Learning how to build an electric guitar - Page 15

lumberjim · 01-25-2019, 10:41 PM

Tonight, I fixed 2 issues. First, the pick guard. Because of the problem I had with the neck length, the pick guard was too far up in relation to the neck pocket. So I had to trim that back.

That was then

This is now. Looks weird.

But!

Once the neck is on, I don't think it looks so weird.

PhatPix · 01-25-2019, 10:42 PM

Why skipping every other fret?

lumberjim · 01-25-2019, 10:52 PM

So that when you trim the ends of the frets, the nippers fit in there. Thinking ahead. That's key. Benefiting from Pete's experience here.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-25-2019, 11:09 PM

You just need a tightrope walker.

lumberjim · 01-26-2019, 12:17 AM

Oh. The other problem was that the control cavity was too shallow for the 3 Way pickup switch. This guitar is 1 3/4" thick. The switch is 1 3/8" tall.

The ferris wheel looking thing in back.

I had stopped at 7/8" deep for the cavities. So I got to try out my new plunge router.

It has cool depth stop features, but no light.

I needed another half inch under where the switch goes. The pickups and knob pots should be ok. We'll see. But I only routed the area where the switch goes for now.

Fits in there nice now.

These controls are by a company called 920D. They recreate iconic sounds by artists. This one is the Jimi Hendrix 60's set up. His original sound as wired by so and so. They have a pencil drawing of the design, presumably drawn by the guy who set his guitars up back then.

I can hear Jimi

xoxoxoBruce · 01-26-2019, 11:25 AM

If you redesigned that wheel to mount horizontal so the guitar could be made thinner, you could become a legend in yet another field.

lumberjim · 01-26-2019, 11:27 AM

I'm thinking maybe I'll chisel a slope off of the now high part of the control cavity instead of having that ledge there. I'm going to be lining that cavity with copper to insulate the cavity and that ledge would be tricky to do. Or maybe use the router with an angled cone type bit to get that nice and clean.....

lumberjim · 01-26-2019, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If you redesigned that wheel to mount horizontal so the guitar could be made thinner, you could become a legend in yet another field.

I could edge mount it in a separate cavity....

Undertoad · 01-26-2019, 11:50 AM

Quote:

I could edge mount it in a separate cavity....

things that sound dirty but aren't

lumberjim · 01-26-2019, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If you redesigned that wheel to mount horizontal so the guitar could be made thinner, you could become a legend in yet another field.

This has my wheels turning...

If I tipped it on its side, bent the post, and cut a semi circle slot in a pick guard, I could put that up by my thumb in a place that makes it easier to switch it. If I was careful, I could even put it on the back of the neck up above the nut. I wonder if longer wires would create more feedback...

lumberjim · 01-27-2019, 09:38 AM

Sand bags came and I finished the frets.

Finished installing them that is. I need to dress the fret ends then level and shape them. I just got this tape caddie and 3 rolls of stew Mac orange tape in 3 sizes. The blue is just regular painting tape. So I have 1/4" - 1" for taping the fret board between the frets. About 1/4 of the way through taping, I remembered a trick I saw. You run a strip of tape along the length of the neck so that the protective tape lies over it on the end. This aids in removal afterwards.

You can see about 6 frets up the tape ends are above the horizontal piece.

All taped up:

This is a fret dressing file

You can see that the edges are smooth if you look close

I'm not sure I did things in the right order here. What I'm doing is rounding over the ends of each fret so they aren't sharp on the ends where your fingers wrap around. Next time I think I'll go at the edges with a flat file to bring them flush with the edge of the neck before taping. It felt smooth when I was done but then when the tape came off, it's still a bit scratchy. I'm going to have to revisit that. Do it right, or do it twice.

lumberjim · 01-27-2019, 09:53 AM

Here's why the edges of the file are smooth:

Here we are

Now, hammering the frets in leaves some texture in the frets themselves. I guess this is why using the press is the preferred method. To shape the tops of the frets, I have this file:

On this one, the flats are smooth but the edges have 2 different shaped files for contouring the fret tops.

One flatter and wider.

You run this over the frets to cut down to the lowest point left by the hammer blows. The steam trick won't work here, lol.

This took a while

lumberjim · 01-27-2019, 09:59 AM

Tape comes off

Looks good...

Until you hold it just right under a light

See how the reflection dips in places?

That tells me I have work to do. About 2/3 of the way up especially

xoxoxoBruce · 01-27-2019, 10:13 AM

Tape holder, files, sandbags... you're gonna need a bigger boat.

lumberjim · 01-27-2019, 10:25 AM

Yeah, I'm already mentally eyeing the Harley side of the garage. Also thinking about a propane heater. My hands were numb last night.

01-25-2019, 10:41 PM	#211
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Tonight, I fixed 2 issues. First, the pick guard. Because of the problem I had with the neck length, the pick guard was too far up in relation to the neck pocket. So I had to trim that back. That was then This is now. Looks weird. But! Once the neck is on, I don't think it looks so weird. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-25-2019, 10:52 PM	#213
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	So that when you trim the ends of the frets, the nippers fit in there. Thinking ahead. That's key. Benefiting from Pete's experience here. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan Last edited by lumberjim; 01-25-2019 at 11:46 PM.

01-25-2019, 11:09 PM	#214
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	You just need a tightrope walker. Attached Images __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-26-2019, 12:17 AM	#215
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Oh. The other problem was that the control cavity was too shallow for the 3 Way pickup switch. This guitar is 1 3/4" thick. The switch is 1 3/8" tall. The ferris wheel looking thing in back. I had stopped at 7/8" deep for the cavities. So I got to try out my new plunge router. It has cool depth stop features, but no light. I needed another half inch under where the switch goes. The pickups and knob pots should be ok. We'll see. But I only routed the area where the switch goes for now. Fits in there nice now. These controls are by a company called 920D. They recreate iconic sounds by artists. This one is the Jimi Hendrix 60's set up. His original sound as wired by so and so. They have a pencil drawing of the design, presumably drawn by the guy who set his guitars up back then. I can hear Jimi __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-26-2019, 11:25 AM	#216
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	If you redesigned that wheel to mount horizontal so the guitar could be made thinner, you could become a legend in yet another field. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-25-2019, 10:42 PM	#212
PhatPix Jammer Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 5	Why skipping every other fret?

01-26-2019, 11:27 AM	#217
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	I'm thinking maybe I'll chisel a slope off of the now high part of the control cavity instead of having that ledge there. I'm going to be lining that cavity with copper to insulate the cavity and that ledge would be tricky to do. Or maybe use the router with an angled cone type bit to get that nice and clean..... __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-27-2019, 09:38 AM	#221
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Sand bags came and I finished the frets. Finished installing them that is. I need to dress the fret ends then level and shape them. I just got this tape caddie and 3 rolls of stew Mac orange tape in 3 sizes. The blue is just regular painting tape. So I have 1/4" - 1" for taping the fret board between the frets. About 1/4 of the way through taping, I remembered a trick I saw. You run a strip of tape along the length of the neck so that the protective tape lies over it on the end. This aids in removal afterwards. You can see about 6 frets up the tape ends are above the horizontal piece. All taped up: This is a fret dressing file You can see that the edges are smooth if you look close I'm not sure I did things in the right order here. What I'm doing is rounding over the ends of each fret so they aren't sharp on the ends where your fingers wrap around. Next time I think I'll go at the edges with a flat file to bring them flush with the edge of the neck before taping. It felt smooth when I was done but then when the tape came off, it's still a bit scratchy. I'm going to have to revisit that. Do it right, or do it twice. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan Last edited by lumberjim; 01-27-2019 at 09:43 AM.

01-27-2019, 09:53 AM	#222
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Here's why the edges of the file are smooth: Here we are Now, hammering the frets in leaves some texture in the frets themselves. I guess this is why using the press is the preferred method. To shape the tops of the frets, I have this file: On this one, the flats are smooth but the edges have 2 different shaped files for contouring the fret tops. One flatter and wider. You run this over the frets to cut down to the lowest point left by the hammer blows. The steam trick won't work here, lol. This took a while __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-27-2019, 09:59 AM	#223
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Tape comes off Looks good... Until you hold it just right under a light See how the reflection dips in places? That tells me I have work to do. About 2/3 of the way up especially __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-27-2019, 10:13 AM	#224
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Tape holder, files, sandbags... you're gonna need a bigger boat. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-27-2019, 10:25 AM	#225
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	Yeah, I'm already mentally eyeing the Harley side of the garage. Also thinking about a propane heater. My hands were numb last night. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

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