First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:27 pm

Still waiting for the lacquer to finish gassing off, I've wetsanded it up to 800 grit so far. It was really nice out today, had it out hangin' in the shade:

Image

User avatar
antisymmetric
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3601
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:32 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by antisymmetric » Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:44 pm

8)Looking great, nearly there!
Yeah the waiting can be maddening, I've been rubbing my project guitar down after the long wait, now I've got a couple of sand-throughs, so have to add more lacquer and the waiting continues. :squint:
Watching the corners turn corners

User avatar
the older brother
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 10693
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:12 pm
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden.
Contact:

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by the older brother » Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:58 am

ForcedFire wrote:Still waiting for the lacquer to finish gassing off, I've wetsanded it up to 800 grit so far. It was really nice out today, had it out hangin' in the shade:

Image
Looks really great! I love bursts - none ends up the same.

I also like your "hanger" solution. Smart. :)
Someone knows where I can find the nearest woodchipper to throw my pieces of junk into?

User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:49 am

I'm sure you guys are getting sick of waiting for the FINALE...

I had a few sand throughs on the sides of the headstock and the side of the body. I got them touched up nicely. Then I started wetsanding the headstock at 2000 grit and right at the end a little water got into a tuner hole somehow and the walnut veneer on the headstock face swelled up a littl :fp: . Well I let it dry and buffed it out.

I put the tuners on and installed the truss rod cover. I think it looks fine, really hard to photograph.

I think it looks wicked actually...

Image

Image

After buffing the sides I think I rushed it a little, still smells a bit. I'm going to let the touch ups air out a little more before continuing.

User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Sat Oct 15, 2011 1:39 pm

I strung it up with the ABR-1 on some cardboard bits to locate the tune-o-matic bridge post locations. I played it a bit and does propping the bridge up on cardboard ever make it sound bad!! So mid-range-y, bad sustain, etc...

Today I located the post holes with a brad point bit after intonating both E strings with a mic in a tuner. I drilled down 1" into the maple neck through section and made nice long posts by popping the heads off some 6/32 stainless machine screws. Drilled by hand, bridge fits perfect.

Holy sustain! This guitar is insane. If you hold it at the base of the neck and the butt end strap button after strumming the open strings it feels like it's vibrating your arms off. The most amazing this is if I put my ear on the point near my playing arm it sounds incredibly loud and rich.

Image

User avatar
antisymmetric
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3601
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:32 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by antisymmetric » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:26 pm

Excitement is building..... 8)
Watching the corners turn corners

User avatar
Perry
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 325
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 5:24 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by Perry » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:59 pm

Great job! If possible, please make of video of how it sounds.

User avatar
mick_e
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 220
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:41 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by mick_e » Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:02 pm

Such an awesome build! Are the original rds's very rare? And are they also neck through?

User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:41 am

mick_e wrote:Such an awesome build! Are the original rds's very rare? And are they also neck through?

Thanks guys. RD's aren't that rare really and no they aren't neck through. My build is kind of a mix of RD and firebird with the neck-through, non-reverse headstock, firebird style pickups...

Perry, I will definitely record it. It's not setup at all yet. I'm just testing it with an old nut off a kit guitar and poorly cut bridge saddles from a Gibson ABR1 I got off ebay. I have a new bone nut to cut and brand new saddles to cut for the bridge. I have a little fret leveling to take care of as well.

User avatar
the older brother
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 10693
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:12 pm
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden.
Contact:

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by the older brother » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:17 am

That burst looks amazing!
Then I started wetsanding the headstock at 2000 grit and right at the end a little water got into a tuner hole somehow and the walnut veneer on the headstock face swelled up a littl
A tip to not risking the wood to swell because of sand throughs, holes etc, is to use naphta instead of water. The wood don't well with naphta. Use a respirator in a well ventilated place though.

:)
Someone knows where I can find the nearest woodchipper to throw my pieces of junk into?

User avatar
PorkyPrimeCut
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 24464
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:46 am
Location: Leipzig
Contact:

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:46 am

I love this build!!

There's only so much you can talk about when it comes to Fender offsets.

I think the "building from scratch" threads are the most exciting thing about this forum these days (Fenders included of course).
You think you can't, you wish you could, I know you can, I wish you would. Slip inside this house as you pass by.

User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:04 am

the older brother wrote: A tip to not risking the wood to swell because of sand throughs, holes etc, is to use naphta instead of water. The wood don't well with naphta. Use a respirator in a well ventilated place though.

:)
I even bought a big thing of mineral spirits for the job but I just didn't feel like working with nasty chemicals. I was really going light on the water and it was OK. Then I did a couple touch ups on the side of the headstock. The overspray got a bit on the face and when I was sanding the overspray I thought "oh add a little water to make sure the paper slides better", then it was too much :fp: .

Anyways, it's all good. It's barely noticeable now that it's dried out. It just looks like the lacquer sank into the grain in a couple spots between the tuners. You wouldn't see it unless you were really looking for it.

The walnut headstock veneer was REALLY porous. I used the timbermate on it and got a nice flat surface. That stuff worked pretty well!

User avatar
ForcedFire
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 6:59 am

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by ForcedFire » Thu May 31, 2012 10:42 am

Ok I pulled it out of the attic. Still a little smelly but much better. It was kind of mildly gummy (not really gummy) when I was playing it. Had lots of fingerprints so I just tried degreasing with some mineral spirits outside. Now the deft smell seems to be gone with just a faint residue smell from the mineral spirits. Maybe all my fingerprints where holding in some solvents or something.

One day I made the mistake of putting it on the roof in the sun to speed things up. I got some blistering from the solvents or humidity boiling out on the back in the darkest area.

I guess I could touch it up or just relic it a little. I've already got some marks here and there anyways!

It plays quite well, I need to fret level and scrape some more glue off the board before finishing the nut.

Image
IMG_0001_2 by LITEFORCE, on Flickr

Image
IMG_0002_2 by LITEFORCE, on Flickr

Image
IMG_0003 by LITEFORCE, on Flickr

The part I messed up with blisters:

Image
IMG_0002_1 by LITEFORCE, on Flickr

Image
IMG_0001_1 by LITEFORCE, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

User avatar
mcjt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4295
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 2:17 pm
Location: Côte-St-Luc QC

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by mcjt » Thu May 31, 2012 11:03 am

freaking beautiful, man!

User avatar
andy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:43 pm
Location: Regina, SK

Re: First Scratch Build: Maple Walnut neck through-RD

Post by andy » Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:53 pm

Wow, this guitar is amazing!
Send me western swing vids

Post Reply