DIY Guitar Messing About (3 Viewers)

[magicbastarder]

half sorted, had to use a 2mm bit to drill around the screws, and get them out with a needlenose pliers. i've routed a fresh clean half inch hole where that butchery occured, and will turn some dowels to fit on the lathe and fit those later.
need to find replacement screws too.

 

[magicbastarder]

i 'dry' assembled it earlier, and bar the issue with the pickup screws, it seems fine bar a little bit of fettling.
once i fix the screw holes, i'll be getting the finer sandpaper out.
regarding the fretboard; just lemon or orange oil, or would the fretboard on a bass like this typically have varnish, etc?
i need to shape the headstock too...

 

[Space]

i 'dry' assembled it earlier, and bar the issue with the pickup screws, it seems fine bar a little bit of fettling.
once i fix the screw holes, i'll be getting the finer sandpaper out.
regarding the fretboard; just lemon or orange oil, or would the fretboard on a bass like this typically have varnish, etc?
i need to shape the headstock too...

View attachment 16658

Maple is usually varnished. Rosewood and ebony are usually oiled. A few big companies such as Rickenbacker are known to oil maple boards. I'd say there's no need to varnish but but the board can get very grubby when it's a lighter colour wood.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

i 'dry' assembled it earlier, and bar the issue with the pickup screws, it seems fine bar a little bit of fettling.
once i fix the screw holes, i'll be getting the finer sandpaper out.
regarding the fretboard; just lemon or orange oil, or would the fretboard on a bass like this typically have varnish, etc?
i need to shape the headstock too...

View attachment 16658

Looking good! Did you sort your neck screw issue? As moose said you can put what you want on the fretboard but normally it’s hard lacquer of some description as opposed to oil. Biggest issues with that is cleaning it off the frets afterwards. If you’re using danish oil on the body that could work on the fretboard as it would offer a barrier against dirt.

Also at the risk of being a pedant - I’d check the scale length. Nut to 12 fret should be the same as 12 fret to to saddle for the g string. Saddle should be extended about 3/4-4/5 of its travel towards the neck. I say this from making the mistake of not checking this…

 

[magicbastarder]

it's handy having the lathe - i reamed out the messy holes from drilling the screws out, with a half inch router bit, and then turned some oak plugs and have glued them in. maybe not perfect, having to screw into end grain now, but it's not as if it'll have to carry a lot of weight.

 

[magicbastarder]

sanded, and first coat of danish oil on.

 

[ann post]

It's very nice

 

[JohnnyRaz]

After much planing. Body timbers and neck blank prepped. Mahogany boards defied all efforts to get a tight join.. gap filling with shavings shall be practiced.

 

[magicbastarder]

the last photo is what will become the neck?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

the last photo is what will become the neck?

yep, still have to square cut the ends - I ultimately chickened out of slotting my own fretboard, as based on the 'one complex new thing at a time' approach setting frets is next on the list.

so I've a 23'' scale guitar fretboard on the way, that will be cut down to taper from about 45mm to 32mm along with the neck. I may hold off until that arrives before making the headstock/scarf joint, as it probably would be sensible to align the grain to make any shaving/scraping easier (note big arrow on board indicating direction of grain). However I'm impatient, so I might rock on..

however I do have a pile of wood coming my way to build a bike shed in the front garden, so that may occupy me for a while

 

[magicbastarder]

as ever, if you need tools, you're welcome to borrow some.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

some nice work here...

Dolmen Guitars- Pricing

www.dolmencustom.com

 

[JohnnyRaz]

One thing I was never happy about with the bozouki was the oak pickup rings I made. I orientated the grain the wrong way and they are weak and a bit shabby looking

Thinking of remaking them with some pickguard material - welcome thoughts on whether this is an improvement

 

[magicbastarder]

yep, that's an improvement. i have some bog oak which might also work? i don't know how strong that would be in thin pieces like that though.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

yep, that's an improvement. i have some bog oak which might also work? i don't know how strong that would be in thin pieces like that though.

I think the oak bits would be fine if they were solid. Its a 3mm panel so I might make a pickguard out of it, or control cavity cover..

 

[JohnnyRaz]

yep, that's an improvement. i have some bog oak which might also work? i don't know how strong that would be in thin pieces like that though.

Here’s the two of them made now. Just have to fit them.. which may involve taking strings off

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Fitted at 330am. Definitely takes some of the ‘rustic’ look off. My new promise to myself is not to waste bouts of insomnia. It was this or head out to the shed to sharpen chisels

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Wee bit of fine chiselling. Old plane iron makes an excellent scrapper

 

[dudley]

 

[magicbastarder]

i always thought that was really weird; did he never even try to learn a chord or two?