New mahogany neck to go with Starcaster-ish home-made body!

[Badside]

Nice box received in the mail, looks like it might be related to the body under it

Let's open and see!

Yay! My body now has a friend!

Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, 59' contour, jumbo frets, white TUSQ nut, compound radius, you sir are sexy

I expected a bit more "girth" with the 59, so I guess I would have been pretty unhappy with the standard thin! I'll reserve final judgement after I play it
Still a lot of finishing ahead. Body will most likely get the Tru Oil treatment, and the neck a few thin coats of clear nitro to preserve the warranty!
Maybe the black speed know were a bad idea though... looks weird with the cream binding. Still pretty hot!

Now... do I match the neck holes to to the body holes, or vice versa. Would be easier to plug the neck hole and redrill them, but then my body would not fit any other "real" neck

 

[Cagey]

Mmm... I love new necks. Nothin' like 'em. That's one's especially nice, what with the Ebony and jumbo frets. Tough to beat that combo.

As for whose lead to follow on mounting hole placement, my money's on Warmoth's CNC accuracy. Match to the neck. Nobody will see the body repair as it'll be under the neck plate.

 

[stubhead]

Since Warmoth drilled the neck holes, they are pretty likely to be exactly correct. Where did you get you specifications for the body holes that you drilled? Well, regardless, there's a lot more at stake with the threads holding the neck on. In fact, I prefer the body holes big enough to allow the screws to slide through unimpeded, and I'm not alone in this - think about what it would do if both the body and neck engaged the screw. The screws have to pull the neck tight.

In other words, fix the body, not the neck.

(On an aside, here: dowels and toothpicks may be quick, but the threads of the screw engage all the wood grain across it, the long way. Which means they'll all pulling the same way - out! Plugs for load-bearing holes need to be cut across the grain, so the screws would engage multiple "end" grains.)

 

[Badside]

Since Warmoth drilled the neck holes, they are pretty likely to be exactly correct. Where did you get you specifications for the body holes that you drilled? Well, regardless, there's a lot more at stake with the threads holding the neck on. In fact, I prefer the body holes big enough to allow the screws to slide through unimpeded, and I'm not alone in this - think about what it would do if both the body and neck engaged the screw. The screws have to pull the neck tight.

I tried to match the body to a neck from another guitar built with subpar parts and did a poor job at it too... It's actually pretty close, but no cigar...

Definitely I'll dowel the body and leave the neck alone

 

[Cagey]

Depending what you mean by "pretty close", you may be able to just open the holes up a tad on the body, rather than try to move them by small amounts. They're supposed to be clearance holes.

 

[rapfohl09]

Depending what you mean by "pretty close", you may be able to just open the holes up a tad on the body, rather than try to move them by small amounts. They're supposed to be clearance holes.

+1, the neck screw is suppose to pass right through them, so as long as you keep the neck square in the pocket as you tighten it down where those holes are makes no difference.

 

[Updown]

:dontknow:  Speed Knobs  :dontknow:

They work on some, and don't work on others !!

Maybe some nice looking Wood Knobs instead.  :icon_scratch:  Ummmm ... Ebony  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Badside]

:dontknow:  Speed Knobs  :dontknow:

They work on some, and don't work on others !!

Maybe some nice looking Wood Knobs instead.  :icon_scratch:  Ummmm ... Ebony  :icon_biggrin:

Lol, I use the volume a lot (one channel amp and I play in a cover band) and those are just easier to use while playing, at least they are to me. Had them on my LP and miss them a lot.
However, black might not have been the best choice...
But knobs are easy to change,

 

[kboman]

If you're willing to make more of those Starcaster bodies you will make lots of friends on this forum...!

 

[swarfrat]

Nice!

 

[Badside]

If you're willing to make more of those Starcaster bodies you will make lots of friends on this forum...!

Haha, maybe... it took 2 months for me and my father to make that one, but the first one is always the hardest!
We'll see once I'm moved into my new house and have a decent woodworking setup.

My medium term challenge to myself is to make one with genuine semi-hollowbody construction, like the original (this one is chambered like a Thinline)

 

[DustyCat]

I think this body shape/color/wood grain rocks. I might have to steal it from you  :icon_jokercolor:
Updown's wooden knob idea too.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Kei]

I want one!

 

[Badside]

I think this body shape/color/wood grain rocks. I might have to steal it from you  :icon_jokercolor:
Updown's wooden knob idea too.  :icon_thumright:

Oh man, I've started sanding the body and I wet the top a bit to reveal the grain... it looks 20 times better than on that picture!

I'm still undecided between Tru-Oil and clear lacquer (nitro). I like that other mahogany body I've done in Tru-Oil, but lacquer is such a classic option for mahogany. I'm thinking both would probably look very similar (I'm going for a super thin satin finish with no grain-fill, like my old Les Paul!) and it's easier to manage ventilation with tru-oil!

The neck is on its 6th coat of lacquer already, look pretty good. I only grain-filled the back so I could keep that non-grain-filled appearance from the top

 

[Badside]

Oh by the way, I'm documenting the rest of the build in 'Work in progress": http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=18679.0

 

[DustyCat]

Do these hollowbody Starcasters come in carved top versions?

 

[duosonic]

looks great man!

 

[swarfrat]

They come in whatever you make. He built that out of a hunk of wood - Warmoth isn't [YET] making a Starcaster.