Gilly’s GR-1SF

[Mark Gill]

So I’ve sanded the stain and oil off the Wilko telecaster and spray-primed it for painting.

While I’m waiting for it to dry I’m going to start my next build (yup, hooked already).

I never thought I’d own something like this big, jazzy Gretsch-type instrument and I’m totally stoked by the fact, but straight away I’ll be begging the indulgence of you guys and your expertise:

Not sure what to do with the hole next to the heel joint—should one use some sort of wood filler?

Same with the nut which seems only to be supported by a couple of millimeters of material underneath it at either end—otherwise, it seems to be mostly hole underneath. Also, not sure how to deal with the gaps between body and neck, once the neck is attached.

Any advice greatly appreciated..

[Mark Gill]

..and this is the nut:

[FrankenWashie]

That's not good Gilly, you could probably fill that hole up but you'd need to slip some veneer into either side of the neck pocket to take up those gaps and then sand it back evenly to get a good fit.
The Nut, well that just looks really bad.
It is normal to have the gap under it for the truss rod channel so I wouldn't worry so much about that. it does look rather decidedly wonky though.
I'd be stripping that off and looking at the underlying wood. to see if it's a case of:
a. just a bad nut fitting job
b. an issue with the mounting surface under the nut
c. a Cr@p nut with an irregular underside

**EDIT**

Having taken a close up look at that front edge of the neck pocket I'd be really concerned about the side veneer and the roughness of the top edge where the fretboard/Neck will meet it. It might pay to draw Adam's (PBG Dude) attention to those spots.

[Mark Gill]

Having taken a close up look at that front edge of the neck pocket I'd be really concerned about the side veneer and the roughness of the top edge where the fretboard/Neck will meet it. It might pay to draw Adam's (PBG Dude) attention to those spots.[/QUOTE]

The ground underneath the nut is pretty rough and uneven, but I daresay it can be filed down:



But it's this gap—tight at the top, then a few millimeters wide at the neck pickup end—that I'm not sure how to fix:

[Simon Barden]

Get some maple veneer, cut it roughly to size, then glue and clamp it to the side of the neck pocket. Wait 24 hours, then trim the excess down to size. Then sand back in the areas where its tight until the neck fits snugly. I've had to do it to both sides of the neck pocket on my ESB-4 kit. If you can, I'd glue it on the other side of the neck pocket, so it's away from you and you are less likely to notice it (though that depends on your proposed finish and whether that is likely to cover up all signs of it).



Put masking tape right along the edge of the pocket, so that if any glue does squeeze out when you clamp it, it doesn't go on the top. Wipe the excess glue off wherever you see it, but it's best to avoid getting any on the top or sides where it may affect the ability of the wood to absorb stain or other finish.

[Mark Gill]

Get some maple veneer, cut it roughly to size, then glue and clamp it to the side of the neck pocket. Wait 24 hours, then trim the excess down to size. Then sand back in the areas where its tight until the neck fits snugly. I've had to do it to both sides of the neck pocket on my ESB-4 kit. If you can, I'd glue it on the other side of the neck pocket, so it's away from you and you are less likely to notice it (though that depends on your proposed finish and whether that is likely to cover up all signs of it).



Put masking tape right along the edge of the pocket, so that if any glue does squeeze out when you clamp it, it doesn't go on the top. Wipe the excess glue off wherever you see it, but it's best to avoid getting any on the top or sides where it may affect the ability of the wood to absorb stain or other finish.

Great!

So Simon, do you just go to your local hardware store and ask them for a square foot’s worth of two millimeter maple veneer? Or do you have to cut it down from a bigger chunk?

Then, I believe you can sand any part of the pocket except the base (?)

Looking forward to seeing how your veneer comes out.

Thank you.

[Simon Barden]

Veneer's normally a standard thickness, which is around 0.8mm. I've got mine online. Marquetry packs are good for smallish-sized bits of veneer. You may find some in a general DIY store, but probably easier in a more specialist timber store, or even an art/craft store.

The base is the most important part of the pocket as it sets the neck angle. You can do some light sanding to remove any rough or high spots, but you don't want to sand much more than that as you don't want to alter the angle, (unless it's obviously very wrong).

[Mark Gill]

Veneer's normally a standard thickness, which is around 0.8mm. I've got mine online. Marquetry packs are good for smallish-sized bits of veneer. You may find some in a general DIY store, but probably easier in a more specialist timber store, or even an art/craft store.

The base is the most important part of the pocket as it sets the neck angle. You can do some light sanding to remove any rough or high spots, but you don't want to sand much more than that as you don't want to alter the angle, (unless it's obviously very wrong).

Gotcha. Actually, I did some research and I think you can get three square feet of veneer for $15 or something from Home Depot.

I’m going to try and do a dry fit again. Adam at Pitbull suggests that the gap will close up after the neck is aligned with the bridge. If not, I’ll try attaching the veneer (thank you).

First I’m having a look at the nut. the base below it slopes off pretty dramatically. How do you make sure you’re sanding it flat and square underneath? I started sanding with a block I knew was square with a piece of 220 taped to the bottom, but I’m already going through the final bit of the fretboard and I’ll be sanding into the headstock/neck soon...

[Mark Gill]

So guys, holes/gaps etc aside, the neck is actually sitting in the pocket quite solidly. The strings here are pulling ever so slightly to the bass E side, but do you think they’re within acceptable parameters..?

There’s no way to move the bridge laterally, is there..?



And according to the center of the neck this is where the centre of the tailpiece should be. Is it unusual to have it so far from the join line at the base of the guitar, or are my measurements just way off?