No introductions needed...

I think this needs no introduction.


Fretboard attached with the marching hammers.


Cleaning up the sides of the neck after attaching fretboard.


The fretboard was a little thin so I added a maple veneer under it... now we have a distinct line.



Neck fit.



Headstock wings on. This is a non-reverse as I didn't think the rev headstock would look good on this one.



Headstock plate to match the top.

Project Zero Lightning strikes again...

Lightning Strikes Again... I was staring at this old neck I had. I had just taken the guitar it belonged to apart to steal the vintage parts for other projects. I really loved that neck but I had done a horrible job designing the headstock. Then it hit me... Zero! I had forgotten about the project but it now has life. Time to resurrect an old neck. I started by cutting the old wings off and looking for some vintage maple (in the scrap bucket) to add new wings. Couldn't find any scraps from the 80s big enough to make a hockey stick so I had to use some stuff from the late 90s... still white when I sanded it up. Doesn't matter as this gets Kamikaze paint at some point.

I have them fit... time to epoxy. I use a guide board to make sure everything stays level. There won't be any room to sand things straight later.



I think this will work.


It may not be an ebony board but it is REAL rosewood... I am not sure I can even get this really awesome Brazilian rosewood anymore.



I'll wait...

S907_Express When things go bad...

Sometimes things go bad... so I forgot to check the spacing on the tuners on the CNC drawings. Somehow (probably while drinking) the tuners got off... and the tuners get closer together as they reach the end of the headstock. After trying to sand away the mistake I decided there was no fixing it. I was pretty p*ss$d off so I put it on the shelf for a week. This is the fix I decided on.



A river runs through it... The epoxy is dyed red but with the darker backround you will not be able to see it until I polish it.


This is for another 6 string express. One piece Santos Mahogany with a Macassar Ebony board. I am trying a low angle headstock on this one (9 degrees) but I can already tell after fighting with little things I am not going to go this route. I am staying with 14 degrees.

S907_7 tops and necks

A little out of order but here is the top for S907_7. Flamed Padauk. I am joining up a Limba body for this one...



And a Padauk neck.

S907_5 Top to the blank

Joined up the cocobolo top.


Epoxied to the blank. The braces you see have a slight curve over the length of the underside. This causes a spring action as I clamp them down putting pressure in the middle of the blank.

S906_6 Neck and fretboard...

I am still shaping the customs headstocks by hand. Nothing better than having a freshly burnished scraper for cleaning up padauck.



Note to self. Check the depth of the fretslots before final polish on the fretboard. After this I have to sand the whole thing again... on the next three necks I do this as soon as the radius is done. Use the big belt sander to rough the radius in then use the radius beam to finish it. Next I move to the Stew Mac sanding bar following the string path to level the board. Last I use 220, 320, 400 attached to long sanding blocks and finish up with polish pad to make it shine.







Headstock gets sanded before putting the tuner recess in as it is easier to get scratches out now.



In the sun you can see the flame in the padauk.






Next week frets and carves...