First build: GS-2Q (also featuring EX-1 custom)

[Chaosblade]

Think I've decided against a burst. Obviously easier to not do it, and it would need to be small to work with the color and quilting I've ended up with.

I did black under the blue. Have not sanded the blue back but might do that very lightly with 320. Might bring the black out a little more since right now it's just darkening the blue.

[Chaosblade]

That almost looks like a musical instrument.

Even with the shim in, I feel the neck is still a smidgen off center toward the low E side. Will have to investigate further. Neck position will have to be adjusted, that picture just has it all the way at the end, but 24.75" is at the very back of the bridge's adjustment range. Correcting that might help with the centering too.


Oh, I guess I forgot to take a picture while the bridge was in and not just the tailpiece. Oh well.

[Fretworn]

Looks great. A full gloss top coat and people will be trying to swim in it.

[Bakersdozen]

Looks great. A full gloss top coat and people will be trying to swim in it.

Wait...there's no top coat yet?? I've already dived right on in

[Andy40]

Such a cool blue.cobalt I think.

[Simon Barden]

That neck is way too far towards the body in the pocket. The end of the tenon does not sit against the rear of the pocket (I wish they did as it would be a lot easier). The end of the neck should sit just forwards of the neck pickup rout, so that you can just get the pickup ring sitting on it so none of the rout shows. That will bring your bridge saddles into a better position. Set the high E string saddle almost all the way forwards, and measure 25.75" to that. When intonated, the saddle will need to come back by 1mm to 1.5mm from that position.

[Chaosblade]

Right, that's what I meant by adjusting the neck. I assume you mean 24.75". From my quick look last night it was about 8mm or so it needed to be shifted up.

Finally started filling the neck, once it's dry I need to wait for the weather to cooperate so I can go outside and sand.

[Simon Barden]

Yes, I meant 24.75". My typing is pretty terrible and any mistakes that don't show up in the spellcheck I tend to miss.

8mm seems a lot, and that would leave you with a gap at the end of the neck. Somethog to double check, as you can probably move it up 4mm at most before you run into problems with pickup rings fully covering the pickup rout.

[Chaosblade]

Sanded the grain filler on the neck down before the next bout of rain hits.

Currently have this positioning, it's spaced to a block I cut my shim from so easily repeatable when gluing. 24.75" is near the front of the adjustment range for the high E. About the width of the saddle from the front.



Plenty of room for the humbucker ring.



It will be slightly different when finished though since the studs aren't all the way in. I'd think that would make the bridge a fraction of a mm closer to the nut. Likely not enough to make a significant difference.

[Simon Barden]

Looks about right to me. The T-O-M bridge is already on an angle, so the other strings should be fine.

The neck pickup generally has the output lead exiting from the bass end of the pickup (if you use the traditional 'screw coil side facing the neck' arrangement for the neck pickup). The gap at the end of the tenon then allows you to run the lead through the gap and not sit between the pickup and the tenon, as this can sometimes make pickup height adjustment awkward or angle the pickup at the wrong angle.