Getting started on a GR-1

[esilber]

Getting started on the mock build ...the kit looks awesome.



The neck fits in very nicely - there are a few angles by the heal that are not flush:




Curious about the best way to work with this. I'll send a pic of the other side in the next post.

Thanks,

Eric

[esilber]

Here is the other side of the neck.....



In testing the fit of the pick-ups, one doesn't fully fit. Would this be a matter of sanding or gently filing the cut?

Thank you...Eric

[FrankenWashie]

You should be okay just gently sanding the pick up cavity to fit, though you want to be sure you identify exactly which side to sand first.

As far as you neck, I'd be tempted to send those photos to Adam as that looks kind of like the factory used the wrong router bit to shape the neck tenon. It's almost as if they've run an angled dovetail bit instead of a straight flute? Either that or the work piece has been cocked over when they routed/machined it? It looks too regular to be random.

[Simon Barden]

If you are finishing it in a solid colour, then as long as the rest of the neck fit is OK, you could simply fill the gaps in once it's put together. If you want to do a stained + clear coat, or a translucent finish, then you could still do that, but it will be harder matching the colour on the filler areas. A natural finish would be hardest of all.

Have you laid a straight edge along the neck to give an indication of how high the bridge needs to be? Difficult to tell with the camera angles used. It looks OK to me, but you don't want it so that the bridge needs to sit really high up if you can avoid it. If it is, you would need to think about trying to either adjust the neck angle, or sanding the neck's horizontal surfaces to lower the overall neck height as it sits in the pocket (which would probably cure most of the gap issues).

[Andy40]

Nothing a bit of sanding, glue or a shim wont fix. great kit esilber, whats the plan?

[esilber]

Thanks Andy40. Plan on using standard hardware and components for this first build, finishing with Wudtone Surfer Girl (light green) color with a satin top coat.

[esilber]

Thank you Simon, I will check on the neck angle next. Thanks for the tips!

[esilber]

Hello,

Checking in on neck measurements to make sure I have this right. From the saddle to the 12th fret - I am coming up with ~328 mm on the low E and 324.5 mm on the high E. Saddle are forward on both.


From inside the nut to the 12th fret, it is about 303-304 mm.


Are these ok? I took from the instructional videos that these measurements should be closer to each other.

Some pics earlier in the thread show some gaps in the neck cut. Not sure if that plays into this.

I also do not have the posts for the bridge fully in at this point (about 1/3 in). Should I be tapping them in and should they go all the way in at this point in the build?

Final picture is a straight edge along the neck. Does this angle seem ok?



Thank you in advance for any input...trying to figure it all out....

[wokkaboy]

Hi Esilber, the main measurements that are important are 12th fret to both E saddle distances sound good.
I am assuming the scale length of these kits is 25.5" or about 648mm from nut to bridge.
To check the scale length the distance from fretboard edge of nut to centre of crown of 12th fret wire should be about 324mm.

The neck angle looks good they have about a 3-4 degree break angle to compensate for a tune o matic bridge.
Don't knock the bridge bushes in, remove them it will make sanding and finishing the body much easier.

EDIT I think you meant nut to 12th fret is about 313/314mm which is correct for the 25.5" scale

[Simon Barden]

Woks. the kit's scale length is stated as being 628mm, which is a Gibson 24.75" scale. So from the fingerboard side of the nut to the crown of the 12th fret it should measure around 314mm (so a 25.5" scale would be 323-324mm).

Esilber, it looks like you are measuring to the middle of the 12th fret, which is where your confusion is coming from. As Woks said, you need to measure to the 12th fret itself - and as the string will sit on the raised crown of the fret - you measure to the middle of that fret.

If you add up your two figures for the top E saddle and nut, you are getting around 624-625mm in total (with the saddle fully forwards), so it looks like everything is fine to me. Measure again, from the nut to the the top E saddle's middle position and should find that it's around 628mm.

Your neck angle looks OK. By the time you've got round to knocking the bushes in (after the body is finished as Woks says), and added a couple of mm of unfretted string height at the end of the fingerboard, your bridge height should be just fine.