Official Luthiers Forum!

Just found this forum, and what an awesome resource it is! Thanks for all of the great posts and pictures. This place is a treasure trove of information.

I have the bug to build a guitar from scratch. Lacking the tools and experience, I thought I'd start with a kit, and a few side projects. This seemed cheaper and easier than trying make something scratch built that may or may not turn out. You never know I might lose interest.

I have some experience already. I built Telecaster when I was 17. I bought a Tele body and a Strat neck. I didn't even realize that the neck pocket wouldn't fit until I got the parts. Back in 1982 there was no internet. I had to figure everything out on my own. I made it all work. I made my own nut from a brass blank and some files from the hobby shop. It all worked, and I played the guitar for years, I still have it! (will post pictures later). In retrospect there are plenty of things I could have done better. I think the action was a little stiff at the nut. I suspect the slots could have been filed a little deeper.

Since then I have only dabbled in guitar repair, setting intonation, swapping pickups and modifying electronics. I recently bought a few tools and did fret level on a cheap guitar. it worked out well, though it was no where near the quality of job done at the shop.

Anyhow, I have a couple projects to get me started. I bought a tele kit off ebay for $50. Looks like a bass wood body with a maple neck, though the fretboard looks like the same wood as the body?

At some point I wanted to build guitar from scratch, around 1987, I bought an used Ibanez strat type neck from Gary Brawer in SF. It sat in my closet for 25 years. I got it out and decided replace the frets. If you're going to build a guitar you have know how to put some frets in, and might as well know how to take them out.

To get this party started I had a few questions. Does this neck look like it's worth saving? My uneducated opinion seems to say yes, of course I'm a cheapskate and hate to waste anything.

The neck doesn't seem to have a any cracks or visible damage. The trussrod bullet turns freely. It seems to have a bit of back bow, it curves away from the frets. I tried to show this in the picture below with the ruler.


IMG_4685 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4687 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4690 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4691 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4693 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4694 by soggybag, on Flickr


IMG_4699 by soggybag, on Flickr

Hey Mitchell,
Welcome to the forum!
For me,a kit was a good way to get started.
I think your neck looks fine. The string tension may take out some of the back bow.
It sounds like you know about guitars and have some good experience, so go for it!
Regards,
DZ

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Thanks for the encouraging words Dan. I just pulled the frets out today. Everything went pretty smooth. I cut some new lengths of fret wired and labeled them all with the fret number.

I had a question:

I'm wondering at this point if I should take a few measurements and compare the width of the tang on the new frets to the old frets. The new frets are a lot larger than the old frets?

i wouldn't worry about it, for 2 reasons:
1, the fret slots are ripped up and enlarged/softened from having frets put in, then taken out.
2)it is maple, which is soft by fretboard standards, and it will yield to the tang even if the new fret tangs are larger than the old

...."yield to the tang". i like that.

Thanks that's good information. Let me ask a couple more questions.

First, the old finish rises a little where it met the edge of the old frets. The new frets are wider, and I'm predicting they will overlap this region. Should I ignore this, or should smooth this out?

Also, I want to make one of those nifty fret cauls that people are fitting in their drill presses. This struck me as genius. I don't have much in the way of tools but, I do have a drill press, and making it myself is right in my price range.

i am not a fan of maple FB for that exact reason. someone else better advise you on the bubbled finish. probably thick polyurethane. me personally, i'd sand it all off with a radius block and re do it
i find tapping works just fine, never tried a caul, but then again i don't have a heavy drill press

Yep, I bought a jewler's hammer at Harbor freight for 6 bucks. Works great. You have to have good aim though.

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