Learning how to build an electric guitar

[lumberjim]

The SG guitar has a set neck. That means it gets glued into the body, not bolted on like the Strat. That means, I'd better get it right on the first try.

I needed a shim in the pocket of the strat, if you'll recall. I won't have that option on this guitar, so I'm following a build plan I found that shows a 2° grade in the neck pocket. Meaning, the neck end of the pocket is 2° lower than the bridge end. That will tilt the neck back just a bit. At 18.75", the end of a line will be 0.655" lower then the start. This will keep the strings aligned with the neck and body once they're laid over the bridge.

To get the angle in the pocket, we made a couple wedges to affix to the underside of the template, so when I rout the pocket, the angle will transfer. We used the cnc machine to cut a piece of 3/4 MDF (fancy particle board).

First a rough cut to take away material.



Then another path to cut the shape with a fine tip bit. This piece came out finish smooth.



I then ripped the 4" wedge into 1.5" and 2.5" slices. One for either side of the pocket.


I sealed them using a super glue wash. Like lacquer, but instant. They're hard like stone now. I'll be able to reuse them on future builds that require a 2° drop.