So... I’ve done more. I block sanded the sides of the neck pocket to remove the grain filler. I got back to a nice fit. I used more Timber Mate to go over areas where I felt I’d taken too much off, and where I had small chips. It looked good. Though, looking again, I'm wondering if I've taken enough depth off the carves... Maybe I should've gone deeper/bigger/thinner at the edge?
Then I started to pre-assemble before drilling, to check scale length. And that’s where things got interesting...
I bought a Babicz FCH Z series 2 Point Trem for this build. It looks great. I looked at how to install the bridge – the only info I could find was this: The online guide for installing the ST Bridge is here. It basically shows that you stick the neck in, drop the pick guard on, and then drop the bridge in. In theory, the neck sets out the pick guard, the pick guard sets out the bridge. But it doesn't work that way for my guitar, partly due to the 2 Point Trem (it’s not as clear to set out as a 6 point with the solid steel across the front of the trem). But even with the supplied bridge, it doesn’t work.
If I were to use the Kit bridge, I’d need to shave 1mm out of the pick guard to make it fit (whichever end). I know that I’ve messed with the pocket – I widened it slightly a couple of times, and I reshaped the corners to allow a better fit for the neck. So that the neck could fit all the way in to the end of the pocket. But I didn’t extend the pocket, and I don’t believe I’ve moved the neck by more than 1mm.
So, I had a chat with Sonic Mountain (showed him the kit in person), he said that having too long a neck pocket isn’t actually that unusual... He suggested moving the neck out maybe 2mm.
Next, given Simon Barden’s started his Hexacaster build, I messaged him and we’ve confirmed a few numbers. I’d found a PDF that was supposedly a Strat’s setout dimensions. I know this isn’t technically a strat, but there’s clear inspiration here. The PDF had 76.2mm for the length of the neck pocket. That matches Simon's Dave Gilmour Custom Shop Fender Strat. My kit was 80mm deep. Simon's was about the same. Most of the other dimensions on the PDF matched relative to each other, but they didn’t have anything else tying to the neck pocket.
So, in setting the neck the full 80mm into the body, the best setout I could get with the Babicz gave me 646 along the top E. Obviously that needed to be longer - I needed tolerance. The neck from the nut to the top of the 12th fret was 323.5mm.
To further complicate things, the Babicz casting is different where the trem bar mounts. The kit trem is 26mm from the heel of the trem to the leading edge of the steel at the trem bar. But the Babicz is only 22mm. That means, if the trem’s located towards the back of the route, you can see through the trem/block route – the Babicz doesn’t cover it. That meant that, even if I was getting 646 and only theoretically needed to move 2mm, it would look terrible. I needed to move 4mm, to cover the trem/block route.
I was in a quandary about what to do with it all... Ultimately, I decided to fill the neck pocket. I have some saplele veneer; I used Titebond and layered up the bottom of the neck pocket. I got it back to 75mm. I then did the super glue and masking tape trick to put some sandpaper on the bottom of the neck, and used that to sand back to smooth and length. This got me to the correct scale length, though I then found further issues...
I got the scale length right, the neck fitted beautifully. But I had to extend the routes for the pickups (the neck pickup was hitting the body), and then I had to extend the route for the pickup selector. Because it was hitting the body, and I need clearance for when I shield the cavity.
The one frustration I’m left facing after doing this work is that I carved my extended access neck heel to suit the 80mm, and so now it’s a little deep. I’m half considering carving/routing a small rebate into the back of the body for the neck plate, because the neck plate now extends a little (less than 1mm) past the point where the timber blends to the plane of the back of the guitar.
With all that done, I’ve then gone and drilled my neck holes in the body and the tuner holes in the neck. I’ve drilled the 2 point trem ferrule holes –I did it in two stages. First, I drilled 6mm holes to check the pin locations were acceptable, and then went to the full 3/8” to work the ferrules. Babicz recommends 3/8” for most applications, but 25/64” for harder timbers (like Ash). I’m not doing the oversize... I tried a Ø10 drill bit into some scrap hardwood – the ferrule fell straight out. 3/8” is roughly 9.5mm. 25/64” is roughly 9.9mm. My understanding (from TAFE, many years ago) is that all drills drill slightly oversize (even reamers do, but they’re a closer tolerance). The ferrules measure at Ø9.8. So I don’t know why you’d go a 25/64” – it would be too big. I tried the ferrules in the freezer; they didn’t shrink as much as I hoped. The only positive is that they’re so deep that you end up drilling through the body into the spring cavity on the back of the body, and so can push them out of the body (after trial fitting) from the back.
So... The kit’s definitely needed a little adjustment. I’ve increased carves, played with routing, filled part of a pickup route where it was exposed by the pick guard, and adjusted the neck pocket. None of which was necessarily expected, though most of which was not necessarily unwelcome or problematic. Only the neck pocket issues (primarily its length) would I consider significantly problematic, given the lack of info, and given it required filling in timber rather than removing it. But all of it has been, in its own way, enjoyable.
The current status is that the guitar’s sitting in my son’s room with the neck bolted on, pick guard sitting in place, and trem held in place by the springs to the claw (and holding the pick guard in place). Next step is to get the boy to provide a headstock shape (I’ve been asking him for months), cut that, and then move on to finishes.
Thanks to Simon and Sonic for their assistance.
And here's some photos....
As it sits - bridge not correctly located:
Forearm curve:
Saplele veneer extending the pocket, and extended pickup route:
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