Balance K Tribute repair & major MOD

[Gilmourisgod]

Any reason that couldnt be used to cut fret slots too? Bit too fragile maybe. All Hail Sir Nutsalot! Will the remainder beyond the nut get "scalloped" like a Fender board, tapering down to meet the headstock?

 

[Rôckhewer]

Any reason that couldnt be used to cut fret slots too? Bit too fragile maybe. All Hail Sir Nutsalot! Will the remainder beyond the nut get "scalloped" like a Fender board, tapering down to meet the headstock?

No. I designed it to cut a 3/16" slot with an 1/8" bit. Two passes per depth stepped pass. Climb cut both cuts.
So there's a little play in the opening the Stewmac Dremel base rides in... north to south.

Will the remainder beyond the nut get "scalloped" like a Fender board, tapering down to meet the headstock?

Yes.

 

[Rôckhewer]

All Hail Sir Nutsalot!

Indeed.
Hip HIP! ... huzzah
Hip Hip!!!...Huzzah!!
Hip Hip!!!.....

 

[Beej]

The marketing department in me wants it to be Sir Slotsanut

I love reliable jigs, fixtures and templates...simply divine

 

[Kaa]

The marketing department in me wants it to be Sir Slotsanut

I love reliable jigs, fixtures and templates...simply divine

Yeah, Sir Nutsalot sounds a little too pr0n for the suits upstairs.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Yeah, Sir Nutsalot sounds a little too pr0n for the suits upstairs.

Yeah, might as well call it Ron.

 

[RichterScale]

Hey!

 

[Jon Clegg]

Yeah, might as well call it Ron.

As in Jeremy.

 

[RichterScale]

It's okay.
If anyone that knows me said to someone else, "you're being a Ron",
it wouldn't be a compliment.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Yo!... what the Rock is taking so long?
....(damn part timer!)
I'm like a locomotive baby. But that ol' engine been rusting in the wheelhouse for the last 2 years.

Here's an update.
Had a couple spots of curly maple fibers chip/peel off the sharp neck edge whilst removing the nasty wenge board.
So I filled them with...curly maple fibers! (shavings & CA)

Needed to fill the scary deep holes I drilled originally in the neck.... to accommodate the screws for the silly adjustable nut I made.
(Homage to Alembic, but totally unnecessary imo)
-ebony dowels:

Remember that gaping pit... former lair of the Fiber-O's?

Figured I didn't need a stash compartment under the board. So I chiseled it square and added a scrap of that (almost) same walnut top.

I first finessed the rad paraboloid pitch of the board whilst on the bench... a little more.
...then glued her up.

Left it cure for 2 days in the gorgeous Arizona springtime... then pulled it. Feels good. Looks good. Flat and true.

I still need to blend the board edges to the neck...do some finish blending... And... coat the board.

But I couldn't wait to check the geometry fix under tension!!
Strung that sucker up... and gave a couple cranks to the new bionic truss rod.
Mission accomplished.
And ...now it's a fretless!... with action even Michael Manring would appreciate.
Go ahead... zoom in on that preliminary setup with temporary nut. Already very playable.
There's also now about 1mm of downward bridge saddle adjustment left available.
After coating... and a new nut... that will increase to about 2mm... but it wont ever need it all.

 

[RichterScale]

Are the maple shavings and CA a new trick, or old?
How'd it work out?

 

[Rôckhewer]

Are the maple shavings and CA a new trick, or old?
How'd it work out?

I'm sure somebody's done it before me.

In that kind of tearout, I have found that layers of thin shavings look way better, (more natural) than sawdust and glue.

 

[RichterScale]

Good to know.
I'm adding that to my mental notebook of tricks.
I'm roughly 103% sure I'll need to use it at some point.

 

[RichterScale]

I have to remove my board and I'm honestly not sure if it's more scary to heat and pry it, or attempt to make a jig for a finished neck that will allow me to route it off perfectly level without removing even a 1000th of the neck or hitting the truss rod.

 

[RichterScale]

Is that an ebony board? Did you stain it, or is that natural?
And did you make it thicker than the first board? (Basically the height of the frets on the first board?)

 

[Beej]

Fantastic! That's the Rock we know and love

 

[Rôckhewer]

to make a jig for a finished neck that will allow me to route it off perfectly level without removing even a 1000th of the neck or hitting the truss rod.

Aye... there's the rub. I didn't do that for a couple reasons... but I'm sure it's possible.

Is that an ebony board? Did you stain it, or is that natural?
And did you make it thicker than the first board? (Basically the height of the frets on the first board?)

It's ebony... not stained. And it's currently raw and only sanded to 100 grit... so it's still kinda "ashy".

The new board is as thick as the old board, plus the frets ... at the heel.
At the nut ...it is now slightly less thick than the original board was without the frets. That taper is what changed the geometry & string height at the bridge... allowing for proper adjustment.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Fantastic! That's the Rock we know and love

Thanks ...good to be back.

 

[Rôckhewer]

I'm honestly not sure if it's more scary to...

.... ...

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Looking good Rock, nice to see you back in the saddle, so to speak. Might have to borrow the shavings idea, ive tried dust and CA and it always goes darker than surrounding wood and looks obvious.