Next Project ... opinions? ... & updates!

TTony

I've finished the easy wins, and the next one in the waiting room (aka the summerhouse) is a little tricksier.

Shared some of this before ... but here's the starting point;

All looking good so far.  

That's a nice 3-piece (Mahog/Maple I think) neck with an Ebony (again, I think) board, fully bound and with some tasty inlays.  That's the work of Mr @Wezv.

The neck is set into a nice lightweight and resonant 1-piece Mahog body, with the basic cut out work done.  I need to emphasise here that the neck-setting was NOT the work of Wez ...

Unfortunately, the neck was set at the wrong angle, so, running a straight edge along the top of the frets to the bridge position, you can see that I'd need a bridge height of 22mm-25mm (to allow for string clearance.

The other "gotcha" is that the neck was set in place *before* drilling the cable channel from the neck p'up cavity.  Steaming the neck out and re-setting it isn't really an option because (a) I don't have the kit and (b) I'd worry about the 3-piece neck becoming 3 pieces of neck.  Both the neck AND the body are too nice to sacrifice one to save and re-use the other - ideally.

I guess that sort of bridge height is not impossible, although I'd need to raise the p'ups out of the body a bit to keep them anywhere near the strings?  My thinking is that the easy way out won't be a nice enough solution.  It also wouldn't help with the gotcha of no cable channel.

So, I'm planning on sticking a cap on to raise the height of the face of the body.  

Except ...

... the roundover on the face of the body has already been done.  

The roundover is about a 7mm radius.

My thinking is;

- take 7mm off the existing top of the body so that I've got a flat face with no roundover.  I can do that with a thicknessing bit in my router, being very, very, VERY careful around the neck (ie I'll leave plenty of safety margin and clean that area up with a chisel or whatever afterwards).

- glue on a cap of c15mm

- sand and carve the cap away so that it's about 7mm thick at the neck and about the same around the edge of the guitar.  I'll leave that as a natural binding look when I finish the top.

- leave the thickness of the cap in place in the middle of the body (ie the bridge area)

- that would give me a gap between the straight edge and the top of the cap of (22mm+7mm-15mm 14mm at the bridge position, which should be fine for the bridge.

- that approach also means that I can either add a cable channel *before* gluing the top on, *OR* I can just use a bridge p'up and the empty neck cavity is invisible (which is what I'm thinking of doing).

Things to worry about;

- Not damaging the end of the neck when thicknessing the body (that's my main worry)

- Making an accurate template of the neck join area so that I can fit the cap without big gaps around the end of the fretboard (ok, not so hard, allow for a bit of trial and error with some paper/hardboard versions first)

- Getting my shaping of the cap reasonably accurate with a consistent 7mm edge around the outside of the body (take it slow and careful)

- Running out of time before I get it all done!

Anything else oh wise makers and modders?

WezV

so are you essentially planning on a cap that looks a little like this (i.e. top smaller than body shape)

http://www.guitarworld.com/files/imagecache/futureus_imagegallery_fullsize/gallery/Severn%20Tier2%20trembuck%20Spring2.jpg

 

not a bad way to go  but you could get a mroe traditional look by installing a full size top, filling the round over gap and binding  down to the level of the filler before doing a proper carve top

its a lot of work either way, and awkward working around the neck.

 

TTony

Not like that no - I was planning on taking 7mm off the thickness of the body so that the roundover was removed, and the cap would then go right out to the edges of the body.

Hadn't thought about filling the roundover in, but it would have to be a fairly wide bit of binding to cover the filled-in gap and the thickness of the cap.

I've got a big thicknessing/planing bit for the router that should take the 7mm off the top reasonably easily - but I'd have to keep a reasonably large gap around the neck that I'd then need to do with chisels (probably) and lots of sanding.

WezV

what you are saying makes more sense - go with that.   although filling the gap and binding would not need  really tall binding, it would need to cover the filler and about 2mm of cap, you could then carve down to the top of the binding leaving the new top 2mm thick at the edges.

The way you are suggesting is much easier, and using the router thicknesser around the neck is not too hard.   if you use a short milling bit you can use the edge of the neck as your template and go right up to it

Andyjr1515

Hi @TTony

Are you sure that removing the neck is a no-no?  The laminated neck isn't going to un-laminate itself as the heating would be restricted to the neck pocket area and I would have thought a heat gun and spatula knife (plus a load of patience) is all that would be needed?

Dunno - how would the others take a stub-set neck off (as I am probably talking out of where the sun don't shine)?

Andy

TTony

Andyjr1515 said:

Are you sure that removing the neck is a no-no? 

Am I "sure" ... no!

It might be the easier option (I've ever unglued a glued-in neck - a large part of me hopes that it wouldn't be too easy), although I've not got the steamer or decent heat gun to do it.  

It's one of @WezV 's necks, so I'd really be guided by him on the risks of attempting to remove it?

Andyjr1515

This guy uses a wallpaper stripper... 

Andyjr1515

Then again, there's the really professional approach here... 

Shark_Eyes

Andyjr1515 said:

Then again, there's the really professional approach here... 

I'm not sure about that guy, he seems like a serial killer for some reason.

How about a sandwich of different woods? So it'd be basewood, then a light wood, then a thinner maple cap?

WezV

The neck laminates are glued with titebond so will be susceptible to the heat.

as long as Si didn't glue it in with epoxy its worth a go with the heat - but its not without risk

TTony

Every example I've seen of a glued-in neck being removed, does it with the fretboard removed first.  And I don't want to do that as it's looking nicely bound and finished, and getting it back in place as nicely as it is now, wouldn't be easy!

Looking at the risk/effort balance, I think (optimistically) that both are probably lower with the original plan.  

Shark_Eyes said:

How about a sandwich of different woods? So it'd be basewood, then a light wood, then a thinner maple cap?

Hmmmm, what's your thinking there @Shark_Eyes - saving on the weight??

I did actually wonder about adding some chambers to the body before capping it.  That'd be quite feasible.

Shark_Eyes

Mostly weight saving, although it could look quite nice.

Chambering would be good idea, it'd be half semi-hollow and significantly lighter

impmann

Shark_Eyes;542906" said:

Mostly weight saving, although it could look quite nice.

Chambering would be good idea, it'd be half semi-hollow and significantly lighter

Now that is a good idea - adding the extra wood will inevitably make it heavier but routing/hogging it out to make acoustic pockets will give it an interesting tonal variation and save weight.
I'm not sure about an F-hole though - Hamer made a few semi hollow double cuts with an F hole and IMHO they looked a bit 'odd'. Maybe too much of a clash of styles...

Jalapeno

Could always rout the cap so it has the mirror bevelled edge then a tasteful inlay/beading to mask the join.  Maybe taper the current bevel a bit so it isn't such a drastic angle to match.

Same amount of sawdust and shavings - but nowhere near the good stuff, and less risky.

Something like this ...


You're certainly going to be ready for an archtop carve after, whatever you end up doing !

ThorpyFX

Jalapeno said:

Could always rout the cap so it has the mirror bevelled edge then a tasteful inlay/beading to mask the join.  Maybe taper the current bevel a bit so it isn't such a drastic angle to match.

Same amount of sawdust and shavings - but nowhere near the good stuff, and less risky.

Something like this ...


You're certainly going to be ready for an archtop carve after, whatever you end up doing !

I think this looks absolutely stunning. if you can pull this off then i think you'll have a winner!

GSPBASSES

The photograph below shows how you might want cut the cap in the form of a wedge, the line you see going round out side of the cap is how far down I will go with the carving. I think I put a link up last year on how I machined of the top of a guitar body.

 This body was going to be a L/P standard but when I started to machine the cap a blemish appeared so the cap will now be planed down to 5mm so the blemish will go, I taken about 5mm off the back and it will be turned in to a single cut L/P Jr. and sold as a "B" grade.The body and neck are Cedrela .

TTony

Jalapeno said:

Nice.  I have a feeling I should know what it is, but don't!

TTony

GSPBASSES said:

The photograph below shows how you might want cut the cap in the form of a wedge, the line you see going round out side of the cap is how far down I will go with the carving. I think I put a link up last year on how I machined of the top of a guitar body.

Yes, I think I'll probably plane the top into a slight wedge shape before I glue it on to the body.

Having thought about it overnight, I'm definitely going to chamber the body aggressively to offset the extra weight of the maple cap, and then carve the top in a vague approximation of a LP.  

A very vague approximation!

GuitarMonkey

You could always leave the body as is and fit a Bigsby and "bow tie" floating aluminium bridge? The height would work to its advantage.

TTony

GuitarMonkey said:

You could always leave the body as is and fit a Bigsby and "bow tie" floating aluminium bridge?

But then I'd never play it.

:P

Jalapeno

TTony said:

Jalapeno said:

Nice.  I have a feeling I should know what it is, but don't!

No idea - I just looked for sandwiched body - the link in the pic says Carvin