Tom P.'s eBay Project

The 1.988 written on the heel is the nutwidth in inches. And the 6105 is the fretsize.
Cool Project!!
 
I didn't make it over to my dad's shop to make the part for the neck to install the nut. I did take some measurements and draw the part up, though. And some more stuff arrived, so I'm posting to keep the thread alive.
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I didn't bother to trig it out, but slapping a protractor on my drawing indicates the 13-degree angle I need. I designed the part to leave room to shim the nut for proper height. That's also good for the future, since a fret dress often requires some lowering of the nut.

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I love it when new stuff gets delivered! Battery box, and bigger block for the Floyd.

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I put the block on to check the fit. Very good! See how much bigger it is than the stock one. I can't report the difference in the sound because I will probably never play this guitar with the stock block. I have nothing to compare it to. A great thing about putting guitars together yourself is you get to start right out with the good stuff!

The purpose of the block on the original Strat vibrato is to make up for the mass lost from the big hole in the guitar body. I figure since this is a semi-hollow body, I need even MORE mass! This block is from "hoockey" on eBay. Much less expensive than floydupgrades, and it got here pretty quickly.

Could I have made this simple piece myself? Absolutely. But don't I already have enough stuff to do on this thing? And I don't have a chunk of brass lying around. AND for $30.49 shipped, this is a great deal.

The holiday weekend is coming up, and more progress will be made on this guitar.
 
I started making the part for the neck today. I cut it out of the same piece of maple I used to make the dowels that I put into the body.
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My dad has this cool little vise for his milling machine that sets up for angles. I went mostly by eye to get it to match the neck because the scale on that vise is not super precise.

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The fit to the neck came out as good or better than I expected.

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I will do the final sizing & shaping to the sides at home with files & sandpaper.

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This is obviously too high. The part is already thin & delicate. I plan to glue it onto the neck, then machine it to the proper height for the nut. That way it won't break.
 
Thanks! It sure is a lot of work. I'm already looking forward to having the major woodworking done. I'm starting to really want to play it instead of dreaming about it.
 
Since the part I made came from a piece of maple that was lying around in my dad's shop, I let it stay in my house all this time to dry out. That's my excuse for not working on it for so long!
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A big honkin' half-round file can get away from you almost as bad as a power tool. I should have been a little more careful. I made both sides look the same, then switched to finer files & sandpaper. I don't feel like making this part again, so it's plenty good! My camera battery died, so I didn't get any shots of the final shaping. Once the part is glued on solidly, I'll sand the part & neck together smooth.

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I got these neat little clamps for Christmas some years back. Perfect for this! I brought the neck inside my house to dry for a few days. I can fill the knob & switch holes in the body in the meantime. I also have some really cool parts on the way that I am excited to post!
 
TomPerverteau said:
The same source dates this body as 5 months old or less. 7-string bodies are still only available in solid, according to the Warmoth website.  Woo-hoo!


Hey Tom, I actually sold this body to you on ebay.  I can guarantee you it is much older than 5 months.  I had it for almost a year before I sold it to you.  I originally bought it on ebay as someone's Epic Fail of a project.  It came with a Squier reverse headstock 7 string neck, an Original Floyd Rose, and Dimarzio D-Sonic & Air Norton pickups.  I sold off all the parts and basically got free pickups out of it, which went into my Ibanez RG7621.  I'm glad to see that you are enjoying it and restoring it to it's original playable condition.
 
Thanks, Jackson!

This neck and body are so full of mystery! I really appreciate the clarification.

It was TonyFlyingSquirrel who told me how old (new?) the body had to be. I figured his estimate had to be accurate since he was working at Warmoth when (he says) they were writing the CNC program for the hollow version of the 7CT body.

I got some very pretty parts yesterday, but I don't like the way the photos turned out. I will take some shots in better light and post them after work today.

Dude! I HAVE to complete this project. My only 7 is an Ibanez GiO!

Thanks again for the support and enlightening info.
 
I got some more stuff!
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Gotoh are my favorite tuners. I got these pearloid buttons & white washers from Sperzel.

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I was unable to shoot a photo that properly shows the pearl look. You'll have to take my word that these parts match perfectly and look super cool together.

I got the real shell-top knob from Guitar Fetish. They were not very nice about answering questions. They sell these knobs in pairs, but I only plan to use one. I like these knobs better than the similar-looking Q-Parts ones because they are taller, the same size as a regular dome knob. I use my pinky to slam the volume knob wide open or shut 99% of the time, so I like a tall knob. I don't like Guitar Fetish very much, but that is where I found the knob I wanted.

If you get the right ones, Sperzel buttons will fit Gotoh tuners. The white washers really add the extra touch of bitchin'-ness. I am so pumped about the way this thing is gonna look. This is snazzy stuff!
 
I was really busy today. Dear old Dad blew his back out pretty bad and didn't want company. I was already out in my garage working on my car, so I put a little time into the neck.
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I decided to blend the part with the neck before machining to ensure a nice flat surface for the nut...And because I wasn't at my dad's milling machine.

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I know this part was difficult to fit to the neck, but the gaps in the glue joint are still embarrassing. It's actually glued pretty solidly, but I think I'll use some filler here to make it look better.

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I don't like the sharp edge of the fretboard left by Warmoth's machines. While I had the neck in one hand, sandpaper in the other, I knocked that off. I did this to the 2 other Warmoth necks I have had (Boogie Bodies back then--the red guitar at the top of my posts is one) and it gives a nice, comfortable, broken-in feeling even when brand new.
 
Aaaah! I have to do some major front-end work on my car now, so I probably won't post any "get'r'done" progress on my guitar until the long holiday weekend coming up. I love working on my vehicles, but I would prefer to be getting further along on my project guitar right now.

If I get the car done early enough, I'll do at least a little something on the guitar.
 
TomPerverteau said:
Aaaah! I have to do some major front-end work on my car now, so I probably won't post any "get'r'done" progress on my guitar until the long holiday weekend coming up. I love working on my vehicles, but I would prefer to be getting further along on my project guitar right now.

If I get the car dome early enough, I'll do at least a little something on the guitar.
About 20 yrs ago, I used to love to work on my vehicles. Now it bugs the sheeeet outta me, I don't mind working bike tho, maybe I need some Geritol... :dontknow:
 
When I was a kid I hated working on cars. So dirty & nasty. My dirt bikes were much nicer. I love working on my own cars now. I have never had a car payment. I love that part, too!

I'm getting a good early start today, so we'll see how I do. Gotta make spaghetti today as well. Is this why people get married?
 
My Dad, when working on cars, would often tell stories of how my Grandfather was not mechanically inclined so he had to learn all the handy stuff on his own.  I asked my Dad what my Grandfather did during WWII.  His reply, "He was an Airplane mechanic."
 
I haven't forgotten about it! The past couple weekends have been a major re-build of the front end of my car.

I did sit in front of the TV this evening and assemble the tuners with the Sperzel buttons, though. I really wanted to feel like I did at least a little something on it. Next weekend I plan to get back to the milling machine to complete the installation of the nut.
 
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