The Prodigal Neck Returns

[Verne Bunsen]

Hello all! I used to be a frequent contributor / participant around here, but the last few years have allowed me little time for guitar-related pursuits. Recently though, one fell in to my lap and I have chosen, enthusiastically, to embrace it! The forum software is a little different than it used to be so forgive me if I have to work the kinks out of formatting and such…

By long and circuitous route, a Warmoth neck that I bought back in 2019-20 but was never able to take delivery of has made its way home. It was initially intended to be the neck for THIS build. Long story short: At the time it was shipped directly from Warmoth to a third party for some work, but the guy it went to came on some hard times and it eventually ended up in storage somewhere with his tools and I ultimately just wrote it off as lost to time. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I was contacted out of the blue about it by a family member of the gentleman (he’s ok for anyone reading between the lines), who had found the neck with my name on the invoice. And now here it is, at my home, and I daresay it was worth the wait! I am very appreciative of the honesty and character of the man who found it and took the time to track me down.

This neck clearly deserves to be bolted to a body, not stuffed in a box. I hope to do it justice! More to follow.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome back Verne.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Welcome back Verne.

Thanks! After a “dry spell” of a few years I had recently started making more time to play and try to get some of my chops back, and then this neck comes back to me. Feels like a great alignment of circumstances and I am excited to be back in this stuff.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

There’s only so much I can do with just the neck in-hand, so that’s where I’m starting. Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners. These have become my favorite tuners. My Go-toh if you will….

The order for the body is in. It will be a Mooncaster with two F-holes and the fiddley lower horn toggle switch. Mahogany with a Black Korina lam and black binding, finished in Caribbean Burst up front and clear on the back. I am very excited to see how that turns out… It will get a ToM / STP and I intend to mount a Bigsby B5 on a Vibramate plate to the STP studs. I have a TonePros roller bridge on hand to further this cause.

It will be routed for two humbuckers and I have obtained a set of Gibson 57 Classics for it. That’s what Johnny A uses, and if it’s good enough for Johnny A then it’s good enough for Verne B….

 

[mayfly]

Gotta say that's a crazy assed looking neck!

Welcome back.

 

[PFDarkside]

Wow that’s incredible!

 

[Verne Bunsen]

 

[rockandroller]

That'a a truly majestic neck!

Back around 1999 or so I had acquired a similar CBS-headstock gloss ambered Warmoth neck that was QUILT maple.
It got left behind when I jumped continents and I never did get it back...

 

[Verne Bunsen]

That'a a truly majestic neck!

Back around 1999 or so I had acquired a similar CBS-headstock gloss ambered Warmoth neck that was QUILT maple.
It got left behind when I jumped continents and I never did get it back...

I bet that was something to see! Was it attached to a guitar at the time?

 

[stratamania]

I was looking closer at the photos and I am wondering if you had the frets installed whether the work was in progress. It looks like the frets were installed but perhaps the final level, crown, bevel or end dressing did not get done.

 

[Rick]

that wood's gorgeous ... I'm glad she found her way back to you

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I was looking closer at the photos and I am wondering if you had the frets installed whether the work was in progress. It looks like the frets were installed but perhaps the final level, crown, bevel or end dressing did not get done.

Your eyes do not deceive you. Frets were installed by Warmoth but no further work has yet been done to them. Despite being several years old, it is basically fresh out of the box.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I'm no stranger to a Bigsby, and if 20+ years of fiddling with them could be distilled to a single Golden Rule of Bigsby, it would be this: A Bigsby will be at its most functional and least frustrating only after you replace every single moving part. There are a couple of places offering fantastic aftermarket improvements for them, Callaham and Bricks being the two that I have used extensively. For this build, the Bigsby is being retrofit with a full compliment of Callaham parts.

The stock front roller is a thin, low quality piece that rides on separate wear bushings and eats sustain and tone for lunch.

The replacement (roller and axle) are solid stainless steel. Sustain and "snap" you can feel in the seat of your pants.

The Bigsby mainshaft with the pins for the string balls is such a pain. The string-through shaft is an absolute no-brainer; I don't understand why Bigsby hasn't adopted it as part of the design. The fiddlyest part of the whole upgrade process is removing those pins so the main shaft can be removed. One always breaks, and this was no exception. PITA to the bitter end...

For some inexplicable reason, the stock Bigsby arm bracket (top) comes with a physical stop designed apparently to prevent the arm from moving into a convenient position for playing. The upgrade eliminates this "feature"...

Ready to go. I've got the Vibramate plate, got the roller bridge, just need the, you know, body...

 

[rockandroller]

I bet that was something to see! Was it attached to a guitar at the time?

Just the neck, still fresh in the Warmoth box (when I didn't have it out to gaze at...)

 

[Spud]

I'm no stranger to a Bigsby, and if 20+ years of fiddling with them could be distilled to a single Golden Rule of Bigsby, it would be this: A Bigsby will be at its most functional and least frustrating only after you replace every single moving part. There are a couple of places offering fantastic aftermarket improvements for them, Callaham and Bricks being the two that I have used extensively. For this build, the Bigsby is being retrofit with a full compliment of Callaham parts.

The stock front roller is a thin, low quality piece that rides on separate wear bushings and eats sustain and tone for lunch.

The replacement (roller and axle) are solid stainless steel. Sustain and "snap" you can feel in the seat of your pants.

The Bigsby mainshaft with the pins for the string balls is such a pain. The string-through shaft is an absolute no-brainer; I don't understand why Bisby hasn't adopted it as part of the design. The fiddlyest part of the whole upgrade process is removing those pins so the main shaft can be removed. One always breaks, and this was no exception. PITA to the bitter end...

For some inexplicable reason, the stock Bigsby arm bracket (top) comes with a physical stop designed apparently to prevent the arm from moving into a convenient position for playing. The upgrade eliminates this "feature"...

Ready to go. I've got the Vibramate plate, got the roller bridge, just need the, you know, body...

I just drill mine out with drill press for string install. , I also ditch the tension bar and run it just on the steel inner axel itself. Works for me.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I just drill mine out with drill press for string install. , I also ditch the tension bar and run it just on the steel inner axel itself. Works for me.

I have tried the bare axle up front on F-Logo B5s (on Teles) because they sit much closer to the saddles than a standard B5 and break angle becomes a thing. Wasn’t crazy about that though. Bricks has smaller diameter front rollers on bearings that are quite nice, I have been running those on my F-Logos for a long time. I just recently tried a new thing he offers, individual rollers per-string… It’s pretty bitchin’…

 

[Spud]

I have tried the bare axle up front on F-Logo B5s (on Teles) because they sit much closer to the saddles than a standard B5 and break angle becomes a thing. Wasn’t crazy about that though. Bricks has smaller diameter front rollers on bearings that are quite nice, I have been running those on my F-Logos for a long time. I just recently tried a new thing he offers, individual rollers per-string… It’s pretty bitchin’…
View attachment 68025

Your way is much more elegant! I guess Old Spud is a bit frugal!! Cool mods broheem!

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Guess who just got a shipping notification?

 

[Verne Bunsen]

With the arrival of the body imminent, it was time to do the thing I’d been dreading and avoiding: deal with the finish on the frets… Metal work is not my forte and I have always farmed out fret work. In the past I have sent several new (un-mounted) necks to forum legend Cagey, and when I lived in Tucson I took a few to Rainbow Guitars and they did the business. But when I took this one to the local shop here in eastern North Carolina, the guy basically told me the frets look great and to bring it back after mounting it and playing it for a few years, lol. I talked to him about getting the finish off the frets and he took some time and showed me the techniques of scoring where metal meets wood, all the way around, and flaking it of in (ideally) nice big chunks. Seemed easy enough, but also terrifying. I once had a traumatizing experience with the finish peeling off a neck I was working on, and I was thinking of that experience with each stroke of the x-acto knife. But, everything went according to plan with no drama to speak of.


And, as an unexpected bonus, I inadvertently discovered the logo for my black metal band, should I ever form one:

 

[teleme01]

You can't have "pawpaw and the guineas" that name is one i reserved for my future band name I'll never have