Author Topic: Help a fellow Luthier (Read 116 times)

caden_vekk · « **on:** March 04, 2008, 01:39:40 PM »

Hello, Everyone, I'm Caden, and I have a dilema.
Long story short, I'm building my first guitar for a project at school which, if failed, I dont graduate. I'm going to build a neck-thru electric guitar, dual humbucker, one tone, one vlume, 3way switch guitar and one of the problems I'm having is the truss rod. I'm getting a two-way action truss rod in order to keep a flat channel but, I can't seem to find anywhere that has any kind of details on the best way to route a channel like this for a neck-thru, I've searched and searched, I have two books, and its all details on bolt-ons. So i decided to come to the source. Alembic specializes in neck-thru's, so why not as them. So PLEASE, if you have any advice (along with pictures) please please please help. If possible, could you provide pictures of the just glued neck blank, to truss rod finishing. Thanks.

(Message edited by Caden_Vekk on March 04, 2008)

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2008, 01:49:52 PM »

Will:

Good luck on your project. It sounds like a lot of fun. You might want to poke around the Factory to Customer threads. There are lots of pics of instruments in various stages of being built. I know I've seen numerous pictures of in-progress necks with the truss rod channel routed out and with the truss rod installed but no fingerboard attached yet. I hope this helps. By the way, please come back and post a pic of your guitar when it's completed.

Bill, the guitar one

caden_vekk · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2008, 01:57:16 PM »

Hey, Bill.
That's actually what i'm doing at the moment. I've been haunting around the forums a bit and haven't found exactly what I'm looking for just yet.

keavin · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2008, 02:09:06 PM »

(Message edited by keavin on March 04, 2008)

keavin · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2008, 02:11:10 PM »

also try the general search board here....http://alembic.com/cgi-bin/alembic-club/search.cgi

caden_vekk · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2008, 02:21:15 PM »

I'm looking at a few of these guitars and basses, and it seems to me that whether or not it's a bolt-on or neck-thru, it's the same basic channeling, except where the access point is.

For example, the access point of a bolt-on could be at the join between neck and body to where if one were to change the action, the neck would need to come off, but if one were to route the channel in a way to mimic the end of a bolt-on neck (along with an access recess) that would be acceptable.

Is that assumption correct in any way?

u14steelgtr · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2008, 02:46:27 PM »

I would cross-post your question(s) to http://mimf.com/ and seek guidance there too. More luthiers will found therein.

I have never built a solidbody; but I concur with caden_vekk's statement about placement.

-- Eugene

caden_vekk · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2008, 03:02:06 PM »

Thanks, I just threw the question over there.

caden_vekk · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2008, 03:19:03 PM »

Also, to clarify what I'm suggesting, if you look at Ivan's Signature 5-String Bass where, the truss rod is visible (where the truss cover plate would go) is the place where the recess mimics the end of a bolt-on neck (to a degree)

tbrannon · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2008, 03:33:54 PM »

Will,

Check the luthier's section of Talkbass- I'm sure you'll get an answer from someone in the know. I know you're building a guitar, but I've found the guys there to be very knowledgeable and helpful.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=57

dfung60 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2008, 09:21:37 PM »

I think you can basically follow the info you have for placement on separate necks with one small exception. When you build a through-body guitar, chances are good that the fingerboard will be longer than what you do on something like a bolt-on. Although you could build a through-body with at 21 fret fingerboard and the same heel dimension as a Strat, most builders would take advantage of the single-piece construction and put on a 24 fret fingerboard and a more deeply carved neck joint. If you follow the dimensions for a Strat neck, the truss rod wouldn't reach far enough along the neck (if it were a headstock adjuster) or the nut would be under the fingerboard (for a body-end adjuster).

If you can find one, you might want to find a slightly longer truss rod to solve this problem. I think that a body-end adjuster will give better results if you can make reasonable access to the adjusting nut without having to shift the pickup around too much. A headstock adjuster will require the rout to extend through the weakest part of the headstock.

The longer the truss rod, the more support it offers against bowing in the neck. I don't think you'll have that much flex in the lowest 4 frets, so it doesn't need to go up that far. And you don't need it to extend into the body area as the body wings should provide plenty of bracing to keep that section of the neck section flat.

You didn't say whether you were planning to laminate the neck or not. I'd recommend it if you can. A single piece neck is a lot more likely to develop a local warp that a truss rod can't correct. If you slice the neck board in half (or more), then flip the pieces and laminate them, the opposition of the grain will help counteract any warping tendencies. I'm sure this was in your reference material, but you really want to use quartersawn wood for something like a neck so the grain direction is through the wood instead of along the length.

Best of luck,

David Fung

0vid · « **Reply #11 on:** March 05, 2008, 05:33:58 AM »

Look into Melvyn Hiscock's book on making an Electric Guitar. One of the examples is a thru neck.

FWIW, thru neck designs are older than Alembic. The Rickenbacker bass is a thru neck and the Gibson firebird is a thru neck design.

caden_vekk · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2008, 02:38:32 PM »

I have that book, but it doesn't actually say how to set it up as a neck thru.

caden_vekk · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2008, 02:47:40 PM »

David, thanks a bunch. I'm going to be using a 20-21 fret board so i can use the regular rod. I've no real need for a 24fret neck. Unfortunatly, i can't use a laminated neck for money and time restraints.

0vid · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2008, 08:04:53 AM »

Quote: I have that book, but it doesn't actually say how to set it up as a neck thru.

Well my copy has 3 example guitars, a tele type, a lefty guitar, and a neck thru 8 string bass if I recall. I don't know i this has changed with subsequent editions - I think mine was the second edition.