Andyjr1515

Actually, it's this next bit that's a bit scary - drilling out the old big and small dots This is so close to the top of the fretboard, the drill holes have to be spot on - my little Proxxon drill-press and the neck held absolutely vertical using that radius block again helps enormously. I decided that the dot at the 15th was as good a one as any to try it out: I don't have a plug cutter quite the right size, so I cut one from some plain rock maple offcut (should match) slightly larger than the drill hole and slimmed it down in a hand-drill chuck with some sandpaper on a block: Trying to match the grain direction as well as possible, glued it in, cut flush and sanded it. I'm quite pleased with the result - once there is a luminlay in the middle, I reckon that will look like it was meant to be there Now just got the others to plug - but that's enough scary stuff for one day, so it will have to wait until tomorrow

So the humble cabinet scraper. Basically, if you get dust, then either the burr has been prepared badly/is blunt or it is being used wrongly. The reality is that it is a type of plane - it is designed to be able to cut wafer thin and long shavings: And I find it ideal for modifying or carving necks because it is efficient but very controllable. Often I will do this with the neck still on the bass, sitting and holding it a bit like a back-to-front cello. But for the first de-varnish and rough cut, then I've cantilevered it from my work bench with the fretboard sitting in a fret radius block: For the first rough-cut, I marked the spine with a sharpie and then simply worked on removing the edge that the slimming left and blending it into the existing profile. This is done running the scraper up the whole length of the neck (which is why it's cantilevered) so that the profile is continuous around the neck and along it. The carve is usually best done by feel - the edge starts off feeling like a distinct line to your fingers, then feels like a slight lump as it smooths out and then, if it feels like one continuous curve to your finger or thumb from the fretboard to the spine, you know you have a blended shape. Here it is after the rough carve: You can see here how little of the black epoxy side dot depth has been removed. Sorting that will probably take longer than the whole reshaping and refinishing process!! So far so good....

The slim down should absolutely make it feel different - and yes, that's exactly what @Happy Jack is after. But the depth will be the same and the profile very, very similar so it should feel 'in the same vibe' but simply a lot easier to play for his preferred style And as Jack himself says, he already has a Plan B for the single-string version

I've done it to the two points where the neck pocket sides join (around 16th fret on the bass side and the 19th on the treble side). You could taper it at the fretboard level to the very end of the fretboard but we are talking a miniscule difference in width at that point.

First job after removing the neck was to take the tuners off. This is a nice touch - recessed washer seatings: On the other hand, I will be leaving the string trees in place. It is important that the headstock isn't damaged at all, regardless of the mayhem that will be going on around it, and these act as protective spacers And so - I mentioned the Shinto rasp file. Some builders say that, for wood, the best files around are the top notch hand cut professional rasp files. But for all-round wonderment, in my view, there is nothing that comes remotely close to the Shinto. They are unusual in that they are made from blades similar to hacksaw blades. One side is coarse and the other is fine: Why are they so wonderful? Well - apart from the fact that they can cut through even the hardest woods at a remarkable rate - but leaving an impressively smooth surface - they also can file METAL!! So for narrowing a fretted neck, they are absolutely perfect: Remembering to always file the frets into the neck, it took no more than 10 minutes to slim down the neck accurately up to the sharpie line. And here is the slimmed down neck, in profile only at the moment so lots more fun stuff to do: Next step, is reshaping the neck to blend it all in from this edge round to the spine, which won't be impacted. And here I will be using my next favourite type of hand tool - the humble, cheap as chips, cabinet card scraper

Well...you know the wobbly dining table problem...where you shorten the longer leg and it still wobbles and you carry on until you end up with a coffee table? Just conditioning him

That's better! In my defence, I have to say here that this is not entirely an OCD thing It's just that in guitar and bass geometry, everything affects everything - and so the more things that you can get correct at the start will mean that more things will be correct in the subsequent actions. Which is just as well, because, now I have also placed the nut in line... ...then, in about 15 minutes time, it's going to be taken down to the cellar and attacked with a Shinto rasp file!

The Fender Standard hex nut arrived - and I also bottomed that issue of the nut 'cracking' loose...because the Fender was even worse! And the problem? Actually both nuts had a taper in their internal threads! I got an imperial bolt of the right size and, sure enough, it would screw in nicely for 4-5 turns and then became very, very stiff. The solution was a quick clearance of the thread with an imperial tap (goodness knows how I came to possess one...but I do!) and also add even more spacers so that the nut doesn't have to screw in so far before it starts bending the neck. So we now have a hex nut adjuster - which will make it much easier for @Happy Jack to adjust it in the future: I reassembled it and was able to adjust from a large relief to dead flat, even with the middle string still in place: And talking of that middle string - when we were in the pub talking about the options to narrow the neck, Jack had noted that the strings didn't really line up with the top fretboard dots in the first place - and I noticed that when I did the mockup above. But I also noticed a stress lacquer crack at the corner of the treble side of the neck pocket when I was taking the neck off. Ahah! There's a clue. This is the effect (this one is purely aesthetic but the little lacquer stress crack less so): And this is most of the cause - the pickguard is encroaching into the neck pocket by enough to push the neck both across and at a slight angle. It's encroaching into the pocket by nearly a mm: I'll plane and sand the side overlap flush (it's perfectly flush at the back) before I set the final position of the nut and start filing the neck narrower - which I will start on tomorrow

And so, on a 'measure 14 times and cut once' basis, the fretboard taper was cut this morning: And, using a G&W steel fret cutting template as my flat surface, the maple veneer glued onto the bottom - you can never have too many clamps (or radius block cauls)! And that done, I've been able to start the fretting. I'm using Evo Gold fret wire (I've used those on all my personal guitars and basses and the majority of builds for other folk). After de-tanging the ends of each fret: I 'wipe' a triangular needle file along the slot to take the brittle edge off; then apply a teeny thread of titebond; position it in the slot; whack it one side, then the other, then the middle to engage the tangs; wipe off the squeeze-out; then clamp a 12" radius block (the radius of the fretboard) for good measure while I then prepare the next one to be done. 14 done, 8 to go

I wish you patience and perseverance instead. With those two, you won't need the luck bit

Thanks, folks All going well, this week should see the fretboard tapered, fretted, glued, neck tapered and headstock shaped. For the fretboard, Jack is opting for no binding and a veneer pinstripe - this kind of thing: That all done, then that will leave just the neck profile to do (Jack will be sending me profile tracings and sizes taken from his favourite neck. All necks have their own feel but, hopefully, I can get him a pleasing familiarity with it ) and the build itself will be essentially finished. And after that, the finishing can start...and that's where the magic really starts with nice woods like these

OK The conventional wisdom is that you can't slurry and buff tru-oil on a stained body because the slurry bit will simply sand off the stain - either totally or in patches. And, generally, this is a reasonable assumption. But it can be done. There's a bit of finesse involved, there's a bit of trial and error, and there're some 'do's and don'ts' - but it can be done. The finish is not quite the same (so do review it against the Osmo Polyx, because that is much more straightforward) but pretty close. This was my first attempt. Stained with red calligraphy ink on mahogany: And to pre-empt the nay-sayers who will say that the stain will come off on your hands - the neck was also done...and it didn't despite a LOT of playing: And this was done for a pro player - neck and all (it used to be a white-wash finish) - who also confirms that the stain has never lifted after lots of playing. This one used Chestnut Spirit Stains but the same method outlined below: So - if it was trying to do what you describe I would: - Get it down to final with-the-grain sanding (probably around 300 grit) - Do the staining - Then use the modified approach: * We are going to still slurry and buff...but we are going to slurry and buff the tru-oil and NOT the stained wood * So first I would do a number of coats of tru oil, wiped or brushed on. The first coats will be sucked into the stained wood. Let each fully dry. * After 2-4 coats you will find that the oil is no longer being sucked in - each coat is starting to build a shine. * From this point, do at least 2 more full coats. * Then, when fully dry, take some 1000 grit wet and dry and do a very, very light circular sanding using the tru-oil as the wet. Do a couple of inches at a time and wipe it off as you go. There may be a small amount of stain on the cloth - that's not a problem, but if you see the stain lightening of the wood at all, you are sanding through the hardened tru-oil layers into the stained wood. * Likewise be very careful with any sharp edges. Better to slurry sand up to an edge and not the edge itself. Wipe it, let it fully dry. *If you have got breakthrough in the stain, sand the dried with the 1000 grit in that area until you break through the stain to the wood. Restain that patch, let it dry, add a few more coats to the patch and then carry on with the above process. * After the first slurry and wipe has fully dried, now do a slurry and buff. Slurry very, very lightly - you don't want to break through now - but buff up** fairly vigorously. Let it fully dry. * Once fully dry, finally buff up** again. Should be done **Where I say 'buff up' , we are talking hand buffing with a cloth. Don't under any circumstances use any form of powered buffer - it will go straight through the finish and take all the stain off!! So - there is a learned technique here - and the Osmo over the stained wood will be very close to the same final result. The choice is yours

Fine up to this bit. And here lies the challenge. If you think about it - you are effectively sanding it down to create the slurry. And stains really don't soak much beyond 0.2mm except on end grain. So the slurry method will simply sand off the stain again. BUT - there is a way I've found to be able to do it. I'm a bit tight on time right at this moment but a bit later this eve I'll go through how you can get pretty close to what you are trying to do. And it helps if the grain fill is small rather than large (which is why I asked the question) I'll post the rest a bit later

No difference. The only issue with 'proper' stains is if you are intending to mix them with the finish. And then yes it makes a difference (water based stains will only mix with water based finishes). However, once they are dry, there is no difference - the spirit or water is just a way of getting the stain into solution and capable of soaking into the wood. The colours themselves start off generally as powder and are generally non-reactive to subsequent finishes.

Clearly you haven't heard MrsAndyjr1515's opinion on such matters.... Anyway, second and major test - will it hold the neck relief under full string tension... So it will sit under tension for a full day/night cycle of house temperature change and I'll check the relief again this time tomorrow. The hex nut is on its way and when that arrives I'll have another look at the trussrod thread. I've noticed that when it has been standing a while and then you tighten or loosen the nut, you feel the rod twisting before the nut 'cracks' the joint and moves. In that I have three stacked and free moving washers between the rod and the anchor point, it can only be the thread itself that is binding. With the new nut, I'll use a teeny bit of PTFE grease and see if we can get it moving a little easier. This is with the narrower nut in the middle. I think (although MrsAndyjr1515 would tut and shake her head) this is what we should do, rather than offset to one side or the other. It also evens the bends of the strings over the nut which is no bad thing

Hi again @Stub Mandrel Normal stuff - this is just the thought process and method I would personally go through and methods and pitfalls that I've come across along the way. So OK - there are a number of aspects here that tend to interact with each other. Quite what the best combination of methods and materials is going to be does really depend on the actual piece of timber and what you are wanting to do with it. First a couple of questions: 1. If you wipe the burl part with a damp cloth (assuming it is freshly sanded and has had no coating of any kind) then the maple (lovely piece, by the way) will darken. The question is whether this is dark enough without a stain? 2. How completely do you want to fill the holes? The reason for question is the first interdependence: Filling vs staining Basically, many of the common methods of filling will reject both water based and spirit based stains. So, depending, you can end up with the areas where the stain soaks into the surrounding wood at one colour, and the fills remaining the colour of the filler. For the less 'holey' outside area where you are thinking of sunbursting, I have a couple of suggestions but, for the more holey area in the middle, it is a bigger challenge if you really do want to stain that too. Rather than going into the detail of all the permutations and combinations of methods, I'll come back to this when I know the answer to the two questions. But in the meantime, and ignoring the complication with stains, my preferred methods of achieving a satin finish: Method 1 Tru-oil Slurry and Buff - used to both fill and produce a wonderfully organic silky smooth finish I actually personally use this method for all of my non-stained preparation, whether I intend to stay satin or even gloss coat (but I only use polyurethane varnish which I know does not react with the Tru-oil. - Basically, wearing disposable gloves, I get a bottle of Tru-oil (a small bottle is plenty) and I wet and dry sand, with the grain, using the Tru-oil as the 'wet'. It quickly turns into a slurry of oil and sandings which can be used to fill both the grain, splits and even large holes. Personally, I start with quite a coarse paper (I use 120grit emery cloth to start) and then move to finer grits through the process. - First go I create the sludge, then use an old credit card to scrape it into the holes. - I let it dry overnight, then repeat. I repeat this until the holes are filled. - Then I move to finer grits - I usually go to 300 grit sandpaper, then to 400 grit wet-n-dry (a multi pack from Halfords is ideal), sanding with the grain but this time wiping off the sludge across the grain and, again, let it dry - Then to 800 to 1000 and sometimes to 2000, but with these, after wet sanding with the oil ( by now you won't need a lot of oil) and wipe immediately dry with a non-lint cloth (again, Halfords do some great non-lint polishing cloths) - The final one or two coats, after wet sanding with the oil, now not only wipe off the oil but then vigorously buff. You should be left with something that is satin, still feels like wood but is silky, silky smooth. It is also the way I do all my necks because I love the organic and silky smooth feel (and why I would never, ever, buy a Gibson Les Paul again because I can't stand sticky necks!) This is some bubinga on my fretless bass done the above way - 6 years later, it still looks like this: This camphor burl - a very figured wood - was also done this way and then varnished on top: Method 2 - Osmo Polyx Satin (tinted or clear) Osmo Polyx is a trade product that has relatively recently come onto the consumer market in smaller tins. A teeny tin would happily do a couple of guitars. Once you have filled everything and got the wood to to final dry-sanded finish, you apply it with a cloth, thin coat, leave to dry overnight. You then give it a second coat, leave it to fully harden (generally a week) and then it is usually done! It is a VERY easy product to use and produces a great finish. They do a range also of tinted versions - the stain will be much lighter than a spirit stain straight onto wood - including a decent amber. This is fleabag's rebody in Polyx Satin: Both Tru-oil and Osmo Polyx are pretty unreactive and so you can prepare an unstained body as above and then give is a couple of wipes with the Polyx - or you can actually slurry the Polyx itself. However, I don't know how well slurried Polyx fills cracks and holes. Might be fine, and worth experimenting although, personally, if I want a slightly tougher finish I would still use the Tru-oil slurry method first, simply because I know it works. So the complication is just if you need to fill AND stain a sunburst (otherwise, Tru-oil slurry and buff + tinted Polyx or just tinted Polyx would both work) Hope this helps

Hi Sorry- only just spotted this @Stub Mandrel - crazy busy weekend! I'll try and answer some of the points not covered yet later today

Well, providing it passes the 'with strings on too' test, then yes - I can still narrow the neck as planned with the fretboard still on. Different method, but actually quite a bit easier The inability to sand away the large dot recesses re-raises whether we now still go all from the bass side. It would be no problem to narrow both the bass and treble and keep the top dots in line with the strings...

One of the things that Jack, Silvia and I talked about in the pub was the large retro-installed side dots, which are to be removed, and whether taking all of the width off the bass side only might take enough off to take out the drill holes too. Unfortunately I think the answer is almost certainly 'no' - the black epoxy is fairly easy to get out, but the drill holes are pretty deep: The good news, though is that they have been drilled with a brad-point drill so it should be relatively easy to clean them up - maybe even slightly bigger to take out the original small dot too. If I can find a plug cutter the right size, the plan would be to cut some maple plugs. It won't be even close to invisible but, with the luminlays also in the same positions, it shouldn't be quite as much 'in yer face' as the present black ones. The other thing we talked about is me swopping the truss rod nut to an allen key one - so a Fender Standard American truss rod nut from Allparts is on its way...should fit So next step before actually reshaping the neck, is to string it back up and make sure that it holds the set relief under full string tension. And that's what I'll do tomorrow

It is And the even better news is that it has held the back bow all night. So it is almost certain that the neck is fully functional, and that means no fretboard removal and a significantly lower risk of the fretboard or neck becoming u/s. I have some filing work to do to enlarge the inside diameter of enough washers to give the full present and future adjustment but I can now start thinking about the narrowing of the neck and start on that pretty soon. Might also be time to start ordering some timber for the fretless neck

Well....I won't know for certain until the morning but - I think we have a working trussrod. It's presently sitting on my bench with a distinct back bow and - as it was tightened to get there - it felt 'right'. I will judge it properly in the morning because there may be a wood movement under the extra pressure over time - but I think there's a better than evens chance I'll let you know first thing tomorrow.

Well I hope the washers arrive today (drumming fingers impatiently)! "48hr" delivery has never been the same ever since Brexit/Covid/Climate Crisis/Mafeking/Hastings/Genesis...

Yup - great job

It's the thought that counts, Mick I think the Yamaha will be metric and I'm pretty sure this is imperial. The washers should be with me in the morning. If they don't work, then it will be a fretboard removal in any case. Many thanks for the thought, though

Excellent