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Can I save this guitar? (6 string piccolo hollowbody)
- Thread starter reverendrally
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- hollowbody piccolo save string
So, I found a lamb for the slaughter...
I've had this awful MIJ melody maker for a while. My bro gave it to me for parts. Whammy neck, ply body, gotoh tuners and a P90. So I'm going to harvest the parts for the dot. Specifically the headstock...
It's nearly spot on. Then I can pretend its a real Gibson.
Not really. It'll be better than a Gibson.
I'll also steal the trussrod for my son's shortscale bass. Seems like a plan.
Still haven't decided whether I'll lift the board off the dot to glue in the new head stock. I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.
I've had this awful MIJ melody maker for a while. My bro gave it to me for parts. Whammy neck, ply body, gotoh tuners and a P90. So I'm going to harvest the parts for the dot. Specifically the headstock...
It's nearly spot on. Then I can pretend its a real Gibson.
Not really. It'll be better than a Gibson.
I'll also steal the trussrod for my son's shortscale bass. Seems like a plan.
Still haven't decided whether I'll lift the board off the dot to glue in the new head stock. I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.
Pulled the cream guitar down this evening and took a trip down memory lane...
Life before routers. Ouch.
I think my brother did this with a screwdriver.
At least I got these dowels correct... sort of. Then the real work started.
I decided I'd try and save the fingerboard, because rosewood is now covered by CITES and I'll never see any otherwise.
It came off pretty easily, but it was a little bend afterwards. So I'm flattening it out.
Unfortunately, the trussrod was not what I was hoping for. It's a weird, huge aluminium thing. This neck was always known for being a little bit flexy and now I can see why. I was wanting to use this truss rod in a short scale bass for my son, but I really don't think that's a good idea now. @Bruce Johnson I'd love to hear your thoughts on this thing. Is it usable or should I run away fast?
My other problem is that the rod has left a HUGE slot in the neck near where I was hoping to use it for the dot graft. I could fill the slot and re-route it, but that is feeling like hard work.
The other weird thing is the laminations in this neck.
I don't know if you can see the line, but it's around 1/4" off the centre line. Just why they thought this was a good idea is beyond me. I guess on the upside, it's not actually warped. It just wasn't stiff enough.
All in all, while I'm slightly disappointed by what I found inside, I'd call it a victory. The board came off very easily and is more than usable for another guitar in the future. I've also learned a new skill. Which was kind of the point with this project anyway. I'm in two minds about putting the dot on the bench and pulling the board off that now. I'll keep thinking about it. If anyone has any wisdom about that trussrod, please speak up. Love to know more about it.
Life before routers. Ouch.
I think my brother did this with a screwdriver.At least I got these dowels correct... sort of. Then the real work started.
I decided I'd try and save the fingerboard, because rosewood is now covered by CITES and I'll never see any otherwise.
It came off pretty easily, but it was a little bend afterwards. So I'm flattening it out.
Unfortunately, the trussrod was not what I was hoping for. It's a weird, huge aluminium thing. This neck was always known for being a little bit flexy and now I can see why. I was wanting to use this truss rod in a short scale bass for my son, but I really don't think that's a good idea now. @Bruce Johnson I'd love to hear your thoughts on this thing. Is it usable or should I run away fast?
My other problem is that the rod has left a HUGE slot in the neck near where I was hoping to use it for the dot graft. I could fill the slot and re-route it, but that is feeling like hard work.
The other weird thing is the laminations in this neck.
I don't know if you can see the line, but it's around 1/4" off the centre line. Just why they thought this was a good idea is beyond me. I guess on the upside, it's not actually warped. It just wasn't stiff enough.
All in all, while I'm slightly disappointed by what I found inside, I'd call it a victory. The board came off very easily and is more than usable for another guitar in the future. I've also learned a new skill. Which was kind of the point with this project anyway. I'm in two minds about putting the dot on the bench and pulling the board off that now. I'll keep thinking about it. If anyone has any wisdom about that trussrod, please speak up. Love to know more about it.
No wisdom to offer on the trussrod, but since I think your chances of finding a replacement are slim and none, options are few. @brucejohnson could make one, I’m sure, but it may not be worth the investment. In your shoes I’d do exactly what you described, infill the old slot and route for a new rod, I’d do a modern double action rod. I don’t think it would be as difficult as it may seem, it’s just a straight, single depth cut for a DA rod.
Sorry, just to clarify.
The headstock will go on the Epiphone Dot picture in the OP.
The trussrod I was hoping to put in a shortscale bass for my son.
The rest is junk.
Agree with @Gilmourisgod, fill with some nice, stable wood after rerouting a clean slot, then reslot and use a double-action tr.
That neck was designed that way! A master artisan read the grain of the wood and laminated with perfect balance. That line is not "off," but assymetric!
Nice save on the fretboard, but to make sure it flattens better, I'd add an anvil or two.
(you're sure that is MIJ??!!?? Kinda embarrassed ...)
Cheers!
That neck was designed that way! A master artisan read the grain of the wood and laminated with perfect balance. That line is not "off," but assymetric!
Nice save on the fretboard, but to make sure it flattens better, I'd add an anvil or two.
(you're sure that is MIJ??!!?? Kinda embarrassed ...)
Cheers!
Sorry, just to clarify.
The headstock will go on the Epiphone Dot picture in the OP.
The trussrod I was hoping to put in a shortscale bass for my son.
The rest is junk.
Headstock on Dot is
Not sure about reusing that trussrod ... I think a regular guitar double-action rod would work better on a short-scale. At least, that's what I did on my 30" Chinaberry. That big old thing will remove a lot of wood, and you may have the same flopsy issues you saw with the Melody Maker ... or even more with heavy bass strings.
Looking forward to your FrankenDot!
OK, so this afternoon, I had a quick go at separating the board from the neck on the dot. I started by drilling pinning holes for re-gluing the board.
This all went fine until I started trying to heat the board up with my close iron. I'm not sure what the issue was, but I couldn't get it to separate. This included applying the iron directly to end of the board (not just the frets) with some baking paper in between. Just couldn't get my spatula in there. So whatever Epiphone is using to attach the two is pretty solid. I could have got my heat gun out, but I'd ruin the paint. Or, I could have pulled the frets, but the stock frets are in such good nic it would be a waste. So taking Bruce's earlier advice into account, I started chiselling.
This really isn't my preferred method of repair, but we do what we can. Right? I'll start by gluing a reverse scarf. I may yet rout slots as well. Have to see how the joint goes. On the upside, the mahogany the Dot is made from is so nice to carve. I'm used to much harder aussie timbers. Also, the slot in the MIJ neck is not that much bigger than the Dot's allen nut. I'll see how much bigger and go from there I guess.
This all went fine until I started trying to heat the board up with my close iron. I'm not sure what the issue was, but I couldn't get it to separate. This included applying the iron directly to end of the board (not just the frets) with some baking paper in between. Just couldn't get my spatula in there. So whatever Epiphone is using to attach the two is pretty solid. I could have got my heat gun out, but I'd ruin the paint. Or, I could have pulled the frets, but the stock frets are in such good nic it would be a waste. So taking Bruce's earlier advice into account, I started chiselling.
This really isn't my preferred method of repair, but we do what we can. Right? I'll start by gluing a reverse scarf. I may yet rout slots as well. Have to see how the joint goes. On the upside, the mahogany the Dot is made from is so nice to carve. I'm used to much harder aussie timbers. Also, the slot in the MIJ neck is not that much bigger than the Dot's allen nut. I'll see how much bigger and go from there I guess.
I've just come back from the US and spent 5 weeks travelling with a Traveler AG105e. I enjoyed the neck so much I've decided to put the hardware from build #13 on it instead. I could transplant the headstock easily enough, but why be normal when you can do something interesting. Right?
Besides, I've already been to Normal... Normal, Illinois that is. As close as I'll ever get to normal.
Besides, I've already been to Normal... Normal, Illinois that is. As close as I'll ever get to normal.
Coming late to the thread but I'm wondering whether there's opportunity to go headless? I mean it's not going to be the real thing when you're done either way and it'd be a different save.
Had a look at the headless bridge piece I had and of course, they're slightly wrong for guitar ball ends. So I've just ordered a set of these. I know I could make my own, but for the price and the fluffing around with fasteners... and trying to find the right knurled knobs I think this is the right approach.
6 Pcs Black Headless Guitar Bridge String Saddles-in Guitar Parts & Accessories from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
6 Pcs Black Headless Guitar Bridge String Saddles-in Guitar Parts & Accessories from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
