Depending on how well it was sealed & stored, you may want to get fresh stuff.Quote:
Doh!! Had a tub of shellac flakes sitting on the shelf for donkeys years.
If moisture has got to it, there may be problems with it dissolving properly.
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Depending on how well it was sealed & stored, you may want to get fresh stuff.Quote:
Doh!! Had a tub of shellac flakes sitting on the shelf for donkeys years.
If moisture has got to it, there may be problems with it dissolving properly.
It's been sitting in a sealed container in the house.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
If it doesn't work out I'll use it to glue saxophone pads in...what it was originally intended for.
cheers, Mark.
The saga continues.
Due to curiosity in 7.25 radius necks...and the pricey option for off-the-shelf...
I have decided to roll up the sleeves and have a go at it myself.
To dip the toe in first, I attempted this on a used neck ready for the skip.
That went O.K. so here goes a proper attempt at the ST1-HT neck.
Tools required: 7.25 radius sanding block (attached a spirit level on top for decoration).
Various grades of sandpaper.
Pincers to remove frets. (had to grind down flush to grip the frets)
Perspex sheet to mount the neck.
Steel bracket of questionable straightness.
Bolts to mount it to the desk.
Attachment 32726
Fret removal...went quite well.
Attachment 32727
Onto the main act.
Attachment 32728
Attachment 32729
continued
cheers, Mark.
Thinking: If I mark the centre line along the fretboard and sand until the line disappears...
Moving along
Attachment 32730
Attachment 32730
Attachment 32731
Next comes the frets...
cheers, Mark.
Here we go....Attachment 32732
May as well get them roughly level as I go.
Attachment 32733
I have not managed to photograph the re-staining process but fairly straightforward.
cheers, Mark.
Looking good.
It is easier to re-stain before putting the new frets in, but it's not a big difference. Slightly smaller pincers make removing the upper frets easier, and putting a metal fret protector around the fret you are about to remove helps prevent possible damage to the board. Heating the fret up with a soldering iron first also helps in case glue's been used to stick a fret in and reduces the likelihood of chipping if it has.
Hi Simon. Yes there's a relentless learning curve attached to everything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
My first attempt at fret removal involved a soldering iron.
For some reason I neglected that step on one fret and it seemed to come out with no damage to the wood.
I have not had any experience with playing a 7.25 radius fretboard so far.
Once I get a good test on this one, I may get the chance to hone my radius skills on my other victims.
cheers, Mark.
Soldering iron is there in case it had been glued in. It's quite normal practice to put glue on the ends. But if the frets haven't been glued in, it's not an issue. You may still get the odd glued fret if one didn't seat well, so it's been removed and a new one fitted with some glue, just in case. And even if glued, there's no guarantee that it will always cause some damage. More likely on rosewood than maple.
Still on the learning curve with this.
The frets are not seating across the radius.
I didn't have 7.25 radius frets.
So I have got a brass 7.25 radius guide and am manually re-inserting each fret and re-glueing.
Attachment 33241
Only 7 more to go :)
cheers, Mark.
Fortunately the actual cost of getting frets is quite cheap.
All the expense is down to good ol' labour.
So after 3 attempts at re-fretting, I finally have it all up and running.
Attachment 33366
Question....Is 7.25" any better than 12.00"?
First impression is that there's not much noticeable difference.
I thought it was going to be like chalk and cheese, yet once again it's another line-ball.
Not regretting giving it a try though.
Still have some fiddling to do with the setup and haven't accomplished a decent finish as yet.
So the jury is still out for now.
cheers, Mark.
Nice one. I'd like to get one of those cauls before my next neck build.
I agree re radius, it can be difficult to notice, although for some reason it feels more pronounced on bass guitars to me. I'm not very fussy with neck profiles and fret board radius, but like anything with guitars I'm sure there are people who prefer/swear by it.
Thanks Sonic. I reckon if I'd have 7.25" radius fret-wire it would have gone easier, but having the clamp and patiently going fret-by-fret...Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
I got them all fairly even all the way along.
Made it easier to get them all level in the end.
cheers, Mark.
Good on ya Mark. We learn by doing!
I've done a few re-radius jobs now and learn something each time. All have been without any problems, but the first is always the most stressful.
Also, you can get a fret wire bender really cheap and save yourself having to buy pre-bent wire. Just get straight wire and bend it to whatever radius you need. I got mine for about $70AU delivered, through AliExpress. It's as good as any I've seen for more than double the price from luthier supply shops.
If you plan on doing more re-radius jobs or fret replacement, it's worth the investment. More tools is never a waste of money imo.
Thanks McCreed.
I must be a slow learner though, I first experimented on a discarded neck.
Then had 2 goes at the Strat-Tele before calling it a success.
Outlay for the frets was a tad under $4.00 a packet, but you require patience for delivery (ironically titled 'Ali-EXpress').
Figured that I'll get one successful fret radius done, and then see if it's worthwhile doing any further.
I'm still considering as I fine-tune the one I've done.
BTW I notice that those fretwire bending tools don't appear to have calibration marks.
Is it trial and error to get them accurate?
cheers, Mark.
7.25" definitely makes it harder to get a really low action, certainly up the neck, as the strings just have to be higher to avoid choking out on string bends. If you go for a medium/high action, then that's less of an issue. Saying that, the frets on my 7.25" radius Fender CS NOS Dave Gilmour Strat were finished so well that I could set an extremely low action, too low in fact, so that even I had to raise it.
A tighter radius makes it easier to play chords, especial first position ones and more so for those with some joint stiffness/arthritis. A 12" radius is my normal preference though.
I did read beforehand some comments about bends choking out and a generally 'slower' action etc.
Fortunately I'm not into fret-board gymnastics.
Much like most folk are probably too young to appreciate the experience of driving with drum brakes,
I was interested to experience how the early Fenders were setup.
Next I'll be joining the meth drinkers and the corn circle society (hehe good ol' Red Dwarf).
cheers, Mark.
The short answer is, yes, but it's not as tedious as you might think.Quote:
BTW I notice that those fretwire bending tools don't appear to have calibration marks.
Is it trial and error to get them accurate?
Mainly because you're doing full 12" lengths of fret wire. Once to dial it in; lock it down, you just keep running the rest of the wire through. I know the last refret I did was a 12" and I left the bender locked in that position when I put it away, so I'm pretty confident if I pulled it out today, it wouldn't have changed. I was going to "calibrate" mine, and it could done, but it's not really a big deal in the end.
My process is: run the first length through set to a fairly minimal radius; check it with my X" radius gauge; adjust the bender a little more; run it through again & re-check; rinse & repeat. I usually get in 3 or less adjustments.
ALWAYS go from larger radius to smaller. It's a lot easier than trying to re-straighten the wire. (but you can do it)
Obviously doing a compound radius would require a lot more stuffing around, but completely doable.
I would much rather do a re-radius/re-fret than work on drum brakes ever again!!! Thanks for the memory!Quote:
Much like most folk are probably too young to appreciate the experience of driving with drum brakes,
I was interested to experience how the early Fenders were setup.
Finally got this back in good playing condition.
May give this re-fret 7.25" radius lark a repeat on another victim.
Reverted to the original colour scheme.
Attachment 34361
Spending this government sanctioned 'do f@ck-all' campaign on building guitar knowledge.
Nothing like learning the fretboard by painstakingly transcribing tunes and working them out.
https://www.soundclick.com/artistAdm...&content=music
cheers,
Nice work KC.
Thanks IRL
cheers, Mark.
Nice! That tortoiseshell p/g looks much better imo.
I forgot that was a strat/tele hybrid. I love that! (and I have one too)
Thanks McCreed. Yes I think it was your's that inspired me to lose the Tele bridge.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
(I'll use it in another project).
cheers, Mark.
Cool!
Do you find the switch tricky with the up & down orientation there?
I rotated mine to go front to back because just the slightest brush of my right hand would switch the toggle.
I don't have accidental pickup changes now.
Oh, forgot to say, I can't access your audio clip without signing up apparently. Is it posted anywhere else?
Hi McCreed. I was thinking of forward and back orientation (I have it like that on my 'Trem-King' strat...Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
But it required getting out the rotary tool for some routing).
Last time I dealt with Ash dust it got into my eye and lasted weeks with the agony.
I tend not to strum much and it's usually quite still enough (double entedre) not to accidentally shift it.
So..a project for next time.
Soundclick used be viewable to the general public.
I'll have to see about moving sound clips to my own site.
Thanks for the tip.
cheers, Mark.
https://soundcloud.com/user774563948/harlem-git
P.S. put it on SoundCloud for now
Interesting, I had plenty of room to rotate the switch 90 degrees.Quote:
But it required getting out the rotary tool for some routing.
Did you make the pickguard, or have it made?
I made mine, so maybe the switch hole placement was just different enough that gave me the clearance.
I heard they have these things called "safety glasses" or something silly like that... :pQuote:
Last time I dealt with Ash dust it got into my eye and lasted weeks with the agony.
Just kidding! I'm terrible with my PPE, except for my hearing protection.
Got onto soundcloud. Cool track. Did you do all the instrumentation or is it a prerecorded backing track?
Cheers,
Mick
Hi McCreed (mick it is then)
I got the scratchplate as a 'blank' on ebay. just the outline + 4 screw holes.
I did the rest from a previous scratch plate just slightly adjusting position of the pickup holes.
The backing track is from a chap by the name of 'Johnny Ferriera' who does saxophone backing tracks.
https://www.howtoplaysaxophone.org/
I would prefer them to be simpler with just rhythm section (drums bass keyboard) oh well..
All of the tunes I'm doing with guitar are from my repertoire of saxophone tunes.
When I was a callow 16 year old...my Printing apprenticeship involved learning to run one of these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnvE9pOD4kI
OH&S was not entrenched into my psyche. hehe.
cheers, Mark.
Ah yes, I should have specified that mine was blank strat guard as well, except without any holes even for screws.
That printing press would have so safety guards on it nowadays you wouldn't recognise it!
I dig the tune. Nice one Mark. Can you offer any background on that song?
Hi DarkMark.
I guess the definitive answer would be...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Nocturne
There have been many different versions.
cheers, Mark.