First Timer in the UK - DMS-1

[AllTheseThings]

After about half a dozen coats of Danish oil all over, and a few more on the headstock, this is what we have.





Next came shielding the control cavities in the body - I'd already done the back of the scratch plate, whilst I was waiting for the neck to arrive. Since I'd used up the entire roll of tape bought from Pit Bull on the back of the scratch plate, I found the cheapest source was a garden shop; slug tape, normally used to go round flower pots to keep slugs and snails off your prized blooms, but hopefully it'll work here. It's a bit more fiddly than the stuff from Pit Bull, as it is thinner and more prone to splitting at awkward corners, but it seems to do the job.



Then on with the scratch plate - Yes, I had tested that it made sound and all the controls worked before putting it! I discovered that this had to go on next, as there wasn't room to manoeuvre it in once the neck was in place. Maybe if I'd routed out the cavities a bit, it would give the option of getting the neck and the scratch plate with electronics on or off, independently of each other. Something to think about for next time.



Finally, on with the neck, which thankfully all lined up again, and tuners onto that.



Next time, stringing up and all the set-up to do.

[FrankenWashie]

Nicely done ATT, nice and clean. I think the rapier makes a very effective brand for your headstock.

[AllTheseThings]

Thanks, FrankenWashie!

I've just had a go at stringing up, and as Simon Barden predicted, the nut is WAY too tall. I've just popped back to see what Simon suggests to fix it, so that's next.

Oh and one of the cheap strings provided along with the Ernie Balls set, snapped as I tuned it up. Oh well....

[FrankenWashie]

If your nut is too tall your options are to cut your nut slots deeper, or remove it and very carefully sand o r file the bottom of it to reduce the overall height. You need to be careful to keep it square across its width and front to back if you do so.

[DarkMark]

Any easy way to keep your nut sanding job square is to pencil mark the amount you want to take off, mount your belt sander upside down and kiss your finger tips goodbye. I like to wear gloves when I’m performing this procedure.

[AllTheseThings]

I've discovered how laborious sanding/filing the bottom of the nut is, although I was doing it by hand, rather than DarkMark's belt sander trick!

I've started on the cheap plastic nut that came with the neck, to get a bit of practice in before trying on the bone nut upgrade I bought with the PB kit. Makes me think that nut files are the way to go...except for the £70-odd for a decent set. There seem to be some at around £5-6, then various prices up to about £20 before getting to Hosco sets at £70.

Has anyone tried these cheap sets? Are they so horrible as to be worthless?

[McCreed]

That finish looks great, nice work!

...mount your belt sander upside down and kiss your finger tips goodbye. I like to wear gloves when I’m performing this procedure.

One way to do this more safely is holding the nut with a Hand Vise or Sheet Metal Vise-grips

Gloves are still not a bad idea though. With the hand vise shown, you can epoxy or hot glue some pieces of plastic milk bottle onto the jaws so the teeth don't mar the nut.

There seem to be some at around £5-6, then various prices up to about £20 before getting to Hosco sets at £70.
Has anyone tried these cheap sets? Are they so horrible as to be worthless?

IMO, nut files (and fret files) are not an area to cheap out. I'd be willing to bet if you got the Hosco, you'd use them on your other guitars or a likely next build .

[king casey]

I use the same method for sanding saxophone reeds flat.

A blob of blue-tack.

cheers, Mark.

[Sonic Mountain]

Thanks, FrankenWashie!

I've just had a go at stringing up, and as Simon Barden predicted, the nut is WAY too tall. I've just popped back to see what Simon suggests to fix it, so that's next.

Oh and one of the cheap strings provided along with the Ernie Balls set, snapped as I tuned it up. Oh well....

Very common for the nut to be too tall and also the cheapy strings are notoriously terrible. Good for ballparking the first setup but that's about it.

[Sonic Mountain]

Any easy way to keep your nut sanding job square is to pencil mark the amount you want to take off, mount your belt sander upside down and kiss your finger tips goodbye. I like to wear gloves when I’m performing this procedure.

Yikes, gloves on any machine with turning parts is a no-no DM. Potential to kiss more than your fingertips goodbye.