1Q22 Challenge Cano LP DC Kit Guitar Build

WezV

basically, shim the bridge up till you get a good action measurement at the 12th fret, and see if you are happy with the height of the bridge

andy_k

I didn't mean to say it was a 'cheap' kit, just assumed as much if bought from China.
It looks pretty nice, but I agree, better to get some known decent frets in there at this point.
It is a nice feature to have a rosewood binding, so that makes the fret job a little more fiddly, should look nice.
Neck pocket looks pretty good to me, hard to check action with neck not under tension, but if it is flat, you can assume the action will increase with relief, so it might pay to decide how high you want bridge to sit when the guitar is finished, ideally will alow a small amount of adjustment up and down, once strings are on and wood has settled.
All this depends on your choice of strings and action, and is much easier to fix with a bolt on neck.
Patience will be a virtue on this build.

Cano

Nah you're right. It's cheap, just paid too much for it. But if I'm going to refret it anyway that's not really an issue. I've got replacement fret pullers coming tomorrow and I'll call Feline Guitars in the morning to get some quality pre cut wire. 

Patience will definitely be the key. I may end up like a stuck record asking lots of qs before I go ahead and risk irreversible damage. 

TTony

Are you planning on refretting with the binding in place, or removing the binding, refretting, and then rebinding?

Either way, a bit more complex than refretting on an unbound neck.

Cano

Leaving the binding in place. I realise I'm going to be spending a day trimming fret tangs. 

paulnb57

Not so long back I defretted a Strat neck to install custom inlays then refretted, I was amazed how straightforward the whole process was, admittedly it wasnt bound, but I watched a lot of YouTube vids beforehand

Cano

WezV said:

i would be taking a little of the heel, it doesn't need much though.

The bridge will sit slightly higher once installed, it will then need to rise up 3-4mm to get the right action, assuming 1.5-2mm action at the 12th fret.  it will sit a few mm higher than where your ruler is now

Just checking - are you saying that you would adjust the neck angle to be leaning back more or forward more?

WezV

to get the bridge lower, the neck angle needs to be shallower.

although looking at the neck join on this kit that will be more difficult than it would be on a full width tenon used on vintage juniors and specials

before you do anything, just make sure you properly assess how high the bride is going to si once strung up.  It may be fine, hard to tell from a pic. 

To do this get something to raise the bridge with, a pack of playing cards works well.  add cards until your ruler sits at the height you would want you string to be at.... how high is the bridge from the face of the guitar?

Cano

Got it! Thanks, that's much clearer for my fuzzy brain (seriously I feel like my brain is hibernating sometimes).

For my next question, the tuner holes are too small for the Gotoh tuners I have. I've seen one video where the holes are opened up with a hand-reamer from each side and then finished off with a run through the hole with a drill.  Is this the best approach?

WezV

Yes, Trying to drill them can be dangerous, especially with  a hand drill.... but if you have to then gradually going up drill sizes does take some risk out of it..   reamers are a useful tool to have though

andy_k

Useful tip, run the drill backwards, cuts slowly but doesn't grab. Ream from both sides, or just from the back if the ferrules / threaded bushes are smaller. 
Often it is only the holes on the back side that need to be enlarged, the front side uses a smaller internal thread.

Cano

Good call, I'll double check the ferrules vs the front of the holes in the morning. Reamer arrived tonight so that's one job I should be able to get off the list quickly. 

paulnb57

 A Taper reamer isnt expensive, drilling and splitting the headstock is a royal pain, I did, then bought a reamer

https://www.amazon.co.uk/reamer-3mm-12mm-carbon-steel-ENGINEER/dp/B002F9MOG2/ref=asc_df_B002F9MOG2/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309816003291&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2029050857407392473&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007040&hvtargid=pla-350914234257&th=1

Cano

That's the exact reamer I got yesterday

Cano

The Hand Reamer worked a treat. Just opened up the hole from the back, the front was fine for the ferrule. 

Very glad that's an easy fix.

paulnb57

Excellent!

Cano

4 down, 2 to go although one of the holes isn't exactly a circle anymore  The tuners still fit well with no wiggle.

Cano

So, the first fret that wouldn't fully seat on this rosewood bound fretboard.... found the reason.

paulnb57

Oh dear, time to learn to refret?

ThePrettyDamned

Good job on the reamer. Mine saved my les paul build, i had bad tear our when drilling the cavity holes so I only drilled to 5mm (I think) then renamed the rest of the way. Didn't take too long and left with a clean hole.

Also needed to clean the headstock tuner holes as finish ran in - reamer did a perfect job. 

Good luck on the fret work! I assume you only need to replace one - or are you thinking of doing a full refret? I might look for a cheap old neck to learn how to do this on...