Guest Farnsbarns Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I can't believe how cool this looks now. I'm very impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 So we're missing finish and hardware...omg omg SO close! It feels like a marathon in the last two miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 I can't believe how cool this looks now. I'm very impressed. Cheers man :) That's appreciated.. And yes even I wasn't sure exactly what it was going to look like and as soon as I removed the clamps after I glued the top on I was like, wow, now it looks like a guitar :) Hopefully it will look even more like one by this evening :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 So we're missing finish and hardware...omg omg SO close! It feels like a marathon in the last two miles. Oh yes... this has been a long slog getting here and we are on the end stretch for sure.. So I just wanted to say to everyone thanks for watching and spurring me along.. Its been a hell of a ride and soon we will all see the final results.. I am still planning a video so once im finished building we will have to wait a few weeks for the lacquer to cure then I can finish it and will do something that should (hopefully) make it all worth the wait. (but of course I also have build number two to do while all that's happening :)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namvet Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Looks great. You're doing a knock-em-dead job! [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Hello all... Well..... Today was both good and REALLY bad... I wont say anything yet, lets go with the good bits for now... So I put pretty much all the hardware on today (bar the electronics) and that all went pretty well.. This is most of the bits I want to get done today I thought these strap pegs were pretty different and would do a good job so went with those when looking for parts. So the bridge position is ALL important.. The middle of the bridge should be 24.75" from the nut and obviously you want the strings to line up properly on the board and go over the pickups so each string is roughly over the top of each pole piece on the pickup. So I marked it all out Drill ready and X marks the spot :) And they are in Then the input output SORTED!! So then I put the tuners on and strung the top and bottom E Also when I drilled for the bridge my routing hole again came in perfectly so that's good too more below Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 So I put the jack on too.. also looking good So its looking pretty good right WRONG !! Now I knew this was going to happen when I saw the extra height of the cap but it was too late at that point... Basically I have two issues.. Firstly the body cap as I say is too high and thus the bridge is too far up for the strings (the highest action EVER!!! :P) Even when I took the bridge off it was too high PLUS and this is the worst thing of all.. There is now a MASSIVE up bow in the neck.. Im not sure exactly how this happened as it was all lined up and straight when I glued it but you can see it here Sooooo.. where does that leave me you ask. Well I got in a slight panic at first I was like Noooooooooooooooooooo... Can I fix it. Maybe.. I have borrowed an electric planer from a friend of mine which may help. So this may be the most unique guitar ever.. Instead of making the neck in line with the body it seems im going to have to make the body in line with the neck lol.. But this is still my first full build from scratch so the fact I got this far is good enough.. So even though I am slightly disappointed its far from the end :) Im now busy for the next few days so hopefully Saturday or Sunday I may get to try and fix this and if I cant well it just means my next one WILL be perfect.. More soon :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 So is the solution to take the neck out and re-set it slightly pitched back like on a LP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 So is the solution to take the neck out and re-set it slightly pitched back like on a LP? Possibly.. its the issue with using PVA glue over Hide glue.. With hide glue you just heat it up and it comes out easy.. PVA not so much.. Im gonna have a good think about it over the next day and see what I can come up with. I think if I can lower the body height by about 3mm it will help ALOT... I also did adjust the truss rod so we will see tomorrow if that's had any effect or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Ouch! Cap planing should help some. What about routing a trench in the cap to help the bridge sit lower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Ouch! Cap planing should help some. What about routing a trench in the cap to help the bridge sit lower? Yes that's exactly what I was thinking (well one of the things anyway).. I don't think the neck will come out so I think it will be a case of some how making the body fit :) For all I know this may even turn out to be one of those lucky mistakes ;) Heres hoping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Might make a nice slide guitar... Good luck, I'm sure you'll work it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Might make a nice slide guitar... I thought the same thing, but I held back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Might make a nice slide guitar... Good luck, I'm sure you'll work it out... LOL...cheers man.... and well maybe :) But I now reckon I can fix this.. and I think it will just make it more unique than ever :) (he says now :P) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparguy Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Ouch! Cap planing should help some. What about routing a trench in the cap to help the bridge sit lower? Exactly what I was thinking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 I think I know what happened with the neck joint now.. I reckon I put too much glue in there... and whats happened is that the glue that's on the inside takes a bit longer to dry and as its dried its expanded slightly upwards (it really was straight when I glued and clamped it down).... Also I think the heat wave we have had recently hasn't helped (its only just started to cool down the last few days). So that's what I think anyway.. Lesson learned for next time.. Keep it clamped longer until its dry all the way through. Im still going to try and fix it and make it playable though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Has the neck actually moved at the neck joint or is it bending for the full length of the neck? If the neck is simply bending forward all the way down the neck then lowing the bridge will help this some. By having the bridge that high with all that string tension on it it has to bow. The lower that action that less it will bow. Once you have lowered the bridge you will have to adjust the truss rod to get some back bow in the neck. All is not lost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Has the neck actually moved at the neck joint or is it bending for the full length of the neck? If the neck is simply bending forward all the way down the neck then lowing the bridge will help this some. By having the bridge that high with all that string tension on it it has to bow. The lower that action that less it will bow. Once you have lowered the bridge you will have to adjust the truss rod to get some back bow in the neck. All is not lost! Cheers man... and the neck was pointing up before I put the strings on.. so I think it has just moved and is now pointing upwards a bit. I think as long as it dosent bow up even more when fully strung I may be able to get away with it by trimming the body down or as mentioned above making like a trench for the pups, bridge and stoptail to lower them all.. We will see.. I should get to that tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Hello.. Today I started at trying to fix my neck and body issues.. Its better but still not right really.. So I used my ever trusty router to get the top down to a decent level So after doing that and re=drilling the bridge and stopatail it was better.. that's probably half the height it was yesterday So then I took the bridge poles out and it was even better Soooo... still not great.. but getting better.. I may have to sink the bridge into the body another 3mm to get that height right and also I have decided that maybe I wont be able to get the neck out BUT if I can heat it up and just get it to drop those few extra mm's then I may be able to save this :) More tomorrow :unsure: :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Great idea Rabs, glad to hear you are getting going. I was talking to my son about Hawkeye, the checking system they use at Wimbledon, now it's into rugby and the big money football. Simple idea! just like yours. You are on the way. Go well my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Great idea Rabs, glad to hear you are getting going. I was talking to my son about Hawkeye, the checking system they use at Wimbledon, now it's into rugby and the big money football. Simple idea! just like yours. You are on the way. Go well my friend. Thanks man.. heres hoping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 This is a great thread! Keep it up Rabs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I think if you keep carving you'll get it just right. While you're at it... You could go for a carved top you know. It's working. Keep at it! [thumbup] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 This is a great thread! Keep it up Rabs! Thank you sir :) And what will be interesting now is my second build.. I think im going to have to accept that this build wont be perfect which is a shame as everything else on the build is fine but this neck issue (which is obviously a HUGE one).. My focus now is on getting it finished and making it at least playable. But build two should be pretty spot on now ive been through all of the issues. Thanks for watching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 Hello and welcome to neck and body fixing day 2. It is a shame this happened or id be finished this build by now... BUT I will finish it.. it would be silly not too.. :) So today as I mentioned I tried to loosen the neck a bit and just get it to drop a few mm.. How do you do that you may ask.. With an Iron and brown paper :) (and yes that's an official method ;)) I heated it up for about 20 mins and tried using clamps to get it to move down a bit And you know what I think it may have actually gone down.. even if just ever so slightly.. So im going to leave the clamp on overnight and see if that works at all I also decided rather than take any more off the top (which is only 3mm thick now) I would rather sink the bridge and tailstop into the body a bit. AND I decided that if the nut was a tiny bit higher it wouldn't hurt either. So I knocked it out, stuck a thin strip of wood in there and re-glued Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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