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Julie Moriarty
11-30-2013, 2:01 PM
It hit me like a thunder bolt. Once the idea of building a guitar crossed my mind as something I was capable of doing, I dove right in.

Rather than spending money on cheap blanks, I made one out of 2x6s that I had used for scaffold planking when I re-roofed the gazebo. They were probably out in the weather for close to a month so they were well cured. :rolleyes: I ran them through the planer to flatten them then ripped them to 2" width, the thickness of the body blank. Then glued them up.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_01_zpsbdb8f7de.jpg

Once the glue had set, I brought the blank to the workbench and scraped the glue from the squeeze out and took it to the drum sander until it was just a tad over 1-3/4" thick. And then sanded it with 120 on a 6" sander.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_03_zps7bd0ec30.jpg

From there I took my son's Telecaster and traced the body on to the blank. Then it was over to the bandsaw to cut shy of the marks. I had just received delivery of a couple Auriou rasps (dark handles) and was anxious to see what all the hype was about. I wasn't disappointed.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_04_zps10208dad.jpg

After taking the cabinetmaker's and modeler's rasps to the bandsaw marks, I placed a foam pad on a 5" detail sander and smoothed out the rasp marks. If I ever got serious about this, I'll need some leather pads on the inside of the tail vise!
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_05_zpsace89653.jpg

Once I was satisfied the edges were smooth (hand sanding was necessary too), I used a 1/2" roundover bit on the router table and cut all but the top of where the neck will attach. I know Teles don't have a 1/2" roundover but I like the feel and the look.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_06_zps20aab588.jpghttp://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_08_zps653b26e4.jpg

I also realize Tele bodies don't have the arm cut away, that, like the roundover, are Strat features. But I like the Strat better because it brings back memories of playing in a garage band back when Jack Benny was 39. :D

I saw a few videos on guitar making before I made this venture. It seemed a grinder fitted with a course sanding disc was the preferred tool for making the arm and hip cutaways. All I could think was how these guys were going to have serious health problems long before they reach my age. One guy was so covered with dust, the color of his shirt (and face) had changed. And then there's the dust working its way through the house. The only way I could do this was if I had really great dust pickup at the source, and I still have to wear a respirator. Say what you will about Festool prices, but these sanders have enabled me to stay in woodworking. The Rotex made this cut in about 5 minutes with no dust cloud.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_09_zps9832fbb5.jpghttp://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_10_zpsd94f6653.jpg

This was the first run on the arm cutaway. I later went back and cut it to the line I had previously marked above. To get the roundover to flow with the rest of the edges, I started with the rasps and then finished with sandpaper.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_11_zpsdb61825d.jpg

The hip cutaway
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_12_zps09eccaed.jpg

After I had made the final cuts, I placed the body in the waste wood to show how much was cut from the original thickness. Arm cutaway:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_14_zps99e718f8.jpg

Hip cutaway:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_15_zpsba7b972c.jpg

This was far easier than I expected. But I didn't make any of the cutouts for the electronics, bridge, neck, etc. I managed to get a hold of some full sized plans but I also found a guy who the Fender buffs say has very accurate templates. They are $65@ and he includes a detailed booklet with it to get you through the build. But he does not do necks! The templates will get everything in the right place on the body, which is kind of critical. I can make the neck template from the full size plans. No template will help you build the rest of the neck.

We're heading to the hardwood store today. Since my son is wanting a figured maple body on his Telecaster (he wants it blue, "like the ocean" :)), I'll find something for his guitar. But I'm also going to buy some wood for the neck of the Strat I want to build. From what I've read, maple neck and maple fretboard are the bomb, but rosewood was the original. Don't remember ever seeing rosewood at the hardwood store...

"We're putting the band back together."

"Forget it. No way."

"We're on a mission from God."

Ted Calver
11-30-2013, 6:27 PM
Very cool Julie. I'll be watching your progress....hope you keep posting....and thanks for sharing.

Julie Moriarty
11-30-2013, 8:00 PM
Thank you Ted. :)

We just got back and along the way stopped for a pizza. While at the hardwood store I found it harder than expected to find a piece of figured maple for the Tele body for my son's guitar that was 13+" wide. Most of the stock I've seen being used for guitar bodies were made of two pieces glued together to get the 13" width needed for the Fender bodies. I already have that width in 8/4 lumber in sapele and bubinga and 10/4 in African mahogany. So I thought finding it in figured maple would be easy. WRONG!

I ended up finding a piece 7" wide that should work when glued up. I don't see losing that much jointing them. I'm just wondering how well I can match it.

I also picked up 4/4 qtr. sawn maple for the neck. I read using qtr. sawn will make the neck a bit more stable. But with a truss rod, does it really matter?

Now that I've got the good wood here, can I resist the temptation to just begin making the real thing? :rolleyes:

John Coloccia
11-30-2013, 10:10 PM
I also picked up 4/4 qtr. sawn maple for the neck. I read using qtr. sawn will make the neck a bit more stable. But with a truss rod, does it really matter?


Opinions vary here. It's generally accepted that quarter sawn is best for a neck, though it's also generally accepted that for maple specifically, it's actually somewhat stiffer in it's flatsawn configuration. And then again, all of this is also generally argued about endlessly and no one ever seems to win. Fender's built a pretty nice company selling flatsawn maple necks :)

Personally, I look for straight grain all the way through the neck. If you have lots of "cathedrals" or other curvy sections of grian, you might imagine that however stable the wood might be, it could probably be more stable if you didn't have the grain zigzagging all over the place.

The truss rod won't help you here. That's strictly for setting the neck relief. If the neck is unstable and twists, or develops other pathologies, a single truss rod won't do anything to help. There are some guitars with 2 truss rods and with those you can sometimes take a small twist out, but that's relatively rare. You see them in some 6+ string basses, 12 string guitars, etc....generally not in your standard instrument.

So as long as the grain is straight and the wood's been properly dried, I'd personally use it without any worries. If you can check it with a moisture meter to make sure you've reached EMC, that would be best, but most people aren't able to do that. At least let it sit in your shop for a couple of weeks to somewhat acclimate and give you a fighting chance of building something straight. :)

The original Fenders were one piece necks, BTW, and the trussrod was inlayed through the back, hence the skunk stripe. Fender then introduced rosewood fingerboards, presumably because Leo didn't like the fact that guitarists would wear through the lacquer quickly and made the neck look dirty...and everyone else had ebony and rosewood fingerboards. Before I refretted my old strat, the neck was quite literally black...I mean black, all up and down, and I was starting to wear out the fingerboard. That doesn't happen anymore with your basic instrument. The catalyzed finished that they use are tough as nails and impervious to practically all forms of assault. For example, my American Standard Tele...about the same year as the strat....doesn't show the standard wear pattern on the neck, though it's worn elsewhere. For example, the place on the bridge where I sometimes rest my pinky is actually worn, and that's metal! Not the neck, though. It's interesting to note that even the Fenders that are finished with nitro have a polyester base coat as far as I know, and that's tough as nails too though if it's thin enough and under a nitro finish, at some point you can wear through to the wood. That was a tangent, eh?

Chris Fournier
12-01-2013, 10:35 AM
Templates are good but most importantly you need to be able to register them on the body accurately to get a good guitar. You will need to think about how you are going to do this. If this is going to be a painted guitar, your lamination technique is going to come back to haunt you with several glue lines that will creep and show throught he finish with seasonal movement of the wood. With a maple neck I simply look for minimal runout and I've never had a twister.

Shawn Pixley
12-01-2013, 1:22 PM
Julie,

John gives good advice. I quickly looked at my guitars where you can see the grain. Fender '72 Tele Custom (not a reissue) - flat sawn (but very tight grained) one piece maple neck with skunk stripe. Unfortunately, this guitar has the worst color body Fender ever put out - mocha. The guitar has been refretted twice (with new finish on the fingerboard). This guitar shows quite a bit of wear where I have rubbed it over the years. It was my main touring/performing guitar for a long time. it has a great sound. My G&L ASAT's both are quarter sawn maple. One has a maple fret board, the other rosewood. Les Pauls - quarter sawn Mahogany with ebony fretboards.

Lastly, I have a Danelectro Baritone. These are interesting because there is no truss rod. This one is flat sawn maple with a rosewood fretboard. Danelectros are interesting as the bodies are laminated plywood with a cheap plastic or fabric "binding" around the body. Cheap guitars with an interesting niche.

The point here is that the neck is not dependent upon the cut of wood. If I were doing this, I'd go quarter sawn. But it is clear any cut "can" work.

Julie Moriarty
12-02-2013, 11:03 AM
Thanks guys. Lots of good info here. :)

His Tele has a flat sawn maple neck with a single rod routed in from the back. I dismantled the guitar so I could make a template for the body and got to sight the neck pretty well. By sight, I can't see any bow or twist.

For now, I'm going to focus on making the new body for his Tele. I picked up some high curl maple. The wood used to make the new body took $90 out of that piece. At that price, I'm going to take this slow. Once the template is done, I'll use the pine body to practice routing in the cavities.

I've been absorbing everything I can about making a Strat. One luthier, Ron Kirn, had a great thread on another forum showing a step-by-step. When he got to the electronics, he first lined the insides of the cavities with copper shielding and then laid beads of solder to bond the sides with the bottoms. So when I opened the Tele up, I was expecting to see shielding in the cavity. Nope! Just more of that plastic stuff. But I'll shield the new body for the Tele.

John Coloccia
12-02-2013, 11:40 PM
Thanks guys. Lots of good info here. :)

His Tele has a flat sawn maple neck with a single rod routed in from the back. I dismantled the guitar so I could make a template for the body and got to sight the neck pretty well. By sight, I can't see any bow or twist.

For now, I'm going to focus on making the new body for his Tele. I picked up some high curl maple. The wood used to make the new body took $90 out of that piece. At that price, I'm going to take this slow. Once the template is done, I'll use the pine body to practice routing in the cavities.

I've been absorbing everything I can about making a Strat. One luthier, Ron Kirn, had a great thread on another forum showing a step-by-step. When he got to the electronics, he first lined the insides of the cavities with copper shielding and then laid beads of solder to bond the sides with the bottoms. So when I opened the Tele up, I was expecting to see shielding in the cavity. Nope! Just more of that plastic stuff. But I'll shield the new body for the Tele.

I just put some nice Lollar pickups in one of my old strats, and took the time to shield the cavity and pickguard. What a PITA, and I can't tell you how many razor cuts I got from the copper. It's not the first time I've done it, and it's miserable every time. It's much easier to paint it with conductive shielding paint before finishing than to line it with copper, IMHO. Everyone has their own way of doing things, though.

Larry Fox
12-03-2013, 9:53 AM
Julie - looking good. I will be following this one. Question for you - where did you get the measurements / arch for installing the truss-rod from the back? I am interested in building a 1-piece neck for a strat but have not been very successful in finding good drawings showing the depth at the head and tail ends of the neck as the angles will be different.

Julie Moriarty
12-03-2013, 1:14 PM
Julie - looking good. I will be following this one. Question for you - where did you get the measurements / arch for installing the truss-rod from the back? I am interested in building a 1-piece neck for a strat but have not been very successful in finding good drawings showing the depth at the head and tail ends of the neck as the angles will be different.

Larry, I'm using my son's Fender neck for this project. But once this is done, I'm going to tackle the Strat, neck and all. There's dozens of full size drawings you can download for free here: http://www.gitarrebassbau.de/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6&p=18618&hilit=templates#p18618. I'm not sure all of them are the correct dimensions but I was looking for the headstock on my son's Tele and found it to be exact. I only downloaded Fender files but there's one called 60s_neck.pdf that shows some dimensions you can work off of. I won't be installing the single rod that was standard back then. I plan to use a Hot Rod (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/Adjustable_truss_rods/Spoke_Nut_Hot_Rod_Truss_Rod.html) truss rod in its place. It corrects both concave and convex bows and all you have to do is rout one depth. If you do a two part neck with separate fingerboard, this option will work.

Here's a series of videos that will take you from start to finish on a custom built Strat that I'll be using when it's my turn. :D There's about 5 hours of instruction in the 10 videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZSDzBv_rIA&list=PLNBP5jXjfxM3WoWeK7NWEyZN 7u4dqNQKR

Julie Moriarty
12-03-2013, 2:12 PM
I'm impatient. There, I said it. Now you won't have to ask what happened to my plans to completely finish the pine body before going on to the real thing. ;)

First up - make a template from the old body.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_16_zps8dfac3ae.jpg

Next was hogging out some of the waste before taking the router to it. That's as far as I could get with that size bit because the depth from bit to post on my 30 year old, $99 drill press stopped me from going in any further. I had to resort to the mortiser to finish. That's a whole other story!


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_18_zps9a4ed787.jpg

After all the routing was done, I did a test fit with the pre-wired pickguard and found the loose wires were a real pain. So I took the template and set them up for some wire training.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_19_zpsa6f9998b.jpg

A few ty-wraps (and a solder repair on a broken ground connection) later I had this:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_20_zps77985796.jpg

When I set the pickguard in place, it dropped in easily. While it was in place, I marked the top where the neck will be for reference when I rout out the neck space.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_21_zps750ff5e0.jpg

I had also used a 7/8" Forstner bit to drill out for the jack. Fender installed a funky jack plate that requires a special tool to install and remove. So that's on order.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_22_zps3b666d31.jpg

Some lessons learned:

1. Don't use a 1/4" thick template unless you have top bearing bits of several different heights. I found out why all the electric guitar luthiers use 3/4" templates the hard way.

2. Taking a full 1-3/4" bite out of the exterior profiling requires you to hold onto the piece very tightly. I cut on the bandsaw almost to the line, maybe 1/16" off, and as soon as I put it to the table router the piece tried to jump out of my hands! That's the first time I had taken a cut that wide.

3. Have the right router bits on hand. I took a top bearing off another bit and set it on a 5/8" mortising bit for routing out the cavities. The cutting depth on that bit is 3/4" and the bearing didn't sit flush on top of that. So I was taking a lot on that first run and the bit was only 1/4" shank. ( If I had a 3/4" template, that wouldn't have been such a problem.)

4. Don't have a overly-helpful, inexperienced assistant sucking up the waste as you hog out the innards unless you explain to him what NOT to do! When I had to resort to the mortiser to finish the hogging out, I removed the chisel and just used the drill bit. While my son was vacuuming up the chips, he saw that the knob that holds the chisel in place was loose. While I was concentrating on putting the drill in the right place, he decided to tighten the knob. I was so focused on watching what I was doing that the metal-against-metal sound that resulted from the threaded stud rubbing against the drill shank was ignored. I also didn't realize I was drilling a bit more deeply from one hole to the next until I had done about four holes in a row. The threaded stud was pushing so hard against the drill shaft, it caused it to inch out of the chuck. :eek: When I caught it I was upset I had screwed up. Then I realized what had happened but I thought vibration caused it tighten. When I looked at him and he had a guilty look on his face and then he confessed to tightening the knob. :rolleyes:

Oh well, at least no one was hurt. Next, I have to make a template for the neck rout and finish that and then test the neck fit.

For the finish, he wants an ocean blue dye and pearloid pickguard. The pickguard/knobs will look something like this but the knobs will be chrome to match the rest of the metal parts.
http://www.stewmac.com/images/review/23956.jpg

And the finish he wants will look something like this:
http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/501/363/DV016_Jpg_Large_430855.012_transparent_blue_R.jpg

Larry Fox
12-03-2013, 3:05 PM
Larry, I'm using my son's Fender neck for this project. But once this is done, I'm going to tackle the Strat, neck and all. There's dozens of full size drawings you can download for free here: http://www.gitarrebassbau.de/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6&p=18618&hilit=templates#p18618. I'm not sure all of them are the correct dimensions but I was looking for the headstock on my son's Tele and found it to be exact. I only downloaded Fender files but there's one called 60s_neck.pdf that shows some dimensions you can work off of. I won't be installing the single rod that was standard back then. I plan to use a Hot Rod (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/Adjustable_truss_rods/Spoke_Nut_Hot_Rod_Truss_Rod.html) truss rod in its place. It corrects both concave and convex bows and all you have to do is rout one depth. If you do a two part neck with separate fingerboard, this option will work.



Thanks Julie - I will check out the site when I get home. I have watched some of the videos that you reference as they were referenced in another thread here a few days ago. Project looking good. I have both a 1-piece and hot-rod truss rods and which one I use depends on which approach I take (1 or 2 piece).

Julie Moriarty
12-03-2013, 3:22 PM
Thanks Julie - I will check out the site when I get home. I have watched some of the videos that you reference as they were referenced in another thread here a few days ago. Project looking good. I have both a 1-piece and hot-rod truss rods and which one I use depends on which approach I take (1 or 2 piece).

I saw this a few days ago and only just found it again. This guy shows going through the process of the steps he took to create that bow in the routing of the neck. I started watching it because he was doing so much with hand tools. The Neanderthal crowd here would really appreciate his work. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPLkNKxk9A

Michael Dunn
12-03-2013, 5:11 PM
Very cool Julie! I hope you marked a center line on the body as the neck needs to be centered. Or rather, the bridge needs to be perfectly centered to the neck pocket and therefor the neck. Looking good! More progress than I've made on my first guitar build.

I realize the first several pics were a test and not the final piece. Just an FYI, the arm cutaway came down way too far. If that were the final piece it may have interfered with the bridge placement.

Looking great!!!

Julie Moriarty
12-03-2013, 6:40 PM
Thanks Michael. Some good points and things I'll watch out for. The pickguard on the Tele Deluxe is kind of massive, compared to the standard Tele. I was thinking of putting a 1/2" quarter round on the real one like I did on the trial version. But even that interferes with the pickguard. We were talking about modifying the pickguard. More to think about...

As for the centerline, yes, I have been very anal about making sure the neck will fall dead center with the bridge. And of course the pickups have to be under the strings. I think I've watched about 20 hours of video and I've already read two books on design and build and am into a third. I wanted to know I could do this before I dove in. I also got a number of booklets from Ron Kirn. He builds some really nice guitars and is very generous with helping others.

Well, I made the template for the neck, making sure it was a snug fit. Then I aligned it so the neck will be straight and took a mortising bit to finish things. Problem was the diameter of the bit was too large to clear out the corners. And the makeshift bit was too tall to make the cut and still hit the edges of the template. I'll have to make a 3/4" thick template. And I thought I was going to skirt by without having to do this. :rolleyes:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_23_zps77cf07a2.jpg

Julie Moriarty
12-05-2013, 1:32 PM
I finished the rout out and the neck fit ALMOST perfect. I had to tweak it a bit.

Next came drilling the holes for the neck. I'm kind of going in reverse here so I took the original body and laid it on top of the new one and used transfer punches to lay out the holes. This Tele has three screws, two wood screws and one machine screw that is received by a threaded washer routed in the neck. After I drilled the holes I went to attach the neck and THEY DIDN'T FIT! I found the holes in the original body were drilled slightly askew and by the time the point of the transfer punch hit the new wood, they were all off. :mad:

So I had to drill out the holes to 1/4" and glue in dowels. Then I measured all of them with a caliper and marked the locations with a scoring knife. The dowels will be hidden behind the plate so I'm not totally bummed.

Once the neck was attached I discovered the neck extension on the body was a bit wide (the pitfalls of using the body to make the template) so once the neck came off I trimmed that area to be flush with the neck.

I reassembled the guitar back to its original form and gave it back to my son. I figure once the final finish is applied, I'd like to wait 3-4 weeks for it to fully cure before replacing the old body.

I don't want to use nitro because I'll be spraying indoors. Someone suggested Target EM6000. StewMac sells Target 7000HLB for guitar finishing. So I guess they recommend that over the 6000, which they don't sell. Anyone use WB finishes on instruments? Should I go with the 7000?

John Coloccia
12-05-2013, 2:50 PM
I don't know why SM changed to 7000. 6000 is repairable....7000 is not. I would use 6000. It has a good history as a guitar finish. I've used it myself. I switched back to nitro, but 6000 would be my second choice if I couldn't use nitro.

Julie Moriarty
12-06-2013, 6:22 AM
Thank you John! I had no idea 7000 wasn't repairable. Considering the nicks in my son's guitar body (that's how this all started) I would have been pretty upset with myself finding that out after the fact. Thanks again!

BTW, I'm curious why you switched back to nitro. If it's more durable, I may need to reconsider the WB route and try to figure out how I can spray nitro before spring arrives.

John Coloccia
12-08-2013, 11:45 PM
Thank you John! I had no idea 7000 wasn't repairable. Considering the nicks in my son's guitar body (that's how this all started) I would have been pretty upset with myself finding that out after the fact. Thanks again!

BTW, I'm curious why you switched back to nitro. If it's more durable, I may need to reconsider the WB route and try to figure out how I can spray nitro before spring arrives.

Nitro looks better. Simple as that. I got the 6000 looking pretty good. Using a coat of shellac underneath really helps, though you should use freshly mixed shellac if you do this. People have reported crazing problems over Zinnser SealCoat, and Jeff from Target says it's due to pH problems.

The 6000 can be made to burn in to itself after it's fully dried (more than a few days, for example) I think Jeff suggested that after the open time, you should lightly rough up the old finish a little and then apply a little alcohol to prepare before applying more, but I forget exactly. When you do it right, though, you will end up with no witness lines, even on a finish that is years old. Jeff says that the 7000 does not behave like this. When its open time is up, that's it...you're done. I think new finish can be made to stick, but it witness lines will show up at all the edges and anywhere else you have a transition from old finish to new. Blech.

All that said, 6000 is a fine finish and would be my first choice if I didn't want to spray something hazardous. You still need a respirator if you're spraying, of course, and good ventilation. It doesn't blow up, but it still has solvents in it and they're not something you generally want to breath in, nor are the solids of course.

As far as durability, the 6000 is pretty tough! It's not a waterbased finish. It's a waterborne acrylic. The solvent (glycol ether, I think) and acrylic solids are delivered to the item suspended in water. The water evaporates, and the small bit of solvent reflows the acrylic. I suggest practicing spraying it on scrap. When you initially coat the piece, it will look HORRIBLE....it will be milky white and orange peel like you wouldn't believe. After about 10 minutes, the water will go away and the finish will be MUCH smoother and clear. It's a completely different experience than spraying lacquer. You really need to practice on a piece of scrap to get the feel for when it's right, and when you hit the real thing you just need to trust your settings and your technique.

It CAN take on a slightly bluish tinge, especially on dark woods. You won't have this problem. Still, I always mixed in just the tiniest drop of transtint amber on the final few coats to warm it up a bit and give it a nice, warm glow. It just takes the tiniest little bit. Again, a little practice will guide you :)

Once it's fully set....after a week or two...it's very durable and a fine choice for an instrument.

Julie Moriarty
12-09-2013, 1:59 PM
Thanks (again! :)) John. I don't know if the EM6000 behaves anything like EnduroVar from General Finishes but much of what you describe as to how to work it and what to expect sounds like they are similar. I sprayed over 30 kitchen cabinet doors and half as many drawer fronts with a satin EnduroVar and got the hang of both the sprayer and the product. I wouldn't call myself highly skilled with it but I'm comfortable with it. I'll still do some test pieces with the 6000 but don't know if my son will be patient enough to allow those to dry so I can see how they buff out and wait until I find something that works, do the final steps on his guitar.

I've seen a number of videos where they use a detail sprayer to give that burst effect and of course that's what he wants. :rolleyes: I kind of doubt my spray gun can do that but I'll play around with it on some scrap. Right now, this is fun. I just hope to do enough research and testing so that I can still say that when I've got the final product in my hand. (Fingers crossed!)

John Coloccia
12-09-2013, 3:22 PM
Thanks (again! :)) John. I don't know if the EM6000 behaves anything like EnduroVar from General Finishes but much of what you describe as to how to work it and what to expect sounds like they are similar. I sprayed over 30 kitchen cabinet doors and half as many drawer fronts with a satin EnduroVar and got the hang of both the sprayer and the product. I wouldn't call myself highly skilled with it but I'm comfortable with it. I'll still do some test pieces with the 6000 but don't know if my son will be patient enough to allow those to dry so I can see how they buff out and wait until I find something that works, do the final steps on his guitar.

I've seen a number of videos where they use a detail sprayer to give that burst effect and of course that's what he wants. :rolleyes: I kind of doubt my spray gun can do that but I'll play around with it on some scrap. Right now, this is fun. I just hope to do enough research and testing so that I can still say that when I've got the final product in my hand. (Fingers crossed!)

You'll be able to do it with your gun. I've done them with rattle cans, and I've seen people do them with cheap, Harbor Freight, suction feed guns...these things are meant to spray whole rooms, but they work. Personally, I use a DeVilbiss EGA detail gun for sunbursts. It's essentially a huge airbrush, with exceptional control and a price tag to match. That's totally not necessary, though.

One thing I used to do under 6000, and don't take this as a recommendation because I don't know that it's the right thing to do, but it worked well for me, is I did all of my colors mixed in with shellac, not the 6000 product. It's hard to judge the colors in the 6000 because it's milky going on, and they recommend mixing in the colors with their water clear sealer. I've tried the sealer and have personally found it to be an absolutely useless, runny mess of a product. The shellac is nice for a sunburst because you can turn the flow way down and basically just shoot continuously. It dries so fast that you can basically keep going over the same area quite a few times in one session, and if you really want it to dry fast you can just blast it with a little bit of air from the two stage trigger on your gun. Then you let it dry for an hour or so and go back in with an even finer mist to really refine the edge. Of course, to spray shellac you need to be concerned with removing the vapors so they don't ignite. I know people have mixed color in to the 6000 product with great results, and in fact there is a member here that does that, I believe....I wish I could remember his name, but it escapes me at the moment. He builds very nice guitars, though.

I would just go solid color for #1. That will be enough of a challenge. I say #1 because there's mostly two kinds of people who build guitars....people who never finish their first guitar, and people that go on to build many guitars. That's just how it is. :)

Julie Moriarty
12-10-2013, 11:47 PM
While we're waiting for parts & pieces, I've already started the Strat body. Last night we made up some 3/4" MDF templates from the Kirn templates. My son seemed to really enjoy it. I told him, "If you find joy in this kind of work, someday this may all be yours," as I spread my arms out around the workshop. He actually smiled. The first of my children to show any interest in what I do. :)

I'll have to do some experimenting with the spray gun. I've got the Fuji XPC spray gun and it seems pretty flexible. Maybe with the waiting time we have I can find my groove.

I already ordered the sealer with the 6000. Oh well... I was thinking of going along the lines of shellac but I really don't have much experience with mixing things. I've always stayed on the safe side and used compatible products from one manufacturer. I sent an email to Target before all this started and asked them for some help but they never replied.

We have a friend in CT we visit once in a while. Maybe next time we go to see her I'll stop by your place and you can give me some lessons. ;)

John Coloccia
12-11-2013, 12:07 AM
I'm always happy when a creeker drops by the shop :)

Julie Moriarty
12-17-2013, 9:15 AM
Having this project done for Christmas is looking a little bleak. Yesterday the package arrived that was supposed to have a Fender trem in it. Instead it had a Gotoh fixed bridge. Two completely different animals. The packing slip was correct, but whoever filled the order must have failed to read it.

I ordered it ten days ago. Before I ordered this, I called around and nobody seems to sell this locally. So I'm stuck with having to order it again. Ten more days and the 2013 Christmas will be history.

I've been waiting for this part so I can do the cuts and make sure everything fits before starting the finishing process. I haven't been able to locate a template that I can rely on to make the cuts so I can just go ahead with the finishing either. It looks like Santa's bag will be empty this year. :(

Michael Dunn
12-17-2013, 9:25 AM
PM Julie, I'm a dealer for most all guitars MFG's. Let me know if you nee something.

Do you need a vintage or standard Fender trem?

John Coloccia
12-17-2013, 9:27 AM
There's no way you could possibly get it done for Christmas. It will take at least 3 days to spray on a finish, if you don't make any mistakes, and at least 7 days to allow the 6000 to fully harden/shrink and be ready for leveling and buffing.

Michael Dunn
12-17-2013, 9:31 AM
Another option for the neck reinforcement is static reinforcement. By means of using carbon fiber inserts. The result is a MUCH more musical sound as there isn't a piece of metal rattling around in a dado in the neck. My first build has 3 1/8"x3/8"x18" (can't remember the length.

It is a 7 string baritone. 27" scale length. Not yet complete... :(

george wilson
12-17-2013, 1:09 PM
A flat sawn neck is definitely stronger than a quarter sawn one,though with proper truss rods,it may be a moot point.

Years ago,"Fine Woodworking" published an article about the stiffness of wood in different grain orientations. This was when I was still the Musical Instrument Maker. Someone in the shop had decided in his own(erroneous but hard headed mind) that quarter sawn wood was stiffer. He said"It's like bending a stack of paper edge on."

To prove this article to myself,I carefully planed a piece of spruce to exactly the same 1/4" of thickness in both directions. It was 2 feet long. I used a micrometer to check the thicknesses both ways. The grain was exactly quartered. Then,I clamped the stick at an upward angle over the workbench top. I set up a ruler vertically to measure deflection. A small weight was hung on the end of the stick. I took great care to clamp the stick just the same way in both directions,and to apply the weight the same both times. I always proceed in the proper scientific manner,of carefully introducing only ONE variable at a time in experiments. Sure enough,the stick sagged less when weighted in the flat cut position. There is no doubt in my mind,therefore,that the FWW article was correct. Mr. hard head shut up about his self made up theory.

It also makes sense that the spruce in a guitar top should be oriented quarter sawn. It vibrates better that way. Fortuitously, the quarter sawn wood is more attractive,and more stable about not bowing across its width. No wonder people have been making their tops oriented this way for many hundreds of years!!:) And,violin makers have made their necks flat cut for just as long. Even back in the late 40's,an article was written in a Popular Mechanics magazine that showed how to make a guitar. The neck was specifically drawn and stated to be oriented in the flat cut position. So,even they knew best!:)

Mel Fulks
12-17-2013, 1:15 PM
George,most interesting . News to me.

george wilson
12-17-2013, 1:31 PM
The old Danelectros were made of masonite with cheap pine interior parts. Old Dan glued the cloth around the edges to hide the glued up pine blocks. I guess he also knew that the glue lines would telegraph through finishes. He made EVERYTHING out of masonite!! Amplifier cabinet parts included. He bought out a large over run of lipstick tubes and managed to built pickups inside them. His guitars cost $40.00 in the 1956 Sears catalog. I remember that my best friend bought one.

The old guitars had 2 bars of some kind of hard,cast metal set into them. These bars were a bit hour glass shaped in cross section. They did very little good in keeping the necks straight. I used to see them hanging in pawn shops here and there,with their strings 1/2" off the curved fingerboards at the body end of the necks.

I have a new one,just for fun. Chinese made(or somewhere in Asia. I'd have to go look). It is VASTLY superior to the originals. MUCH better finish(the old ones looked like spray can jobs). The new ones actually have real truss rods which work!!

I think the frets have no tangs,and are glued to the fingerboards. On the sides of the fingerboard are ink lines SIMULATING the tang slots which aren't there!

The guitar is fun to play,and if I turn the treble pickup all the way to bass,and play with both pickups on,the guitar seems to sound like a "supercharged Telecaster". That's how I'd describe it. And less than $300.00!!

Julie Moriarty
12-17-2013, 7:10 PM
PM Julie, I'm a dealer for most all guitars MFG's. Let me know if you nee something.

Do you need a vintage or standard Fender trem?
Thanks Michael. I'll keep that in mind next time.

I called the place today and they apologized and said they are sending the trem out immediately. They are even including a return shipping label so I don't have to pay the shipping and then wait for a refund.


There's no way you could possibly get it done for Christmas. It will take at least 3 days to spray on a finish, if you don't make any mistakes, and at least 7 days to allow the 6000 to fully harden/shrink and be ready for leveling and buffing.

John, I realize the body can't be installed by Christmas but I was hoping to have it dyed, and the 6000 sprayed and dry to the touch by then. I already told him it won't be installed until mid or late January. I just wanted to give him something more than the unfinished body that he's been looking at for over a week.

Julie Moriarty
12-17-2013, 7:46 PM
George, thanks for sharing that. When I went for the neck wood, I was thinking of wood movement and not strength, thus the choice for quarter sawn maple. A month ago I was pretty much clueless about guitar building. So I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. I don't remember anyone addressing wood strength but it seems everyone addresses wood stability. I honestly don't know how much either plays a part in making a good guitar neck. I just went with what the "experts" said. But I like what you said about how all that may be of little importance once the truss rod is thrown into the equation. I have some figured woods I'd love to see on a neck.

What I'm finding along the way is much of guitar making is an art form rather than an exact science. While there are some things you need to get right every time, there's a lot of room for creativity.

george wilson
12-18-2013, 9:07 AM
Another thing about using quartered wood for the neck is the amount of sideways movement it can have. With a maple fingerboard especially,the frets are almost certain to project out past the edges of the neck. Even with a separate fingerboard this usually happens. Flat sawn is a lot better in this respect. The wood will shrink and swell much less in a sideways direction if it is flat cut. You will be filing the frets down flush sooner or later,especially during a dry Winter. I've done that many times over the years of my learning curve. These days,we have so much access to instant information. When I started,there were not even any books available,save a 1/8" thick book put out by Clifford Essex in England on building a not very well made classical guitar. I had been trying to build since 1954. It was 1960 before I first saw that book. I did glean some information from it,limited as the book was. It didn't even mention grain direction,except for the top,if I recall.

There was no place to buy fret wire or tuners unless I got lucky and could a set of fret wire in a music store. No choice on gauge at all. The first place I ever found to buy a proper pickup was Carvin Guitars in Covina,Calif.(They have moved). They sold a little single coil pickup that was meant to be properly installed,as opposed to the pickups you added onto an acoustic guitar,clamped in the sound hole,or around the strings just above the tailpiece on arch tops.

Julie Moriarty
12-18-2013, 9:34 AM
The fret reality was something else I haven't seen mentioned but makes perfect sense. File those fret ends on a humid summer day and come winter the guitar will be shredding you rather then the other way around!

I remember those acoustic pickup mods. We thought it was so cool to take that boring old acoustic and run it through an amplifier. :cool: My first guitar was a Silvertone bass. Maybe I was Tal Wilkenfeld's inspiration. HA! I chose bass because that was the only spot available in the newly forming band. I got bit by the bug.

george wilson
12-21-2013, 11:29 AM
File them during a real dry spell. You may have to touch them up a few more times,but eventually they will give up on sticking out.

John Coloccia
12-21-2013, 11:56 AM
In the summer months, I'll usually just give a quick pass to smooth them out a bit, but then tell my customers to come back in the winter time and I'll do them for real, unless they feel like paying me to do the same job twice.

Shawn Pixley
12-21-2013, 12:12 PM
I've been absorbing everything I can about making a Strat. One luthier, Ron Kirn, had a great thread on another forum showing a step-by-step. When he got to the electronics, he first lined the insides of the cavities with copper shielding and then laid beads of solder to bond the sides with the bottoms. So when I opened the Tele up, I was expecting to see shielding in the cavity. Nope! Just more of that plastic stuff. But I'll shield the new body for the Tele.

I found self adhesive faced 2" wide metal foil (its in a roll) that I use for shielding pick-up cavities and the back of the pick guard as appropriate for the guitar type. It is effective and much easier than cutting copper sheet. It is very effective. Given the advances in electronics, I find that shielding seem less and less needed. Some clubs still have a lot of "noise" and Ham or other radio towers can be problematic.

Shawn Pixley
12-21-2013, 12:21 PM
The old Danelectros were made of masonite with cheap pine interior parts. Old Dan glued the cloth around the edges to hide the glued up pine blocks. I guess he also knew that the glue lines would telegraph through finishes. He made EVERYTHING out of masonite!! Amplifier cabinet parts included. He bought out a large over run of lipstick tubes and managed to built pickups inside them.

The guitar is fun to play,and if I turn the treble pickup all the way to bass,and play with both pickups on,the guitar seems to sound like a "supercharged Telecaster". That's how I'd describe it. And less than $300.00!!

George, one of my favorite sounds is my baritone Danelctro with the treble rolled off into a good amp. It is a unique sound that really works for some compositions. It could never be my primary guitar, but it does have a plave in the stable. It is remarkable what you get from a guitar made from very cheap materials.

Julie Moriarty
12-24-2013, 10:41 AM
Shawn, I have some of that 2" wide copper tape. I checked it to see if what I have is conductive through the adhesive and it is. I agree, that should be easier than sheets.

While I was waiting for the trem, I decided to play around with finishing the pine body.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/Pinebodyfinish_02_zps8f42317a.jpg

I dyed it black then sanded it back. Then I applied red dye to it. Then I mixed the black and red dye and applied it around the perimeter, trying to fan it inward. I used spray can gloss lacquer, to keep what goes airborne to a minimum. It has about 6-7 coats of lacquer on it now. I'm actually considering making a better neck for it and routing it for electronics. Then doing the final finishing. My son says it looks cool, "like someone spilled Cherry Coke on a deck." :rolleyes:

The trem arrived a couple of days ago. I did the black dye/sand back method. Then laid the first coat of blue dye.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_24_zps63a02b1a.jpghttp://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_25_zpse0b40076.jpg

The flash washed out some of the color and depth. I'm so-so on how it's going so far. I need to find out if the new recipient wants that dark perimeter effect. I was kinda hoping to get the first coats of primer on it today so there's at least something for him under the tree.

John Coloccia
12-24-2013, 11:02 AM
Primer? Did you decide to go with one of the Target products? The guitar looks good. The first coat of lacquer will help it look better and more like what you have in your head, especially something like nitro or shellac. Straight waterborne, not so much but it still changes the look for the better. Either way, they always looks a little dead with just dye on them. I'm not sure what the primer's for, though.

Michael Dunn
12-24-2013, 11:04 AM
You should check this out Julie...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shielding/Conductive_Shielding_Paint.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=729

Looking good so far.

Julie Moriarty
12-27-2013, 2:49 PM
I've got both the primer and 6000 from Target here but haven't experimented with either yet. I'm really on the fence about using WB finishes but I can't spray lacquer with my HVLP sprayer in the basement, even with the little exhaust fan I have set up in the booth. Just the little spraying I did with a spray can on the pine body worked its way through the house. Hey, it's almost January, just a few more months before spring. ;)

My son didn't like the color though. It was too blue. So I played with toning it with a hint of yellow to get it the aquamarine he wants but that didn't pass inspection either. So I sanded it back to almost bare wood. A couple of days ago I told him I needed him to be there for the toning phase. I'm patiently waiting for a response as to when that might be. I guess this build sits in limbo for now.

Julie Moriarty
12-30-2013, 11:39 AM
Well, I finally got the kid to get involved in the project. He took the same dye mix that I used on the first coat and applied it to the partially sanded body. The edges and the belly cut still had the blue-yellow dye. When he was done he proclaimed, "I love it!" My SO and I think that beautiful curly maple has been ruined. :( But we're both biting our tongues. It's his guitar.

Yesterday we had the family over and after they left we began tag-teaming laying on the lacquer - out of a can. I won't use the HVLP sprayer to spray lacquer in the basement. The 6" exhaust fan in the ceiling of the spray tent can't get it out of the house fast enough.

I just hope when it's done he still loves it.

Julie Moriarty
12-30-2013, 11:48 AM
You should check this out Julie...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Supplies:_Shielding/Conductive_Shielding_Paint.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=729

Looking good so far.

Michael I didn't see your post til today. Probably because I missed there was a second page in the thread. :o

I was looking at the conductive paint and it looks easier but I think when I first became aware of it I had already ordered the copper tape. I'm going to give the job of shielding to my son. By the time it's at that stage I'm guessing he'll be more "available" to work on it. :rolleyes:

Julie Moriarty
01-07-2014, 9:27 AM
The body has been finished and we're awaiting the curing process before it replaces the old body. Yesterday my son worked hours lining the cavities with copper tape
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_26_zps65441636.jpg


He seems to really love the blue color. After he was done yesterday he mentioned a clear pickguard. That would be interesting!

John Coloccia
01-07-2014, 9:48 AM
I think it looks very nice :)

Julie Moriarty
01-22-2014, 4:30 PM
Wow... If I had any idea what we'd go through to shape a new pickguard from a sheet, I would have just ordered one, no matter how expensive it seemed.

It started two days ago. About 4PM my son walks into the shop and says, "I'm ready!" That's code for, "Can you help me finish my guitar." :rolleyes: I dropped what I was doing (sanding the lacquer on the sapele body) and off we went. I had earlier made a template for his pickguard out of 1/4" MDF. After he removed his pickguard I found out it wasn't an exact replica and was off in places that would be noticeable. So began the attempt to make a new template from his old pickguard.

The biggest obstacle was using the razor thin edge of the beveled edge of the old pickguard as a guide for the router bit bearing. To do that we had to place a spacer in between the pickguard material and the old pickguard. I don't have any router bits that have the bearing butting up against the cutting edge of the bit. We had to fill that space.

Once the outer perimeter of the new pickguard was shaped, he rough cut a new piece of MDF on the bandsaw
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_27_zps1fc307cc.jpg


After that was done, we cut the holes for the pickups, pots and switch and drilled the mounting holes. By this time 24 hours had passed! I'd guesstimate a full 8 hours of work had gone into getting everything right. Once the MDF template matched the old pickguard, we finished drilling and cutting the holes. Then we cut the 45 bevel on the outer edge. We started yesterday around 10AM and were ready to install the new pickguard around 8PM. I had no idea it would take this long.

My son overdid the double-sided taping and separating the pickguards was a nail-biter. I went to bed around 10:30 last night. My son had finished stringing the guitar and was just starting on the intonation when I retired for the day. I took this picture before he installed the strings:

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/BB_finished_zps85deb67e.jpg


This morning, he tells me there was no sound. http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Emoticons/eusa_doh_zps03302b01.gif Now we have to take it apart and check the wiring.

John Coloccia
01-22-2014, 4:51 PM
Wowwee...that finish came out great. Good job, Julie!

Shawn Pixley
01-23-2014, 12:16 AM
Julie, that turned out great!

I know how difficult copying the pickguard is. I changed the Seth Lover pickup at the neck position in my original Tele Custom for a Gibson. I didn't want to alter the original. I copied the shape, then used a dremel bevel router bit to bevel the edges. The Dremel guide is right at the edge of the cutters. I also have a guide for binding that can ride against thin templates, but doesn't work well in tight inside corners.

Michael Dunn
01-23-2014, 8:19 AM
My son overdid the double-sided taping and separating the pickguards was a nail-biter.

I did that once... Once!!! Man that stuff is impressively strong. I use it quite sparingly now about 1 - 1-1/2" from the per miter in a few places.

Looks great Julie!!!

Julie Moriarty
01-23-2014, 10:10 AM
Thanks guys. Brian is pretty pleased with his "new" guitar too. He seemed to really enjoy working on it and as time passed got more comfortable.

After he had the guitar set up and discovered there was no sound coming from the amp (he worked until 1AM to do the setup), he was pretty bummed. Yesterday I pulled the strings off the tuners and opened it up and tested it. Everything worked. Then I set the pickguard back in place. No sound. I found out Brian's copper shielding job was a bit too thorough and once you inserted the jack into the guitar, it pushed the "hot" blade into the copper shielding. That was a quick fix.

I tested it again and found the selector switch was acting skittishly. One position worked, one was intermittent and one didn't work at all. Once again, the copper shielding was the culprit. But I also found the cavity for the switch was too narrow. And it's an exact duplicate of the original body. Brian told me he had been having problems with the switch for years. The switch Fender installed looks like a switch from a Gibson SG.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Telecaster%20Build/gbsgswitch_sm_zpsb0c7c96b.jpg

Fender left barely enough room in the cavity for the blades on the switch to operate. If we ever get into another Tele Deluxe-style build, I'll enlarge that cavity.

But the guitar now works fine and Brian says it plays "awesome!" :)