I am learning that I really should have requested my necks undrilled. Itās proving to be difficult and very nerve-wracking to have drilled necks and then needing to translate that into proper drill locations on the body.
I used some advice given by a luthier in a video about using nails wrapped in tape, jammed into the mounting holes on the neck. But thatās not perfect and one of the holes on my guitar body was wrong, so I had to re-drill it. Now I have an ugly hole. Thankfully it gets covered by the mounting plate and also thankfully Iām using through-bolts and threaded inserts into the necks, so it doesnāt affect anything functionally.
It just bothers my sense of knowing I did something well (or not). Iām probably going to use some toothpicks and wood glue to at least partially fill that spot. Next I need to widen the holes on the neck itself to fit the threaded inserts. The uke neck has the inserts already installed so I just need to get the hole locations on the body correct. I might be able to fit the nails more snugly and actually thread them into the inserts in hopes of getting more accurate marks on the body.
This part bothers me more than anything else so far. It would have been SO MUCH EASIER to have an un-drilled neck, use the mounting plate to mark the hole locations on the body, and then use those holes to place the holes on the neck.
Also, as for the neck pockets being too big/too small, thatās something Iāve also run through on my build. Iāve been imperfect with getting the neck pocket routing done. On my accidental lefty uke body, the neck pocket ended up being much too big, so I tried using maple veneer to fill gaps. It worked, but I still had to sand things to make it smooth.
On the guitar body, I had some goofs that were inside the neck pocket, but not visible. I mixed wood glue with some maple shavings & sawdust and packed it into those gaps. Then sanded back. Now that worked really well. Currently on both bodies, the necks fit QUITE snugly. Iām going to be using oil finish so that may be okay. But if one or both ends up being too tight after finish, I can still sand back the edges of the neck pocket.
Thanks Nate.
I read about the threaded metal inserts and some people say that itās actually better to screw directly into the wood (not using inserts).
The neck I got came without holes, which I definitely prefer. I donāt plan changing the neck on this guitar after Iāve fitted the new one.
Iām learning a lot more about guitars through this project.
I got a few 1mm wide wood sheets which Iām planning to use to fill the gap in the neck pocket after Iāve aligned the new neck, in case I need to.
From what Iāve seen, use of inserts can be polarizing. Iāve seen some luthiers say they prefer them over screwing directly into the wood. And certainly if youāll be removing the neck on a regular basis to tinker or whatever.
I have no plans to do so now, but I canāt say if those plans will or wonāt change.
The veneer I got came in a roll and is actually adhesive-backed (heat activated). Itās less than 1mm thick so can really fine tune things if I need.
When I did my Strat build, the neck I bought didnāt have holes pre-drilled but the body did. That worked out very well. Iām convinced itās the best way to go, especially when the neck and body are from a different manufacturer (as mine were).
I read up and watched lots of videos about whether or not to install metal inserts or just screw into the wood. It could potentially something that could add extra resonance between the body and neck, but I doubt I would be able to hear any difference. I just screwed into the wood which worked fine.
As Erion says, I thought I would put the neck on, and that then it stays on, and that if itās a good neck you wonāt remove it again. However, that was not my experience. As the fretboard overhangs the pickguard, any modification you might want to do regarding the wiring arrangement, soldering etc requires loosening the neck. If you build a real vintage style (phew, I didnāt) then sometimes the truss rod adjuster is also at the heel of the neck too - a real pain.
I ended up making several adjustments and mods that meant taking the neck on and off, or loosening the neck, several times, which I feel is not great. But so far so good. Actually, Iām going to have to do that soon on my strat build. There were all sorts of beginner errors I made that wouldnāt have happened if I had previously owned/played a Strat and had previously built a guitar. Why I have to take off the pickguard again is that the pots I bought offer almost no physical resistance when you turn them. I like them nicely dampened. Had I played a Strat previous to the build, I would have known that itās really easy to knock the volume knob while strumming. With the pots as they are, you only have to accidentally touch the volume knob on an up or down strum to greatly increase or decrease the volume, with obvious disastrous effects mid-song So, Iāve bought new pots to install that donāt turn so easily. Iām not really looking forward to unscrewing the neck yet again to get at the electronics and do some more soldering. Also, while Iām doing that, Iām going to change the pickup covers. The covers delivered with the pickups were bright white but I wanted parchment. So I bought some parchment pickup covers separately from another store. They donāt fit exactly over the pickups. Most people wouldnāt notice, but when itās your own build, you notice every little rookie mistake! So now I got some from the original manufacturer.
Ian, what youāre describing is part of the reason why Iām getting a pre-wired pickguard. Iām hoping to not have to ever unscrew the neck after itās in.
Iām only nervous about drilling into it because I donāt have a drill press. Iāve been watching YouTube videos on how to do it without one, and itās never pretty.
How did you do yours?
I was lucky because a friend of mine makes things out of metal so he has a workshop with a drill press. So I used that. Itās more risky without it but I have seen videos showing how to do it.
Concerning the electrical parts, I learnt a lot by doing all the soldering, even if I made some mistakes. Also there are some interesting mods to do to the standard Strat wiring which I may try in the future.
Actually the most difficult part of the build, and I screwed up a bit, was drilling holes for the spring claw for the tremolo. Itās really difficult to drill those holes.
Good for you also using a chisel set too. I did my first on with my chisel set as well. Even though I have a couple of routers. I decided I needed to āfeelā the wood for my first one (yes, yes grandfather). I will use my router for the next project. it seems cpunter intuitive to stop and sharpen chisels in the middle of the project a lot but keep them hella sharp makes it will go faster overall, lol your done anyway so. Looks like you did a fantastic job with foil.
Did you make a connection from the main area to the input area?
I did the above with a old piece of guitar string to give some mojo, soldered it and then covered it with another piece of foil so it wouldnt be hanging or snag anything. Test continuity everywhere, including both chambers before closing here up.
Just a quick note of caution, Those non adjustable temp solder guns usually are only for automotive, it will work. I started with one of those also, but just use caution those can get real hot so be careful on electrical components as you can burn them out if you hold too much heat on them for long.
I am so stoked for you Erion, such a great learning project on a bunch of different levels.
Thanks man. Yes, my soldering iron is a very cheap one I got from Lidl here in the UK. I need to get myself a better one. It does the job though.
About the chisels, mine have got a bit rusty after catching some rain during some outdoor work in my garden. Most of the carving was done with my handy Makita drill using a large drill bit for wood. I polished up with the chisels. It was messy . I might call this guitar āthe drillcasterā.
Iām in the process of soldering everything now, including a new jack socket from DiMarzio. I tested the pickups earlier and everything seems to work.
If everything goes well, Iāll record a Christmas song with this guitar.
Thatās looking great Erion. It took me quite some time to do the shielding on mine, but well worth it. Itās going to look great when itās complete and itās going to look really nice with that new pickguard with the cream coloured knobs and pickup covers.
Just looking at the photos makes me want to start a new build!!!
I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to test the pickups again after completing the assembly. Of course the copper shielding is grounding the exposed pins and the bottom two pickups donāt work . Iāll have to reopen it and put some electric tape to avoid that.
Ok, itās officially NGD!
Iāve built a working guitar !!
I still need to adjust the intonation and the action, but, it works!! And it feels great too.
So, Iāve bought new pots to install that donāt turn so easily. Iām not really looking forward to unscrewing the neck yet again to get at the electronics and do some more soldering. Also, while Iām doing that, Iām going to change the pickup covers. The covers delivered with the pickups were bright white but I wanted parchment. So I bought some parchment pickup covers separately from another store. They donāt fit exactly over the pickups. Most people wouldnāt notice, but when itās your own build, you notice every little rookie mistake! So now I got some from the original manufacturer.
).
it seems cpunter intuitive to stop and sharpen chisels in the middle of the project a lot but keep them hella sharp makes it will go faster overall, lol your done anyway so. Looks like you did a fantastic job with foil.
. Iāll have to reopen it and put some electric tape to avoid that.
