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Build No.4 - AnD semi-baritone

#21
Got the bridge and tailpiece drilled last night.

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Also got the fret wire bent up and then installed the frets this morning.

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I did have a drama with the plugs for the tailpiece and bridge. The plugs were a really odd size, like 11.8mm. I drilled 12mm but of course the holes are a bit too big. I assume that Ibanez (the guitar that they came out of) set them up that way so they could drill, paint the body and then they'd have a good interference fit. However, the body on this is only gonna be tru-oiled. What would people recommend to hold the plugs in? 2 part epoxy? CA glue? titebond?
 
#23
Not sure of the specific measurement, but finding an 11mm forstner bit round here is on a hiding to nothing. So I'm gonna have to fix it with some sort of glue/filler.

Got some more done this arvo. Frets trimmed, filed down and edge of the board beveled.
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Then I put a few abelone dot markers in. If you look, you'll see I've only put 5,7,9 and 12th frets in. I'm very much a less is more guy and I'd rather sink time into getting the guitar finished and refining it's playability than adding "bling". ;)
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#33
Got the pickup slot routed today.
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Fitted the pickup and then found a slight issue...
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with a straight edge along the frets so that it rests on the bridge, it's all quite high.
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I suspect this is for 2 reasons.
1. I don't think I cut the neck tenon quite thin enough. I think it's 18mm when it should be 17mm.
2. When I glued the tenon down, it didn't sit down as low in the pocket as I expected. I mean I clamped the neck out of it, but I think the glue added an extra half mm.
The question is what to do about it all. I mean it's probably safe enough as the posts are more than strong enough as it the body. It just looks a bit unusual. I'm not even worried about the playability. The bridge is nice and rounded and comfy to rest your hand on, so that's not a drama. What I'm thinking as a possible "feature" is a raised pickguard ala 1940s jazz boxes. I've got some fingerboard material left over that would look great. What do you all think?
 
#34
Glue won't add half a mm.. That way, a laminated veneer of 0.6 mm would end up with glue lines on either sides that thick.. If you look at it like this you'll see it's not true. I think it is in your geometry apart from the gluing. But if you're okay with it it's no problem. Couldn't see a way to fix either than redoing the glue joint so you could thin down the tenon.
 
#38
Well, I've decided to make a floating pickguard using some leftover fingerboard and some black dyed laminate. Glued it up last night with the intention have having it so that the natural side would up face up and the black would just be a pinstripe round the edge. On second glance, I thought, I could just as easy have a black guard with a natural edge. So what do you reckon...

Black
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Or Natural with a pinstripe (if you can imagine it)
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Which one?

BTW, the pickup and control dial are also black.
 
#40
With all your advice, the pickguard is black.

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Here it is cut out rough and stuck to the template ready to be radiused.

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I don't have a table router setup, so I came up with this a while back. Works well. The only thing being, with the timber I'm using, Vic Ash, you have to keep the router moving fast or it burns a lot on the end grain.

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Radiused and in position. Just waiting on some mounts from Ebay. You'll notice, the angle of the bottom edge is the same as the upper bout, cutaway.. and the top of the headstock too.

Now it's time for a few control holes and lots of sanding.
 

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