The Deluxester Prototype - Sonic's foray into repeatable scratch builds

[Sonic Mountain]

Cheers Brendan. Doing your own is definitly possible, just take how long you think it will take and double it.

Probably easier to start with a copy of an established design, there has been a lot of problems solving and stuffing around on this one. I did expect that though, hopefully the next one will go a little more smoothly.

Anyway. I'm having one of those days where everything I touch I bugger up, so definitly no drilling holes today.

Instead I spent some time working out bridge placement and sorting out a revised pickguard design. I'm a bit silly for going all out on the metal templates straight up. I've changed things during the build that have made a lot of them redundant. Just another lesson to learn I suppose. Next bunch will be in MDF. And I'll make copies using the router table so if I stuff one up it's not a problem.

Anyway, only took about 5 goes to get it accuratley drawn up in illustrator and a physical printout that fits. Almost wish I'd got some white perloid pickguard material.. but I'll stick with the black 3 ply. With the chrome pickup surrounds it shoudl look pretty cool I think.





Gotta say... looking closer to how I pictured it in the mockup at the start of this diary.



I'm pretty glad about that as I've had my doubts, but with the pickguard mocked up on it, I think it's going to work.

Need to do some more cavity routing as well. Also, with the neck on, it doesn't really feel very heavy. Which was a concern early on, I guess we'll see after hardware goes on.

[vh2580]

Looking good Sonic.

[Woltz]

Looking good mate. I can see a carved top version in the future...

[JohnH]

Looking really good dude

[Hardcoretroubadour]

Looks great mocked up. On a side note, mucked around with a mates fractal burning machine today, in a word - awesome. I can see this being used in a build somewhere down the track.

[G1lborg]

Yeah that’s how I thicknessed this one, I used a fairly agricultural setup, but it worked fine.

[Sonic Mountain]

....Thanks wierd forum crawling bot?

And all the real people here, very glad to have you all along.

Sooooooo. Made an unhappy discovery this afternoon. Fiddling around I was comparing my fret slots to the Squire neck I have here...and there is a discrepancy. I tried to photograph it but it's hard over the length of the neck. Basically if I line up the nut's the first 7 or so frets are bang on, then they slowly creep nutward towards the higher frets. If I line up with 22 it's perfect up to about fret 7.

I know what's happened.

When I printed out my slotting guide I had to do it in 2 pieces because I only have an a4 printer. Clearly I have messed up when splicing it together.

Doh.

I'm pretty annoyed, but at the same time philosphical. This whole thing is a huge learning exercise.

So I think I'll just steam this one off. I've never done that before, so what better candidate?At least I haven't wasted any fret wire or anything on it and it was only Bunnings timber so the only thing I've lost is time.

Sigh.

[FrankenWashie]

....Thanks wierd forum crawling bot?

And all the real people here, very glad to have you all along.

Sooooooo. Made an unhappy discovery this afternoon. Fiddling around I was comparing my fret slots to the Squire neck I have here...and there is a discrepancy. I tried to photograph it but it's hard over the length of the neck. Basically if I line up the nut's the first 7 or so frets are bang on, then they slowly creep nutward towards the higher frets. If I line up with 22 it's perfect up to about fret 7.

I know what's happened.

When I printed out my slotting guide I had to do it in 2 pieces because I only have an a4 printer. Clearly I have messed up when splicing it together.

Doh.

I'm pretty annoyed, but at the same time philosphical. This whole thing is a huge learning exercise.

So I think I'll just steam this one off. I've never done that before, so what better candidate?At least I haven't wasted any fret wire or anything on it and it was only Bunnings timber so the only thing I've lost is time.

Sigh.

This is what keeps me measuring and re-checking in my luddite fashion. Even being as careful as possible, you can be incrementally out, and out in the placement of the saw, which adds up.

If all of the higher frets are out to the same degree, then what you've theorised is probably correct. There may also be issues of scaling in your printer? I know scaling for Dressmaking patterns drives my other half mental when dealing with Office works Print shop drones.

[Sonic Mountain]

Yeah, I am pretty meticulous, but also prone to excitment and rushing.

The print scaling is fine, its part of my day job to know that stuff. The error is in my glueing the template down and matching the two halves of the print. I was careful, but that I have such a good match up to a certain area around where the join was seems to indicate that's where the issue is. It's like there is a short fret around 7-9.

Honestly I'm glad I caught it now. I'd be way more annoyed if I finished it and it wouldn't play properly.

Rookie mistake.

[Sonic Mountain]

And done. Messy and the fingerboard broke. Probably be easier with a better scraper and frets installed. No major damage to the neck though so that's good.