Hello.
I'm just about to embark on my first guitar build & am seeking some advice. I'm planning on building a Tele because I'm thinking that might be simpler for a first time builder & also I have a Tele already which I can compare to as I build. I'm doing this on a bit of a shoestring budget with many things I have already.
Questions:
1. I have a poplar body blank & also some 1mm booked matched maple veneer which I was thinking of using on the front. Is veneer wise to use on the top of the guitar or is it better to use something thicker to avoid tear out with the router.
2. I want to add some fake ivory binding round the body & was looking at rebating router bits. I realise that stew mac do some router bits designed for this job but they are expense (to me at least) for a first time builder & this may be the only guitar I ever build. I see other cheaper rebating bits, which I get aren't going to be as good because "you get what you pay for", but they make too big a cut for the binding I have. Is there an easy way to make them take less of a cut ? Maybe wrapping something round the bearing or packing out the guitar body to get the bit further away from the body.
3. When I look at my neck side profile template the part that bolts to the body has a depth of 23mm. I plan on using a finger board glued on this. When I measure my Tele (maple neck) the thickness here appears to be about 27mm. This implies that the finger board would only be about 4mm thick in the centre, which when considering the radius would mean that at the edges the depth of the finger board would only be 1-2mm which just seems wrong because the fret tangs must be deeper than this. I've been looking at plans but there doesn't ever seem to be any info on these dimensions. Could anybody shed any light on this for me please ?
Please excuse these probably basic questions, & thanks in advance.
Welcome
1. I have a poplar body blank & also some 1mm booked matched maple veneer which I was thinking of using on the front. Is veneer wise to use on the top of the guitar or is it better to use something thicker to avoid tear out with the route. I wood use a drop top 4mm to 8mm, 1mm of veneer is quickly sanded away.
2. I want to add some fake ivory binding round the body & was looking at rebating router bits. I realise that stew mac do some router bits designed for this job but they are expense (to me at least) for a first time builder & this may be the only guitar I ever build. I see other cheaper rebating bits, which I get aren't going to be as good because "you get what you pay for", but they make too big a cut for the binding I have. Is there an easy way to make them take less of a cut ? Maybe wrapping something round the bearing or packing out the guitar body to get the bit further away from the body. Look on alie express or amazon for a cheap one if only use is for 1 time, if you’re going to use this router bit more often, buy a good quality one.
3. When I look at my neck side profile template the part that bolts to the body has a depth of 23mm. I plan on using a finger board glued on this. When I measure my Tele (maple neck) the thickness here appears to be about 27mm. This implies that the finger board would only be about 4mm thick in the centre, which when considering the radius would mean that at the edges the depth of the finger board would only be 1-2mm which just seems wrong because the fret tangs must be deeper than this. I've been looking at plans but there doesn't ever seem to be any info on these dimensions. Could anybody shed any light on this for me please ? the fretboard minimum is 4.5mm but this is not recommended. 5.5mm/6.5mm is ideal. At the first fret with the fretboard glued on, we aim for 21mm, and at the back we aim for 23mm. Although you can adjust this to the player's needs.
hope it helps
@benjaminschwillens82gmail-com
Thanks for your response Benjamin.
I have bought a 5mm maple top & will add that to the front. Maybe I'll use the veneer on the rear. I'll procrastinate on it for a week ....
In relationship to the neck thickness, I'm planning to make the profile of the neck similar to my existing telecaster which is a MIJ Jerry Donohue model which has an unusual slightly V shaped neck, which I personally like. Therefore should I just take the neck blank down to a thickness that when adding, for example a 6.5mm fret board on would make the neck the same thickness as that on my JD Telecaster ?
Regards
Rob
@rib-f Yeah, you need to add the thickness of the fretboard and the thickness of the neck together and thats the thickness of the neck. For exmple the neck is 21mm at the headstock - fretboard 6.5mm = 14.5mm. leave it a bit thicker to sand down.
A Telecaster is a choice for a first build because its simple to design and theres lots of information out there to help you. My idea of using a veneer can work well if I glue it properly and support it while I'm routing it. I have to be extra careful, around the edges. For the binding channel lots of builders use ways to shim it but I should always test on scrap wood first. When it comes to the neck dimensions I can compare them to a Telecaster I know. I should definitely think about how deep the fret slots are before I shape it. As I work on the project I can upgrade to guitar parts like locking tuners, a bridge thats made well a bone nut and pickups that match the sound and playing style I like. The online guitar parts I choose will make a difference. Locking tuners and a good bridge will help it stay in tune. A bone nut and good pickups will make it sound great.
@benjaminschwillens82gmail-com
Thanks again, that makes sense. I will have to wait until I have bought a fret board before I can move the neck on. The drop top I bought is very nice but the 2 halves are slightly warped. Is there a good way to flatten them before I join them ? DO I need to steam them somehow & clamp them flat ?
I have to be extra careful, around the edges. For the binding channel lots of builders use ways to shim it but I should always test on scrap wood first.
Could you explain what you mean by shimming it please?