#4 Baritone Fretless

[FaustoB]

Thanks Trevor and Grant for the the ideas and comments!
for Grant, not sure what happened to that message. I did send it with my mobile, but then I couldn't see it in the forum.. thanks for copying and pasting.

Thanks for the drawing Trevor! I love it, but to my taste is getting a bit too symmetric
Currently I'm leaning towards drawings #4 and #6, although I'm aware that getting that instrument to rest against the wall will be a challenge..haven't decided yet.
Re: the colour, I doubt it will be green... light blue or red cedar maybe... something simple

Tomorrow if I get the chance I'll test the neck angle with the bridge, draw the body and neck shape and maybe to the cuts. (I'm also working on a lap steel 25" atm)

A quick question about the pickups. what happens if I spray paint them black? the plastic cover is already black, I want to spray paint over the "actual" 12x round metal bits.. that should work I guess?

[Trevor Davies]

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A quick question about the pickups. what happens if I spray paint them black? the plastic cover is already black, I want to spray paint over the "actual" 12x round metal bits.. that should work I guess?

I have not heard of anyone painting over the pole pieces, but it should work!

I have a set of black covered humbuckers where you see the 6 black screw pole pieces, (not the surrounds). If you want to trade?!

[FaustoB]

I have not heard of anyone painting over the pole pieces, but it should work!

I have a set of black covered humbuckers where you see the 6 black screw pole pieces, (not the surrounds). If you want to trade?!

Hey Trevor, thank you so much, that's very kind to offer.
I dont feel ok to trade these pickups because literally I don't know how they sound! They might be great, they might be ok, or they might be real bad!!

I guess I'll go with the spray paint option and document here how it goes.

This build has hit a partial road block because over the last month or so I really got into playing music and recording a lot of stuff and ideas, and that took the majority of my music related time!!

[FaustoB]

Ok, a little progress on this.

Before cutting the body and the headstock I checked the neck alignment and neck height using a long spirit level.


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all looking good!

It was obvious that the nut had to come off because the action would be way too high otherwise. I will use some sand paper to shave off some of that height. It came off sure easy.



This nut is very cheap!! Will definitely upgrade this

Also, not a key question at the moment, but I'm still unsure if this is a 30" baritone fretless or a 30" bass VI fretless. Mostly will be about the strings, I don't think it would affect that anything else.
I have done a fair bit of reading, I guess at some point I will buy different sets of strings and see what works best

[Trevor Davies]

Hi FaustoB.

Not sure, but it looks like the action will be quite high looking at the middle picture (I know the nut is very high). You may want to angle the neck back a bit with a shim to allow for the curve of the neck. At least being a bolt on neck, it will be easy to change later if needed.

[FaustoB]

Very good point Trevor, well spotted!

so what's happening there, it's a tune o matic bridge, that has those pins that insert super snag into the body.
I didn't want to press those pins down all the way for this test (before sanding, finishing etc..), so instead I just packet a tiny bit of timber under the bridge, measuring the bridge (& pins) at a fairly medium/high position.
Then set the spirit level across.
The nut is definitely too high, even if this guitar had frets (today I have shave off a good couple of mm off the nut) and the bridge is also high, but I know that I can go lower with the bridge, so that doesn't worry me too much. Also the spirit level is sitting flat "on top' on the nut and bridge, not in the grooves, that adds a bit too.

In any case.. good eye! based on that photo and without knowing the details I just shared you were 200% right!! thank you for the heads up!!

[FaustoB]

In the meantime.. here I am *maybe* ready for the cut!!

Yesterday I did some pencil drawing trying to match my test designs...



then adjusted manually here and there and drew the headstock..


the headstock is currently showing the same design mirrored L/R, it was a test, I am going with the one similar to my test drawing.

I decided to draw this design first, because I can always adjust the horns and try the "SG" style if I don't like these horns shapes..

.. had a good sleep last night...

today I am summoning the build-your-own-guitar spirits and about to approach the cut...

[Trevor Davies]

Good luck, may the guitar spirits (and gods) be with you!

[FaustoB]

...I think I got a bit carried away with the jigsaw.. maybe I've cut down a bit too much?


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[FaustoB]

cut and first round of sanding done!
This one is a weird one for sure!





Notice the home made rasps! two metal files covered with 60 grit sandpaper.. it works ! ..sort of... let's say it does the job