Got a request for a 26" scale build. Where do I start?

So I am working on a commission project. A guy wants me to build him a tele body and neck. The body was supposed to be like most of my other bodies, with the standard tele bridge, rear routed control cavity, and a p-90 neck pickup route.

I've got the body glued up, planed, and I've got the edges routed. As I was routing the neck pickup cavity he calls and asks if we can make it 26" scale.

I'm really not sure what all would be involved, whether I would have to change the neck pocket, whether I'd have to move the bridge back, etc. I'm thinking it can probably be done with a conversion neck but I have no idea how to design such a beast.

Are there any 26" scale neck blueprints out there? I reckon it'd be easy enough to make a 26" scale template for my Stew Mac miterbox but beyond that I'm stumped.

Here's a stab at it. Keep the Tele body as is, find the center of the bridge (string saddles), measure 13.00" to the 12the fret, and another 13.00" to the inside edge of the nut, and keep the headstock the same. DONE. Use the same number of frets, and use a number of different fret locator math tools to verify fret spacing.

Anyone? Right? I guess I'd do it in CAD, and check it to be sure.

Here's a stab at it. Keep the Tele body as is, find the center of the bridge (string saddles), measure 13.00" to the 12the fret, and another 13.00" to the inside edge of the nut, and keep the headstock the same. DONE. Use the same number of frets, and use a number of different fret locator math tools to verify fret spacing.

Anyone? Right? I guess I'd do it in CAD, and check it to be sure.

Sounds good to me. Make a new neck template and keep the body as is; it might end up being a 22 or 23 fret neck. You should be able to clamp your current template to the new one to transfer the headstock shape once you've laid out the neck from heel to nut.

just make it an extra half inch from nut to butt and start placing frets. My guess is that you'll end up with 22 frets before the butt, but the spacing might be a little off in the aesthetics, in which case, you could add a little bit of an overhang to get a better looking space between the last fret and the butt end of the fretboard.

Sounds good to me. Make a new neck template and keep the body as is; it might end up being a 22 or 23 fret neck. You should be able to clamp your current template to the new one to transfer the headstock shape once you've laid out the neck from heel to nut.

You can keep the same number of frets, it's the spacing that would change. Use Stew-Mac's Fret Calculator, and scale length whatever you want. That's what I've done for the soon-to-never-be-completed mini-strat-teles. 18" scale x 22 frets - BINGO - done. Very simple to use. No muss no fuss.

First, 26 3/16" is a standard banjo scale. If you lived close enough I'd let you clone mine. A standard Ibex fret rule includes this scale. No matter, with all the online resources that's the easy part. As has been said, leave the body alone and just extend the neck/fretboard 1/2". You'll gain an extra fret of two and it will bolt up normally. If you use a neck template, just lay it on fresh mdf after striking a centerline. Trace your normal heel, move it 1/2" away and trace the headstock, then use your straight edge to connect he lines. Easy peasy! :smile:

why does he want that scale length?... 1/2 inch longer than regular, like wow.

PIA....

why does he want that scale length?... 1/2 inch longer than regular, like wow.

that buckethead guys uses 27... supposedly tuned normally. It doesn't sound slinky.


I did a quick check = looks like the 22nd fret would be where the 21st is on a 25.5 scale... so you're golden with no over hang needed - it'll look fine.

why does he want that scale length?... 1/2 inch longer than regular, like wow.

PIA....

Maybe he has big fingers? A lot of people don't like playing Gibsons because the scale length is a mere 3/4" shorter than Fenders. But it's noticeable to most.

Not really any more of a PIA than any other neck, especially if the body/bridge and pocket remain standard.

How would I proceed? Let's see. First of all I'd go to the StewMac Fret Calculator.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Fretting/i-fretcalc.html

I'd put in 24 frets (arbitrary number) and 26 for scale length

......http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/NewAlbum2/26inScale.jpg

Nut to 12th fret is 13 in. Typical neck pocket to saddles on a Telecaster body is ~ 7 in. Assume 13 in. from 12th fret to saddles. That leaves 6 in. from 12th fret to end of neck heel. Add 6 to 13 and you get 19 in. from nut to end of neck heel. Looking at the fret chart above, you would have a 22 fret neck.

Telecaster bridges have a great intonation range so you could probably fudge the neck length a little to get the right look (22 fret to end of neck)

why does he want that scale length?... 1/2 inch longer than regular, like wow.

PIA....

I have a SelMac copy (Jazz Manouche guitar) with a scale length of 26.37", and I must admit that if I were to have Tele built from scratch by a luthier, I'd go with something close to that.

The upper frets are noticeably less cramped.

I'd draw both the neck and the body in a cad program after you decide on which bridge you will use. That will determine where the pickup and ferrule holes are located. I designed the body around a vintage bridge. I just put together the Mocking Tele with a 22 fret gibson scale neck and decided to try a modern bridge for a change. That bridge put the saddles back farther and I ended up having to procure longer screws to get them closer than the mere 3/8" I would have needed if I used a vintage bridge.

why does he want that scale length?... 1/2 inch longer than regular, like wow.

PIA....

That was my initial response too but I didn't say it out loud. But you know the old saying: the customer is always right. I sent him a link to the Warmoth conversion necks, they have a 28-5/8" scale neck that might be similar to what he's looking for. His guitar playing style seems to be mostly fingerpicked walking basslines and tapping. More Les Claypool than Buckethead.

My concern with the Warmoth Baritone neck would be string tension on the body. This is a pine body with a .45" or so Walnut cap. And he said he wants to put some "heavy gauge strings" on it. But then again I've seen people on here build 34" scale bass bodies out of pine so it'll probably be OK.

He asked to change the plan to 7 string too, but since I had already routed it for the P90 thats pretty much not happening.

Here's the progress on it so far. I am gonna hold off on cutting the bridge p'up cavity or neck pocket until he decides for sure on scale length.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428163_10101033624584890_4937231_66209103_12756605 11_n.jpg

I'll probably get to drafting a neck plan tomorrow. I see StewMac does have a template for 26-3/16" banjo scale so that might be what I end up going with. The banjo template has the mandolin scale on the other side so I could build a Mandocaster too if I were so inclined. :cool:

If you know cad pretty well, you can take EHawley/Tdowns file and you'd just have to move the neck and pickup cavities some, along with the ferrule hole locations.

keeps luthiers in work which is a good thing, I guess....

I hope it turns out great and the buyer is happy.....

Yeah I have a friend who is good with that sort of stuff. I had him widen the E.Hawley neck plan for a 1-3/4" nut width last week but I haven't had a chance to print it out yet. Its still on my zip drive.

I guess if I have him draft out the conversion neck it'll be as simple as adding 11/16 between the nut and the heel, and then superimposing the 26-3/16 scale on to it, right?

If I go with the standard neck pocket design I have 1/2" between the end of the pocket and the neck pickup so I could probably get away with a little overhang on the neck.

It'll be a 2pc neck whatever it is. He's asked for Walnut with a Maple fretboard.

it was close - so I drew it up real quick


on the left is normal plus the half inch. The 22nd fret is too close to the start of the curve.

the center one has about a 16th overhang to make the spacing from fret to the end of the fretboard spaced like a 22 fret fender (with it's over hang of 0.2 inches).

the one on the right had about a quarter added to it to make it spaced like a 21 fret fender.

if you print it - the center lines should be exactly 20 inches.


if he went 27"... you could use your regular jig. The first fret would be exactly where the front of the 25.5 nut would be and you'd just have to measure an inch and a half for the inside edge of the 27 scale nut.

if he went 27"... you could use your regular jig. The first fret would be exactly where the front of the 25.5 nut would be and you'd just have to measure an inch and a half for the inside edge of the 27 scale nut.

First thing I thought when I saw this thread, he couldn't have made it easy for him :lol:. But then again the banjo scale (26 3/16") thing has actually been done quite a few times. I've played a flat top with it and it really drives the top :smile:.
One thing you might want to tell him OpenG, he won't need heavy strings (at least not too heavy) with that setup. The extended scale I've played was a Guild jumbo and 12s was all it wanted. The longer strings will really drive those pups and if they are moderately hot at all they'll fart out real easy from being so close.
Another thing, if you don't mind splicing a little rosewood, you could save your money on that fret-scale and just buy a 26 3/16 slotted board from Stew-Mac instead LINK (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bodies,_necks,_wood/Banjo_fingerboards/Slotted_Fingerboard_for_5-string_Banjo.html). The splice because it's only 2" wide, but it'd only be too narrow for about the last 7 frets :wink:. If you have any scap rosewood you could add a couple of small strips that last few inches. After you slot the strips and oil the board, you'd never see it :wink:

It just came to me that he said one of the reasons he wanted a longer scale was he likes playing in dropped tunings and he wanted something he could tune down to C or B# and still have string tension.

Not sure 1/2" or 11/16" will do much in that regard. I'll probably call him tomorrow and see what the plan is.

I'm downloading Acrobat now to open Casual Reader's PDF. I got a new (to me anyway) computer that doesn't have much software yet. Thanks for drawing it up.

The discontinued Fender Subsonic Telecaster had a 27 in. scale length.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/NewAlbum2/Specs.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/NewAlbum2/ssonic_full.jpg

Today I talked to the patron and he wants to do the banjo scale, and I'll probably order the banjo scale fret slotting template sometime next week. I cut the cavities and pockets today, gonna do the binding channel, roundover, and output jack tomorrow. And once I get a bridge I'll drill for string-thru and ferrules.

I think we're gonna go with this bridge because it has a wide range for intonation adjustment, as well as 6 individual saddles. So it will intonate for whatever crazy tuning he wants to use, or if he put some other kind of conversion neck on it later.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/products/10dtebrsostb.jpg&maxx=0&maxy=300

Got a slab of hard maple I'll cut a neck blank from tomorrow. I'll probably do a 2 piece Maple neck with a 2 way truss rod just for simplicity's sake. Also gonna do a Walnut veneer on the peghead to match the body, as well as a Walnut control cavity cover.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/401315_10101037214515640_4937231_66226402_27850070 8_n.jpg

Also cut 2 sets of really nice Cherry bookmatches. I'll probably put together a mahogany blank to put one of them on when I have time to work on my own stuff again.

Yamaha used a 26 1/4 scale length on their baritone drop 6 guitars. I love the way they sound and feel.

I think we're gonna go with this bridge because it has a wide range for intonation adjustment, as well as 6 individual saddles. So it will intonate for whatever crazy tuning he wants to use, or if he put some other kind of conversion neck on it later

You have no idea. I've got one of those and the high "e" screw is almost 1 1/2" long, and the low 1 1/4" long. That much travel can cover a multitude of sins :lol:

BTW, if you've never played a banjo scale (26 3/16") before, make sure you break it in well before your guy takes possession. You may be surprised at how much you like it :wink:

Gold hardware. Its happening.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/products/10dlotebrsos1.jpg&maxx=0&maxy=300

Mr. T Approves.

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/mr-t-gold-chains-sparkling.gif

I'm going to suggest gold frets (like Rev. Billy) too. :lol:

I got the approval to do the EVO Gold fretwire too. And my buddy is working on modifying the Ehawley neck plan by adding 11/16 to the total length and plotting new fret locations. I'll share the file after I print it out and make sure its 100% correct.

I got a lead on my next commission build today. If it goes through it'll be raffled off so it'll be interesting to see how much $$ it brings. And tomorrow I'm ordering a slab of mesquite the will hopefully yield 2 bodies. I can smoke a brisket with the offcuts. :lol:

The one thing I would be careful of is neck dive. I personally would move the bridge back on the body a little bit. Since the telecaster doesn't have an upper horn, I would be worried about the extra neck length making it want to dive. This will be especially bad if using full sized tuners like rotomatics. That would be the only thing I would keep in mind.

The one thing I would be careful of is neck dive.

Yeah neck dive is a worry with this one. The guitar I based this one on neck dives a little bit with its regular scale neck and Schaller style tuners.

He's wanting to put Sperzels on it, I'm not sure how heavy they are but I'm gonna assume they're a good bit more than Klusons. But he'll probably do straplocks on the body, and the bridge I've ordered for it has a good bit more mass than the stamped bridge on the other one. Hopefully it'll be alright.

He's wanting to put Sperzels on it, I'm not sure how heavy they are but I'm gonna assume they're a good bit more than Klusons
They're much lighter than you think and there is more than one style available LINK (http://www.sperzel.com/Models_Colors.html). The open backs are very light. The modern ones are alloy, not die cast and much lighter than the ones from the old days. Also with the staggered posts you don't need string trees. If you use the open back, Sound Lok series, you'll have no string trees, a max one turn string on each post, very little housing and they are safety posts (string thru the post). Your customer may not like them, but they are light, very effective, and available in custom anodized colors :wink:

Well thats encouraging. I'm in the process of ordering the gold hardware now. Thinking of trying one of the LMI 2 way truss rods. They will do them in custom lengths at no charge which is awesome.

About to order the truss rod. How would I measure what size truss rod I'd need? I'm probably gonna get a 2 way from LMI, just not sure what length I'd want. I'm guessing that with a 2 way heel adjust I'd want it to span from a 1/2" or so before the nut back to the heel, correct?

About to order the truss rod. How would I measure what size truss rod I'd need? I'm probably gonna get a 2 way from LMI, just not sure what length I'd want. I'm guessing that with a 2 way heel adjust I'd want it to span from a 1/2" or so before the nut back to the heel, correct?
It would seem to me approximately 1/2" longer than standard would be what you need. The rule of thumb seems to be the approximate length of the fretboard. A normal fretboard is slightly longer than 18" and a standard trussrod is 18" so that would seem to track, right?

You can make a spreadsheet and calculate any scale length you want by simply changing the scale length value in Column A. My spreadsheet is set up like below:

........Column A................Column B............Column C

1. Scale length (s).........fret number (n)........distance from nut (d)
2. 26..................................1............. ........ 1.459
3. ......................................2........... ..........2.837
4. ......................................3........... ..........4.137
5. ......................................4........... ..........5.364
etc.
This is the formula I insert in Column C row 2, then drag down the column for as many frets as I want to calculate. =$A$2-$A$2/(2^(B2/12))

Column B would be the fret numbers. Once you have the fret numbers in place and the formula inserted in each cell in Column C that you want to calculate, you only have to change the cell A2 with the scale length you want and let the spreadsheet do the rest.

Conversion necks confuse people a lot

If you think about it: if the scale is increased by 0.5" but the bridge and neck pocket don't change, then where does the extra 0.5" comes from? Yep, the nut is 0.5" farther from the heel, meaning the neck is effectively 0.5" longer.

So take those normal Telecaster dimensions but increase the nut to heel dimension by 0.5". Then lay your frets on the fretboard the same way you would usually do, but measuring their distance to the nut based on a 26" scale (use Stew Mac's calculator). Just make sure your fretboard is long enough to be at least flush with the heel (the reason why the Warmoth baritone necks have 24 frets).

As for why 26"? One opinion I can advance: if you tune to Eb, you'll end up with a string tension and feel almost identical to a Gibson scale tuned to E

Yeah thats the way I'm doing it, just extending the neck and re-plotting the fret locations using the Stew Mac calculator.

Going with the 26-3/16" banjo scale because Stew Mac has a template for their miter box. I told the customer it'd be more accurate and cheaper to get the Stew Mac template than for me to make one, which is true. By the time I drive across town, get a strip of aluminum, mark the scale on it, and slot it notches in it with the hacksaw and clean them up with a file that labor would be about the same cost as the template.

All this has got the gears in my mind turning. I'm thinking my next project may be a 24-3/4" scale, full length 22 fret neck, and then a body template with the bridge location moved forward to match.

All this has got the gears in my mind turning. I'm thinking my next project may be a 24-3/4" scale, full length 22 fret neck, and then a body template with the bridge location moved forward to match.
:lol: That's the cool thing about conversion necks. Plot it out right and you probably won't have to move the bridge on that one either :wink:

im a huge fan of buckethead.. look at his fingers, they are from outer space.. spider fingers.. like 20" each im sure he loves his longer scale.. iv always been using the gibson scale..i do not own a fender product yet. :( im six foot 4 hair under six foot 5 with large and long slender fingers. a larger scale maybe more comfy for me. yay, another reason to learn to make my own necks. :)

i have a question. iv seen some custom guitar builder use two different size fret wire, any idea what the logic behind this? the only thing i can think of is so you can get lower action. maybe? shrugs. or is this one of them snake oil things like special nut material.. etc.
is thats the point?
chris

I guess if you're doing a 24 fret neck or something the spacing of those last couple frets is really important, and using a narrower fretwire would help keep it closer.

The guy is wanting to show me some sort of "ESP compensated nut" now so I guess I'll get to see what thats about soon. This is all a lot of head scratchin' for a pinecaster build. We've got 4 days of rain coming up so I'll probably spend those staining and tru-oiling the body. I already pit one coat of stain on the back, but I'lve still got to do the sculpted heel and drill for the output jack so it'll be getting another coat or two.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395653_10101047847352350_4937231_66261164_12444378 21_n.jpg

The guy is wanting to show me some sort of "ESP compensated nut" now so I guess I'll get to see what thats about soon

What? No whammy? :lol:

meskeet,we have no shortage of that here.. never thought of using it for a body.. i was thinking a neck..the stuff is heavy so be ready to chamber the body :D heh. and use the shavings for smoking dinner. yumm.

sounds like you have taken on quite the customer who wants a little bit of that and a litle bit of this but will it all play nice together on the play ground.

gold frets.. talk about bling@ as the boys in the hood would say i think. shrugs, im to old to be using such a word.. heck, i wont even use the word sick to mean its cool.. just seems wrong.. my generation was all about cool, thats b...., thats boss. etc. :D funny how the our language is always changing and iv not even got the basics figured out yet.

seems like that could be the reason for different size frets. could you not just sand a little bit more off the lower frets to achieve the same thing.. a lower action.

chris.

Just saw this on Allen Guitars site - scan the list for 26" scale.

http://www.allenguitar.com/sale.htm#preslotted%20fingerboard%20sale

gold frets.. talk about bling@ as the boys in the hood would say i think. shrugs, im to old to be using such a word.. heck, i wont even use the word sick to mean its cool.. just seems wrong.. my generation was all about cool, thats b...., .

Rev. Billy seems to like gold frets:

http://www.edroman.com/guitars/images/Billy%20Gibbons%20Guitar.gif

I have a Little '59 pickup in my parts pile. Been toying with the idea of making a Super Model-ish guitar. Just not sure if I want to lay down the cash for the Glendale "Strate Plate" bridge.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/409247_10101052517962410_4937231_66271520_10962124 90_n.jpg

Here is the Mesquite. Should be waiting on my doorstep when I get home today. I'm hoping for 2 bodies from it. I think one of them might even be a candidate for the SuperModel treatment... since the lumber literally came from the Rio Grande Mud. LOL

I sold this guitar yesterday:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/408908_10101003422579950_4937231_66109158_15980593 65_n.jpg

Got what I wanted out of it too. Atlanta area musician named Jason Coley bought it. He's a good picker and he'll be doing great things with it.

I got a nice deal on some parts from a local tech too.

MIJ '52 Tele Reissue bridge (with slotted intonation & saddle grub screws)
MIJ "Kluson style" keys (from the same '52 reissue?)
Black left-hand Grover keys (actually have a lefty project in mind for them)
Black die cast 6-in-line keys
Gold die cast 6-in-line keys
Tele control plate with CTS pots
Rio Grande bridge pickup (dead coil, but I know a guy who does winding)
Rio Grande neck p'up (also dead)

All that for $65

Also took delivery of a really nice 50 x 3.5 x 1" slab of Honduran Rosewood. Thinking I'll do a 1pc. neck and a couple of fretboard blanks.

Pics tomorrow.

Hoping to get started on the 26-3/16 scale neck tomorrow as well. Still waiting on my buddy to draw up the prints, but I am planning on at least resawing the Maple blanks for the neck and fretboard and planing them to thickness.

i wonder how gold frets sound i can only imagine it wears quick when you need a f refret you recycle the gold and that pays for the next fret job a tele with a 59 neck.. i like that idea.. he dose have style i dig the guitar they built for him. id like try to bild one one day minus the gold frrets cant afford such
chris.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/409247_10101052517962410_4937231_66271520_10962124 90_n.jpg

Here is the Mesquite. Should be waiting on my doorstep when I get home today. I'm hoping for 2 bodies from it. I think one of them might even be a candidate for the SuperModel treatment... since the lumber literally came from the Rio Grande Mud. LOL

i really like meskeeet. i think some of the more figured stuff would make a nice fingerboard too., heck i wonder what a acoustic would sound like.

i like the idea of trying different woods that are not the standards.. you just never know what you will get :)

Yesterday's parts bargain:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/418180_10101058032765700_1955086784_n.jpg

Making a wood control cavity cover:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/423431_10101058045145890_4937231_66293896_18678912 4_n.jpg

I just finished sanding it flush, drilling, and countersinking it for the screws.

Flush mounted the electrosocket:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/431542_10101058111522870_4937231_66294207_44584223 5_n.jpg

Gold on gold :lol:

Not sure whats in store for the rest of the day. Probably ripping the maple for the neck blank, then joining/gluing up a blank for my next body.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/403133_10101058485997420_4937231_66296559_10138590 85_n.jpg

I glued this up earlier. Mahogany wasn't quite wide enough so I added a little strip of walnut down the center. It'll probably get some humbuckers and a tune-O-matic.

I'll probably wait and find somebody with a big 12 or 14" table saw with an offload table etc to saw up the mesquite. That thing weighs 40 lbs and would be a lot for my little table saw to handle.

http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/390/618/DV016_Jpg_Large_424086.081_gold.jpg

These are the tuning keys going on the 26-3/16 build. I weighed them on my kitchen scale which isn't all that accurate, but it's in the ballpark. They are right at 7.5 ounces (nearly half a pound!!), a hair less than die casts like Grovers/Schallers. Klusons weigh in at about 5.2 ounces, lol.

Bridge pickup will be a Hot Rails

http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/electric/telecaster/STHR-1.jpg

With a push/pull pot for coil tapping. Not sure how well tapping will work on those tiny coils but I'll try it.

I'm hoping that with the high-mass bridge, the push/pull pot, wooden cavity cover, and the Schaller strap-locks that it will counterbalance the neck and not be a neck-diver. The body itself is under 4lbs.

About to order the gold EVO fretwire.

I had a Soloway Swan for awhile.
It's a 27" scale guitar.
I could never find the right string type/gauge for it.
It was either too stiff or too sloppy feeling.
I can usually dial in any guitar, just not this one.
Great sounding guitar, but it "hung" like a bass.

Got the prints on my flash drive now. About to head out to Kinko's and print them out and see if they're up to spec. The maple board for the neck blank is waiting to be planed to thickness. The truss rod and gold frets are on their way from LMI. I got the banjo fretting template from Stew Mac. Exciting stuff!

I'm thinking of doing the fretboard in Birdseye. If I can find any locally/cheap. Probably going to some local lumberyards Friday/Saturday.

Prints were too big. Not sure whether it was a proportional error in the printing or wither the guy I had draw up the prints didn't adjust something correctly.

Anyway, I'm pretty much back at square 1 when it comes to neck design. Might just take the E-hawley plan and modify it myself with good old analog pencils and what not. We'll see.

Going to a local lumberyard tomorrow morning. They don't have any birdseye but hopefully they will be able to resaw my mesquite slab. The guy said they have a bandsaw mill and when I asked him about price he said "not much, and it wouldn't take but a minute to do". Gonna look for some 8/4 stuff for my next project too.

Why not just use a pencil and a ruler? That's how I make necks. :grin:

Anyway, I'm pretty much back at square 1 when it comes to neck design. Might just take the E-hawley plan and modify it myself with good old analog pencils and what not. We'll see
A template of the heel and the headstock, my trusty 48" steel lumber stick and my .7mm lead pencil has always served me well :smile:. Just layout the fretscale on a centerline and draw your neck around it. Tain't nothin' to it :wink:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/430761_10101074242331600_4937231_66346460_78799690 9_n.jpg

Had my mesquite resawed on a bandsaw mill today. Also picked up some 8/4 mahogany, a slab of 8/4 Northern Ash, and a curly Cherry board that should make some nice tops.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/420401_10101119856126190_4937231_66540276_17472509 07_n.jpg

Just drew it out by hand. Had it done faster than I could have walked down to the print shop. The neck print that printed out too big is on the other side. I'll get my money's worth out of those prints somehow dagnabbet!!

Of course I screw up when routing it and put the truss rod route on the wrong side. :lol: This one will have to be a lefty or a reverse. :lol:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/420663_10101119818301990_4937231_66540109_2969232_ n.jpg

When I get the correct one made it'll get the EVO gold fretwire:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/428691_10101119852737980_4937231_66540251_10520499 19_n.jpg

Just drew it out by hand. Had it done faster than I could have walked down to the print shop
:lol: Told ya'

Of course I screw up when routing it and put the truss rod route on the wrong side. :lol: This one will have to be a lefty or a reverse. :lol:
:shock:, now that never happens to me :roll: :oops:


When I get the correct one made it'll get the EVO gold fretwire
You need to name this the Bling Machine :lol:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/420401_10101119856126190_4937231_66540276_17472509 07_n.jpg

Just drew it out by hand. Had it done faster than I could have walked down to the print shop. The neck print that printed out too big is on the other side. I'll get my money's worth out of those prints somehow dagnabbet!!

Of course I screw up when routing it and put the truss rod route on the wrong side. :lol: This one will have to be a lefty or a reverse. :lol:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/420663_10101119818301990_4937231_66540109_2969232_ n.jpg

When I get the correct one made it'll get the EVO gold fretwire:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/428691_10101119852737980_4937231_66540251_10520499 19_n.jpg

That's how I do it. Good old fashion pencil and ruler. Don't feel bad about screwing up, I do it all the time.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/429948_10101138679469060_4937231_66616358_60464171 _n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/417477_10101138683441100_4937231_66616372_16959965 71_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/423335_10101138688975010_4937231_66616400_21028102 43_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/423935_10101138691874200_4937231_66616408_90995458 0_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/429007_10101138708510860_4937231_66616461_31282010 6_n.jpg

Its coming together. Got to figure out a way to apply veneer to the peghead transition, I'm thinking of making a plug with a hole saw and cutting a section out of it to glue to the transition and then thin it down with the bandsaw/ROSS.

I'm gonna wait to fret it until I can get some long strips of sandpaper for my fret leveling beam. Gonna make sure that board is 100% level before frets go in. I called a local auto body supplier to see if they had any self-adhesive sandpaper, apparently they will only sell it as a "40 yard roll" and its $80. I reckon I'll just go with Stew Mac, lol.

I'll probably carve the back profile tonight or Tuesday. The patron should be bringing me a guitar to pattern the neck profile from.

Also, no fretboard dots on this one. I called the guy twice just to make sure, and told him once the frets are in there's no going back.