Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Completed: a body for a fretless Status neck


HazBeen
 Share

Recommended Posts

Did a few things over the weekend, it is always surprising how many hours you lose “fiddling” about.

- Input jack hole

- Pickup routed

- Neck routed

The neck cavity is a perfect fit, although annoyingly I messed up somewhere and I need to route another 3mm deeper (not an issue, just annoying).

Slowly getting there....

Question for @Jabba_the_gut and @Andyjr1515, do you reckon the fact the neck has square corners at the heel there could be a risk of the body cracking when the neck is installed/strings tuned to pitch? The solution would be to add a 2nd pickup so the heel pushes against the pickup, not wood.

What do you think?

 

8BBCD206-F396-4FEF-9B8A-6A038C9CE8BB.jpeg

80E10193-3F22-4A42-98E3-8EB79F0C2E6B.jpeg

AEDE2DA7-8FB6-43B2-8559-556CC2EBC350.jpeg

06E37CBF-064D-41B5-8A5E-AF7678001B59.jpeg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That really is looking very nice! The hardware contrasts nicely with that top wood.

I'm not sure if the square corners would be an issue or not as it's not something I've tried so I can't speak from experience. The only times I have seen cracking on square corners is where the finish is a thick lacquer/painted finish (thinking neck joint on P and J basses typically). My gut feeling would be that it wouldn't be an issue here as Status did it before with that neck and also there is a substantial amount of wood between the heel and the pickup and also down the sides of the neck. What finish are you planning on for this?

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely job - very neat :)

In terms of wood cracking - no.  When you string up, the forces are on the pocket, not the corners so - unless you are planning to use the neck as a club to keep the adoring crowds at a social distance, then there are no strains that I can imagine that would give the timber a problem in those corners.  If you had a very hard and brittle finish, then feasibly the finish could develop a crack which would generally come from a corner but most of the non-pro finishes most of us use generally are a bit softer and more flexible.   

As Jez says, what finish are you planning? 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished fabrication today.

- Neck cavity now a few mms deeper

- Pots/jack/bridge installed (and taken off again 😂)
- screws/ferrules for the neck sorted (just need to shorten the screws a bit)
- magnets installed7D1C4974-6269-4826-85C0-82743FC145E1.thumb.jpeg.0910d1a3f241fc7d0fd5dafa8b686ec4.jpeg

Now to sand and slap on 4 coats of Tungoil...

 

30F84180-ECC2-4BE4-BA87-D5BD0B8DE0E2.jpeg

A5F53484-C247-4DCC-AD8D-D9F668D87DF3.jpeg

FC718F92-7D87-401B-9D55-246D85737691.jpeg

2AA7443A-C8CD-4719-B937-59C2DC90FCE8.jpeg

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, roger said:

Can you post a pic of the heel of the neck pls, to show how you drilled and threaded inserts, looks great btw👍

I didn't need to drill the neck, nor are there inserts.

There were existing holes in the neck (as I made the body for the neck so to speak), so I put some nails with tape around them to center them into the neck holes, then pushed the neck into the cavity. The nails made indentations in the cavity which I then drilled with my pillar drill. 

Status does not use inserts in any case, Rob Green makes the necks with a wooden spine and a very thick layer of epoxy. I have installed many Status necks over the year, what you do is drill a hole that is a tight fit for the screw you are going to use and countersink it to prevent chipping. You then just screw directly into the neck and the wood/epoxy base is strong enough.

I am assuming you are asking the question because you are thinking of installing a Status neck, if you need any advice feel free to drop me a message. I can give you some tips/tricks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

I didn't need to drill the neck, nor are there inserts.

There were existing holes in the neck (as I made the body for the neck so to speak), so I put some nails with tape around them to center them into the neck holes, then pushed the neck into the cavity. The nails made indentations in the cavity which I then drilled with my pillar drill. 

Status does not use inserts in any case, Rob Green makes the necks with a wooden spine and a very thick layer of epoxy. I have installed many Status necks over the year, what you do is drill a hole that is a tight fit for the screw you are going to use and countersink it to prevent chipping. You then just screw directly into the neck and the wood/epoxy base is strong enough.

I am assuming you are asking the question because you are thinking of installing a Status neck, if you need any advice feel free to drop me a message. I can give you some tips/tricks.

Ahhhhhh gotcha👍 I’ve always fancied doing a status neck build but the drilling would scare the s**t out of me! Thanks for your kind offer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Nice touch with the hatch access carve :) 

Thanks! As I was saying to Jabba yesterday I hadn't done a scratch build (okay I am not making a neck this time around) for a number of years. It really has inspired me to do more of it and I have learnt a lot from the build process and going through other build diaries. I am pretty happy with how it is turning out, there are a few things that I know I could do better with more practise, but that is exactly what this is.

I will just clean up the drill marks on the cavity the bit was a bit blunt, it is offensive to my eyes even if it is inside the cavity.

Next build, 5 string semi-headless OR 5 string fanned fret including a full neck build as well. Have done them before, so whilst I will be rusty I am comfortable I could achieve that as well. 

But heck, still lots of sanding and Tung Oil to do on this one first :) 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, roger said:

Ahhhhhh gotcha👍 I’ve always fancied doing a status neck build but the drilling would scare the s**t out of me! Thanks for your kind offer

The same feeling I had when I did my first, but actually if you are careful, think twice drill once and ensure you countersink it is very easy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shortened the screws to the correct size and sanded the body to 600 grit.

Looking to do a coat of Tung Oil every day until Saturday from tomorrow, and then 000 Steel Wool to finish on Sunday.

Then hardware/electronics install Monday or perhaps Sunday.

Getting there......!!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...