Build Thread: Todd Rose Allegheny with adjustable neck

[Todd Rose]

Thanks. I'll see what I can do to fix this.

[Todd Rose]

If anyone is still having trouble seeing the photos in this thread, please go here: https://www.facebook.com/todd.rose.7...=3&uploaded=16

[Todd Rose]

(deleted post)

[Maks Lavrov]

That's better, and that's a really nice bridge design! I like it.

[Todd Rose]

Originally Posted by Maks Lavrov

That's better, and that's a really nice bridge design! I like it.

Thanks, Maks!

[Todd Rose]

Some more photos of the bridge-making process...






(Of course, I sanded until all marks were gone, and then did it again, just to be sure.)


Mounted for carving -


Meticulously, painstakingly, time-consumingly carved -


Bridge pin holes chamfered -

[Todd Rose]

And, finally, it is meticulously, painstakingly, time-consumingly sanded and polished until it looks like this:

[Nemoman]

Very cool bridge design, Todd! (I can see the pics here once again...)

[Solariego]

Thanks for the continuing pictures Todd.

How did you create the 28' convex dome for shaping the underside of the bridge?

For mine, I made a convex profile that could be followed with the robosander, but you have to do it BEFORE the wings are tapered, or it flexes too much.

[Todd Rose]

I think I bought that one, but I have made others simply by sanding a piece of plywood or MDF inside a radius dish. To date, I have not made my own radius dishes. I've bought them, mostly from High Mountain Tonewoods.

http://www.highmountaintonewood.com/id27.htm

Sanding the radius into the bottom of the bridge requires careful attention and finesse-of-hand.

[Solariego]

Originally Posted by Todd Rose

I think I bought that one, but I have made others simply by sanding a piece of plywood or MDF inside a radius dish. To date, I have not made my own radius dishes. I've bought them, mostly from High Mountain Tonewoods.

http://www.highmountaintonewood.com/id27.htm

Sanding the radius into the bottom of the bridge requires careful attention and finesse-of-hand.

Doh! Of course, that would be simple. If you counter sunk a mounting bolt, you could spin it the end of a drill to make the sanding faster.

I'm also planning on making some large diameter (24") convex forms to use for making a "back taper profile" jig. Ie, cut out the shape of the guitar, tilt it on the outside of the sides to show you just where the sides need to be cut. I don't correctly, you could even use a router to trim the sides quickly.

But I'll need my CNC set up in order to make those well.

[Todd Rose]

It's time to put the neck on, just for a preliminary check of the adjustable neck joint system.



Left to right: The lower set screw, the bolt that holds the neck on, and the upper two set screws with their little jam nuts. EDIT after completing the guitar: In the end, I decided not to use the little jam nuts. One of the two upper set screws (the treble side one, which is much harder to access) is secured in place with thread locker. The other one, on the bass side, easy to get to through the sound hole, has no thread locker, so it can be easily adjusted if necessary. So far, with the guitar strung up, the neck position is perfectly stable.





Hardware in:



The three set screws form a tripod on which the neck stands, allowing for adjustment in all directions. In practice, the two top set screws will be set once when the guitar is complete, and probably never adjusted again.


Neck on:




With the neck on and the angle adjusted approximately right, I am happy that the gap at the bottom of the heel is a little bigger than at the top, as I had planned it to be. When I put the neck on for real, I will make the whole gap a little smaller by starting with the two top set screws projecting less.




It's a different look, for sure. I think it's cool how the neck appears to just kinda float there, as if held on by energy.







It's almost a guitar! (The bridge is just taped on with low tack tape for now.)

[fazool]

Awesome looking guitar and build

[Todd Rose]

Thanks, Fazool!

[Nemoman]

Very nice design, Todd. Really like how the neck profile mirrors the shape of the soundhole. Beautiful work--looking forward to hearing it with its neck in action!