Esquire-esque

[fender3x]

Looking great. This is shaping up nicely.

I might trim back where the top strap button is.....

You might consider seeing how it balances before trimming. The bit of extra extension on the upper bout may help balance the neck. I think it looks cool...almost like it's a bit offset...but not really offset. Draws the eye in a good way.

[EsquireEsque]

Thanks... that "offset but not" was the "look" I was trying to get.... it is very marginally offset as I wanted to make it just a bit more "comfortable" than my Tele. which now I've got the neck on I'm happy to say seems to be the case (it's also lighter overall, and about 5 to 6 mm thinner).

I did think to check it for weight balance while standing with a strap - and there is no "neck dive" with the tuners put in and the bridge/pickup in place.

I'm thinking of taking off the "point" on the upper bout... maybe up to 5 mmm at most. Keeping the "offset but not" look but maybe a bit more "rounded". I probably should have put the strap button just a little closer to the neck (I wasn't thinking of neck dive when I put it in).

This is what i'm thinking of trimming off:

I'm not certain - and would appreciate any opinion ......

It does have a neck plate in place - and eventually I might replace this with 4 bushings (or "ferrules") so I can round it there (so reaching the upper frets is a bit more comfortable). It wouldn't weigh much but I wonder if it's removal would also lessen any tendency for "neck dive".


I'm also thinking of changing the headstock to a more hybrid tele/batwing look:


.... and then emphasise it with a strip of red (maybe even just 3 or so mm - an outline more than anything else) along the underside of the headstock shape between the two shaded areas - any ideas as to how I might do that?

[EsquireEsque]

Headstock re-shaped, pilot holes for the tuners put in (very small diameter...), sanded back a bit and re-oiled (danish oil).
Body re-shaped (very slightly on the upper bout) and the first coat of Danish oil put on.... It' gone almost orange...(interesting)...

Still need to shape the new control panel... fortunately I have a useful template (apart from the one hole!).

Then there's sanding back the finish and re-oiling until I think it's done ... and the wiring....

[Trevor Davies]

".... and then emphasise it with a strip of red (maybe even just 3 or so mm - an outline more than anything else) along the underside of the headstock shape between the two shaded areas - any ideas as to how I might do that?"

For the red strip - You may be able to paint the strips (possible brushed or sprayed on). On my last ST-1 I sanded the bottom section of the headstock and painted it black to look like a "swish". The picture is at https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...l=1#post228524. Maybe an automotive "pinstripe" sticker! I would probably use a vinyl sticker since I have a cutter.

[WeirdBits]

Trev’s suggestions are probably the easiest and safest if you can find something that matches what you want.

You could also perhaps use thin pre-stained veneers if you’re more adventurous.

Maybe two different colours layered to get a step with the colour change (depending on headstock thickness and machine head thread length), rout a step to glue in a shaped red veneer, or jigsaw puzzle the two colours in the shapes you want so you have one flat piece to glue on the headstock. Something like Grant did here, but the more complex the design or layering the more difficult it is to keep it positioned perfectly when glueing. Even just gluing multiple strips of thin veneer along the edge of the headstock may get you close to what you want. The benefit being it is far easier to strip off a veneer than glue back on pieces of a mangled headstock.

If your routing skills are up to making a channel along the edge of the headstock then red and red pearl plastic binding could also be an option… but the ‘chance of disaster’ factor is high.

[fender3x]

TD and WB have some pretty interesting aesthetic ideas. I don't know that I can contribute much in that area.

...it's also lighter overall, and about 5 to 6 mm thinner....

...It does have a neck plate in place - and eventually I might replace this with 4 bushings (or "ferrules") so I can round it there (so reaching the upper frets is a bit more comfortable). It wouldn't weigh much but I wonder if it's removal would also lessen any tendency for "neck dive"...

Great ideas, but it occurs to me that you might want to be careful about screw length. If the body is 6mm thinner and you lose another 3mm or more by using ferrules rather than a neck plate...

I don't think the weight will make any difference with regard to neck dive since the neck attachment point is so close to the guitar's fulcrum.

It might be simpler to use a contoured neck plate unless you've already drilled...

[EsquireEsque]

TD and WB have some pretty interesting aesthetic ideas. I don't know that I can contribute much in that area.



Great ideas, but it occurs to me that you might want to be careful about screw length. If the body is 6mm thinner and you lose another 3mm or more by using ferrules rather than a neck plate...

I don't think the weight will make any difference with regard to neck dive since the neck attachment point is so close to the guitar's fulcrum.

It might be simpler to use a contoured neck plate unless you've already drilled...

Unfortunately - yes, I'd already drilled.

I didn't realise the square plate would be uncomfortable - so I didn't even think of the contoured neck plate.

I've already started on another "Douglas Fir post" ... a contour neck plate will be one of the things I'll be aware of this time.....

[EsquireEsque]

Well - it's got two coats of Danish oil - it needs more but I had to put it together to see what I have now...

It's not wired up and the string trees are still needed (I wanted to see where the strings are first).

Found out the bridge is just a tiny bit crooked) the Neck end is a little less than a millimetre skewed to the lower bout.....

Overall - very happy with a first try.

There is a lot of fret buzz - but I've noticed aa number of the frets need to be tapped down - acoustically it's not as loud as my Tele - and the tone is a bit "off" with the fretbuzz...... something to try to figure out.

The strings seem to be tighter - more tension.... I had thought it would be the opposite.
The scale length (24.75) seems to be better for me though.

[EsquireEsque]

Trev’s suggestions are probably the easiest and safest if you can find something that matches what you want.

You could also perhaps use thin pre-stained veneers if you’re more adventurous.

Maybe two different colours layered to get a step with the colour change (depending on headstock thickness and machine head thread length), rout a step to glue in a shaped red veneer, or jigsaw puzzle the two colours in the shapes you want so you have one flat piece to glue on the headstock. Something like Grant did here, but the more complex the design or layering the more difficult it is to keep it positioned perfectly when glueing. Even just gluing multiple strips of thin veneer along the edge of the headstock may get you close to what you want. The benefit being it is far easier to strip off a veneer than glue back on pieces of a mangled headstock.

If your routing skills are up to making a channel along the edge of the headstock then red and red pearl plastic binding could also be an option… but the ‘chance of disaster’ factor is high.

I was thinking of all the above - but as you say " the chance of disaster is high"....

[fender3x]

Well - it's got two coats of Danish oil - it needs more but I had to put it together to see what I have now...

It's not wired up and the string trees are still needed (I wanted to see where the strings are first).

Found out the bridge is just a tiny bit crooked) the Neck end is a little less than a millimetre skewed to the lower bout.....

Overall - very happy with a first try.

It looks pretty good! Not sure what you mean by the bridge being crooked. The E strings look symmetrical on the neck, the D & G strings look equidistant from the dots. It looks like you have plenty of travel available for the saddles. If the bridge is slightly twisted it is not enough to attract attention, and would only be an issue if it put there was not enough travel for the saddles or if the strings didn't line up... So, if it were me I'd remind myself that tiny flaws are generally only seen be the builder and I'd declare victory ;-)

There is a lot of fret buzz - but I've noticed aa number of the frets need to be tapped down - acoustically it's not as loud as my Tele - and the tone is a bit "off" with the fretbuzz...... something to try to figure out.

The important thing is that it gets louder once you have it wired up and plugged in ;-)

You may want to check to see that the frets are level. If you haven't got a fret rocker, a leveling beam, a notched straight edge, they are cheap and/or easy to make. You will also need some 350 grit sand paper and a crowning file (I have a baroque crowning file that cost me $25, one of my most expensive luthier tools and worth every penny). If you don't want to spring for a crowning file, you can crown with more ordinary precision or even flat files. It's just more work ;-)

Once the wayward frets are identified you can try to them tap down. Every neck I have worked on has also needed leveling--with one exception. (I had a Warmoth neck that was perfect--but given what those necks cost it should also have mounted itself.)

The strings seem to be tighter - more tension.... I had thought it would be the opposite.
The scale length (24.75) seems to be better for me though.

All things being equal the tension could be less...but a lot of things can affect it--string height and gauge in particular. Will be interesting to see if this is still the case once you have it completely set up.