Yeah Kick, I'll do that when the new pickups arrive.
In the meantime I'll add a picture to the gallery of the height difference between the bridge pickup rings.
http://imgur.com/cdO4GTx
Printable View
Yeah Kick, I'll do that when the new pickups arrive.
In the meantime I'll add a picture to the gallery of the height difference between the bridge pickup rings.
http://imgur.com/cdO4GTx
The ring height is only going to be a problem if it's so high the strings catch on it. I've got guitars where the pickup rings are quite high and so the pickups are flush with the rings. They look and play OK (and you are normally only going to see this yourself).
You don't want to raise the action just because your pickup rings are well-endowed in the vertical stakes, so if they are too high, you may have to spend some time sanding them down. Hopefully the bottoms are already curved and the curves fit the curve of the guitar top. Which means you may have to put some sandpaper on the top of the guitar and sand them down on that, so that the curve still matches that of the guitar.
From that picture, I don't think you should have a problem.
Sounds good. Guess we'll find out when I start setting it up. Cheers everyone.
Bought a bone nut, assumed incorrectly that it'd have the nut pre-filed down to just install like the plastic one that came with the kit.
Do I have to bite the expensive bullet and buy a set of nut files?
The high E is almost so small the gap cant be seen.
I would say yes, because once you've got a set, then it makes any nut work so much easier. But the good files are expensive. I bought this Hosco set http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hosco-Gaug...-/322501802089 and they are very good, plus they do cover the standard range of electric and acoustic guitar string sizes.
You can get cheaper double-edged sets of three files; but having a V-profile, they do give you slots that are quite wide at the top. The single sized files have straight sides.
I did previously have a much cheaper set of two-sided V-files that were identical to this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-Pla...-/360627194194
Those ones will certainly cut workable slots, but once you start working on more than a couple of nuts, then the expense of a good set becomes more bearable. I seem to now set up all my friends guitars, so the investment was worthwhile.
And because you have them, you then can justify building more guitars to make use of them. :D
I was hoping to avoid this, I'm already addicted...Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Quick question; if I can get six separately for 30-50 less than I can get http://luthierssupplies.com.au/produ...oducts_id=2575 a set of 8, is that a good idea for me? If so, which ones should I get? Matching the gauges of strings I use?
Or is it better to just cop it and get the bigger set, even if it's going to be a one time use?
I think you'll find them useful in setting up any other guitars you may have. If you go for 6 files, then get them to match the string gauges you normally use. You can always buy other files singly to spread the cost if you ever change string gauge, want to adjust an acoustic (with thicker strings), or swap to say light top/heavy bottom sets etc.
For true one time use, you'd be better off money-wise getting the guitar set-up and the slots filed by a local luthier/guitar tech - if you can find a good one near you. Never trust one that says they'll do a set-up while you wait. It's almost certain that they'll want to adjust the truss-rod; and that requires an overnight settling period and a next day check that all is still well.
Simon, you're right. I do want to do this myself and only take it to a tech if it needs professional help at the end, so I guess I have to pay a little for the privilege. That's okay. I've bought a set and am waiting for them in the mail.
I run light top/heavy bottom strings on all my guitars, incidentally.
If one of the files doesn't match the gauge exactly, do i go one smaller and work the slot outwards or do I go one bigger and file down?
Cheers.
I just go one bigger. You don't want the string too tight in the slot as it will bind and stick when tuning. There are also the string thickness tolerances to consider. I don't think anyone makes files that correspond to every single string thickness available, so you just cut a slot that's the same width or just slightly bigger than your target string sizes. You'll still want to run some fine grit sandpaper through the slot after filing. I normally use 800 and then 1200.
I then file the nut down so that the slots aren't too deep, and file the ends of the nut and the headstock side edge over so that they aren't sharp, then use sandpaper and then Micromesh to really smooth it off and get it looking polished.
Awesome, thanks for the tips. I really can't wait for the last few things I'm waiting on to show up and get this thing playing.
I know you can't rush quality, but eagerness perhaps is getting the best of me :)
Strung up the thing; pickup rings comfortably under the strings. Not a worry anymore.
Still waiting on nut files and the pickups, but I've officially played the thing. It needs some TLC over the next few weeks to make it feel good. I'm very happy though.
Spent the morning with my father drilling the holes and I have to say... I'm super impressed with how this has turned out.
http://imgur.com/a/JdbkZ
There's four bits to go though;
- waiting on the postal service
- wiring
- filing the nut
- setting it up
Close. Exciting. Looks great. Sounds great. In my mind.
Great job Cazaron!
looking super nice!
looking real nice, that green really stands out.
Thanks everybody <3
It's not super consistent, the finish is patchy in places, but I'm really, really pleased with it. I would have never expected that I could get something looking like this. Way better than I had expected.
Yes, looking very good.
The first coats of nitro are soaking into the wood, giving the rough finish. You just have to keep adding more coats until the finish is thick enough to sand back smooth and then polish it up for a really glossy look.
Looks great! You should be really pleased
Thanks all.
@Simon, it feels pretty smooth and looks shiny enough to me; I'm not super worried about getting that mirror finish. Pretty content with how it looks right now. Just going to focus on setting the guitar up in the next couple of weeks and leave the finish as is. At the end of the day, I don't see myself wishing I'd put more gloss into the finish, so probably not going to worry about it. I'll definitely make sure to heed that advice if I go again. A solid white or silver explorer seems pretty cool. But that's another day!
Learned a neat trick to get the tailpiece bushels out, put a screw in the hole, screw in the tailpiece and the bushel rises out of the body, no damage to the finish. That was really cool. Did that to put the ground wire in. I'm learning so much. Just wish the pickups were here... don't even have an ETA on them yet. Suppliers, am I right? Only so much my local guitar shop can do for me :)
Alright, so here's what the progress on it is so far:
I've got the nut in and filed it down a bit.
I'm getting some buzzing in some areas and some minor dead notes on two frets, but different strings.
The action is where I want it, if I go too much higher it's going to be way too uncomfortable for me to play.
My assumption is that the frets aren't even (and I've done a ruler test to see if they're level; they're not) but would this be the reason that say, the 16th fret on the low E and the 17th fret on the D are buzzing? The frets aren't level but in relation to different strings?
What will I need to do to remedy this? Links to stuff I'll need to buy and tutorials also helpful, but explanation preferred.
This thing plays really nicely other than that though, I'm very happy. Just need the pickups to show up :P
Today I learned how to solder.
And now I have a really nice looking guitar...
With no pickups.
http://i.imgur.com/skffqlN.jpg
I'm told two more weeks to wait. :(
looks awesome Carazon, what is the stain colour you used ?
what pups you waiting for ?
how is the action and playability ?
@wokka,
I used Dingotone Tarkine Green.
Waiting on Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates
Action great, playability pretty decent, needs some setup and fret work, some buzzing but feels otherwise really comfortable.
I'm surprised how nice it feels, actually. Obviously there are a few amateur issues, it's no master-craftsman work, but I'm very happy.
good stuff Carazon sounds great. Those SD pups should be worth the wait. Interested to hear how they sound
Looking very good. Looks like there's still a bit of green stain on the top of some of the binding. If so, do you plan to scrape the binding?
Yeah, I restained some areas after I scraped and did not realise I'd got some on the binding.
Not sure if I'll scrape at this point cause I'd have to respray, right?
Some people scrape the binding and don't spray it with clear afterwards, others would respray it. Whatever you do, you need to do it to all the binding, so either scrape it all, or else just scrape the affected bits of the binding and respray those. If you have it half and half, you'll notice it in a few years when the clear begins to colour slightly.
If I don't have to respray I'll probably scrape it, it'll just be a bit down the track. Getting the binding nice is a good idea but at this point I'm just worried about getting it all working first.
Cheers on the advice Simon. You've been a constant help throughout the build.
No problem, Cazaron. You've done a very good job for your first build.
This is looking really cool, and I admit I like green guitars. The fret buzz maybe because the are not in level, sometimes a tap with a plastic hammer or a block of wood will square them up
To test whether the frets are level, you first need to get the fretboard level (It's not a good test if the neck has a concave bow set up in it to start with). For this you will need a notched straight-edge. I believe I read that someone on the forum used to make them for less money than you could buy from a shop. The notches fit over the frets (so the edge is scale-length dependent) and you adjust the truss rod until the edge is sitting flat on the board. Then you can check with both a long straight edge and a short 'rocker' straight edge to see if the frets are of uneven height. The 'rocker' is useful for determining if only one or two frets are proud, the longer one for determining if there is a section with lower frets compared to the rest.
The 'rocker' edge is normally roughly parallelogram shaped, with different lengths of edges available. You need to put it across three frets. If you put it across three frets and it can rock, then the middle fret of those three is high. You may also find that it's just at one side of the fretboard.
Mark the high frets with something like a Sharpie pen, and as Dedman says, look at those frets to see if there's an obvious gap between the underside of the fret and the fretboard. You may very well be able to seat these frets a bit harder - but only use a hammer with a plastic or brass end to it iof using directly, or else put some wood between the fret and a normal hammer. Tap, don't whack!
Then check again. If that doesn't sort it, then you'll need to level the frets, then re-profile and polish them.
Original order - 420
Pickups - 550
Tools - a lot
Total build to date - 1660
I fell victim to one of the most enjoyable, eye-opening, hands-on traps that I've ever seen.
This might not have the build quality of a Gibson LP Tribute Goldtop that I would have bought with this kind of money, but it's roughly a thousand times more special to me.
I don't name my guitars. I don't name anything really, but this thing's so personal. It doesn't even have pickups and I can't fix the fret buzz till next week but I have barely put it down the whole weekend.
I think 'Cazaron' would be a great name for such a beautiful build ;)
Guitar isn't finished yet because pickups still haven't arrived, but new addition to the family.
Hello to my new Vox AC15C1!
I love that British crunch tone, this will be fun to play with. Can't wait to run the green one through it :P
Nice amp! If I had a bit more space for storage I'd be tempted to get an AC30C2X.
I've always wanted an AC30, since I was much smaller than I am now; but as I mostly play at home there's just no way I can justify spending twice the money on a really, really heavy amp that I'll never quite get to crank to do justice.
But this thing sounds truly wonderful.
I've got the luxury of having a house that I can turn my guitar amps up in pretty loud without annoying the neighbours (as long as the windows are closed), though I did once had a 100W Mesa Nomad that didn't sound good until it was ridiculously loud - far too loud for the house and my hearing. My biggest amp is now 40W, though that has been fitted with a less efficient (but great sounding) speaker, so it's around the same output as my 22W Two Rock.
Have fun with the Vox Cazaron :)
Awesome! wouldn;t mind a sound bite!Quote:
Originally Posted by cazaron