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  #61  
Old 10-12-2018, 06:57 AM
GrimesGrimes GrimesGrimes is offline
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Untitled by David Emm

Untitled by David Emm

Untitled by David Emm

Untitled by David Emm

Untitled by David Emm

Untitled by David Emm

Hey guys, sorry to jump back in the thread like this, but I've got a question with the head block.
The plans that im using at the moment don't have any sort of fretboard extension piece on the headblock.

Are the necessary? I don't see them on every build thread. I'm guessing their purpose is to keep the fretboard from warping or cracking the soundboard beween the neck and soundhole?

I ask because i've already glued in my headblock without the extension?
If necessary what are my options at this point? Cut an inch or so out of my current headblock and add in an extension? Can I add it onto my soundblock as is?

Other than that this build is great. Can't wait to see the finished guitar.
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  #62  
Old 10-12-2018, 09:05 AM
BradHall BradHall is offline
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Looks like you already have a significant block on the top. If you were to extend it wouldn't it interfere with your top horizontal braces?
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  #63  
Old 10-12-2018, 09:25 AM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BradHall View Post
Looks like you already have a significant block on the top. If you were to extend it wouldn't it interfere with your top horizontal braces?
The images are David's: the question is GrimesGrimes'.


The extension isn't mandatory, depending upon the overall scheme of one's construction. Many guitars have successfully been made without it. There does need to be some support, however, to resist the forces of the neck in that area. There are numerous ways to provide that support.

As part of the approach that I use, I adjust the truss rod from the sound hole through a hole in the upper transverse brace. Amongst other things, the extension provides support for the truss rod, which extends to the upper transverse brace just above the sound hole. That eliminates "fishing" for the truss rod nut that's "somewhere" at the end block.
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  #64  
Old 10-12-2018, 03:59 PM
emmsone emmsone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GrimesGrimes View Post
Hey guys, sorry to jump back in the thread like this, but I've got a question with the head block.
The plans that im using at the moment don't have any sort of fretboard extension piece on the headblock.

Are the necessary? I don't see them on every build thread. I'm guessing their purpose is to keep the fretboard from warping or cracking the soundboard beween the neck and soundhole?

I ask because i've already glued in my headblock without the extension?
If necessary what are my options at this point? Cut an inch or so out of my current headblock and add in an extension? Can I add it onto my soundblock as is?

Other than that this build is great. Can't wait to see the finished guitar.
Hi GrimesGrimes
Well let me give you my opinions on the neck block and explain why I installed it as I did. I'm clearly not the authority here but i'm starting to understand some of the concepts involved.
I think you actually don't 'need' that extension, many guitars do not have that and it doesn't cause them problems. As Charles also mentioned in his reply, there usually does need to be some kind of reinforcement in that area, either using an additional brace, or a patch, or something to that effect. The extended neck block pretty much incorporates this job into its own. The extended neck block would be heavier than an additional brace or soundboard patch etc.

There are 3 reasons why I used an extended neck block on this build
1) The bolt-on/bolt-off neck joint I used requires it. The neck extension that runs under the fretboard requires this extended horizontal block for it to sit in and to be bolted through.
2) it does exactly what I just suggested above, it incorporates that reinforcement into the one thing. I like to try and simplify things (if i can!!! I often go the other way in the process of trying to simplify!)
3) I have a feeling (it may be complete nonsense) that the fact that the neckblock extends along and under the soundboard further and is glued to the soundboard will slightly reduce the amount of torque produced by the strings on the neck/body joint pivot-point and that reduced torque 'may' help keep the neck angle set as I originally intended it for longer.
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  #65  
Old 10-13-2018, 03:50 AM
GrimesGrimes GrimesGrimes is offline
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Awesome. Thanks guys. I'll have to take another look at my plans when I get home maybe there's an extra brace their to account for the extra forces. If not ill figure a way to get that extra bit od added stiffness in there. Appreciate it.
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  #66  
Old 10-14-2018, 12:29 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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David, great work so far!
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  #67  
Old 10-15-2018, 02:51 AM
emmsone emmsone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LouieAtienza View Post
David, great work so far!
Thanks Louie!



Just so you all know, the reason why there hasn't been much activity on this thread recently is that the guitar has been sitting with my finisher in the UK for the last few weeks. Hopefully the lacquering will start this week. I'll post some images of the finishing process when it all starts.
The guitar will be assembled and strung up when I'm back there over the Christmas period.

I'll also be starting another nylon crossover build shortly, so keep an eye out for the build thread for that!
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  #68  
Old 10-15-2018, 11:27 AM
Talldad Talldad is offline
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Tell me thats a community workshop in the background and not your very own man-pad. I am burning up with jealousy.

Look stunning that leopardwood redwood combo.
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  #69  
Old 10-15-2018, 03:22 PM
emmsone emmsone is offline
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Originally Posted by Talldad View Post
Tell me thats a community workshop in the background and not your very own man-pad. I am burning up with jealousy.

Look stunning that leopardwood redwood combo.
Thanks very much! its quite interesting in that the reaction to the leopardwood from people who have seen it in person is very much love it or hate it, so far there do seem to be more on the love side, but there definitely aren't many fence sitters.

You are indeed correct, this is a public access woodwork workshop here in Switzerland. I don't have my own workshop and even if i did, i don't think i'd actually want something this big for just myself! This is just the main room, theres a 'big tool' room in the back with 2 large table saws, a huge jointer, a thicknesser, the longest belt sander i've ever seen, another belt sander, a fairly large disc sander a lathe, a very large bandsaw and a few other bits of pieces that aren't in working order. Most people who come here are cabinet makers or people building furniture for their homes, hence the large tooling.
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  #70  
Old 12-14-2018, 04:37 PM
emmsone emmsone is offline
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Well I haven't had much to post lately because my guitar is in a different country to me and is currently residing with the finisher. This will change next week as I will be able to pick the guitar up on Thursday and hopefully get it finished, strung up, and photographed over the Christmas / New Year holiday period.

Something i've done in the meantime was to make a(nother) duplicate bridge but this time from from Ebony. It was mostly to test out the weight difference. I didn't realise until i photographed them right now that the wings aren't identical and I can probably remove a few more grams from the Ebony bridge if I do that. Right now the Rocklite one sits at 19.0g and the Ebony bridge at 24.8g. I was leaning towards using the Rocklite one but if I do decide to slightly increase the size of the wings on the Ebony bridge and end up with 23.5ish, i think I may end up installing that one. They both still need finish sanding and oiling though, that will be done this week.

I've also been planning the next build (of which i'll start another build thread for) and that should be starting in the first week or so of January 2019


Excitingly I also received a few pictures from the finisher yesterday which I shall share with you. This thing is going to be spectacular.

Due to the delay in the finishing process I have decided to look into doing my own finishing in the future, I now have access to a spray booth so I invested in a gun, and am testing the Crystalac Brite Tone water based products.
I decided to build a Telecaster to test the spraying on as a) i don't have a telecaster and b) if the lacquering goes wrong I can sand it all off again virtually without issue. It was supposed to be a simple slab ash body but I couldn't bring myself to do something so plain. I went with an ash body with a flame maple cap, I included an arm rest, binding, belly cut and heel access cutaway, and then went for an outrageous roasted flame maple neck and a Pau Ferro Fretboard.

My experience with the Crystalac products has been ok so far, after a few dodgy spray attempts with the sealer (my technique) I seemed to have improved enough to get a decent finish, especially on the front.
But after 6 total attempts (spray and sand it all off) to do the back, that's still a mess and after the last effort I discovered why. It turns out the workshop / spray booth heating does not run all the time and drops not just below the recommended minimum temperature (18-20C) but almost to freezing point overnight. The last 2 attempts seemed to have gone on great in the booth but by the time it dried/cured (5-6 days and still wasn't dry, its supposed to be touch dry in 30 mins and resprayable in 2 hours), it was looking very patchy. I eventually took it home and when I went to move it the next morning i found it had cured hard and thus I discovered the problem. I am now going to be investing in an electric powered oil radiator to keep in the spray booth and i'll leave it on almost permanently while the spray process is ongoing when i get back to that in the new year. (if it was my spray booth i'd be investing in a heating system but its not and the owner doesn't want to do that). Live and learn.

And now to the whole point of this post, the pictures.

Ebony and Rocklite bridges
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

Ebony and Rocklite bridges back to back
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

The RIDICULOUS redwood top
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

The super nice Leopardwood back
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

The stabilised maple end graft just jumps out
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

and the flamed maple and mahogany neck isnt bad either
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

Telecaster body pre- pickup /cavity routing but with 2 sealer coats on.
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

body with pickup and control cavities routed. i'm eventually hoping for a piano black back...
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr

The crazy roasted maple neck with oil finish on it
Untitled by David Emm, on Flickr
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  #71  
Old 12-14-2018, 04:58 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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The enblock reminds me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

By the way, don’t be too quick to kick you’re finishing guy to the curb. That finish looks awful nice!
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  #72  
Old 12-14-2018, 05:03 PM
Ct20 Ct20 is offline
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The acoustic looks impressively good! Good work!
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  #73  
Old 12-15-2018, 06:19 AM
emmsone emmsone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
The enblock reminds me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

By the way, don’t be too quick to kick you’re finishing guy to the curb. That finish looks awful nice!
Well, i'm not well enough up on art to comment on that specifically, but i always thought it looks a bit night sky/galaxy-like.
I'd love to keep using him, his finishes are outstanding but his availability is decreasing and also its not always so convenient to have your finishing done so far away and in this case even in another country. I hope to still use his finishing here and there at least initially but if I have to switch to doing it myself i'll be prepared

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ct20 View Post
The acoustic looks impressively good! Good work!
Thanks! these pictures are all I have at the moment and its been months since I last picked it up so i'm itching to get my hands back on it next week!
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  #74  
Old 12-15-2018, 08:26 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Starry Night:




Emmsome night:

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  #75  
Old 12-15-2018, 08:34 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Clearly, posting pictures isn’t working for me ��
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