Ibanez Tribute Kit

[SpondonBassed]

I started on the body. The neck has had three coats of Danish Oil rubbed on and cut back using extra fine steel wool with 24 hours between each coat. I will do more coats until I stop seeing an improvement each time. That or I'll stop after a week's worth or seven coats.

To stop me from chomping at the bit during the finishing of the neck I made my first template for the new Dremel plunge router attachment that TJ and I have bought for the workshop. Next time I'll use quarter inch MDF for the template as this half inch piece was unnecessarily deep. I roughed it out with a jigsaw and finished it with coarse abranet.


Instead of a guide bearing or mandrel on the cutter the plunge attachment uses a guide collar protruding from its baseplate and the offset must be calculated for the diameter of the cutter used. This offset is added to the template dimensions so that the desired cut is made when it all comes together.


I used a bit of warped MDF and found it helped to follow the curvature of the guitar back when I clamped it up between a backing board and the template. A few gentle trial cuts and I'm away!

I'm confident that I can craft the cut into a pleasing recess when the body is finally shaped and smoothed. The flat plastic plate sits well enough into the recess given that the body is not flat. Next job will be to get the control cavity and socket mounting hole tidied up.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[Andyjr1515]

Looking good

Routing with a dremel isn't the easiest of things to do but looks like you've got the hang of it...

[SpondonBassed]

Looking good

Routing with a dremel isn't the easiest of things to do but looks like you've got the hang of it...

I know. Everything about them is approximate due to the plasticky construction of the attachments. It is a very useful tool despite that. It will get interesting when I do the floor of the control cavity. I may yet resort to a chisel and a grinding bit used freehand.

I've been thinking about making a CNC router table. A desk top sized machine would do 3D body, neck and headstock shaping to tight specifications. It would also take away the involvement that comes from working with one's hands. For that reason it's an idea that is on a very long finger. I'd have to be into batch production to commit to it and that would make it too much like a job! While I could do with some work to bring in a bit more money, I have established that working from home would be a very bad idea.

If I could get a job as a Luthier's assistant I'd have a go. Even an apprenticeship in Lute making would be attractive if I was younger. At this point in my life however, I am glad to have it for a hobby. It keeps me out of trouble. Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

It was time to tidy up the drillings and cavities in the body. The hole for the output socket was just a hole. It needed further work inside and outside to get the nut sat squarely and the flange recessed within the body outline. Before I could do that I needed to enlarge the hole to allow the body of the socket to fit at all. A tap wrench with a suitable bit did the job nicely. No wood was split.


I still have to recess the socket. To do this I will make a temporary dowel plug that will take the pilot hole for the larger diameter drill needed to recess the socket flange. I can't guarantee the concentricity of the spot face otherwise.

We have an accessory that turns the Dremel into a benchtop pedestal drill. The plunge router attachment wont do the floor of the control cavity but the cutter held in the pedestal works well enough to rough out. I controlled the depth of cut with the pedestal lever in one hand while moving the body beneath it with the other hand. I got the thickness I needed to get the pots secured with the nuts fully threaded. A small grinding bit used freehand with the detached Dremel finished off the cavity sufficiently. I still have to spot face the front of the body to let the nuts sit squarely within the body curve.


I dropped the pots and socket into place and verified that there is ample room for wiring later.


I went around the internal drillings and all the cut edges I could find with the grinding bit. There are no sharp or ragged edges now. I noticed that the neck attachment bolt drillings are drilled at random angles. I will investigate the possibility of re-drilling them so that they are perpendicular to the joint plane.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[allighatt0r]

Nice work!

[SpondonBassed]

Nice work!

Thank you.

Your avatar puts me in mind of the early Light Purple Floyd number - "Careful with that accordion Ian." If it is not too cheeky of me to say; I bet his eyes water at the climax of every song. Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

I had noticed yesterday that the factory drillings in the neck pocket were off square and a couple of them were badly off centre with their bosses. I can't skip over this because I'd still know it was bodged even after the concealment of the fact when the neck goes on. It's unavoidable. I must rework them. You can see how poor the upper left and lower right holes were. I made some dowels and plugged them.


I mentioned the output socket needed work. I made a snug fitting dowel to temporarily fill the hole so that a larger hand drill could be used. A 2mm pilot hole locates the centre. The drill guide has something to bite into. It was necessary to stop the dowel from twisting with the drilling action and pulling out by holding it from just inside the cavity with vice grips. Vice grips can be a mighty ally. I left the work there as I became tired from a heavy lunch and I didn't want to cock things up. It's just a question of tidying up the hole and recess now.


When the glue is set tomorrow I shall drill the neck pocket holes true to their bosses and the joint face. I can then mount the body to a fake neck for holding in the vice. The finishing of the body contour can be started at last. TJ used my teak oil on one of his ukulele fronts yesterday and it looks good. Can't wait to get it onto my build. Between the ash grain of the body in teak oil, the natural rosewood and the maple in danish oil with bird's eyes showing on the headstock, I seem to have got a good deal.

I hope I'll have enough room on BC for the remainder of the photos of this build. I've had to delete all of my previous images.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[honza992]

Looks great. Nothing like putting on that first coat of oil.....

Speaking of which, what's your plan with the teak oil & the body? Are you doing a grain fill on the ash?

[Jabba_the_gut]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1502215208' post='3350061']

I hope I'll have enough room on BC for the remainder of the photos of this build. I've had to delete all of my previous images.
[/quote]

Try using something like Imgur for your pictures - you just include the link in your post and you can add as many pictures as you like!!

[SpondonBassed]

Looks great. Nothing like putting on that first coat of oil.....

Speaking of which, what's your plan with the teak oil & the body? Are you doing a grain fill on the ash?

I will sand it to as good a contour as I can and just oil it. I like the idea of the grain texture looking and feeling almost as if it is not coated in anything. Also, I want to keep my first build simple.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1501182546' post='3343213']
Essential finishing supplies. I thought I'd treat myself to a new soldering iron too. It has LEDs that focus just beyond the tip of the iron. I am trying lead free solder for the first time. The man in Maplin recommended an inexpensive one and another one at double the price. The difference being the one percent silver content in the pricier one. He said that it wouldn't compromise a good joint using the cheap one but I went for the silver. With low levels of signal and the potential for induced interference I reckon the addition of silver gives it the conductive edge over the cheap one if only by a small amount.

[attachment=250103:Ibby5.JPG]
[/quote] It's been said before.... but the lead free stuff isn't any good IMO. I say this a a young-un who grew up using lead free solder - I was building an effect pedal and ran out and the local shop was this old electronics shop that had been there since the 50's - I think my roll of solder must have been too! It was a revelation!

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1501400219' post='3344392']
That's probably all the information I will share about costs here. Of course if anyone wants to ask how much I paid for something I've used in the build I will answer but after the initial purchase the cost of the build is largely a matter of choice. It would be pointless to include day to day details of how much I spend and I am not keeping tabs on that anyway. In the end I wont be able to say what was spent down to the last penny but I am not interested in pretending I can do accountancy.
[/quote] I'm the same with my build - some things I've gone for more expensive options. My one 2p, as it was the main mistake I made on my last build... but take a load of the screws you got with your kit... and test a few in something. If the heads start to deform chuck them and get new, good ones from a hardware store - I've got a place near me where I can get individual screws - for a couple of quid nice stainless steel ones are a lot less likely to deform or strip the heads.

Nice build though!

[SpondonBassed]

It's been said before.... but the lead free stuff isn't any good IMO. I say this a a young-un who grew up using lead free solder - I was building an effect pedal and ran out and the local shop was this old electronics shop that had been there since the 50's - I think my roll of solder must have been too! It was a revelation!

I'm the same with my build - some things I've gone for more expensive options. My one 2p, as it was the main mistake I made on my last build... but take a load of the screws you got with your kit... and test a few in something. If the heads start to deform chuck them and get new, good ones from a hardware store - I've got a place near me where I can get individual screws - for a couple of quid nice stainless steel ones are a lot less likely to deform or strip the heads.

Nice build though!

I will use lead free solder anyway. To say it "isn't any good" is a bit anti. It is used widely in the electronics industry.

There are different alloys available and I have chosen one with a percent or two of silver. My training and experience in metal working, heat treatment of alloys, welding and brazing leaves me happy to explore the lead free concept.

I was thinking about the screws myself. Costs are often cut when it comes to screws and yet they are something that you don't expect to fail. Whether they are fit for purpose can easily be overlooked. It is too late to ask the question after shearing off a neck screw under normal tightening forces. I've been there too many times already.

The kit comes with black hardware so the screws look the business because of the black finish. I don't expect that would last even if the screws turned out to be okay otherwise. The slightest deformation of metal on the screw head will compromise the black finish. I would not be surprised if the screws are susceptible to corrosion once the sweat starts flying. I drilled pilot holes for the machine head anti-rotation screws so that the oil would penetrate to some extent before putting in the screws. The intention is to sweat proof everything as far as is possible.

I hadn't made a hard decision about it so you can claim the credit for me replacing all of the screws even if I might have got there on my own. I think I'll take all of the fasteners with me to Shaftesbury Fixings here at Derby with the intention of replacing all of them. It might cost a few quid but it is well spent. They've always been happy to show me a choice of bins that meet my specs. S.F. Direct can't give you that option where you get to freely explore the look and feel of the screws without a queue of impatient kitchen fitters behind you.

Having plugged and redrilled the neck screw clearance holes it would be half ar5ed of me not to put high quality screw in. Thanks for sharpening my thoughts on that one. If I don't deal with it now I could be looking at a chewed or sheared screw head and that would knock the wind right out of my sails. Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[LukeFRC]

It's the bridge screws and pickup screws I've had problems with before. Neck screws too (threaded bolts are an option I like for the neck) - I think a lot a guitar stuff uses "oval head" or something - it's not super common in hardware stores. Pilot holes are a must.

I say this as the main reason I'm doing my current build is the previous version went so wrong as cheap screws kept shearing and going wrong. It probably makes very little difference but I know it's there!

Solder - if I were doing it every day lead free is healthier! Which is why the electronics industry use it. It's like welding with the current slightly too low - usable but not as easy as it should be.

And that's a great bit of wood you've got - are you using hand drills on it? how hard is it to use the auger (sp?) bit in that clamp?

[honza992]

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1502227589' post='3350165']
I will sand it to as good a contour as I can and just oil it. I like the idea of the grain texture looking and feeling almost as if it is not coated in anything. Also, I want to keep my first build simple.
[/quote]

You just want to be a bit careful with those finishes (like Tru Oi, Danish Oil, Teak Oil etc) that sound like they are oils, when in fact they are hard-drying, more like a varnish. What that means is that on open pored wood like ash, if you don't grain-fill the finish drops down into the pores, hardens, and becomes shiny. If you are after a satin type finish it's easy to rub with 0000 steel wool to make the flat parts of the ash satin, but it's really really hard to get rid of the shiny bits that are down in the pores. That's why ash is generally grain filled. Or at least that that's been my experience. I'd really advise you to test out your finish on a scrap piece of ash first - I realise this is a kit so if you don't have any scrap let me know and I can send you some. Or I may be completely wrong, and someone with more experience can chime in! I'd love to know how to do a 'hand rubbed' satin finish on ash without grain fill!

I'm now on build 8 or 9 and finishing has been the worst part with all of them. I'm only now, finally, beginning to get my head round it.....

Edited August 9, 2017 by honza992

[SpondonBassed]

It's the bridge screws and pickup screws I've had problems with before. Neck screws too (threaded bolts are an option I like for the neck) - I think a lot a guitar stuff uses "oval head" or something - it's not super common in hardware stores. Pilot holes are a must.

I say this as the main reason I'm doing my current build is the previous version went so wrong as cheap screws kept shearing and going wrong. It probably makes very little difference but I know it's there!

Solder - if I were doing it every day lead free is healthier! Which is why the electronics industry use it. It's like welding with the current slightly too low - usable but not as easy as it should be.

And that's a great bit of wood you've got - are you using hand drills on it? how hard is it to use the auger (sp?) bit in that clamp?

Cheers Luke. The body shown in the 'net description was made from four pieces. Mine is three pieces so another unexpected bonus. If you look closely at the butt joints however they aren't parallel to the body centreline. You'd have to be especially picky to notice without it up in your face though.

I am using a combination of machine tools and hand tools. The Auger bit was held in a tap wrench that is made for a square shank instead of the hex shank that this bit has. It turns the bit okay but is imprecise. Still, I got a result that is better than the other methods that were available to me. The boss requires more hand finishing. Next time I might try to use a router bit in combination with a special fixture that I have yet to invent. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

I've been out and replaced all but two sizes out of the screws in the kit. All of the screws that you had problems with are premium grade stainless posidrives now. Shaftesbury Fixings weren't able to do stainless or any of the 2mm stuff but Pugh and Sanders came up with most of the goods.

When I was measuring up I found that the springs that go beneath the pups are about twice as long as they need to be resulting in only two or three screw threads clear when they are fully compressed. That isn't right. If I tried to do them up as supplied I'd rip out the wood just attempting to get the threads started even with the pilot holes! I couldn't find shorter springs in town so I will cut the supplied ones to size.

I agree, pilot holes are a must. Also, it is important to get the size of the pilot close to the core diameter of the screw at its thread root but never larger than it.

Lead free solder needs about 20 degrees more heat and more attention to heatsinking of delicate components that's all.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[Norris]

Another tip is to put a bit of candle wax on the screw threads before screwing in. It acts as a short-term lubricant that can help to avoid shearing and mashing issues

[SpondonBassed]

Cheers Norris.

[SpondonBassed]

The neck is finished. Seven coats of Danish Oil later, 48 hours to harden off a bit more then on with the hardware. It got a third good coat of Lemon Oil on the fretboard. In the week since the first two coats it had dried a little near the frets. In truth I just get a kick out of rubbing oil into it. I'll stop before I go blind or something.


I had used up more BC storage with my photos than I thought. I went back and cropped all of them as I should have done at first. I was pleasantly surprised to see that as well as making room for the rest of this story, the edited photos were less cluttered and the better for it.

I made a temporary stub neck out of two handy pieces of scrap to hold the body steady for the finishing work where I'll need two free hands. It clamps up well in my bench vice. I then drilled the neck for the new stainless steel screws and installed it properly for the first time. It's a snug fit still. My coating hasn't been heavy handed.

Time to set the bridge and drill the pilot holes. Find centreline and mark off. Set saddle to centreline and measure from nut to the 12th times two plus a nadge at the G saddle crest, done. Line off against bridge longitudinally and then check lateral placement by putting A and G strings in the B and G saddles. Pulling them taught across the nut gives a good indication that I was right to do this. the bridge is very slightly offset and it shows up with the strings being out of parallel with the fretboard sides. Adjust bridge and line off either side of centre. Mark off hole centres and pilot drill to 2mm for the stainless steel bridge screws. It's looking like a guitar now and I am loath to take the neck off again. I do it anyway and now it is safely stored out of sight in case I get the urge to start rubbing things into it again.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

Well, I had photos to share but the latest browser update caused problems at this end so they'll have to wait.

I've drilled all of the pilot holes in the body and done some work to get the control knobs slightly recessed into the body curve along with some general tarting up. On to the sanding.

In general the kit came with the body and neck finished close enough to size for there to be little shaping work needed unless so desired. The finish is rough sanded and there are little irregularities to be taken care of but nothing serious. I had taken the time to scrape flat where the bridge is going so that it makes good surface contact and a few hours of sanding has been invested to reveal the curves in the ash.

I promise to put images up of the grain wetted before the final rub as soon as the browser plug-ins update.

[SpondonBassed]

The Wettening.

As promised the first signs of how the grain will look. It lit up with a wetting from a damp sponge. After it dried I refinished with worn 400 Abranet.



It's remarkable how the grain pops when wet. A little raised lump about five millimetres across appeared on the back in the centre of a swirly bit of grain. It looked like a blister but the fingernail tap test did not expose any hidden void. It sanded out fine.



I am on my second coat of Teak Oil. No photos yet, maybe this evening. The surface texture and colour are developing nicely.

I caught myself rubbing the surface after cutting back with wire wool. I think I must have looked like Les Dawson's Cosmo Smallpiece. I am a total pervert for fine wood finishes.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js3xIg2pw8w[/media]

Edited November 14, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[stearstree1304]

I'm really liking this as its shows that you can buy a kit for a sensible amount of money and with some time and patience, (neither of which I am blessed with), and turn it into something rather nice.

[SpondonBassed]

Very nice of you to say Stearstree1304, thanks.

These were taken after three coats of Teak Oil had been rubbed in and cut back with fine steel wool. 24 hours between coats.



I'll do seven coats on this like I did with the neck.



I'm expecting a higher gloss than I want at the end so it'll get a final coat in Danish Oil for a satin finish.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[LukeFRC]

Looking good

[SpondonBassed]

Looking good

Cheers Luke. Hope yours is back on track. Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

It's about time I got the wiring sorted.


Now, what was all that fuss about lead-free soldering? I had no problems at all.


Wired as per diagram except that I used wire colours differently from the diagram. The jack and pups will be soldered in situ when the body is fully finished.

The humbucker pups have been supplied thus: an earth screen twisted with a green wire, a red wire twisted with a white one and a single black wire. The wiring diagram shows only an earth and a single signal wire from each pick up. I can understand that a humbucker, having two coils, might have four signal wires but these have four plus the braided strand. I don't know enough about this so I will go and read a few things before I decide. It might be that I could introduce a switch to separate the outputs of the humbuckers and allow individual or summed output in series or parallel. Not knowing if these pups are any good I'll probably play it safe and leave it at the four pot control configuration.

Update: I have looked at lots and lots of humbucker diagrams and I can see how they are mostly supplied with the option of taking a coil tap from between the opposing coils. These pups are an unknown and I will install them as single units rather than muck about on my first build. Splitting the coils is a modification that could be done later if so desired.

Edited November 11, 2017 by SpondonBassed