Re: Making a parts guitar


"Meat Plow" <mhywatt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:pan.2010.09.06.17.18.45@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:50:01 -0500, JimT wrote:

"Meat Plow" <mhywatt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:pan.2010.09.06.15.26.25@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:02:47 -0400, RichL wrote:

"Meat Plow" <mhywatt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:pan.2010.09.06.14.37.46@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:10:16 -0400, RichL wrote:

My son is interested in making a guitar for my grandson. I know
there have been a lot of threads here about various aspects of this
but honestly I haven't paid too much attention to them because I'm
not interested in doing that myself.

What I've suggested to him so far is the following:

-- GFS pickups: I've never tried them myself but I've noticed that
certain people (e.g., Tony Done) have suggested them. I figure
they're pretty cheap, but I'm not sure which models are recommended
and which to avoid.

-- Warmoth. I do remember that some folks here like them. Are
there decent alternatives?

-- Stewmac. I've used them myself and they're probably a good
source for pots, switches, jacks, etc.

My son's good with woodworking and he works at a place that has the
tools to make a custom pickguard. I'm sure his ultimate motive is
to make himself a guitar (using his kid as an excuse...) -- so he
probably wants it to come out nice, but he's probably also working
within a limited budget.

All suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

All the above will provide decent hardware however it's far from bolt
this to that, glue this etc... Neck, bridge, nut and fret adjustments
are going to be alien to anyone who has not previously been
successful at a final setup after assembly.

Good point. I can help him with some of that but it will probably be
a good idea for him to budget in a visit to a tech.

None of the necks I've ever installed/replaced etc...had more than a
preliminary fret radius and deburring. If you want to end up with a
guitar you enjoy playing some filing, crowning, buffing, leveling,
relief etc.. is mandatory. It took me a couple hours on a recent Mighty
Mite Strat licensed ebonite fretboard neck I replaced on one of my
MIM's. It certainly wasn't just bolt it in, glue on a nut and string it
up. I use Leo Fender's setup instructions to see how close I could get
it without getting out the fret tools. Seeing it was no where close it
was time to get out the micrometer height gauge and set up the right
relief. Buff the frets, string it up, set the truss measure, take the
strings back off, minor filing more buffing, strings back on back off,
rock the frets with a flat rule. etc.. etc... etc..



Excellent point. I got lucky putting a used neck on a Warmoth body but I
wouldn't try it again.

Jim

Used I could see lucking out. But a new neck is like (metaphorically)
redoing the front end of a car's steering/suspension gear. You can bolt
the new stuff on yourself easy enough but if you want it to drive right
and not wear the tires out you need to align it.



--
Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Pretty Corpse

The pocket didn't match the neck and I used a belt sander to get the action right.

I like to play them, not work on them. <g>

Jim

.

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