Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

Dr. Vegetable said:
A bit of an update. The guitar has been strung up since Sunday. At first I raised the saddles to get the strings to stop buzzing. As you might imagine, this put a bit of strain on the neck, and it bowed quite a bit. I brought the saddles back down and it leveled out again. I can get a whammy bar effect by putting a small amount of pressure on the neck, or even by turning quickly while holding the guitar. It is still playable, but not ideal.

So clearly, one deck plus one fingerboard is not really enough rigidity for a proper neck. I'm trying to decide if I can rescue this one, or if I should build a new neck from scratch.

One option would be to glue another layer to the back of the neck and do some shaping. I could put the truss rod in if I did that. I could also try glueing a reinforcing strap to the back side of the neck to put some reverse tension into it.

I am also considering some unconventional approaches, too. One idea I am toying with is whether I could use a low bass string running through a channel in the neck to act as a very compact truss rod mechanism. The neck would be adjusted by turning a seventh tuner on the headstock to counteract the force of the strings. This might be too resonant, so I could also just use one or two lengths of steel baling wire to do the same job.

Any thoughts on this? I'm sure the luthiers on the forum are rolling their eyes at my wanderings, but I'm having a lot of fun thinking of unusual ways to make this instrument work. I should point out that it is playable enough in its current form that I'm tempted to just fret it up and call it a day.
Click to expand...

1) electric guitar strings do exert an awful lot of tension on the neck. It's bordering on foolish to try to not have a truss rod on an electric guitar. Eventually the neck will get warped and/or twisted and mishapen and you'll have to replace it. But you do have some options.

2) Making the neck thicker will add a bit more rigidity and make it flex a bit less. If you want a nice thin neck though, that doesn't help you much.

3) Have you looked into carbon fiber reinforcement rods? They are often used to stiffen really long scale necks or on basses, and a couple of those inlaid into the neck under the fretboard might just be what you're looking for. They'll add stiffness and reinforcement, without the weight of a truss rod. That said, they're probably not meant to be a replacement for a truss rod...but it is still better than nothing at all. Have a looksie:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/Carbon_fiber/Carbon_Fiber_Neck_Rods.html
http://lmii.com/products/mostly-not-wood/truss-rods/neck-parts/carbon-fiber-neck-reinforcements
http://lmii.com/products/mostly-not-wood/truss-rods/neck-parts/pultruded-carbon-rods
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

yeah i think the rods would be a good idea in conjunction with my method i think it will hold tighter than Rockstar216 on a stormy night
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

Maybe even tighter.

The material becomes so very hard and strong once its glued and sealed. Look how this off cut can support itself over the cavity. I imagin the whole layer is like one big security blanket for the neck.
This pic is from project guitar
mat28.jpg
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

The only reason I'm trying to avoid installing a truss rod is to see if there is a way to build these that is really simple and inexpensive. I'm just trying to eliminate as many difficult steps in the process as possible. Even something as simple as sandwiching two decks together is not easy when you are working with contoured boards. So I'm experimenting to see whether it is possible to build a stable neck some other way.

I will probably fail. Centuries of instrument design have led us to the design of the modern electric guitar, so it's unlikely that I'll invent a *better* way of doing things. I'm just looking for an *easier* way to do things, if that makes any sense. This isn't meant to rival a Les Paul Custom, or even a Fender Squier. It's really more in the cigar box genre.

The OP is titled "Highly Improbable Project" after all. How does a guy who's never scratch-built a guitar use unconventional materials and simplistic building techniques to make an instrument that is the least bit playable?

Wish me luck!
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

Good luck!!

And I would just try not using the truss-rod, I mean you know what the downsides are to your 'skate-box' guitar so if it is remotely playable and that is good enough for you, then I would go for it. When you want a long term stable guitar though...

Good luck again!!!
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

As strong as skateboard decks are, they flex a lot. I've had decks turn all rubbery after 1-2 weeks of skating and that's without a lot of jumping down stairs

Maybe next time cut the deck in half lengthwise and stack them together instead of using the center of it for the neck? Those bolt holes right near the nut look like an accident waiting to happen.

Just my two cents as someone who's been skateboarding and playing guitar (off and on) for about 20 years. Thanks for bringing my attention to this though. Might have to try recycle some old broken decks into something similar when I have access to the proper tools.
 
Re: Highly Improbable Project - Wish Me Luck!

mixedmedia said:
As strong as skateboard decks are, they flex a lot. I've had decks turn all rubbery after 1-2 weeks of skating and that's without a lot of jumping down stairs

Maybe next time cut the deck in half lengthwise and stack them together instead of using the center of it for the neck? Those bolt holes right near the nut look like an accident waiting to happen.

Just my two cents as someone who's been skateboarding and playing guitar (off and on) for about 20 years. Thanks for bringing my attention to this though. Might have to try recycle some old broken decks into something similar when I have access to the proper tools.
Click to expand...

Yes, actually cutting the deck down the middle and doubling up looks like exactly what Sr. Galasso does. The bolt holes are problematic from a comfort standpoint, but they can/will be plugged. I think it could be possible to stress the decks while glueing them up to provide some strength, but it's starting to look like any approach that is not adjustable is going to be problematic in the long run.

As far as "the right tools" go, I've been doing almost everything with a sabre saw, a dremel (both freehand and mounted in a press for routing) and a belt sander. I've been eyeballing just about every cut - the only thing I measured with a ruler was where to mount the bridge. The build is primitive, and so the tools should be as well. I do have a pretty good eye for angles and distances (the eye doctor even told me I have a high sensitivity to astigmatism) so I can usually get away with that kind of thing.

I do have a complete set of tools, even a small CNC machine, but this project calls for a very basic approach. So don't let a lack of "proper tools" hold you back from attempting this very improper build...
 
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