ranman106 Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 Finally started my first build today. I bought a body and neck off of eBay for this project. The body is drilled for v/t but I want v/t/v/t. Thanks to brucewayne131 for the pattern and many measurements later, the positions are marked and ready to drill. Here is inside the control cavity after drilling. Thank God that chip wasn't on the front of the body. The body front after drilling. That small chip shouldn't be a problem to fix and hide. The SG wiring kit I bought from Stewart-MacDonald is short shaft and the body cavity was too thick for the kit to work. So, I dremeled out the cavity. Two of the pre-drilled holes had to be reamed out as well. Here's everything finger tight and in place. I don't like how close the three position switch sits in relation to the pots so I am looking for a Les Paul style switch. Thats it for today. Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 guitarpartsdepot has the switch you are looking for. You can Prevent chips by using a piece of wood( with a hole predrilled in it of the same size as the one you are making) clamped snug to the top...you can also put a small piece in the control cavity the same way(with no predrilled hole) to prevent chipping there. That is how I drill clean holes on headstocks...make a wood sandwich so that the chipping is on scrap...not your guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) Yeah, the SG switch looks a bit cramped. I'm curious, how did you drill the holes? If you just jumped in with the bit the same size as the final hole, that might have been why it chipped. It helps to slowly work it up and cover the spot you're going to drill with masking tape. I did that and drilled new control holes in my LP just fine through the finish. Looks like a good first project. I wish I had done that instead of jumping in and screwing up a nice piece of wood like I did. Edit: Wes' suggestion is even better, do that Edited March 29, 2009 by Keegan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 Also for drilling holes into timber use brad point bits. Using a small normal bit and working your way up to the size you want can ruin your day if you don't line up the larger drill bit with the whole dead centre. Trust me its easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 You can also(if there is no way to add blocks) start your cut on reverse...get past the top layer before you put it back on "forward"...but that is not foolproof at all...just helps sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted March 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 You can also(if there is no way to add blocks) start your cut on reverse...get past the top layer before you put it back on "forward"...but that is not foolproof at all...just helps sometimes. Thats what I did with a forstner bit. First hole I drilled went all the way through causing the chip in the cavity. Second hole didn't go all the way through from the front. Flipped the body over and completed the hole. That gave me the small chip on the top. Not really upset since this was the first time I have attempted this type of project. Besides, I plan on painting the body anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) I had about an hour to work on my project tonight so here is an update. In the first pic I posted at the beginning of this topic, you see that the kit came with a gibson style neck, mainly the headstock. While thats ok, I wanted something different. So, a bro from another forum hooked me up with a 24.75 scale neck with 24 frets. Only problem with the new neck is that the heel was .40mm wider than the neck pocket. After an hour of gentle hand sanding, measuring, re-measuring, this is what I have. I still have some fine sanding to do but that will be covered in the body prep. Here is a pic of the neck fitted and inserted into the body. What a beast! A BC Rich Warlock neck on a SG clone body! I think I'm in love!!! Edited April 2, 2009 by ranman106 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dude Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 That's really cool. I wouldn't think that the more classic-shaped body goes with the more modern, wicked-looking BC Rich headstock, but it definitely works. What's your plan for the finish, if I may ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wood is good Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Since when does BC rich make 24.75" scale Warlock necks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VesQ Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 That BC Rich Neck really suits that SG body. Have you made any calculations where are you gonna put the bridge ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) Since when does BC rich make 24.75" scale Warlock necks? Nut to 12th fret is 12-3/8" so neck scale is 24.75 verified. I don't know when they made them or when they quit because all I have seen is 25.50 too. But, this neck is 24 frets, 24.75 scale. Please note, this was edited following several posts. Please disregard any post stating that the scale length is 25.50". Edited April 2, 2009 by ranman106 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the telecaster kid Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Since when does BC rich make 24.75" scale Warlock necks? I stand corrected, 25.50" scale. That's going to become really important when you get to drilling the holes for the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Since when does BC rich make 24.75" scale Warlock necks? I stand corrected, 25.50" scale. That's going to become really important when you get to drilling the holes for the bridge. Plan to follow this info I found on another forum: "I would attach the neck first before doing anything else. This will make it easier to measure out the scale of the neck. Make 100% SURE you know what the fretboard scale is before you even put a drill bit to the body for the bridge.. You'll also want to offset the bridge by a 3/16th of an inch on the low E string side. Measure down from the nut to the center of the 12th fret. Than multiply by 2. That will give you your scale length. What I like to do is put a straight edge along both sides of the neck and draw a light pencil line about 3/4's of the way down on the body. Than measure down from the nut to get your scale length. I also measure from both sides of the neck and make 2 marks on the previous drawn lines. Now connect those 2 marks with a straight edge and that will be your center line for the bridge. Measure that line you just drew from point to point and divide by 2. That will now be your center of the bridge. Now measure between the post holes of your bridge and divide that by 2. Example: You get a measurement of 2.5" from center of post hole to center of post hole. Half of that will be 1.25" Take that half measurement and from the center mark of your bridge you drew on the body, measure out what you got and make a point on the drawn line. Do the same on the other side of the bridge center line. Now you can make a mark 3/16th of an inch lower on the low E side of the bridge. You now have the proper points to drill for your bridge posts." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 It depends on the bridge though, check http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator for your bridge placement once you get the scale length. If the neck pocket is angled, you'll want to use a bridge that sits up off the body like a Tune-O-Matic or similar, and make sure you check the specs against your guitar(string spread, saddle radius). If it isn't angled, you'll want a flat-mount bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 As for hardware, I have a set of Dean Time Capsule pickups that will call this guitar home. I also have a set of Grover tuners, a roller bridge, and GraphTech nut, all black of course. Planning on doing string through as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 That headstock actually doesn't look half bad on an SG. Are you going to refinish the headstock or are you leaving the BC Rich logo on there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Gonna refinish it. The body is clear sealed but I plan on using this paint system: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/mirage.html Haven't decided on the color yet. Will NOT be Ice or green/silver! Got the idea from here: http://www.guitarattack.com/saga/saga0810_2/saga0801_2.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 It depends on the bridge though, check http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator for your bridge placement once you get the scale length. If the neck pocket is angled, you'll want to use a bridge that sits up off the body like a Tune-O-Matic or similar, and make sure you check the specs against your guitar(string spread, saddle radius). If it isn't angled, you'll want a flat-mount bridge. Neck pocket is flat. Bridge will be a Nashville style roller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormLeader Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 That neck looks amazing on that Body! And I'll bet that it's going to be a cool looking paint job as well. -Stormy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovan Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 I really like the matching curves of that headstock with respect to the SG-style body. Nice pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 Thanks guys!!! Hoping to find time this weekend to do more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Ran into a problem. The body is not set up for a 24 fret neck. It looks like I need to take @3/4" off of the heel and end the fret board above the 23 fret. Anybody convert a 24 to 22 fret neck? Can it be done? How far does the truss rod extend into the heel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 What, does the pickup rout interfere with your bridge placement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 What, does the pickup rout interfere with your bridge placement? Yep, bridge sits next to the bridge pickup mounting ring. No room for intonation and will make bridge pickup useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranman106 Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Ok. I think I have reached a decision on how to proceed. I am going to fill in the bridge pickup cavity and reroute the bridge pickup cavity @3/4" - 1" closer to the neck pickup. Any thoughts on this? What wood should I use? Glue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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