Flying V build

Kalimna

Not without going through the grits again. Maybe i will, but to be honest, im not too concerned.
I have considered making a case before, but realise that Hiscox will do a much better job!

greggreg66

Managed to get the tiniest bit more done on the guitar, which was to get the headstock veneer on (I used beech), copy rout it to shape (I did a climb cut to avoid tear-out, worked beautifully), cut the truss access slot and also plane down and cut the fretboard to length. The truss access admittedly is a little long... it finished where I intended it to, but on reflection it could have been smaller / shorter. Ah well. 

As mentioned previously, I've decided to go with a two-way truss to avoid doing the Gibson style truss access slot I messed up previously. 

The only "issue" I have at the moment is that the mortice on the body has widened presumably as the wood has maybe dried out a tad further since routing it. This means the snug fit of the neck is now a bit loose. I will glue a veneer to the side of the tenon and then re-sand to fit. 





It's quite long and pointy!



And just for fun.....

TTony

That’s looking very neat & tidy.

greggreg66

Thanks Tony!

PeteC

Very clean looking - nice work ! 

Keep the pics coming

greggreg66

Finding it difficult to get time to work on the guitar as work is a bit all-consuming at the moment. Managed to get the fret slots cut, fretboard glued on and the neck tapered. Almost had another router based mega disaster.... was using the follower bit to trim the excess and didn't notice I'd lowered the cutter so much that the bearing wasn't registering on the neck, so it nicked into the side a bit. I think ultimately I will get away with it as by the time the fretboard is radiused and shaped it'll only show a touch and I'll be able to fill the tiny little bit that remains. I guess thats what happens when you try and find time at the end of a long day when you're tired!





The damage....



Just for fun, a quick layout of parts. I need to reshape the shoulders on the body as I no longer want the sharp edges, so will hopefully get a chance to do that soon.

Kalimna

Looking very nice. Those P90]s look the biz on that body!

TTony

Kalimna said:

Looking very nice. Those P90]s look the biz on that body!

^^ he's right!

 

PeteC

Looks great Greg .   Fantastic pics !   The neck ding is a bit of character.  Your work is so neat .   The mock up looks very promising, that V is going to really rock!   Keep the pics coming, it’s helping spur me on!  

greggreg66

Thanks guys!

PeteC said:

Keep the pics coming, it’s helping spur me on!  

Likewise!

greggreg66

A quick question for the more seasoned builders....

I'm just in the process in laying out the binding and wondering what glues people are using. I've seen three options so far: acetone, superglue or the plastic cement stuff. I have all three in the workshop (having just bought some Ruderer "binding glue" plastic cement) and have tried all three, but found superglue is the strongest as the other two didn't seem to be that strong? 

I also didn't realise that binding is just ABS, so I could have gone for something far more funky from an edgeband supplier as opposed to cream - maybe next time!

... I've conveniently cropped out the lower bout curve because it's a bit crap looking at the minute!



Progress is fairly slow otherwise as work is really busy. I did however buy a tasty Felder sanding bobbin for my spindle moulder (our regular bobbin sander is rubbish) so I have at least managed to thickness sand my headstock. I'm tempted to attempt a volute

PeteC

Great progress - love the binding work.    What neck wood is that ?  Mahogany or Utile ? The grain looks nice and dense.    

greggreg66

Thanks Pete. It's a Sapele neck with a beech veneer on the headstock, nothing fancy! 

Roland

greggreg66 said:

I'm just in the process in laying out the binding and wondering what glues people are using. I've seen three options so far: acetone, superglue or the plastic cement stuff.

@WezV advocates plastic cement (methyl chloride). It’s certainly easier to use because it doesn’t stick anything apart from the plastic. With superglue your fingers can stick to the guitar, and to any tape. Superglue can also mess up the finish if it seeps out. My preference is to use plastic cement, and then superglue for remedying any bits which don’t stick properly.

 I haven’t tried acetone for binding. When I last used it on plastic models it was harder to use than methyl chloride because it tended to get absorbed by the plastic, making it pliable. However that’s exactly what you want for binding. In those days you could buy ether and acetone from a chemist. I suppose you could try nail varnish remover, which i think is acetone plus oils to counteract the damage acetone does to skin and nails.

greggreg66

Thanks so much Roland. 

I will use the plastic cement in this case as I totally see your point re superglue. I do have boat loads of acetone as I do a lot of spraying finishing at work so have a good 25L drum of it kicking about! But I feel more confident with the cement. 

Cheers!

g

greggreg66

Managed to make a bit more progress over the last couple of days. Got the fretboard radiused, bound the body and routed the control cavity.

I thought the rosewood piece was nice after planing it, but after sanding the radius in it was even nicer. I haven't checked the slot depths yet. I stupidly ordered 4mm fretboards dots by accident, so need to try and exchange these for 6mm so I can then get those in. Will hopefully get the tuner holes done on Sunday. 



I'm also really happy with how the binding looks. I used plastic cement in the end. I also boshed some low viscosity superglue over the top for good measure haha!!





I really hate the burnt neck pocket from an earlier mishap / blunt cutter combo. However, the binding has stuck well. 

PeteC

that is looking really good indeed - that binding is so neat. Love the wood combination , and yes you should be very pleased with the Rosie board.   Cant wait to hear it ! 

greggreg66

Thanks Pete! The more I do, the more I want to do and the more pressured I'm feeling to not make any more mistakes! Really enjoying the process too. Loving your build too!!

greggreg66

Did some neck carving today. It feels great, but I think it's a bit thick still. Would be great if anyone has any suggestions for thicknesses.... I was aiming for about 21mm at the 1st fret and 25mm at the 12th, but as you can see from the pics I'm a bit over. Feels good, but over time I wonder if it might feel a bit too thick maybe... and I do usually like a thick neck! 

I tried to template the neck on my junior



I'm getting there... (note the template changes as I cocked the first one up haha!). I've got it a bit closer since taking this pic. 
 

Starting to look cool though! (yes I have some tearout on my tuner holes, grrrr!)



First fret



12th...



Onwards!

IvisonGuitars

Very nice Greg! 

Regarding your neck measurements, if it feels good to you that’s the main thing. On the vintage Gibson’s I’ve had/have and measured, there tends to be (and all these measurements are averages) about a 2mm difference from the 1st to the 12th - so a 5mm difference may feel a little excessive over time.

My favourite neck that I like to reference when i’m carving is a ‘56 TV Model, for size I like to be roughly 22.5mm at the first and then 24.5mm at the 12th, I then shape the shoulders by feel.

You could glue up the neck, string it up and see how it feels and then - and this will be even easier than normal with a V as there’s no body horns in the way is to fine tune the carve to suit.

A big thing I learnt early on (and I’m sure you’ll be aware of this too) is much of the perceived thickness of the neck is actually in the shoulders. You can have two necks that measure exactly the same front to back but FEEL totally difference due to how much shoulder you carve.

I LOVE carving necks, it’s my favourite part of the build! Another tip I picked up (again, you’re probably all over it) is, once I have the final carve, I like to go up through the grits of paper holding the heel of the neck in my right hand and with the paper in my left in the playing position and rub it backwards and forwards, I feel it really helps the neck feel good in the hand.....just don’t do it with you back to your workmates...