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Down the rabbit hole again - Project 4350
- Thread starter ChickWithaRic
- Start date
You've been crazily busy I know, so I'm not trying to push you around
but have you yet gotten around to this? I'd like a copy.
It's coming. I had seriously underestimated the demands of family over the Christmas period and I've achieved very little as far as building a musical instrument goes. I haven't even gotten around to running a few lengths of ash through the table saw for my pedalboard project.You've been crazily busy I know, so I'm not trying to push you around
I think I can get it done this week, I have the MDF template sat right in front of me, but I only have an A4 scanner so I have to trace the outline onto two sheets, very carefully stitch them together in photoshop, then import that into illustrator to make the vector drawing.
Today was my first day without running around after people, and I've been amusing myself with pedals that perform much better than their price tags would suggest. And yes, that is a tub of Cascamite adhesive laying around on the floor. My practice room does get very messy when I'm enjoying myself.
There are some hidden gems in that little collection. You really don't need to spend a lot of money to have a lot of fun. I should probably build my pedalboard tomorrow. And at the same time cut out the body wings for Project 4350. I should probably do that.
There has been some progress, and it's only page 19. I feel the glow of achievement.
Working outside, because why not, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, first I have rough carved the neck to body transition. I won't be copying the pointless heel of the Rickenbacker. Largely because... well, it's pointless. Serves absolutely no purpose other than to obstruct access to the dusty frets. Weapon of choice was the mighty Graf Speedcutter in my 4 1/2" Hitachi grinder. Now, this is the ONLY time with a grinder that I will fit the disk using the proper pin wrench, and also use the side handle. The Speedcutter is very safe and controllable if you use it and fit it properly. If you don't, you're on your own. I can't help you. I'm not a nurse, dude.
Total time to achieve that carve - 90 seconds. These things are fast. Next I rough sawed the scarff joint. Just by hand, I see absolutely no point in spending hours on a scarff jig for my table saw when I only have one joint to cut.
That was finished with my block plane, cutting back to my line and checking constantly for flat and square. At this point, really, a little tiny bit of twist isn't going to hurt all that much but it's much better to avoid it.
That will do now, for the neck. I'll mix up some UF glue and put the splice on over the next day or so, then get it ready for the body wings.
Oh yeah, the body wings. Forgot those. I cut the blanks out, the tops are prana pine, the backs are western cedar just for a bit of local flavor. We grow that here in Oar-Gone you know. That's how you say Oregon if you're from here. Like, the Will-Mitt river. In Portland there's a street called Couch Street. It's not pronounced how it might seem.
Oh. Right. Wings. Again, rough cut, and they can also be glued up when I mix up a batch of UF.
Last of all I just tried it all out to see how it looks.
Yeah. That will do.
Working outside, because why not, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, first I have rough carved the neck to body transition. I won't be copying the pointless heel of the Rickenbacker. Largely because... well, it's pointless. Serves absolutely no purpose other than to obstruct access to the dusty frets. Weapon of choice was the mighty Graf Speedcutter in my 4 1/2" Hitachi grinder. Now, this is the ONLY time with a grinder that I will fit the disk using the proper pin wrench, and also use the side handle. The Speedcutter is very safe and controllable if you use it and fit it properly. If you don't, you're on your own. I can't help you. I'm not a nurse, dude.
Total time to achieve that carve - 90 seconds. These things are fast. Next I rough sawed the scarff joint. Just by hand, I see absolutely no point in spending hours on a scarff jig for my table saw when I only have one joint to cut.
That was finished with my block plane, cutting back to my line and checking constantly for flat and square. At this point, really, a little tiny bit of twist isn't going to hurt all that much but it's much better to avoid it.
That will do now, for the neck. I'll mix up some UF glue and put the splice on over the next day or so, then get it ready for the body wings.
Oh yeah, the body wings. Forgot those. I cut the blanks out, the tops are prana pine, the backs are western cedar just for a bit of local flavor. We grow that here in Oar-Gone you know. That's how you say Oregon if you're from here. Like, the Will-Mitt river. In Portland there's a street called Couch Street. It's not pronounced how it might seem.
Oh. Right. Wings. Again, rough cut, and they can also be glued up when I mix up a batch of UF.
Last of all I just tried it all out to see how it looks.
Yeah. That will do.
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Somewhere in a shed (mostly - I do have one board I got out and dared to cut up for a project that went elsewhere after I cut it up) I have a lovely pile of Port Orford Cedar from Coos Bay. The cut up board awaits a new project - no danger of tossing that out.
UF - you are going old school on the glue.
Resorcinol? probably not unless you want to have those dark glue-lines and full waterproof, I guess.
Plastic Resin Glue?
UF - you are going old school on the glue.
Resorcinol? probably not unless you want to have those dark glue-lines and full waterproof, I guess.
Plastic Resin Glue?
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I trust it for critical joints and where I want the glue to set up bone hard STOP SNIGGERING AT THE BACK and water/ humidity resistant. It's very stable, and I've never, ever, seen it fail along the glue line. I think it's the perfect glue, along with TB3 and the occasional squirt of polyurethane, for musical instruments.
Almost forgot these. The templates for the two layer pickguard. The real one will be plexiglass.
I'll include those with the PDF of the body template, which is underway.
There are also 1/16" iroko accent stripes to go between the body wings and the neck block, which I didn't cut to size yet. I'm really liking the figuring on those prana tops. I may have to go with a trans finish. Maybe even a fireglo.
I'll include those with the PDF of the body template, which is underway.
There are also 1/16" iroko accent stripes to go between the body wings and the neck block, which I didn't cut to size yet. I'm really liking the figuring on those prana tops. I may have to go with a trans finish. Maybe even a fireglo.
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The toxicity of UF glue is what keeps me from using it except in a few circumstances. I have cancer all over my family and I'm already walking around with a 10" scar down my chest, so I'd rather reduce every health risk chance I can.
Oh, and what' s prana pine? I've not heard of it and google produced pine coloured designer clothing.
Oh, and what' s prana pine? I've not heard of it and google produced pine coloured designer clothing.
Brazilian pine. It's not a member of the pine family at all, it's technically a softwood but in reality is about the same hardness and density as northern ash. It has a lovely straight grain which is typically free of knots, is stable, highly resistant to warping and splitting, machines nicely, and rings like a bell. It's now critically endangered, and there's a moratorium on its logging and export. You'll only find it reclaimed now, and as such it's a true rarity. Mine came from the treads of a staircase, which used to be a common use for it, that we removed in the course of a remodel.
I subscribe to Sawyer Designs on YT, he's in Portland. I asked him once "Which Portland?" and he replied "The one with the riots." 
Thanks for that! By the way, my pickguard (on my WBO build) will be plexiglass too! An appetizing lollipop see-through red.
I subscribe to Sawyer Designs on YT, he's in Portland. I asked him once "Which Portland?" and he replied "The one with the riots."
Overheard during the 2020 disturbances:
Protestor to cops: "You shoot like storm troopers!"
While I'm just laying things out I thought I'd show you how the neck to body transition works.
No heel at all, and it's just unnecessary having a heel. There's more than enough material there to ensure structural integrity, and this design feature is one of the major advantages of a neck through. I don't know why RIC don't do this. Actually, I do. The Rickenwaffen. They'd storm the factory waving Confederate flags, wearing red "Make Rickenbacker Great Again" hats, chanting "Hang John Hall", even though the poor guy has retired now.
No heel at all, and it's just unnecessary having a heel. There's more than enough material there to ensure structural integrity, and this design feature is one of the major advantages of a neck through. I don't know why RIC don't do this. Actually, I do. The Rickenwaffen. They'd storm the factory waving Confederate flags, wearing red "Make Rickenbacker Great Again" hats, chanting "Hang John Hall", even though the poor guy has retired now.
I think Rics always had the big honking heel because they had the huge Swimming Pool routes for neck pups in the 1/2" position, but then they kept it when they switched to 1" pup spacing. The classic case of customer expectation of "vintage" details wagging the dog, like Gibson headstocks, bad design Enshrined because that's how they did it in the 50's. Meh. Nice heel layout!
It's very similar to the old 80s Aria SB series. I just wanted to carry that elegant curve through, unbroken. I think it's the prettiest body Ric ever did, and it's been tragically underused. It's also very compact - significantly smaller, for example, than a Telecaster body.
I agree and that's the way I've done it since 1985. Here is my most recent.
