dpm99

This might help: http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/necks/necks....fuseaction=faq2

Can you bend strings on a multiscale? Just curious.

Hey, I'm not recommending that course of action. I just answered his question. He asked for the easiest way to do a headstock logo.

You need to figure out how long your fretboard is going to be, and then add the length of the headstock. That may seem obvious, but it's the answer to your question.

That mahogany looks really nice. The Danish Oil is really working for you. And the easier way to do a headstock logo is to hire someone to do it for you.

That's a nifty bender you've built there.

Nice pink shorts! The guitar looks great too.

Yep, and you'll probably need a riser for the saw too.

Welcome Metzy! Looking forward to seeing your work.

I'm putting this up because a lot of people ask this question, including me. The conclusion I've come to is that a good jigsaw is better than a bad bandsaw. I want to make comparison between four tools I've used recently that span a wide variety of quality. I realize there's much more to say on this topic, and I don't intend to do any comprehensive reviews. I just want to make a simple point. I want to look at four products I've used: 1.) Grizzly 14" Extreme Series Bandsaw ($625) This is by far the best of the four. I don't own this saw. A friend of mine (jmrentis) has it, and I go to his house when I have to do bandsaw work. Really, I think this is the ideal tool for hobby guitar work. I know there are better saws out there, but this really does everything you need. However, you're going to shuck out a bit of money to get one, and it needs floor space. 2.) Ryobi 9" Bandsaw Model BS903 ($100) I picked one of these up at Home Depot about six months ago. I didn't keep it long before I returned it. I don't want to be totally unfair to this tool. Maybe others have had success with it. The 9" reach makes it really tough to cut into the horns. Plus, it felt like it was working to cut through an 8/4 body. It's a benchtop model, so it can be stored when you don't need it, but it's heavy. 3.) Bosch 1590ESVK Jigsaw ($150) I got this saw for Christmas. It's amazing. The big problem with jigsaws is that the blade drifts, because there's nothing to hold it at the bottom. It will drift a little, so you need to give yourself some distance from the edge if you're rough cutting a body (1/4"?). Before I got it, I remember someone telling me it cuts through wood like butter. I can attest to that. After making sharp turns on 8/4 walnut all day long, I have to say that I'm kind of blown away at how good this saw is. It won't touch my friend's Grizzly bandsaw, but it blows away the Ryobi. At least I think so. And it fits in a drawer, which is important to me. (Ok, it's important to my wife.) 4.) Old Black & Decker Piece of Junk Jigsaw ($30 a long time ago) This is the jigsaw that made me hate jigsaws. I'll say this for it. It makes a jigsaw blade go up and down....unless you're trying to cut through 8/4 walnut, which is a task it does not like to perform. It didn't have enough power, and I wouldn't consider taking it near something I really cared about. The jigsaw is as good as new - I've hardly ever used it. I got it new about ten years ago. So it's not broken. It's just a piece of junk. So these are four extremely different tools. I list them here for the new builder, in the hope that someone might gain some understanding about what sort of saw will best suit them. Can you build a guitar with a jigsaw? Yes. Is a bandsaw better? Yes, generally speaking. I am of the opinion that if you're limited in funds and work space, you may be better off with a jigsaw than a bandsaw. I know westhemann swears by his Delta 9" bandsaw, and different things work for different people. I also know you don't have to spend $150 to get a good jigsaw, but you probably shouldn't get the cheapest one you can find. I can't recommend the Bosch 1590 enough. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to get it. But I know it's not the only good jigsaw on the market. I do feel confident in saying one thing. Lousy jigsaws and lousy bandsaws are not appropriate for guitar work. Hope that's helpful. -Dave

George, that's plain brilliant. I realize it may not be as easy to use as those other devices, but honestly, I like things that go slow. I screw up less. And arbor presses are heavy and take up a lot of space. Really nice tool. -Dave

Toneblind, that's cool. It makes me wonder what else might be possible in the way of interchangeable tailpieces.

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Electr...8968&sr=8-1

<waits for the inevitable appearance of Mikro...>

We like new guys here. Welcome to the forums!

Xanthus, A friend gave me this trick, and it might help you. Take some plastic wrap (Saran Wrap or whatever) and wrap it around your truss rod. It should stop the rattling, and will keep glue away from the rod too. -Dave

Daniel, thanks. So you think you can run into problems even on a 12" radius? I thought you were pretty safe on those.

There are a couple of tricks that I know work for removing a fretboard from a neck. I've never tried it to remove a fretboard from a soundboard, but I'd guess it would be ok, as long as the binding didn't come unglued underneath. Rather than rigging up a steam system, I know of two proven methods. The first is to use a heat gun, which shouldn't cost much. The second is to put a towel over the top of your fretboard and then just use an iron. You might want to double up the towel, or quadruple it, just depending on what works. If you really want moisture, you could use a wet towel, but since you used Titebond, I really think you just need heat. I wouldn't introduce moisture unless it was absolutely necessary. The other tool you'll need is a razor blade. As the glue gets hot, you'll slide the razor blade under the fretboard a little bit at a time. It'll be off before you know it. -Dave

The way you explained it makes sense, but to upload a picture, first you need to upload it to someplace on the internet (like photobucket), and then link to it. In the meantime, don't panic. There are some really smart guys that hang around here, and that sounds like a fixable problem. What did you use to glue down your fretboard?

What do you want it to do? Are you looking for a pure acoustic sound, or do you want it to sound good plugged in? And what do you want to use it for? An acoustic Flying V has been done, and I don't think it'd be much better or worse than that: If you're looking for a good sound plugged in, and you're ok with a piezo pickup, my guess is that it'd work fine. If you go that route, you might just consider something like an LR Baggs X-Bridge that has a piezo element build in. (A number of companies make similar things.) That way it doesn't even have to be a hollow body. If what you're looking for is a guitar that will sound good unplugged, that's going to be a little more difficult. DISCLAIMER: I've never actually done any of these things. I've just researched the topic and played around with some things. So take my advice for what it's worth. -Dave

Spotted gum, huh? Make sure to post your opinion on the suitability of the wood for guitars, for posterity's sake. I really dig those F holes. (Wait, did that sound dirty?) -Dave

Can anyone give me an idea as to how flat a radius needs to be to keep from fretting out? I'm looking at getting a 9-11" compound radius board. To me, it makes no sense at all to make a compound radius board where you'll still fret out on the upper frets, so that leads me to believe it's been tested and works. However, that sure doesn't seem very flat to me. What do you guys think? Thanks for your help, -Dave

Nice work, Mitch. Don't stress about not getting any replies. That happens a lot. Keep it up!

I agree that it's better not to sand the binding. But you can avoid this problem by sanding to a very high grit.

Mitch, you'll be hard-pressed to find many people that had built a guitar by age 14. You should be proud. Make sure you post updates on your next build!