Some test placing of the aluminium pickup surrounds and the steel bridge.
I could measure the angle of the strings and was pleased to find that the strings lined up with the bridge and gave an acceptable starting height. Phew doesn't cover it!
You can perhaps see that the bridge is already slightly recessed, in the end I took it down another 1.5 mm. It is now on the original surface of the guitar body.
Here there be Daemons...
It was very hard to know how thick the Spalted maple top was, so carefully recessing the controls was trial and error.
If you look carefully you can see that on two holes I went through the Spalted Maple top to the wood below, I seem to have a habit of doing that... Oh well (Hmmm Fleetwood Mac!)
The other thing worth noting is that this had by now a coat or two of guitar oil on the top, it started to really standout, so the small problem of the control recessing was now forgotten.
Finally got these in place...
Decided to work in aluminium as it is a soft easy to work metal. I am very pleased with the neck pickup surround, it looks right. The bridge pickup surround is two pieces, it should have been one. I might also replace them with steel if I get the time...
It's amazing what can be done with a file, a drill and a small hammer...
I think this was 1.5mm ali, cut out of an old computer front panel! I used the same material for the bottom half of the bridge pickup surround.
Almost complete and by now quite playable. Although I could quite happily just sit and look at the Spalted Maple top.
Note we were still waiting for some knobs!!
And finally...
Fully oiled, polished and with knobs on.
How does it play now? Hopefully much better.
Looks great.
# 1 - EX-5 https://goo.gl/fQJMqh
# 2 - EX-1 https://goo.gl/KSY9W9
# 3 - Non PBG Tele https://goo.gl/W14G5g
# 4 - Non PBG J Bass https://goo.gl/FbBaFy
# 5 - TL-1AR GOTM Aug 2017 https://goo.gl/sUh14s
# 6 - MMB-4 Runner-up GOTM Oct 2018https://goo.gl/gvrPkp
# 7 - ES-1 Runner-up GOTM Aug 2018https://goo.gl/T9BEY8
Impressive! Great job.
Current:
GTH-1
Completed:
AST-1FB
First Act ME276 (resurrected curb-side find)
ES-5V
Scratchie lapsteel
Custom ST-1 12 String
JBA-4
TL-1TB
Scratch Lapsteel
Meinl DIY Cajon
Cigar Box lap steel
Wishing:
Baritone
Open D/Standard Double 6 twin neck
Nice work Viv.
Build-1 ES-3 June 2016 GOTM.
Build-2 IB-1S
Build-3. ES-12G June 2019 GOTM.
Build-4 Gene Simmons axe bass. 43 year project done.
Build-5. TL-1S May 2021 GOTM joint winner.
Thanks wazkelly, I have the action down where I want it, and it does play very nicely. I left it for 6 months to see if the neck would move at all. As far as I can tell it hasn't budged. I learned a lot from this kit. I am really badly bitten by the need to build another guitar, it is highly addictive!Originally Posted by wazkelly
Thank you!
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