First amateur scratch guitar build, continued: cedar/mahogany medium jumbo

[Neil K Walk]

More slow progress. Per Tim McKnight I used System 3 T-88 epoxy to mount the fretboard. I just took trimmed off the excess and put everything together tonight. The neck profile still needs to be refined and the inlays done but it's now that much closer to being a guitar. Here are some crappy teaser pics:









BTW, yes I still need to fix that purfling!

[Mary]

Neil, how does it feel to hold it? Hang on to that feeling. Sometime soon you can add 6 strings and make a little music.

[Neil K Walk]

Like a baseball bat. The neck is still very thick with more of a "D" shape than a "C"shape. The headstock's also on the thick side and I have to clean up the sides. I also to get my hands on a router with a 1/16" bit. The Dremel just wasn't cutting it for doing saddle slots.

[Neil K Walk]

I took a little time last night to mark where to put the fingerboard markers and after I put Joey on the bus I went and drilled the holes and stuck in the 2.3mm (3/32") dots in with some super glue. I used tweezers so luckily I was able to prevent gluing any parts of my body to the guitar. Afterward I went at the neck with a rasp and a sandpaper belt to refine the neck profile. It felt like I was gripping a baseball bat before and though I'm still not done (I need to removed about 1/16" from either side of the fretboard to get it down to 1-3/4" wide at the headstock end) I'm much closer to where I need to be. I also broke out the sanding wheel on my Dremel and cleaned up the edge of the fingerboard at the soundhole.

[Neil K Walk]

The tuning machines (replacement Shaller style Gotoh tuners recycled from my defunct Takamine) went on tonight after a few days of marking where I wanted to drill the holes in the headstock. I measured 3 times and even made a template/caul out of scrap maple but I still screwed it up so that I had to mount the tuning machines upside down. I kind of like the look though.

[KingCavalier]

WOW, I just spent the last 30 mins going through this post.
What a beauty, I can't wait to see this finished.

Thanks for posting this.

Scott

[Neil K Walk]

Thanks! Hopefully it will be done in time for the McJam!

[stuw]

Looking good, what kind of inlay are you planning?

[Mary]

Neil, check YOU out. I'm impressed with the way you have been plugging away. It will be done in time for the McJam. I am as positive as ever that you can do it! You still have time since the McJam isn't until June 14.

Maybe one of your thread "fans" will want to sign up to come to the McJam to see your first guitar close up and personal.

By the way, I have added a name or two to the list recently. This is the time to sign up since I still have a few more openings.

(McJam 2013 thread can be found in EVENTS area of AGF)

[arie]

getting better every post. nice going!

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by stuw

Looking good, what kind of inlay are you planning?

I haven't decided. I kind of like it plain. I have some scrap maple to use if I so decide but I'm just as likely to finish the headstock then maybe use some gold metallic gel paint to do my signature or some other symbol to be determined in calligraphy as homage to my visual art background.

[Neil K Walk]

The other night Kitchen Guitars chided me for jumping into a second build so quickly, so I decided to pay some attention to old #1 here. Last night I ventured forth and installed the frets.



I also checked with a 3' steel rule and everything seems to be seated level and the fretboard extension now lays flat on the top. Then I took off the neck, trimmed off all the rough ends and then filed them all flush. I bought a $10 set of jeweler's files to dress the frets.

I also have a a quart of 2 pound cut shellac dissolving right now so that I can go ahead with final sanding and then pore filling. The fretboard is 1.75" at the nut but I have to clean up the area so that everything's square. I also went back to clean up the best of my failed attempts at making a bridge.

[ZekeM]

Looking good! You are getting very close! Keep hanging in there.

[Neil K Walk]

Here are some pics of my first inspection of the frets. Things look pretty good because my 36" metal rule seems to be resting flush on all the frets but I'm sure things will present themselves once I use the caul and see if there are any raised frets or unseated edges.



Meanwhile, on the bridge end of things with the rule laying across the frets I'm looking for "ball park" height without taking a true measurement of taking the height of the saddle into account. The height of my bridge blank is 7/16":



Just for curiosity's sake I decided to check using my old lawsuit Tak's bridge. I had had that guitar set up for my preferences about 10 years ago:



Looks promising, but again I have to take the saddle height into account don't I? Anyway, here's the measurement of the old bridge's thickness (including some sections of ripped off spruce from the Tak's laminated top.)

[Mary]

I still have a couple of openings for the McJam, Neil. Maybe one of your fans will choose to sign up so they can see this baby first hand.

Keep going. You have about 6 more weeks. You can do it. You can do it.