Building a guitar with what I've learned here. Walnut/Maple/Ash/Eastern Red Cedar

[lbridenstine]

Would I have to install all of the strings in order to intonate or can I just do the two E strings? I need to sand out the tuner holes before I can put any of them in there, but I'd like to get this other stuff done first so I can get going with the carving.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

As each string needs its intonation set individually, it would be difficult to do so without all 6 strings installed.

If you're talking about bridge placement...I use a heavy non-stretchy string.

 

[lbridenstine]

As each string needs its intonation set individually, it would be difficult to do so without all 6 strings installed.

If you're talking about bridge placement...I use a heavy non-stretchy string.

Yeah, I'm just talking about bridge placement, but to make sure that it intonates properly where I'm going to put it.

 

[Hopkins]

I went with an 1/8" for the angle, would it be better to go with 1/16" and meet in the middle?

I just measured a Les Paul, the bass side is 3/16 longer than the treble side measuring from the inside of the nut. That was measuring to the center of the mounting holes not the saddles.

 

[lbridenstine]

I just measured a Les Paul, the bass side is 3/16 longer than the treble side measuring from the inside of the nut. That was measuring to the center of the mounting holes not the saddles.

Does it have rollers? Or does that matter?

What's confusing me is it says this bridge can be installed in the original location in an LP, but I could see how the rollers being at an angle could be weird for the strings to sit on.

I was measuring the center points of the posts too.


Edit: Looking at that close up picture again, it looks like the roller saddles turn. They don't all look parallel to each other as far as the angle they're at goes, so if that's the case, that part shouldn't be a problem. I'll take a look later.

 

[crazygtr]

Your idea is good, go install the E strings and with no angle, check if you can intonate them, if not then you'll know how much of an angle you need if any at all.

 

[Hopkins]

Does it have rollers? Or does that matter?

What's confusing me is it says this bridge can be installed in the original location in an LP, but I could see how the rollers being at an angle could be weird for the strings to sit on.

I was measuring the center points of the posts too.


Edit: Looking at that close up picture again, it looks like the roller saddles turn. They don't all look parallel to each other as far as the angle they're at goes, so if that's the case, that part shouldn't be a problem. I'll take a look later.

Even if they didn't have some movement in them, I doubt it would be a problem. Its not like its going to be at any kind of extreme angle. Even if you can can get it intonated with it straight, if your adjustments are maxed out, I would still angle it. A different set of strings may not intonate properly. Besides it looks cool set an an angel anyways.

 

[lbridenstine]

Your idea is good, go install the E strings and with no angle, check if you can intonate them, if not then you'll know how much of an angle you need if any at all.

Even if they didn't have some movement in them, I doubt it would be a problem. Its not like its going to be at any kind of extreme angle. Even if you can can get it intonated with it straight, if your adjustments are maxed out, I would still angle it. A different set of strings may not intonate properly. Besides it looks cool set an an angel anyways.

I agree about it looking better at an angle. I'll hopefully be getting this stuff done soon. I need to cut the nut slot and sand out the tuner holes if I'm going to try checking intonation before I drill. I guess I need to do those things anyways at some point, haha.

My plan is either today or tomorrow after work:
-route for the pickups
-drill the string through holes
-make recesses for the ferrules
-make recesses for the pots and switch, then drill the holes the sizes I need for those
-cut the nut slot
-sand out the tuner holes
-attempt to intonate the bridge and check the placement
-drill holes for the posts

After I get all that stuff done I can move onto shaping the body more, which I'm looking forward to.

I do have a bit of a problem I'm forseeing after that... When I have to crown my frets, my crowning file is for wide frets and I have medium frets on this one, so I'm not sure that file is going to work.

 

[lbridenstine]

Alright, progress!

I cut the nut slot and sanded out the tuner holes so they drop in easily.

Routed for pickups, drilled for pots, switch, and strings/ferrules and recessed everything since the top will be carved.

And I'm happy to say that I somehow was able to do this without a drill press and only drilled halfway through from each side and they line up PERFECTLY (even though it might not look like it in the picture).

I ran out of time for the bridge, but that's my next step.

 

[crazygtr]

You did line up those!!! It's amazing, given that I've seen those drilled with a drill press and indexing pin and don't look any better than yours. Congrats.

 

[lbridenstine]

You did line up those!!! It's amazing, given that I've seen those drilled with a drill press and indexing pin and don't look any better than yours. Congrats.

Thanks! That was probably the part I was the most nervous about doing, so I'm really excited that it turned out good and that it's over with!

 

[suraj]

It is simply genius to drill for the string through holes halfway from each side..!! And that goes for people who even use a drill press, albeit not a well set up one. Your work is looking very very clean and i'm excited to see how this turns out. Good job..!!

PS: Good job squaring up the pickup routes..!!

 

[lbridenstine]

Thanks Suraj! Unfortunately, I made a mistake today.

Yesterday I checked the intonation with the bridge floating above the spots I had marked to drill and it did intonate correctly, so I decided to keep them in the same spot.

Today, I extended the crosses where I was going to drill and I put painters tape over them and used the ends of the lines that were sticking out beyond the tape to redraw the crosses onto the tape so I had my drill points marked... but I was looking at the wrong line on one side, the line that was my extension of the neck taper and I ended up drilling that side in the wrong spot. I also grabbed the wrong size drill bit and it ended up being 1/32" bigger than I wanted the holes to be. I was going to leave it until I realized the one side was in the wrong spot, so I just plugged them both with dowel rods and I'll re-drill them next time I work on it. I hope the bridge will cover it up enough. Luckily the accidental hole was over maple, so the dowel rod matches pretty well.

I also did the roundover except the control cavity cover, which I'll have to do by hand so I don't cut into the magnets more.

I drilled the hole for the jack today too, but I need to widen it a little. My toggle switch came in the mail and apparently the hole size the guy told me was needed for it was not right at all, so I need to make that one bigger too.



Things left to do:
-Re-drill for the bridge and probably make a faux bridge recess to try to camouflage that one hole
-Sand other holes
-Belly cut
-Finish the heel shaping
-Carve the top
-Potentially make a headstock veneer that looks how it is now except without the scarf joint veneer showing
-Make pickup rings and a truss rod cover
-Fill the fret slot ends
-Work on the frets
-Sand
-Finish

I think that's everything.

 

[lbridenstine]

I re-drilled for the bridge posts. They line up now, so that’s good. It doesn’t look the best, but when the bridge is on, it shouldn’t be noticeable, especially after I get the front carved/sanded and get rid of the chip out around that left hole.

The pickups look like they're not lined up square with each other in this picture, but it's because the top one wouldn't seat all the way in one corner (I'll have to fix that), so it was propped up at a little angle.

Other than that, I worked on the back of the body today. I figured it’d be easier to clamp to the table while the front is still flat, so I might as well get the back done first. I basically finished shaping the heel, just needs some more sanding.

I carved the belly cut, I might extend it more, but I’m not sure yet. I like how it looks. I used a scraper all over the back to smooth it out a bit, and I also rounded over the control cavity cover and blended it into the other round over.

I was going to get into sanding it, but I want to use a power sander first to get out some bumps (and to make things go faster), but I didn’t want to wake everyone up with the noise. I can’t wait to get it sanded and see how the grain looks though. I can already see that it’s going to look good, but I think it will look better once it’s sanded up to 800 grit.

Here are some full body shots, front and back.

I'm really liking how it's turning out.

 

[crazygtr]

"I'm really liking how it's turning out."
That makes two of us. That repair on the post placement will be pretty much invisible once finished. Good work.

 

[lbridenstine]

"I'm really liking how it's turning out."
That makes two of us. That repair on the post placement will be pretty much invisible once finished. Good work.

Thanks!

 

[lbridenstine]

I finished sanding the back today. I'm hoping to work on the front tomorrow.

 

[lbridenstine]

Today was “screw up your guitar, but also get a lot done day.”


I started off with drilling the holes from the pickup routes to the control cavity. Actually, I drilled from the control cavity side because the fretboard was in the way from the front.

This one goes to the bridge pickup.

As you can see, the one for the neck pickup didn’t quite make it to the pickup route and drilled straight through the front of the body. Awesome. Luckily, I have a walnut dowel rod that was only 1/16” bigger than the hole, so I widened the hole and glued a piece of that in there (after the pictures) and assuming that still looks bad, my next option is gigantic pickup rings. I also had to end up drilling a hole from that pickup route to the next one, since I can’t use that other hole and I wish I would have done that in the first place!

I think I’m going to make the pickup rings out of those pieces of rosewood and depending on how that plug turns out, they may end up having to be this big.

I cut out the truss rod cover too and I like how it looks. It’s too thick, so I’ll have to thin it down, and the top part of it also needs to be shaped better, then I’m going to secure it to the headstock with magnets.

I cleaned up the corners of the pickup routes, so the pickups should fit in there good now. I also made a recess for the bridge, even though it will be floating over it, it was just to clean up the area from the plugs I put in before.

Then, I got started on the carved top. I used the router to route steps into the top, then smoothed it out with a curved scraper. It’s got a bit to go, but I like how it’s looking so far EXCEPT that the router dug into the ash on the bottom, so now I have to try to blend it and lose all that walnut down in that area.

 

[crazygtr]

Sorry to see the mishap, at this point I would start contemplating the possibility of a top.

 

[lbridenstine]

I got the plug glued in, sanded level with the surface, and I mixed epoxy and sawdust to fill in the cracks. It doesn’t look as horrible as I was imagining it might. With Tru-oil on there darkening the wood, maybe it won’t be too noticeable.

I tried to work on that bottom area a bit too. It’s mostly just all rasp marks right now, but you can see where I’m going with it.