First build JMA-1

[jtimms]

So I have the neck fitting the pocket pretty much flush now.

When I rechecked the string to neck alignment I’ma little confused.

The high e is parallel with the neck, but the low e is not.

The low e sits about 0.5mm further away from the neck edge at the 17th feet when compared to the first fret.

Any advice on needing to fix this or just leave it as is?

[Trevor Davies]

Hi jtimms,

I don't think 0.5 mm is a concern. I would leave as is!

Do the middle strings appear symmetrical about the fret dots and the pickup poles?

[Simon Barden]

You can normally fix small string alignment issues when assembled by loosening the neck screws, pulling on the neck to get better alignment and then tightening the screws up again. You only need 0.25mm of sideways movement to get the strings the same distance from the edge at the 17th fret.

Don’t worry about it too much until it’s all assembled as temporary arrangements at the bridge may also be affecting things and the posts could be slightly out and the bridge may sit differently against them when fully strung up and under tension.

[Simon Barden]

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that if they aren’t already like it, drill out the neck screw holes in the body so they are the same diameter as the screws. This allows the screws to tightly pull the neck to the body. If the screws bite into the body, then they can be pulked against the neck plate and stop turning before the pointy end has fully screwed into the neck.

If the screws can turn freely in the body holes, then you know the neck is tight when the screws stop turning. This goes for any screw joint where you are joining two bits of wood together. In soft wood like pine, your standard coarse pitch wood screw from a DIY store will probably pull the screw head into the wood as you turn rather than bind, so you get a decent join, but with harder wood that won’t happen, or when you’ve got washers or plates involved.

[jtimms]

Thanks both,
I was hoping the string was just a dry fit issue - always helps to have someone support it!
I’ll fix up the body neck holes when I get round to drilling the mounting holes in the neck, hopefully later this week.
Cheers
J

[jtimms]

So just a couple of photos for an update, more for myself than anything else.

The neck corners were rounded slightly, leaving the flat surfaces alone as far as possible. I'd swear the radius hadn't been changed, but obviously enough to get the neck pretty much flush with the neck pocket.




The body and neck have been sanded to 240 grit.

The body is ready (I think) for grain filling.

The neck has been masked and ready for the poly to go on the exposed areas. Once I have built that up a bit, not really sure how many coats to apply.. i will let it cure for a few weeks before masking the back and painting the head stock.




I don't know, the more I look at it, the more I like the grain pattern, but the boss wants it to look like Kurt's guitar.. So thats what it ill end up as.. I hope..

[jtimms]

Hi all,

A question about pilot holes. No doubt I’m over thinking it..

I drilled the neck mount pilot holes yesterday, a little smaller than the screw shank diameter - also widened the body mount holes as suggested by Simon.

Just wondering if there was guidance from the brains trust about the right size for the pilot holes

I found conflicting info on you tube, some saying the diameter should be the same as the shank, others saying slightly smaller than the shank diameter..

I went slightly smaller as you can always widen the diameter later, but now I’m worried about splitting the neck when I eventually get to screwing it to the body.

Cheers,
J

[juz]

Hi jtimms

I have only done a few so I may not be the best. I was told about 1/8 inch. I use 3mm or 3.2mm and it seems to work. I put a bit of bees wax on end of the screw. Screw in a bit then back off slightly, and repeat until finished. I am not sure if the backing off is needed but I was told to once so it has become a habit. I have also heard of people wicking a little superglue into the neck hole afterwards but I have not tried this.

[Simon Barden]

Any pilot hole is better than no pilot hole. Shank diameter is generally what I try and achieve, so that only the thread itself is biting into the wood, but very slightly smaller is also OK, as it's often impossible to match the shank diameter exactly. Slightly smaller is better than slightly bigger.

Certainly use beeswax or candle wax on the end of the screw, it makes it a lot easier to screw in and also to remove.

Unless you've got a worn screw hole, I wouldn't use superglue on it, especially not with the screw in place.

When replacing screws after removing them, always run the screw backwards first and you'll feel it drop into the cut thread. Then screw from there. If you just put the screw straight in and start turning, you are at risk of cutting a new thread into the wood. You then start to weaken the wood around the screw hole and after a few times, you may not be able to get the screw really tight again.

Certainly if the screw is a tight fit in the pilot hole, backing off a bit then screwing in a bit allows your hand to generate a bit more torque on the screw as the screw can now move easily to start with as it passes through the cut thread before hitting the straight wood. This can be useful in hard woods like maple, even with the correct sized pilot hole, though you probably don't need to if the screw is going in easily.

[jtimms]

Thanks both,

I will widen the holes slightly before attempting to secure the neck - From memory I went about 2.5mm width, but the shank size was 4mm..

Again more for my records, the body has had grain filler applied, then sanded back to 240grit - Felt amazing and smooth, but when I wsa cleaning the dust off I found the front face had a fair bit of raised grain - So will have a second attempt at filling the front.

The back and sides were great though, so they will only have one grain fill.




I have put down three coats of brushed poly on the back of the neck and it looks a feels great.

Will probably add at least one more later tonight.



Is there a concensus on the minimum number of coats of poly on a guitar neck?

Also, ill need to mask the back of the neck before I can paint the front of the headstock. Does anyone know how long I will need to leave it before it is safe to apply masking tape?

Cheers,
J