Andyjr1515

Clamps are off. Couldn't resist doing a quick mock-up One of the good things about lockdown is that you know exactly what you are doing the next few weeks. So I know that tomorrow, I'm going to be carving the neck

Not at all a dumb question. Some people do pop a few dollops of flexible sealer in to stop the possibility of a rod rattling. I myself used to wind plumbers PTFE tape loosely round the whole thing for much the same reason. But nowadays I don't bother. The way I do them, width-wise, they are a tight fit in the slot. Depthwise, I make sure that - when flat - the metal plate of the rod is either flush with the top of the neck or I use a packing strip on top. Either way, there is already pretty much zero gap between the rod and wood. Then, when it is in use at all, it is flexed against wood at both the middle and both ends - and my logic is that if it still rattles then there is something seriously wrong and a rattle from the rod is the least of your worries A trick - for where the neck is 'naturally' back bowed and therefore the trussrod is actually not needed and left basically loose, is to tweak the adjuster until a tiny bit of resistance is felt. That means the rod is now pressing lightly against the top and bottom of the slot and this should usually eliminate any possibility of rattle even though it isn't exerting enough pressure to impact on the neck relief.

Well yesterday, the truss-rod shipped on 24 hour service last week arrived (not a grumble - just a fact of life at the moment). But, actually, I'm pleased that I ordered a second one (which arrived today), because while the original purchase was very nicely made (the one with the fancy chrome end) it is no good for me on this build: And why is it no good for this build? Well, remembering that the rod is fitted the other way up, the fancy chrome cylinder (inside is probably exactly the same gauges of rod and tip as the one on the left) actually adds another 2mm to the depth of the neck channel - just at the point where the neck is at its thinnest. And if you add the fret height to the fretboard thickness and the rod & tip height (11mm) and take away the planned thickness of the neck at the 1st fret (22mm), it would leave 2mm under the rod at the nut end. And that's not, IMHO, enough. Same calculation with the left hand trussrod, gives me 4mm under the rod - and that is fine. So that's what I've used. Is that going to be a problem for everyone with that particular rod? No - not at all. If the fretboard had been thicknessed 1.5mm thinner and I hadn't wanted the 0.6mm demarcation veneer, then it would have been fine. But, ignoring all that, it means that the fretboard can go on No capping strip (again, this would reduce the meat under the rod), just a strip of masking tape to stop the glue filling the channel, a final check that the neck was flat and that the rod top plate was flush with or below the neck glue face: And...it's on:

The preamp unit itself looks a neat unit. Looks also like it suffers the strange trend, shared by many top end guitar and bass preamp makers, of positioning the connectors for the looms in the most inconvenient direction and then fitting the looms with massively overspec'd wires that come out vertically. Schaller do the same on their top end preamp. Maybe it's some sort of industry private running joke

Only at weekends.

There's clearly another one !

It's what mine might look like if the router slips when I'm sorting the controls

Great weight! That paulownia is superlight stuff!

Mirror, and it's reminded me how well this has come out even before the pickguard.

In terms of cleaning up the edges, this is closer to how it should be with the demarcation stripe fully visible: The fretboard isn't fixed yet - I have a feeling the truss rod's not going to arrive anytime soon so I've ordered a second one from a different supplier. If/when the original one arrives, it'll just go in my bits box ready for the next build

I've cut a slice off some Sapele offcut to use as the control hatch. I generally use a bottom-bearing rebate bit to cut the rebate and then just square off the magnet-protrusion peaks you can see here with a chisel. The little offcut is to double make sure that the rebate is the correct depth before I put the router away: And then I started the carve at the back. Although I don't think the 'proper' SG's have wing cutaway relief at the back, that has always seemed daft to me as it is one of the things that makes it much easier to get to the upper frets. So this one's got them This is after the 'reveal & seal' coat of Tru-oil prior to final sanding: Why do I call it the reveal and seal coat? Well, the seal I've talked about before - I do a light slurry-and-buff with Tru-oil as an initial grain-fill and sealer step even when, like this one, I'm going to eventually gloss varnish it. But it is also, I find, the very best way of finding missed dints, sanding marks, glue spots and other similar things to tidy up. Take, for example the edge here - I can now see that the edge needs a little more cabinet-scraping work to ensure that the demarcation line is revealed all the way round: And here, you can see that again and also some glue spots that need sanding away: As always, thanks for looking - and stay safe Andy

I reckon that's enough for today. I've got most of the cyano and epoxy overfill off the top: ...and routed the control chamber to depth: The observant amongst you will have spotted the pickup cable channel in the side wall. Depending if the truss rod arrives or not tomorrow, then I will probably complete the carve, adding the rear cutaways, etc, and rounding some of the hard corners. As always, thanks for looking and for the encouraging feedback, folks

The last structural job on the body will be to rout the control chamber to final depth and to rout the recess for the hatch. But before I do that, there's a bit of structural integrity to sort out. Knots - they can add beauty, especially to Yew - because the wood grain sweeps round what are emerging branches. But that is what they are - and so knots are always effectively separate parts of the wood and so have to be stabilised. So, today's scary picture to those who haven't got up close and personal to these kind of woods : And there's a related crack that goes all the way towards the pickup chambers. So my strategy is to stabilise and do the bulk filling at the same time. First step, I have 'wick'd' thin superglue into the cracks. Capillary action sucks the cyano deep into the crack which will help reduce future movement: Then - goodness, has this build turned Andyjr1515 to drugs?????? No - at least not yet . It's a syringe folks use to get medicines down cats and dogs throats. And perfect for forcing epoxy&wood dust mix deep into the larger fissures. Yes - I know what it looks like... And all done waiting cure and sanding: And after that, finishing off the control chamber.

Yesterday was a bit of a lazy day so I got cracking again today. First job was to glue on the headstock plate: That meant that I could confirm the final positioning of the neck and therefore also the pickup chambers. Those who have watched my build threads know that I hate routers. I will use them, but only where they are pretty much the only thing for the job. In terms of pickup chambers, that in my book is one small job. For what it's worth, this is how I do them. Having worked out exactly where they are going to be, I draw out the chamber outlines. Then I drill the 8 corners: Then, I hog out to the edges with a large forstner bit and use a chisel to take me up to the pencil line to a depth of around 10mm: And then, and only then, I use a bearing trimmer bit in the router to tidy up the sides and get it to final depth: You can just see in the above shot that I have successfully intersected the cable run channel that I cut before gluing the top - phew! And then repeated the whole thing for the neck chamber: Still no trussrod. May need to order another one from a different supplier...

Haha - just re-read that. Thought you meant the headstock the same colour as the body. I must concentrate harder...

I did give Matt that option - there was enough offcut to do that - but he wanted black, which is fine.

Not much done today, but I have got most of the rest of the bits - certainly enough to do a quick mockup to check if Matt wanted to go with black or metal pickup rings. He's opted for metal. The bridge and rings are chrome ones here from my bits box - the nickel ones are on the way. Also, the other bits are not yet positioned, but it gives an idea of how it's starting to look: So tomorrow's job will be the pickup chambers.

I will NEVER forget about that shrinkage, Mick! I'll find the photos and post them...

And so to the swifts! They haven't arrived yet in real life but should be here in a couple to three weeks. So in the meantime, I'll have to make do with Mother of Pearl ones. Normal stuff - cut out with a jewellers saw: Then outlined on the plate in pencil and the chambers cut out with the same Dremel + precision router base as with the fretboard crowns: Glued in with the c**k up-hiding ebony dust/epoxy mix. Sanded off and done: Next job - before gluing the fretboard on once the truss rod has arrived (which was supposed to have been today) - is to cut the pickup chambers while I still have a flat-top to the body. But that job is also waiting for the pickup rings that were also due today. Maybe tomorrow Ditto, I will rout the recess for the back cover, again, while I have a flat top to be able to clamp to the workbench. And then, I reckon the fretboard is ready to glue on. So, it all depends on the postie from now on...

Time will tell, especially when it turns out banana or propeller-shaped, @Simon. To be honest, I don't think it make much odds which way round you do it. My hunch is that the epoxy will act a waterproof membrane, but my choice of sequence itself was more about practicalities in getting a completely flat and bubble-free /gap-free bonding. This was made much easier by being able to use bench clamps firmly clamping the ebony/veneer assembly onto a toughened glass sheet (an old glass shelf that is sitting under the maple in the photo). That is much easier than trying to get as good a joint of veneer onto a set neck - difficult at the best of times but especially given how much the veneer itself warps when you add glue. The result is that now, when I glue the assembly onto the neck, the veneer cannot warp at all and so I will have a completely flat surface gluing to a completely flat surface. Well, that's the theory anyway. That said, time will tell, especially when it turns out banana or propeller-shaped...

I love this hobby! Unlike, say, hang-gliding or mountain climbing or white-water rapids rafting, you can try new and different things in relative safety First - and it is related - if you want to see something that holds me personally in awe and makes me weep in my beer in equal measure, then spend an hour watching this video. And if you are a guitar builder or woodworker or craftsman or anyone who likes seeing someone at the top of their game, it is well worth the hour: Deep inside the video the guy said something that sent firecrackers off. He epoxies his fretboards. And he does that because epoxy doesn't wet the board and make it expand. Ever had a new guitar where the fret ends start getting sharp after a few months? The reason is that the fretboard is shrinking in width. And often, this is because the moisture from the wood glue made them expand in the first place. And they can carry on shrinking for YEARS. Almost immeasurable, but enough for the sharp ends of the frets to re-emerge. So why do most of us use woodglue? Because then - if you have to - you can remove the fretboard intact by applying heat. I've been asked to do that a few times - generally to replace broken trussrods. If it's expoxied, then generally the only way is to plane off the old fretboard altogether and start again. So what is the new thing I'm going to try? Well - this fretboard is going to have the maple veneer demarcation to give me the fine white line between the board and the neck. So the plan is: - epoxy the board to the veneer = no shrinkage of the fretboard - then Titebond wood-glue the veneered board to the neck = the ability, if ever necessary, to remove the fretboard in the future. Who knows if it will make a difference, but it won't do any harm as both methods are perfectly sound in their own right. Here is the veneer being applied to the back of the fretboard: Meanwhile, the headstock plate has been cut from a super piece of jet black ebony from David Dyke: And that, too will have a veneer demarcation. For this one, I am reverting to good old Titebond. And no - an upside down radius block to use as a clamping caul isn't the best way to treat a wooden radius block... : All the rest of the bits (trussrod, tuners, stoptail, pickup rings, electrics, etc) arrive sometime today, and another room has been decorated so I will soon have no excuses but to just crack on

Without a lie, one of the best refinishes I've seen. Top class.

I cut the frets to length and detanged the fret-ends. Lucky break - the little bit at the bottom is all I had left off the coil... When I'm fretting, once I've run along each slot lightly with a triangular needle file, I run a small bead of Titebond along the tangs,then hammer them in (one side, other side, middle) and then pop a clamped radius block on while I'm preparing the next one. And, after the glue has fully cured, the fret-ends are snipped and edges sanded and we have a fretted fretboard Next job is the headstock while I wait for the trussrod to arrive

Yup. It reminds me of a wind-tunnel photo...

Little by little. This is my hobby and usually is interspersed with a lot more 'life' stuff. With the lockdown and building a guitar on a bit more 'doing something everyday' basis probably makes me realise how much work there is involved in one! But - in actual terms - decent progress. This morning I have tapered the fretboard to it's final size and rough-tapered the neck: Next job is probably putting the frets in the fretboard. Nowadays, I do that before gluing to the neck - easier to handle, easier to keep stable for hammering and clamping the frets and MUCH easier for getting the fret ends square and straight with the fretboard edge.