Jimothey Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 (edited) I've been visiting family back down in Colchester this week and staying at my parents so I thought I'd take advantage of my old table saw and thicknesser so I started a project that I've been thinking about for a while I'm doing it Sapele backed and 6mm Oak top cap with a matching Oak headstock cap (I'll probably do a ebony-esque demarcation line) which has all been thicknessed now ready to glue up when I get back to work next week I'm going to try and do something a bit out of the ordinary and convert a flat headstocked neck into an angled headstock this is the neck I'm going to use I've got a old guitar neck that I'm going to try it out on first I think it will involve de-gluing the fretboard removing the truss rod cutting and scarf jointing the headstock back on to the neck?? Sounds simple when I say it like that!! 😳 I'm going to use a Warwick 2 piece bridge and tuners and a pair of big pole MM style pickups Edited December 18, 2020 by Jimothey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Don't forget the mittens to go with the scarf! Nicely ambitious project. I wish you well. Especially removing the fretboard - I hope you get some images for us during the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 48 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said: Don't forget the mittens to go with the scarf! Nicely ambitious project. I wish you well. Especially removing the fretboard - I hope you get some images for us during the process. In my head I know what I'm going to do and I think it will work I will probably have to cut an extra wedge piece off my test neck so I won't have to flip over the headstock?!? but when I use my test neck hopefully it should throw up any pitfalls or unexpected problems?? If @Andyjr1515 or anyone else any advice please feel free to comment!....... 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 I'm afraid scarf joints are outside my area of experience. I've never been able to reliably get a good enough flat cut face on a neck to risk doing one They do look nice, though... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: I'm afraid scarf joints are outside my area of experience. I've never been able to reliably get a good enough flat cut face on a neck to risk doing one They do look nice, though... No worries mate I thought I'd ask, thanks anyway...... 😀 Edited May 30, 2019 by Jimothey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 Here's the wood for the body and top cap it's nothing special but I think once I've contrast grain filled the oak it will look nice......... 😀 I think I'll have to rout a cavity in the Sapele before I glue the cap on it as its a tad on the heavy side............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 I think that I'm going to do this build as a Fortress instead of a Corvette I'm still going to still keep it as a $$........ 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 If you cut the neck to make a scarf joint it will make the headstock shorter by about 30 - 40mm depending in the angle, so I guess you'll need to get a new bit of wood to use for one. It's a lot easier to cut one when the neck blank is straight so you can clamp the bits together to plane. That said you could with a lot of care with the fretboard off clamp on a bit of wood to the flat top surface to extend the joint area to make it easier to plane. Then with the new headstock just glue it on and plane the top straight afterwards before gluing the fretboard back on. If that makes any sense at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 @Christine that's kinda what I was thinking I would have to do or the other way I was thinking maybe cut the neck at the headstock at a 14° angle just past the nut then cut the neck back straight then joint the two peices back together with dowels or strengthen the joint?? What do you think?? 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 23 minutes ago, Jimothey said: @Christine that's kinda what I was thinking I would have to do or the other way I was thinking maybe cut the neck at the headstock at a 14° angle just past the nut then cut the neck back straight then joint the two peices back together with dowels or strengthen the joint?? What do you think?? 🤔 If you cut the neck close to the nut then the top face of the headstock will be very far forward, it needs to be somewhere between the first and second fret like this (pic stolen from google) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Yeah that makes sense, I think that it's going to be a lot of p155ing about! It will probably be easier in the end just to make a neck!?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, Jimothey said: Yeah that makes sense, I think that it's going to be a lot of p155ing about! It will probably be easier in the end just to make a neck!?! Possibly, once you get the new wood glued on it needs shaping into the existing neck it will need blending in which will mean a small amount of reworking of the neck profile unless you're very careful/lucky and you get away with just needing a little sanding. But then once you actually draw out the position of the cut the hardest bit will be removing the fretboard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Christine said: Possibly, once you get the new wood glued on it needs shaping into the existing neck it will need blending in which will mean a small amount of reworking of the neck profile unless you're very careful/lucky and you get away with just needing a little sanding. But then once you actually draw out the position of the cut the hardest bit will be removing the fretboard One other idea I've been toying with is to plant some 2" timber on the back of the headstock then cut the angle for the new headstock the front is going to be cladded with 2mm Oak to match the top body cap so that will hide the joint I think that if it will work this would be the easiest option and the strength of the neck wouldn't be effected?.......... 🤔 Edited July 1, 2019 by Jimothey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 The downside of that is the result will give you the short grain problem associated with Gibson necks but with it would work, a good headstock veneer would help too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 3 hours ago, Christine said: The downside of that is the result will give you the short grain problem associated with Gibson necks but with it would work, a good headstock veneer would help too The headstock is definitely going to have an 2-3mm Oak veneer on the face and I might veneer the back with 2-3mm maple aswell so I don't have to use a lump of maple?............ 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 What about the sides? Will the truss rod be out of the way too thinking about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 5 hours ago, Christine said: What about the sides? Will the truss rod be out of the way too thinking about it? The sides I've got some 0.6mm maple veneer that could cover it The truss rod will be in the same place in reality it will only be 2-3mm deeper by the time I cap the headstock......... 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Sounds like a plan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 Finally got round to starting this couple of changes tho.......... Its going to be a corvette shape and I'm using a old Ibby 5 string neck that I'm going to cut and splice some timber on the sides of the headstock so I can reshape it to more like a Warwick style Had a little play with the grain filling and I think it will look good in the end? The Sapele blank is gluing up now so I'll rough cut the shape tomorrow then hopefully get the cap glued on aswell 👍🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 19, 2020 Author Share Posted December 19, 2020 The body and top cap is all rough cut All ready to glue up! I think I need some more clamps tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 On 02/07/2019 at 18:03, Christine said: Sounds like a plan I miss Christine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 19, 2020 Author Share Posted December 19, 2020 48 minutes ago, owen said: I miss Christine What's happened to Christine I haven't seen her on here for a while? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 Managed to get the body all cut and sanded today, the back rounded over and started on the belly carve and the detail on the back of the neck pocket which is turning out to be harder than I thought! Will start rounding over the top tomorrow and post pics of how its turning out 🤞🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Rounded over the top and finished the belly carve and neck detail! I think its coming along nicely so far? Next job is the neck pocket! 👍🏻 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Turned my attention to the headstock now Its all cut and the extra wings and new Oak capping is all gluing up ready to reshape it 👍🏻 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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