Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey everyone, nice to meet you all. Building an instrument is something I've always wanted to do, and now is as good a time as any!

First off, I've done some reading, both on the internet, as well as multiple times through Melvyn Hiscock's "Make Your Own Electric Guitar." I've got a decent amount of tools and a shop here at home, so that shouldn't be an issue. I would like to do a through neck 6 string, made entirely of cherry. I've got a local guy who's got some real nice pieces. I've read that cherry is similar to mahogany in terms of structural characteristics, so that shouldn't be an issue, yes? Anyways, ebony Fretboard, hardtail bridge, string-through body, bridge and neck humbuckers, and the Ghost piezo system in the bridge. The plan is for 24 frets with a 25.5" scale.

Now, some more specific questions. Is it essential to have the neck angled? From the reading it didn't seem so, but I wasn't sure. Also, what type/shape of fretwire? I'm mainly a hard rock kind of guy, and I like the jumbo frets for the most part, but having having something a little less tall would be nice. Would this affect the action? I'd like something really quick and easy to play.

As for the fretboard, I wanted to do some inlay. Should I cut the widths of the board at the 1st and 24th fret positions, (1-5/8" and 2-1/16") first, and then do the inlay? Then the board can be fitted to the neck?

Hah, I think that's probably enough for the time being. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it!

John

Hi John, welcome to the forum!
Melvin's book was almost useless for me on my first build: I should have got the other book "What NOT to do on your first build" (Almost where you are heading already!) You will probably need a neck angle if you are going for a hardtail bridge - here is the calculator to figure out your angle: http://www.tundraman.com/Guitars/NeckAngle/index.php

I would suggest you purchase your bridge first, so this way you can get the measurements of its height - or if the specs are online for that particular bridge. Your fretwire selection is totally your call - it's subjective - go with what you prefer - I like the medium/higher fretwire sold at SM. The fretwire height will be relative to the angle on your neck - in other words, the calculation is factored in - go to the link I posted and you will see what I mean.

As for inlay, I'm not real good at that - you might want to ask the other guys, but my guess is that you should cut the fingerboard a little over that what the neck size is. The inlay should be done after that,,, here is the fingerboard process:
Square wood to rough size.
Cut fret slots
put radius on
mark center marks
Align center marks to neck then: I like to drill in 2 index holes on my fingerboard, 1 at the 1st fret slot and 1 at the last fret slot - opposite corners
I then put in a small pin in each hole(wire nail), use wire cutters to get it flush with the board, then put tape over it (so the pin doesn't fall out) then flip the fb & neck over, trace an outline, cut it outside of that line, then sand with a sanding beam until I'm about 1/16" of an inch at both sides of neck.

Later in the process, when it is time to glue the FB to the neck - them thar index pins will come in handy and prevent the FB from sliding all over the place.

Most people have *their way* of doing things around here and that's your job now, to discover what works best for you - good luck to ya man, have fun be safe and enjoy the new journey!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

I make my fretboard 1st. Fret saw it, crown and level it. Route and bind it if your doing that. Then do your inlays. You always do the hardest stuff first in guitar making, so you dont waste your time doing easy stuff. To me the rest of the guitar develops from that. Make your neck close to the width, leave some extra to finish off when your close to done. The neck angle will be diffrent depending on that style guitar you are making. Ghost piezo, sounds interesting..How about some pics of the wood. What kind of pickups are you using? And yes, cherry is nice wood if its cut right.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Hello John and welcome.

No it is not essential to have a neck angle for a hardtail bridge.

I think with it being your first build and neck-thru design you may
want to think Fender. The Strat or Tele designs will help you very much
in making many determinations such as top center of fretboard to body face distance.

Just because you may use those Fender styles does not mean you must use
the same scale length or head style ( angled or not). Just that I think not having a neck
angle will make your first build a little easier...but I could be wrong.

There are many factors that players refer to when making and stating their opinion of
what makes a "fast" playing guitar. Finish, frets, neck radius..etc....it's my opinion
that a player can play fast on most any well made guitar.
One may consider that comfort (neck angle or none-body contours-body edge...ect.), playing considerations (radius considerations) feel of neck (contour and finish) fret wire dimensions as preferences-more so than what makes a "fast" guitar.

Awesome, I checked put that link and it's very useful, thanks. And I purchased a bridge, it should be arriving soon. I had planned on starting with the fretboard, and then moving too the other aspects of the instrument, and it's good to know that was appropriate. The inlay was ordered from DePaule, and is coming as well.

Now, to cut the inlay, as well to cut the portion in the fretboard, I'd be best to use a router for the cavities, yeah? As for cutting the inlay, using a jewelers saw with a super thin blade would work, or could the dremel
Be used?

Another question I remembered after posting, is about fretboard radius. This is also about personal preference, yes? Because a hardtail bridge can be adjusted vertically and be allowed to tilt.

Thanks again guys. I'll start posting pics as soon as I start getting dirty!

Hi John,
SM sells a pretty awesome router base that's worth every cent that attaches to your dremel. You will probably be better off sawing your shell. My first guitar post on this forum ( http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=31851 ) shows most of the stuff it takes to do an inlay as well as my documentary film that's on my web site listed in my signature.

Putting a neck angle on either the neck itself or the neck pocket is not that difficult, depending on what kind of brain you have. If your job has been a ditch digger for the past 20 years, then it may be challenging. The link I gave you explains most of the stuff you need to know to get you started, but I would suggest you go to your local Lowe's/Home Depot and buy some cheap white wood and practice on scrap before you cut into any expensive wood - same with your inlays - I practiced on my inlay skills for a couple of months before I started on my fingerboard. The Art of Inlay is a good read, but I liked Larry Robinson's DVD's - they taught me most of the stuff I do today - I also picked up things from other inlay artists and some things on my own.

The 1/0 (1 odd) aka "0" blades are my favorite for cutting shell, a little tough on the White MOP and stuff at .060, but nice on curves. I would suggest you buy all 3 sizes SM offers, but can also be found on eBay and see what works best for you. Get LOTS of each, you will go through allot of them until you get the hang of things. Do some research on the dangers of that dust too - it can cause cancer - it's actually more dangerous than asbestos . You have lots of reading ahead of you! Good luck man!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Welcome!
My 2cents:
I think the neck through is the easiest to make. You don't have to make a separate neck and body and then fit them together with proper alignment.
If you do want to make a bolt-on or a set neck, make the neck first and use it to figure all your calculations regarding fitting the neck to the body, angles, bridge height, etc. Some guys prefer to buy a pre-made neck, and there are some suppliers of blanks for set necks as well. Complete the neck first, you will likely get more accurate results for your first time out, unless you want to glue the neck shaft to the body, plane it, then glue the fretboard down (more room for error, easier to plane the neck angle shallow accidentally IMO, though with experience it can easily be done.)
I like to get all the hardware I'm going to use, not just the bridge, and plan it out, no surprises.
Fretboard radius is purely preference, although it is easier to get comfortable action with the flatter radius, I rarely go shallower than a 9.5 myself, and usually use the 12 for my personal guitars, as I also prefer the feel of the flatter radius. The physical geometry of the cylindrically radiused fretboard means that when the neck is straight, the center of the neck will be the only straight part, due to the fact that the strings follow the taper of the fretboard at the edges, and at the edge of the fretboard, there will be a slight hump. This can be worked out when dressing the frets, but the smaller radius boards require more work to level properly than the flatter radius, and are more difficult to fine tune the neck relief during setup than the flatter radius.
I like my frets to be .103 wide, .047 tall. Comfortable to bend, yet not so tall as to feel "railroadish" when sliding up and down the neck, wide enough to feel smooth also when doing the same. The narrower frets feel bumpier to me, as the finger catches the side of the fret more easily, rather than being guided over the fret by the more rounded crown.

_________________
Old growth, shmold growth!

Okay, I'll be sure to check that out. I did order some things yesterday from SM, including the saw blades and the dremel base. Of course I planned on practicing, there's no way I'd be able to do it blindly. I'll also be able to practice doing purfling along edges as well.

I did order some of the hardware as well, including the bridge, so I'll be able to get dimensions from that in order to cut the fingerboard appropriately.

Thankfully I haven't been digging ditches, just finished up my engineering degree, so with some practice and careful planning I should do alright.