Official Luthiers Forum!

I've been lurking here for a while, and slowly working on this project for a friend. I decided a little too late to document the progress, but there's still some cool progress pics.
If anyone sees red flags, please let me know before it's too late!

Basswood body, Maple/Wenge set neck (a la Universe), 7-string, multiscale (24.75-26.25", 12th fret perpendicular), tele-style bridge.



There are more images in the photobucket link.

Bucky

Angled my jigs with popsicle sticks. Use height of 2 sticks (4mm), desired angle (0.88), and SOHCAHTOA to determine where on the jig the sticks should be (11" out).
The bridge will be like a tele, but I wanted the fretboard to rest on the body like an LP, thus the need for an angle. The calculation was string height drop is 3mm from bridge to 22nd fret.




pocket looks really clean to me.

Next we create a razing jig to level off the body at the angle of the neck, so the fretboard will sit flush.

I decided to put an angle on the heel, instead of the perpendicular heel on the LP.

The neck build was wasteful and not documented. I did have some foresight and didn't cut the headstock angle all the way up! This way, I could access, measure and drill from a good place, to a perpendicular surface. The headstock is scarfed, but the join should be higher than the tuners (if I were worried about a compromise in integrity).

Channel was routed, headstock face cut with the bandsaw, then belt-sanded. Due to a limited knowledge about what I'm doing, the trussrod adjustment nut will have to be extended..







More to come soon, I hope.
Bucky

Tenon an apparent success!!
BTW guys, how tight do I want the fit? Melvyn Hiscock says "tight enough not too fall out, but not so tight it forces all the glue out." If I place the body on the bench, I can press the neck in with my thumbs, but it requires all my weight. This ok? There's really great transmission from the neck to the body, and vice versa - when I knock anywhere on it, it just sounds huge. What a thrill!

I also would like some input on my heel options. There's the Les Paul style and the neck-thru style that's a smooth transition from body to neck. Are there others I'm not thinking of? Anyone have advice for how I should approach it based on the construction?

Thanks a lot.

Nice! It's always good to see another multi-scale build.

Ray

Yeah, how's it going?
Looks perfect so far.

Hit a brick wall.

The machine shop I hired to make the bridge & fretboard are giving me the friend discount, which also means it's done when the shop business is slow. So now we wait.

Thanks for the interest - I'd nearly forgotten.

I can only encourage you to experiment with http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/ and make your own multiscale fingerboard. I used this utility to print a template that made my cutting jig and cut the fretboard. For the jig I used two pieces of aluminum angle and cut angular slots for the cheap backsaw http://www.harborfreight.com/japanese-flush-cut-saw-39273.html with a kerf that fits stew-mac fretwire nicely.
I got splendid results on maple.

_________________
Anything too stupid to be said is sung. -Voltaire