressure of a bar clamp or even a drill press without a bit chucked in, just dropped the bottom of the chuck right down onto the wood block until the fret seats. Make sure whatever applies the pressure is centered directly above the fret and get down and watch the fret as it goes in. Every once in a while it'll try to rock over sideways, just stop and re-position the press.

For the slots, I usually cut a slot that's roughly 0.1 mm wider than the tang of the fret, the flat part of the tang not the nubs. Just have to make sure the slots themselves are cut at a straight in to the fretboard, and that your saw doesn't lean over sideways as you cut the slots.

Anyway hope that may help some. Love the project!


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## DandHcostoms (Apr 28, 2017)

J_Mac said:


> Thanks man
> 
> Update, and some more bungles...
> 
> ...



What are you using for inserts? you could always dowel the holes in the neck, clamp the neck to the body where you want it and then redrill. just my


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## BangandBreach (Apr 28, 2017)

Looking great dude. Stoked to see it finished.


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## J_Mac (May 26, 2017)

DistinguishedPapyrus said:


> Man looks so much better than what my first build looked like. Even some of my more recent stuff  (Some things just don't get posted haha) Totally boss job on shaping that neck.
> 
> I was looking through the post a little ways up about fretting, have you thought about trying pressing in the frets for your next project? Pressing the frets in is very smooth and consistent. I've actually whacked a few frets too hard with a hammer and dented the crown down into the fretboard nearly a millimeter, so now I only resort to hammering just to tidy up the occasional slightly proud ends. Like I may apply 5 taps to an entire fret job, the rest is all pressed. It doesn't have to be expensive either, I often use one of the cheaper wooden radius sanding blocks available at StewMac or elsewhere as the pressing caul on top of the fret, and pressed it in with the pressure of a bar clamp or even a drill press without a bit chucked in, just dropped the bottom of the chuck right down onto the wood block until the fret seats. Make sure whatever applies the pressure is centered directly above the fret and get down and watch the fret as it goes in. Every once in a while it'll try to rock over sideways, just stop and re-position the press.
> 
> ...



Thanks dude  Yeah that makes sense about the frets, I think my saw is 0.53mm and the wire I had was 0.63mm :S And I have a drill press now so will be looking for some cauls 

Upper side neck pocket repair with ash glued and chiselled into shape:





Lower side repair before chiselling:





Repairs complete:









Looks complicated, but wasn't actually that bad to rout:





Rear was no bother either:





I now swear by the router collar! It makes everything so much more stable. Then I had the bright idea of using electrical tape to widen the collar and achieve the lip around the control cavity:





Quick mockup, strings actually line up! Very satisfying 





Copper tape for the pup cavities and graphite paint for the control cavity:









Very stoked about the copper metal side dots. Copper powder and CA glue! A friend of mine gave me the idea, his dad turns bowls and stuff.





Shiny 





Test with two strings and one spring. Can't believe it actually plays! Notes in tune and everything!


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## electriceye (May 26, 2017)

I love the idea of the copper side dots!! I remember my dad having tons of those rods for welding. Looks like I found my next round of side dots!


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## J_Mac (May 27, 2017)

electriceye said:


> I love the idea of the copper side dots!! I remember my dad having tons of those rods for welding. Looks like I found my next round of side dots!



Thanks man  

I actually used this copper powder: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polycraft-...&qid=1495910612&sr=8-2&keywords=Copper+powder but you must have thin CA glue otherwise it won't soak in and bond to the wood. Pour the powder in the hole first then let the glue soak through. I bought this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Toys-Gam...e=UTF8&qid=1495910786&sr=8-1&keywords=Thin+CA and it works very well. So basically I could do any shape of inlay. If I had a scrap of artistic ability, that is


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## MikeNeal (May 27, 2017)

what ferrules and bolts are you using for the neck joint? they look great


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## J_Mac (May 27, 2017)

Cheers dude  Just stuff from eBay actually, seems like the only place to get everything without fuss in one go.

Hex inserts

M5 bolts

Counter-sunk washers


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## KR250 (May 27, 2017)

Pretty stellar first build. Kudos.


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## JimF (May 28, 2017)

Love this! Great build.


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## Walshy (May 30, 2017)

J_Mac, nice work. Love a good budget build. Addictive, isn't it?!

I'm at a similar stage on my neck thru build at the moment and have had similar seating issues in the past.

What I find the best solution is to use an arbor press (£40 delivered on eBay) and a radius caul (got mine from Tonetech). I find hammering a bit more tricky unless you have got your slotting down perfectly. I'm actually using a homemade drill press system at the moment but am getting a half-ton arbor press soon.

Sounds like you're doing everything right regarding prepping the slots so maybe your tangs got deformed or something along the way.

How did you clean up your super glue mess? I just learned about waxing the board before pressing in (wish I'd done that!) but it looks like you did a nice job with the squeeze out.


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## J_Mac (Jun 12, 2017)

Level, crown and polish.










Test assembly. I can't believe this thing actually plays! I'm totally stoked \m/ I wasn't prepared for how good it feels to play a guitar you made! Thought it was going to be a shambles, but It's actually quite nice to play! Just a couple of high frets to sort out.




Notice the little maple spring holder 









Sanded to P1500:





Danish oil -> 0000 wool -> Danish oil --> etc, but not happy with how it's looking. Patches of glossy oil here and there, and buffing away with steel wool leaves the finish dull. Not the nice satin effect I'm after. Especially the neck, it's somehow dull and sticky at the same time 





Did some research and switched to P1500 wet sand with 50/50 tung oil and (genuine) turpentine, wiping off excess. Very very happy now


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## Mr_Mar10 (Jun 12, 2017)

Damn fine work bud  100x better than my first build, looks very professional already


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## MikeNeal (Jun 12, 2017)

in regards to a couple high frets - i always find i have to level twice. once before assembly and once after assembly. 

in regards to danish oil - the first bunch of builds i did, i used danish oil. i found the best results by sanding the wood to 400 and applying a heavy coat of oil to the surface, and letting it sit for 15 minutes and wipe off the excess. then i give it 24 hours to dry. then do a second heavy coat the next day and wet sand that coat with 400 grit wet/dry paper, then wipe off the excess, then let it cure. leaves a really nice and smooth finish.


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## JimF (Jun 13, 2017)

MikeNeal said:


> in regards to a couple high frets - i always find i have to level twice. once before assembly and once after assembly.
> 
> in regards to danish oil - the first bunch of builds i did, i used danish oil. i found the best results by sanding the wood to 400 and applying a heavy coat of oil to the surface, and letting it sit for 15 minutes and wipe off the excess. then i give it 24 hours to dry. then do a second heavy coat the next day and wet sand that coat with 400 grit wet/dry paper, then wipe off the excess, then let it cure. leaves a really nice and smooth finish.



This. I was going to post a reply saying this. I use Danish oil to finish knife handles and the 'wiping off after 15 mins' stage is crucial. That said, this build looks incredible, and you don't seem to need any advice from us guys. Great work!


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## J_Mac (Jul 21, 2017)

Pretty much finished.

Laundry list of niggles still to sort out: some finish errors, small neck pocket gap, some high spots, trem goes out of tune slightly on big dives, wooden knobs to make, back plates to sort out, etc.

The hard ash is heavy, but has bags of sustain and low end. The mahogany neck was probably a bad choice cos there's not a lot of brightness, but I guess I was just using cheap woods for my first build. Anyway, it plays in tune, which I can't believe! An actual functional guitar!


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## KR250 (Jul 21, 2017)

Well done! It's a great feeling when you find out all the hard work translates into something you'll enjoy playing. I can't go back to any of my factory guitars anymore.


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## IGC (Jul 21, 2017)

J_Mac said:


> Pretty much finished.
> 
> Laundry list of niggles still to sort out: some finish errors, small neck pocket gap, some high spots, trem goes out of tune slightly on big dives, wooden knobs to make, back plates to sort out, etc.
> 
> The hard ash is heavy, but has bags of sustain and low end. The mahogany neck was probably a bad choice cos there's not a lot of brightness, but I guess I was just using cheap woods for my first build. Anyway, it plays in tune, which I can't believe! An actual functional guitar!



Dude, sweet build!
I know what you mean when you say " it plays in tune, wich I can't believe! An actual functional guitar!" 
I strung up my first build within the last month or so too. You tune it up and it's actually in tune and intonates. Such a relief! After all your hard work and labor, right! You definitely learn what you never will do again too! Ya know! 
I can relate on relate on the laundry list of little imperfections. Little fret buzz here and there etc... man I pick mine up and can't put it down


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## bombonx101 (Jul 27, 2017)

Absolute beauty ....neat & clean hardest job !


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jul 27, 2017)

Wow that is beautiful. Fantastic work man. Can't wait to see the second build  

I've been trying to convince my brother to let me put a mahogany neck on the ash guitar I'm building him (for looks) and these pictures might just tip the balance.


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## electriceye (Jul 27, 2017)

Very, very nice!!


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## J_Mac (Jul 27, 2017)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Wow that is beautiful. Fantastic work man. Can't wait to see the second build
> 
> I've been trying to convince my brother to let me put a mahogany neck on the ash guitar I'm building him (for looks) and these pictures might just tip the balance.



Thanks bro, yeah I think it would work very well with swamp ash. This is hard ash, so it's already big and boomy. I didn't realise that hard ash sounded so different to swamp ash. A maple neck would have sounded better but maybe not looked as good. Wenge might have been better for brightness. Anyway, like I say I'm just stoked it all works!


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## J_Mac (May 18, 2018)

Didn’t like the ash body. Made a mahog one, with mahog pickup covers. Changed the bridge too.


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## pondman (May 19, 2018)




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## JimF (May 19, 2018)

Holy shtballs that’s incredible!


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## Bobro (May 19, 2018)

J_Mac said:


> Just doing a copy of my RG1527 so I don't have to worry about whether the design will work. Any crappy results will be down to my complete lack of talent. I've got this far without making any major cock ups and have learned a huge amout thanks to everyone in the luthier section  I would really appreciate some experienced eyes/advice on what I've done so far.
> 
> I'm surprised that the easiest sounding jobs were the hardest, like gluing 2 pieces of wood together:
> 
> ...



Yes, after more than 30 years working wood, I agree that the "easiest" jobs are usually the hardest! Especially with hand tools and no power tools- that's when you discover why in the olden days the simple stuff like resawing and preparing a squared board was always done by the master's apprentice sons, Big Hoss and Samson, while the master took it easy with the "complex" stuff like the dovetail joints. And only now at 51 years old do I really appreciate how much the woodworking skills of my youth were so dependent on the fact that my dad set up his big cast-iron vintage American power tools (planer, tablesaw, jointer etc) like a military aircraft.


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