Build #1: DTL-1 (American Ash body)

[craig747400]

After doing a neck assessment, I only found a couple of frets sitting a little bit proud. I used my neck ruler, set the neck straight then taped it up. The ‘Workmate’ benches are very handy for this, because the neck does not have parallel sides.



This is an idea from Dan Erlwine. Using double-sided sticky tape, stick the wet and dry sand paper to the radius block for fret dressing purposes. A few of the frets were a bit rough, but the fret crowning file and 0000 steel wool finished the frets off nicely (so far … have to wait and see how good a job I did?).

[craig747400]

So the tuner’s locating pin holes were not correct, nor were the holes for the bridge, so I have dowelled them, and now letting them set.

I think I got the profile on the back of the headstock looking pretty neat.

My Dad’s a retired industrial chemist, so he was telling me that this glue is better than PVA, and ‘foams’ into cracks etc, so it should bind the dowels very well. It is also waterproof, and sanded really easily.

[craig747400]

Placement ideas?

[craig747400]

Template, because the pickguard doesn’t fit. I’ve started filing back the pickguard around the neck socket area.

[craig747400]

Started some templates and cutting for the shielding.

[craig747400]

Used a Forstner bit in the drill press to remove the excess wood in the pickup cavity.



Then some chiseling to remove the extra bits. Obviously, the dowels had set, been trimmed, and sanded down to level. The bridge position had been set, and the string-through holes drilled on the drill press.

[craig747400]

Old holes doweled, levelled and sanded to accommodate the new Grover tuners. New holes drilled using the Dremel and its attachments.

[craig747400]

I chose Timbermate cedar as a grain filler.

[craig747400]

One thing I noticed though, is that the string through holes on your bridge seem quite a distance from the saddles, and the lip of the holes seems quite sharp. I'm wondering how that will treat the strings.

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That’s a good idea. I will chamfer the edges of the bridge’s holes so as to be less ‘abusive’ on the strings.

[craig747400]

Something “not-so Telecaster copy” needed to be done, so I got my initials and birth date engraved in the neck plate as a pseudo serial number.