Lake Placid Blue Competition Mustang (Now with sounds!)
- Thread starter Verne Bunsen
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Verne Bunsen
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Before I drilled the holes for that pickguard, I strung it with a high and low E to ensure everything was suitably aligned. It was all good, but I found something else: the action was about 10 miles high. Higher than it should have been. So I pulled the neck to inspect the pocket a little closer and found, you'll never believe it: an accumulation of finish along the lip.
I got busy with some self-adhesive sandpaper and a machinists rule and within a few minutes I was looking at:
MUCH better. I added a bit of a shim, as there will be no avoiding it with this setup, and everything is better. It's still a bit high, but I'll worry about tweaking it when the correct neck is in position.
Final (I hope) wire up:
I put a full set of strings on it, and dang if it doesn't look VERY guitar-like!
The scale is all wrong of course, but I "tuned" it and plugged it in and made enough noise to verify my wiring was properly functional and, very thankfully, it checks out beautifully. The trem needs some adjustment as, at tension, it is all the way forward. You have two adjustments available to balance the leverages: the height of the stop bar and the position of the trem spring on the post. It'll take some trial-and error I reckon, but again, not going to fret about it till the correct neck is in place. I de-tuned it until the trem was in the middle of it's travel and will leave it that way to allow the springs to "settle in".
I got busy with some self-adhesive sandpaper and a machinists rule and within a few minutes I was looking at:
MUCH better. I added a bit of a shim, as there will be no avoiding it with this setup, and everything is better. It's still a bit high, but I'll worry about tweaking it when the correct neck is in position.
Final (I hope) wire up:
I put a full set of strings on it, and dang if it doesn't look VERY guitar-like!
The scale is all wrong of course, but I "tuned" it and plugged it in and made enough noise to verify my wiring was properly functional and, very thankfully, it checks out beautifully. The trem needs some adjustment as, at tension, it is all the way forward. You have two adjustments available to balance the leverages: the height of the stop bar and the position of the trem spring on the post. It'll take some trial-and error I reckon, but again, not going to fret about it till the correct neck is in place. I de-tuned it until the trem was in the middle of it's travel and will leave it that way to allow the springs to "settle in".
Verne Bunsen
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fdesalvo said:
Thanks! This build has certainly presented me with ample opportunity to flex my problem solving muscles, haha! And it ain't over yet!
Verne Bunsen
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Slackjaw said:
Roger that, I tuned it down a full step and that put it about right. :icon_thumright: Even out of tune, this thing is a blast to play!
Cagey
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Verne Bunsen said:
I know what you mean about the routerbeast. My anxiety levels always go up when that thing's out and about. You can do a helluva lotta damage in a hurry, usually unrepairable, if the thing gets away from you.
With my dad, it was circular saws. Just terrified of them. Wouldn't even own one.
With my next youngest brother, it's all tools. Playthings of the Devil, he's sure.
You done good, though. That's a fine-looking fiddle you've got going there.
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Thanks for the kind words guys.
Verne Bunsen
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Thanks! Real life beckons, I'll be out of town for the next couple of weeks, so this is a holding point for now. Still a healthy punch list for when I get back home though.
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I wish! Perhaps one day guitars will pay the bills, but till then...
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Ok. Got back in town yesterday, decided it would be best to tangle with the headstock first thing. But to really tell that story, I have to go back in time a couple of weeks. I decided to start on finish sanding the day before I left, and rather promptly wished that I had not. Evidently I got a little heavy handed, as a section of the clear that I had been shooting for the previous week peeled on me like a chunk of skin from the bottom of a foot that's been too long in the hot tub. This is how I felt about that:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwlpKNLS3X8[/youtube]
Once the bleeding stopped, I returned to the work bench with my sand paper and trusty Bulls Eye Shellac in hand and proceeded to pull off a repair that, frankly, my meager skills should not have allowed for. Truly, the Gods of Clear Coat were smiling upon me that day. After re-spraying, I left it while I was out of town. Today I sanded from 600 up through 1000 and then called in the carnauba wax. Given how I was feeling a couple of weeks ago, I am simultaneously proud of and grateful for how she turned out.
The end result is I think the best I've managed to date, and I learned some important lessons from it just as I have from all the previous ones. As long as I'm learning from my mistakes and the results are continuing to improve, I'm a happy camper. Tuners and frets are up next, probably jump into that Monday.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwlpKNLS3X8[/youtube]
Once the bleeding stopped, I returned to the work bench with my sand paper and trusty Bulls Eye Shellac in hand and proceeded to pull off a repair that, frankly, my meager skills should not have allowed for. Truly, the Gods of Clear Coat were smiling upon me that day. After re-spraying, I left it while I was out of town. Today I sanded from 600 up through 1000 and then called in the carnauba wax. Given how I was feeling a couple of weeks ago, I am simultaneously proud of and grateful for how she turned out.
The end result is I think the best I've managed to date, and I learned some important lessons from it just as I have from all the previous ones. As long as I'm learning from my mistakes and the results are continuing to improve, I'm a happy camper. Tuners and frets are up next, probably jump into that Monday.
Verne Bunsen
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Thanks! I know just what you mean. I've said in the past that, for me, headstock decals and the accompanying finish work are among the most challenging and stress-inducing parts of a build. This one didn't do anything to change my mind on that!
Verne Bunsen
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Tuners! These are the Gotoh "Magnum Locks". I avoided them for a long time because one time I heard from some guy on a forum some place that they were a pain, but it turns out they're pretty sweet. There is a technique, but once you've done a few string changes they really shine.
Tape, tape, tape...
Level, level, level...
Crown, crown, crown...
Polish, polish, polish......
New roller bridge: check.
New "aged pearl" pickguard and shiny strap buttons: check and double check. The light makes the guard look a bit more yellow than it is, the picture of the bridge is closer.
I had intended to mount the neck and string her up today, but the neck mounting screws, it turns out, are a little too long. Hopefully I can just swing by Lowe's tomorrow and find the right screws a little shorter.
Tape, tape, tape...
Level, level, level...
Crown, crown, crown...
Polish, polish, polish......
New roller bridge: check.
New "aged pearl" pickguard and shiny strap buttons: check and double check. The light makes the guard look a bit more yellow than it is, the picture of the bridge is closer.
I had intended to mount the neck and string her up today, but the neck mounting screws, it turns out, are a little too long. Hopefully I can just swing by Lowe's tomorrow and find the right screws a little shorter.
Verne Bunsen
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#8 x 1-1/2, stainless steel, next to the standard neck screw: #8 x 1-3/4, chrome. I think they'll do the trick.
I'm having a difficult time getting a good fit at the neck joint, which kind of confused me as the Fender neck I had on there before fit comfortably. I mic'd the heels and found the Fender neck measured 2.179" at the heel, the Warmoth 2.204". Mystery solved. Probably differences in the finish thickness, I reckon. Or the guys at Warmoth just making sure I didn't start getting bored by things progressing, you know, easily, smoothly, haha! Me and the sand paper gotta go find 0.025" in the neck pocket somewhere...
I'm having a difficult time getting a good fit at the neck joint, which kind of confused me as the Fender neck I had on there before fit comfortably. I mic'd the heels and found the Fender neck measured 2.179" at the heel, the Warmoth 2.204". Mystery solved. Probably differences in the finish thickness, I reckon. Or the guys at Warmoth just making sure I didn't start getting bored by things progressing, you know, easily, smoothly, haha! Me and the sand paper gotta go find 0.025" in the neck pocket somewhere...
