If there is one thing we always have it's Hope OliSam...
This was my second set neck. My first must have been made and routed perfectly as everything went together so nicely. But this one was significantly tighter from the outset.
When the kit first arrived during the dry fit it was originally was so tight that with less that 50% of the neck in the body I could pick up and hold the neck at any angle and the body would not move. Even with a gentle shake the 50% engagement held firm. Only concerted effort could pry the dry fit neck and body apart. I was told that humidity could be an issue as the wood swells in high humidity, so after nearly a week of dry weather and RH levels of less than 30% I tried it again and yes the fit was somewhat looser. But obviously not loose enough to allow an easy fit with TiteBond added to the show, and hence the drama of my little story....
My tip on optimal neck fit....On a dry fit - firm enough to gently vertical lift the neck and body by the neck, but not quite tight enough to hold the body up with the neck held horizontal.
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The products used are another story for me....
Added to the mix are the generally warmer temps of the tropic of Capricorn and the different RH we experience here and most American products like TiteBond and Minwax wipe on Poly don't always work as advertised as they are all made for snowman country and not places that never normally see single digit or less Celsius temps. I've watched so many YouTube videos of these products in use and they ALL have one thing in common, the dude presenting the show is ALLWAYS rugged up with more jumpers and chequered shirts than I even owned when I lived in Melbourne, so it's no wonder I have to work like an amphetamine loaded Speedy-Gonzales whenever I use those otherwise pretty awesome products... About the only thing that does work near close to as advertised is Shellac which for this slow old Tiger and obvious reasons is currently is my favourite finish...
To emphasise the point, I Minwax wipe on Poly coated a Strat body during the past week.... was averaging 3 coats a day which included dry scuff sanding between coats.... mind you each coat had to be fully applied to the entire body inside a 2 to 3 minute period as any work done after the window would leave marks or wipe traces in the coat. I have an earlier Tele build which were done in my summer and by the time I reached the other end of the body the poly coat was tack dry at the point I started, then I'd have to flip the body to do the other side, and then the edges. So it's needless to say I got to be pretty quick in applying coats and it was nil distractions and 100% get the job done within the window of 'local application time'.
But hey, it's winter here now, the days a filled with sunshine and I have a short sleeve shirt on, so I'm not complaining...
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Originally Posted by Marcel
