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Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Bridge Type and Tone

Hello All. I'm new to the group and a beginner in terms of building (only built a couple so far). I was hoping I might gain some insight on the effect bridge type has on tone on a solid body guitar. I have been building guitars with hardtails but I'm curious about wraparounds. Of course, with hardtails the whole device is screwed to the top where the connection on a wraparound style bridge is not as direct being held up by studs. Any th…

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Private member
Sounds like you’ve really been down the road with this. What about compound parts. Brass saddles on a steel or aluminum base, that kind of thing. Thanks for your info!
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Martin M36 Replacement Pickguard

I have a late 70's M36 on the bench. I am trying to locate a replacement pickguard. Will a D28 style guard fit? Any suggestions?

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Private member
My customer requested a guard that is more brown than red like the original. The guitar is probably an M38, although that may not make a difference.
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Question on thinline style build

Hi everyone, I’m working on a thinline style (semi hollow flat top) and had a question about the chambering. I’m planning on only one F-hole on the top side, but wanted to get as much air movement as I could. Will cutting the chamber behind the bridge cause me problems, like in the pic? Do I need the center block to go all the way back to the strap pin? I feel like I should be fine with a decent glue up. Thanks!

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Private member DiscussionGeneral

Stripped Out Trussrod

I have an epiphone 335 style guitar on the bench right now. Bad fret buzz on the first frets. No relief in the neck. Pretty Clear its a trussrod adjustment and out the door it goes. But the truss rod is stripped out pretty bad. My 4mm allen fits, in but it has a lot of wiggle. My 5/32" allen doesnt slide in all the way. I dont have a full set of torx wrenches. But i thought that might get some grip. What is the best way to get this thin…

24 replies
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I am not one of the Rich looths
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Electric mandolin headstock repair - a previous glue and screw job used....

Hey! So I've got a customer who has dropped off with me one of the nastier headstock breaks I've seen in recent memory. There is excess glue of some sort (rock hard, clear) all inside the break, along with the threaded tracks of the screws. I'd usually just recommend a replacement neck in this case, but the customer is desperate to keep this neck as it holds some sentimental value to him. He's aware the repair will not be invisible, how…

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Ian Davlin
Some people have painted over faux wood. It would certainly be acceptable on this instrument to give that a whirl. We did an episode with joe glaser on the subject. Nikki Walters did a fine article on…
Private member DiscussionFinish New Builds

Black Grain Filler Under EM6000?

I am switching from NC lacquer to EM6000. I also want to switch from black WB filler to blackened epoxy grain fill. My question relates to keeping the color in the pores and off the surface wood, and whether to vinyl seal before and/or after epoxy fill, I already know how to tint epoxy black. Could black grain fill style be accomplished with black epoxy as the grain filler and would a vinyl sealer be used at all, or just use EM6000 for…

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Private member
Karl - Funny you should mention it… my shellac order is out for delivery today. And thanks for the finishing schedule. In this most recent build, I find myself developing strategies that will avoid st…
Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

Getting perfectly flat without a jointer

Hello -- I am trying to joint a Tele-style mahogany neck blank. I have a Metabo planer in good condition, but no jointer. I secured the c. 40 mm thick blank to a flat plywood sled and shimmed it well. It's hot-glued in place, and absolutely no rocking from any corner or edge. But as I plane it down, I still have about 1 mm difference from one end of the blank to the other when I put a straightedge on the surface (see photo, with backlig…

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I feel this is a big missing element in my workshop (for guitar making at least). But where I live all tools, and especially machines, are a good 2x the price in the US or UK. So I have to think long…
Private member DiscussionDesign and Testing

Wolf Note?

I have built a steel string guitar that has an annoying high pitched pulsing overtone. The guitar is an x-braced OM style with a thicker depth (more in line with a dreadnaught depth). I have built several of these that do not have the annoying overtone, so I don't think its the specific shape that is causing it. The overtone occurs when the note B2 is played on the G string, 4th fret. Interestingly, it does not occur when the open B stri…

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Private member
A bit hard to tell from your description, but is what you are describing as an oscillation a beat frequency? If so, it is possible you have multiples of two resonant frequencies that are nearly colli…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

New Member Intro (Indianapolis)

Hello, Just heard of this group and decided to join. My name is John Read and I live in Indianapolis, IN, USA. I have been building Martin style acoustic guitars for 5 years and am on scratch build #28. I am also the website administrator for both kitguitarsforum.com and asiartisans.org/guitarmaker.org. Loothgroup looks to be a fantastic, next-generation communication tool and I look forward to joining into the conversations. Here's my c…

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Ian Davlin
Welcome John ! That mold looks like you've built more than a few.
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Set-neck pocket and angle questions

Hi Everyone, I’m working through building my first set neck electric, an LP Jr. I had some build questions… - if you’ve built these Gibson style set necks before, did you cut the neck pocket straight and angle the heel of the neck? Or did you cut the pocket at the angle and keep the bottom of the heel straight? I’m attempting to cut the pocket at an angle, and it isn’t the easiest thing to do, I’m finding out. First, I’ve had some moveme…

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Private member
Hi Joe, I would recommend putting the taper in the neck pocket, not the neck. Maybe you need thinner shims to solve your router depth issue. I would glue the fingerboard onto the neck and have that as…