demonx

Looking good!

Starting the bandsaw cuts Knocking the neck blank, top and rear back to the body wings: Rasping all the bandsaw cut edges straight:

Pre drilling the electronics holes in the wings prior to glue up: Throw it in some clamps:

A plan? No. I just went out and made what was in my head. You dont need a plan for something like this. Two pieces of wood with another one screwed at the engle you want your scarf. Simple. Then another cross piece in there saomewhere just to make it stable. Yes, I cut on the bandsaw first, this is just to clean it up. You can see that in the pic directly above the sled pic. Without a jig, or even with my old "seesaw" jig which I've seen some other members here use, the end surface can be not quite straight. This ensures a straight travel path during the pass. Also, worth mentioning that the first time I used this sled, I used quick grip clamps but found they didn't hold and the blank was moving, hense why you see real clamps in my newer pics.

Guitar2005: I've tried heaps of different scarfing methods, this by far is the best. This is my second version of this sled, removed some flaws the first version had. Last year I created a thread on it, there'll be better pics there, the idea is simple though, two outside pieces with a flat center piece at the correct angle. It all has to be wide enough to fit your biggest neck but narrow enough to fit your jointer. Has to also be long enough to keep the angle without being a seesaw, which was my original sleds issue. So when using it I clamp the neck square against the edge/side lip of the sled and then when passing over the jointer the sled is pushed square against the fence of the jointer.

I don't think I'll ever know.

Headstock V2.0 Still need to knock a mm off both the top and bottom Wenge layers. I left thicknessing the outside surfaces to last so I didnt have to use clamping cauls While I had some clamps free I threw this Camphor Burn onto a Mahogany back with the help of two nails (in the not yet removed cut away area) to keep the center line in place:

Every now and then when you're building you have a bad day, I've been due for weeks and here it is. Screwed up the location of the headstock with the scarf joint by 17mm. Dont know how, I measured it twice. Anyway, no point crying about it, time to fix it. Bandsaw: Resurface the scarf: Make a new headstock: I decided that if I make a new headstock it has to be better than the last one, so I've put in four more laminations this time!

I also glued up this Camphor Burl top and the Mahogany back for it to go on today. I'm thinking this might be the first fixed bridge superstrat I've done in years! Might, didn't say it's locked in yet. This pic is obviously prior to the join line being planed:

Welcome! Joining this forum is a good start! Have a read through the build threads on here. Create a plan from beginning to end and from that work out what tools you'll need to complete every job. Establish, complete and problem solve each stage in your mind before you spend a cent on buying tools or timber. If you cannot do that, then you're not ready to start building yet! Good luck and have fun.

Scarf joint today. After working out the exact position I rough cut a couple mm in front of that line with the bandsaw followed by a few seconds on the belt (bench) sander: Using a jointer and this 12 degree jig I made, I make passes over the jointer until the surface is perfect. Once it looks right to the eye I test it, holding up to the light with a straight edge. Fresh off the jointer: Then clamp up to the headstock section which I prepared earlier after performing a quick resurface on the headstock lam using the drum sander and checking with the straight edge just to make sure its perfect:

In between carving necks I was also able to get a few baby steps done on the star headstock and scarf laminations after yesterdays glue ups. Filing the curved edge by hand and the straight edges on the belt sander: Dry fit just to make sure they line up etc: Another glue up:

Little bit more work on this multi lam guitar today. Checking that the headstock thickness is close: Heres all the pieces drum sanded and layed out in order: Headstock glue up: Scarf pieces glue up:

If there is evidence of vote tampering as you called it, make this a invalid month. Then make an example of them. This is a small friendly forum, there's no prize money to be won and no need to cheat. Just delete the thread.

The only neck I've made where I afterwards said I'd never use that timber for a neck again was Huon, which is rated around the 520 - so same ballpark as your cedar. Lots of Aussie luthiers use Huon as a neck so I thought I'd try it. I just find it too soft. Carved like magic, looks phenominal, smelt like lemon rind, absolutely beautifully scented timber - however I wont go down to that level of density again. Just offering my opinion. You don't have to follow it!

Looks great!

Ok - lets put it in numbers for you then, when talking density, the Hard rock Maple is 730 ADD, the softer varieties are 720 ADD. So they're basically the same. To compare to other common tonewoods African Mahogany approx 700 Spanish cedar since you mentioned it is around 500 (not enough for me to consider using it for a neck) Padauk - 800 Ebony - 1100 Indian Rosewood - 850 I hope that helps put things in perspective

Soft Maple is still harder than Mahogany if that helps put things in perspective. As said above you'll have no problem.

Holey crap - I just checked in to see how the voting is going, damn this is close! Closest I've ever seen it!

Thanks. Took me quite a few guitar carves and a few scrap trials as well before I came up with a superstrat carve I was happy with. I liked the look of the radius carve and was doing them for a while, but its not as comfortable to play as this carve. Also the horns part you mentioned - on most I also disslike that. The inner scoops most of the time look wrong somehow and the inner horn carve most of the time looks awkward. So I just dropped them all together! Yeah - there was a few things about this build that I screwed my face up to start, but the guy is someone I've known for a couple of decades and I'm helping him out with his "dream" guitar. I'd normally have refused quite a few specs in this build otherwise and some of his requests I did say no! For example he bought some blue plastic square inlays from ebay and I put the foot down there. Told him theres a real fine line between "over the top" and "completely tacky". I also refused to do the inner bites in his body plan. I also refused to do the hooks at the start but every time I saw him he kept saying it meant a lot to him that they were there, so I caved in. When he was here yesterday I told him that this guitar is as if a kid in the 80's (hence the 70's colors and the 80's styling) had a dream guitar then has been in a coma for the last few decades and now has woken up as an adult is getting his dream built. It sounds kind of insulting, but this guy got it, had a laugh and agreed. He then commented I was right about the 70's colors and that "back then" they had a lounge suite in these colors!

Only a couple entries, I assume because its been the xmas period and everyone has been busy with family things and not finishing up guitars. Either way, my opinion both these 8 strings are brilliant. CROW: Even though I'm not a big fan of multiscale guitars, this one looks classy. I love black quilts and the simplicity of it just works so well. Nothing is overdone, yet theres a lot of skilled craftmanship and detailed planning needed to pull it off. Great wood combos, great carve. Overall great guitar with a vibe that reminds me a lot of the guitars coming from Europe these days. If I had to pick one this I disslike it'd be the headstock shape, but I know this sort of styling is popular at the moment so don't listen to me. I get told I'm still stuck in the 80's! CURTISA: Very nice looking guitar. The Vic Ash body is gutsy as its a shitty timber to work with. Chips out easy, splits easy, massive grain to try fill, its just a horrible timber, so hat off for using it. Every time I touch the stuff I say "never again"!! I've been wanting to work with Myrtle for quite a while now and your display here is only feeding the fire. The top looks excellent. The whole build looks very clean and has a ibanez kind of vibe, but I like this and hate ibanez! Great neutral color combos. Its passive in contrast but not enough to be boring. It's not in your face, its restrained. If I had to pick something I dissliked, I'd have to say the headstock. Not my tastes, but same as I said to Crow, don't listen to me!

8 String All Aussie Timber Neckthru Queensland Maple neck Tasmanian Blackwood wing caps and matching headstock Tasmanian Oak for rear of wings Figured Jarrah fingerboard with small gold pearl dot inlays Soap Box timber binding Kahler Tremolo Lundgren M8 Bridge Pickup Coil split switch CTS 500k pots 0.022uf Paper Dipped in Oil Capacitor Switchcraft output jack Schaller style strap locks Gotoh tuning Machines 12 degree +/- headstock angle 16" fingerboard radius 27" fingerboard scale 24 frets 6150 Dunlop fretwire Black side dots More pics including a few build photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.355222571226250.83451.122774891137687&type=3

The last month I've been feeling really burned out in relation to guitar building, so I've been taking it pretty slow. Basically I was doing building for 30ish hrs a week along side my factory job. It was getting a bit much. I've still been getting out there and tinkering, but I've only got one customer order at the moment and it's waiting on supplies, so I'm just pacing myself. Neck carves on two wenge neckthru's: This is the, ummm, bright?? binding that the customer supplied for the star I'm building him:

After a fingerboard last year had a couple slightly off center dots even though I'd center marked and hole punched, I went and bought a set of brad tip drills in hope it never happens again. They are a more accurate drill. I haven't done a dot job since but I assume this will prevent, however it won't fix an already buggered board

You're definitely going to be set for quite some time!