Time for a Les Paul Junior

Hi everyone.

So far, all of my builds have been put up here only when completed. I have always been a bit worried that I might stuff something up.

I wanted to try to build my first angled headstock and so decided on a 1959 double cut junior.

So here goes with my first build thread.:sad:

First up here is where I work. I have recently acquired some new gear. The 14in Bandsaw, pillar drill and a little 6in jointer. All from Carbatec Sydney

Here are the templates. This is taken from the standard 59 junior double cut template which is widely available on the net. The plan was printed A4, glued to the MDF, rough cut on the band saw and carefully robo sanded at the pillar drill to the line. Body, neck templates and the scratchplate template all completed.

You can see the weather beaten piece of mahogany I plan to use for the build as well as a roughed up three piece neck.

The body blank is African Mahogany. This is a bit old and grey. It's just over 2inches thick so will need to be thinned down.

Also some pics of the body rough cut on the band saw. I'm still getting use to my new saw, I should have cut closer to the line. Better safe than sorry though.

You can see a nice piece of Australian Blackwood in the background. I'm saving that up to use as a cap on my next build.

Cool Dasher , I'll be following this :)

Last post for today. Here is the body thinned down to 1 and 13/16th (bloody Yank measurements - :lol:) and robo sanded on the drill press to the line. Looking better! Not a bad piece of Mahogany. This revealed two very small nots. One will be under the bridge. But a blind man would be delighted to see them.

Double action truss rod in the background and there's that piece of Blackwood again.

I'm planning to do Cherry Red. And yes, the Stew Mac dye will post to OZ!

Looks good so far. I have a mild obsession with the guitar; it's on my short list to build. Glad to see someone else tackle it, too.

I'll be watching. My first build was a LP/Tele Hybrid. If I do another, it will be a junior, althought single cut.

have fun!

Hey Dash!
Where about's in Sydney are you? I'll keep an ear out for that bandsaw of yours.

:)

Hey Dasher, I love my lpjr dc. I was lucky enough to get hold of a one piece body blank that was sitting in the offcut pile in the timber yard.
The fella who sold it to me said it had been hanging around for years.
The price? Ten of my finest pounds!! Result!!:cool::lol:
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/kaznmick/IMAG00283.jpg

I'm halfway through another double cut build too, this time with 2 humbuckers.

Hey Dash!
Where about's in Sydney are you? I'll keep an ear out for that bandsaw of yours.

:)

Hey Robbied - North West Hills district mate. I picked the bandsaw up from Carbatec in Auburn. If you haven't taken a look at that store, you should go and check those buggers out. I could spend a fortune there if the missus would let me!

Cool Dasher , I'll be following this :)

Herb - the pressure is on now man! Your builds are awesome. I love your shop as well. I need one of those Jet thickness planners that will do a whole body. Don't you have one of those puppies in your shop?

Hey Dasher, I love my lpjr dc. I was lucky enough to get hold of a one piece body blank that was sitting in the offcut pile in the timber yard.
The fella who sold it to me said it had been hanging around for years.
The price? Ten of my finest pounds!! Result!!:cool::lol:
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/kaznmick/IMAG00283.jpg

I'm halfway through another double cut build too, this time with 2 humbuckers.

Hey Junk Mutt - nice build mate. The Mahogany blank cost me a little more than a 10 pound Pom paid to get to Oz in the 50s :lol:. What P-90 is that? I've gone for one of the Stewmac Parson street ones. Is your next double cut build being posted here? I'd like to see some neck builds.

Also, what's the scratch plate? Looks like Bakelite???

Herb - the pressure is on now man! Your builds are awesome. I love your shop as well. I need one of those Jet thickness planners that will do a whole body. Don't you have one of those puppies in your shop?

Hey thanks Dasher , yes , I have a 16-32 Jet thickness sander , I use it quite a bit on everything from bodies to finger boards to neck blanks . A little spendy but I would not want to be without it .

Hi Dasher, Looking forward to seeing your progress on this one. I also get my tools from Carbatec and I'd recommend the drum sander (sanding thicknesser) too.
Thought I'd share pics of my Junior: Tasmanian oak body, sheoak top and neck, Indian RW f'brd, zebrano headstock cap. Sounds great with the Lollar P90!

Hi Dasher, Looking forward to seeing your progress on this one. I also get my tools from Carbatec and I'd recommend the drum sander (sanding thicknesser) too.
Thought I'd share pics of my Junior: Tasmanian oak body, sheoak top and neck, Indian RW f'brd, zebrano headstock cap. Sounds great with the Lollar P90!

@Crafty - OMG that's an awesome looking Junior!! Now I'm done for. How could I compete with that?

Do you have any build photos of the neck? Two piece top too by the looks of it? Maybe I'll just retire and get you to make one for me!

Do you like that bridge? Intonation OK?

What's the finish? What do you have under the pup cover?

Hi Dasher, Thanks for the kind comments, but don't stop (building guitars) now! It's not a competition. We're all here to help and encourage.
I'll have to find some pics of the neck, they're on another computer. I laminated 5 pieces of sheoak so I won't have to worry too much about neck breaks. Fitted StewMac Hot Rod.
This is the 2nd bridge. I'd originally fitted the aluminium Wilkinson one but couldn't get good intonation. Sorted now with adjustable saddles. I also used a Wilkinson on a LP sort-of- Deluxe (carved flame maple top over mahogany, Braz RW F'brd, mini-hums, wrapover bridge) but same probs; will order a Pigtail.
It's just a tapered plastic shim under the P90; I set the neck at 3deg. Probably 2.5 would've been better as the p'up was quite low under the strings and I didn't like to raise the pole-pieces too high. Again, easily sorted.
The finish is Hi Chem nitro from Carbatec. I'd finished with (U-Beaut) Hard Shellac at first but I didn't get a good finish so I stripped it off and re-finished with the nitro.
You might like to check out Sydney Tools for other good tools & machinery. I've had a few things from them. They are usually priced very competitively.
Cheers.
Just found pics of similar neck construction; I used on the Deluxe and "Greeny" Standard.

Hey Robbied - North West Hills district mate. I picked the bandsaw up from Carbatec in Auburn. If you haven't taken a look at that store, you should go and check those buggers out. I could spend a fortune there if the missus would let me!

Wow, literally just around the corner. I'm in Kings Park, right next to Glenwood / Quakers Hill.

Glad you shared this, Dasher as it's just confirmed that the double cut Jr will be my next.
Of course, I'll need to finish these other 4 first.......

Turned my attention to making a neck this weekend. Here are the victims.

On the left is some Tasmanian Oak (Victorian Ash), and on the right is some Meranti (Western Pacific Maple). Both 19mm.

I cut one piece of Meranti and wedge it between two pieces of Tassie Oak. OK OK I know, it should be Mahogany but I love working with Tassie Oak and as it's my first angled headstock I thought I use what I had to hand.

The Meranti was used to add some texture change to the neck but more importantly, it's lighter than the Tassie Oak!

I cut roughly on the band saw the three pieces and glued them together. Then used the robo sander in my pillar drill and the belt sander to get something that resembles a neck.

I've had this piece of Ebony lying around for about 6 months I may as well use it instead of rosewood. OK this is starting to move even further away from the 1959 model. Apologies to the purists amongst you.

The Ebony is a great consistent black right the way through. Should look nice for this build. The plan is to use perloid dots which will stand out nicely. I have been thinking of using timber dots as well but perhaps I shouldn't push things too far??

This will need to be thinned to 6mm (when will we get those Yanks to move onto the metric system???) on the new jointer.

OK time to rout for the truss rod. I'm using one of the StewMac double action rods with the hex nut. I have decided not to rout right the way through the neck to the headstock. I want to leave some wood under the nut. I set up this very basic guide using some cheap pine and some clamps. Made sure the levels were right (I'm sure there's a better way). Then routed on top in two passes the first channel. So far so good.

Now the moment of truth. I used the router to open up a short channel on the headstock. Then took a long drill bit (same size as the channel) and carefully drilled through for the Allen adjusting nut. Worked extremely well! I'm delighted with this. Finally a neck that doesn't adjust at the heel!! I took a bit of a punt here with this approach. I was going to use the router table and rout a channel all the way from the headstock to the heel. I'm glad I didn't. This worked very well.

I put the neck down briefly and looked closely at the body. It wasn't flat! I carefully trued the body up using the belt sander. Isn't that a great tool! Now she looks great. You will notice the two knots in these photos. One will be under the bridge, and the other will be covered by the Tone knob. I'd like to take credit for that but truth is, I got lucky! I better clean up out here before the misses gets home!!

OK, here is the pup I'm going to use. It's a Stewmac p90. I've been very happy with the Tele pups and the Parson street humbuckers I've got from there. Good value for money. So i thought I'd give this one a go.

And glued on the biggest set of ears you've ever seen:lol:. The Tassie Oak scrap was lying around. Not the greatest colour match but I'm going to paint anyway.

Time to give the neck it's shape. I rough cut towards the line with the bandsaw and then used double sided tape to stick the templates on. Now it's out to my very expensive, state of the art, heavy duty, bonza, plywood routing table (actually not really a table, just propped up plywood) :lol:

All jokes aside, if you are still routing on top of your work, don't! This was a revelation for me when I first set this up. It is much cleaner, easier, faster and safer for you and your work. Note the kids foam surf board used to get the plywood level between the two tables. Nothing but the best tools here!

I use a template bit thats long enough to cut the whole thickness of the neck. Carefully taking little bits at a time to avoid tear-out and she came out looking good.

That's looking real good!!!

Last post today. I cut the little flash bit at the top of the headstock (does this thing have a name?) Anyway, I actually used my band saw and carefully cut the curve using the front of the blade if you get what I mean?? Then used a 'v' shaped file to get it looking pretty.

Then off to the pillar drill to sink some holes in this puppie. I used a template to mark these out from the back. Little tip is to use some masking tape on the bottom to avoid tear-out. Works a treat!

And of course I had to take a look at the tuners in their rightful place. Yeah yeah, not what you'd have seen on a real 59!

What do you think? Not too bad for a beginner.

I'm really enjoying this build. So far so good. Next challenge is to get the neck angle right on the heel. I'm still not sure how to finish the tenon off?

Tune in next week, same bat time, same bat channel.

Have a great week guys!

Good work Dasher , the headstock and truss rod access came out great :smile:

A productive day's work - so unlike my own:sad: Yup that looks great. I understand your liking working with the Tasmanian Oak - it's seems easy to work ...and it's ubiquitous here isn't it? Cheers

Keep it comin'!

A productive day's work - so unlike my own:sad: Yup that looks great. I understand your liking working with the Tasmanian Oak - it's seems easy to work ...and it's ubiquitous here isn't it? Cheers

Hey ModerneGuy - Yes I think Tassie Oak is a great timber for necks. I know there will be someone out there that has a reason not to use it. But it seems very stable and it rasps and sands really well. I've made 4 Fender style necks out of it and had no trouble at all. It can be heavy but you just need to choose wisely. It's also cheap and easy to get here.

I've been following your recent build. Looks great!

This weekend i worked on the Ebony fingerboard. Here is the StewMac Gibson fret template. 24 3/4 scale length. Marked the centre line and cut the fret slots with the StewMac mitre and Japanese saw.

I used 7mm perloid fret markers (I could not import pearl or abalone into Australia :cry:). After the fret slots were cut I marked the locations at 3,5,7,9 etc with white pencil. Drilled by hand using masking tape as a depth stop. Super glued the dots in. I then glued and clamped the fretboard to the neck. I used TiteBond and lots of clamps :smile:

After the glue had dried, it was back out to the router table to trim the excess. I used a template bit with the bearing on top. Then I used a radius block and set a 12" using 120 paper and elbow grease. I sanded down from 120, to 220, to 320 and finished off with 0000 steel wool. The board looks and feels great!

Time to fret this neck. I used medium gauge StewMac wire I had bought in bulk. The perloid dots came up a treat after the 0000 steel wool. I glue my frets in using some superglue. I use a 12" pillar drill caul to press the frets in. nice and clean. I'll have to level and dress these of course. Im happy with the progress on this neck. The Ebony looks and feels great. The perloid dots were easy to install. I still need to work out how to complete the tenon so any tips are welcome. Slow going this weekend but there's no need to rush. :lol: I hope you guys are getting something out of thie build. I'm really enjoying it!

You have a couple of choices if you are using a stop tail/bridge combo. You need to put a 2 degree angle on the bottom of the tenon, or rout the 2 degree angle into the neck cavity. A belt sander will get you started and then you can fine tune it with a hard block with abrasives attached. A third option is to build a router planer sled and clamp the neck blank at a two degree angle while you are planing the tenon.

Locate the neck on a piece of plywood and clamp it down. Place 3 pieces of wood tight up against the tenon on the sides and one on the back. I have used a combo of double sided tape and clamps. Remove the neck and rout inside the 3 blocks. That should result in a neck cavity template you can clamp down to your body and rout to depth. practice on scrap first.

You have a couple of choices if you are using a stop tail/bridge combo. You need to put a 2 degree angle on the bottom of the tenon, or rout the 2 degree angle into the neck cavity. A belt sander will get you started and then you can fine tune it with a hard block with abrasives attached. A third option is to build a router planer sled and clamp the neck blank at a two degree angle while you are planing the tenon.

Locate the neck on a piece of plywood and clamp it down. Place 3 pieces of wood tight up against the tenon on the sides and one on the back. I have used a combo of double sided tape and clamps. Remove the neck and rout inside the 3 blocks. That should result in a neck cavity template you can clamp down to your body and rout to depth. practice on scrap first.

Can you then take that template and shim it to have a 2deg angle when clamped to the body for routing? I have been thinking about this step for my own build and feel that it would get more consistent results than angling the tenon.

Can you then take that template and shim it to have a 2deg angle when clamped to the body for routing? I have been thinking about this step for my own build and feel that it would get more consistent results than angling the tenon.

Yes. In the past I have added layers of veneer to do that . You could also sand the angle into the template. If you use an online trig calculator, you could make a couple thin triangles with the 2 degree angle and glue that to the bottom of the template. ( make one and then cut it down the center into 2 pieces) There are many ways to do the same thing.

Yes. In the past I have added layers of veneer to do that . You could also sand the angle into the template. If you use an online trig calculator, you could make a couple thin triangles with the 2 degree angle and glue that to the bottom of the template. ( make one and then cut it down the center into 2 pieces) There are many ways to do the same thing.
Great thanks for the suggestions. Im gathering info for my lp jr build and im not too clear on the neck pocket/body fretboard interface area. I appreciate your input p greatly. You turn some great instruments! Back to this guys build, updates??

Dasher, that neck looks fantastic, love your approach with the rod slot.

It's probably easier to cut the angle on the neck heel, and leave the mortise square. That's how Gibson did it.

Thanks guys.

In terms of the the tenon, the neck was made so that the tenon is square and flat but he neck angle is already in the shape of the neck. Does that make sense??

So if you look at the standard plan, the neck cavity is flat and so is the tenon. The three pieces of timber were cut with the 3 degrees in it's shape. When I hold the tenon flat on the bench, you can see the angle. So no need to angle either the tenon or the cavity.

The concern I have is getting the bridge height right. I sanded the fingerboard quite a bit. It's less than 6mm so I will need to be careful that there is not way too much height over it when the bridge is at it's lowest setting.

I have a wrap around bride so I need to get the scale length perfect as well. I find Fenders much easier to make I must say. Do people understand the compensation bit around the 24 3/4. Should the bridge be set exactly twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret? That was the plan.With the Tele's I've made, there was always quite a bit of room to move with the saddles. this build I need to be more accurate.

I'll need to think it all through.

Hey Dasher, great work! You should be able to get pearl dots from Australian Luthier Supplies, Mount Tambourine, Queensland, (next time). There's another supplier over this way, maybe NZ? I don't think the issue with importation is at our end but that US suppliers can no longer export it.
With the bridge placement you measure the distance from the nut (fret-side) to the centre of the post on the high 'E'. The amount of compensation varies for different string guages, so perhaps add a couple of mm for the low 'E'. I assume you won't have adjustable saddles on the wrap-over bridge? Hopefully some-one will be able to provide a more accurate formula. I did have problems with intonation till I changed to a Pigtail style of adustable bridge.

The set neck and bridge locations are a couple of things which make Gibson guitars a bit more difficult to build over Fenders. Once you do a few of them like everything else it becomes less stressful. The original wraparound bridge had no saddles per se, it was just a high spot on the bridge. The 2nd version had the saddles integrated into the casting. Which one are you using?

With a tunomatic, I adjust the bridge saddles all the way forward toward the nut and place the break over point of the high E saddle at the scale length measurement. Intonation moves the saddles backward from there. Most Gibson wraparound gibson bridges have some travel backward with the two screws on the anchors, so I'd place the high E integrated saddle line on the scale length. If I recall correctly the stud holes on the Low E are placed about 1/8 or so farther away from the nut. There is very little room for error in the bridge, so you need to measure and drill accurately the first time in order to get it right without the hassles of plugging and redrilling. If you have a compass or divider, this can be made easier by drawing it out on the wood. If not, a sharp pencil, machinist's scale, and drafting triangle, can make this a little easier.

Great job on that neck Dasher , she's gonna be a beauty :)

Hey Dasher, great work! You should be able to get pearl dots from Australian Luthier Supplies, Mount Tambourine, Queensland, (next time). There's another supplier over this way, maybe NZ? I don't think the issue with importation is at our end but that US suppliers can no longer export it.
With the bridge placement you measure the distance from the nut (fret-side) to the centre of the post on the high 'E'. The amount of compensation varies for different string guages, so perhaps add a couple of mm for the low 'E'. I assume you won't have adjustable saddles on the wrap-over bridge? Hopefully some-one will be able to provide a more accurate formula. I did have problems with intonation till I changed to a Pigtail style of adustable bridge.

Hey Crafty, thanks, your build inspired me. I know about ALS but did the one shipment from StewMac. It's cheaper to import from the US. With the exchange rate the way it is, I don't understand how some of these suppliers in Australia can survive with the prices the way they are.

The set neck and bridge locations are a couple of things which make Gibson guitars a bit more difficult to build over Fenders. Once you do a few of them like everything else it becomes less stressful. The original wraparound bridge had no saddles per se, it was just a high spot on the bridge. The 2nd version had the saddles integrated into the casting. Which one are you using?

With a tunomatic, I adjust the bridge saddles all the way forward toward the nut and place the break over point of the high E saddle at the scale length measurement. Intonation moves the saddles backward from there. Most Gibson wraparound gibson bridges have some travel backward with the two screws on the anchors, so I'd place the high E integrated saddle line on the scale length. If I recall correctly the stud holes on the Low E are placed about 1/8 or so farther away from the nut. There is very little room for error in the bridge, so you need to measure and drill accurately the first time in order to get it right without the hassles of plugging and redrilling. If you have a compass or divider, this can be made easier by drawing it out on the wood. If not, a sharp pencil, machinist's scale, and drafting triangle, can make this a little easier.

Guitarbuilder - thanks very much for your response. I have the wrap around bridge that has the saddles integrated into the casting. It's the Wilkinson wraparound. It has some travel backwards and the middle four strings have some minor adjustment as well. I'd hate to ruin the build with getting the posts in the wrong spot. I will take the scale measurement from the high E. I will measure twice and drill once for sure!

Great job on that neck Dasher , she's gonna be a beauty :)

G'day Herb. Thanks mate. So far so good. Thanks for the encouragement!

Dasher, that neck looks fantastic, love your approach with the rod slot.

Hey Fatcat, thanks. As I said, I was going to rout all the way through the headstock but decided to give this a try. I'm glad I did because the fit is perfect and will be better for the nut and the cover. I'm very happy with the way the neck has come up so far. Lots more to do!

See if you can scrounge up a trapeze tailpiece that uses the strap button as its anchor. You can mount it temporarily and place the bridge on a couple of washers or something, string it up, and then move the bridge around to find the perfect spot.

See if you can scrounge up a trapeze tailpiece that uses the strap button as its anchor. You can mount it temporarily and place the bridge on a couple of washers or something, string it up, and then move the bridge around to find the perfect spot.

What a great idea! I'm storing that idea away for my first tune-a-matic/wraparound builds. Thanks for sharing that.

I didn't get much done this weekend. But I did carve the neck. Here are a few pictures of that process. I always just use a flat rasp and sand paper. I never use electric tools in this process because I find them too un forgiving. I also carved this to what I liked rather than exactly to spec.It's a little thinner than the original 59.

Here are some shots of the process. The first shows the start of the carve at the headstock. Then further progress towards the heel. I just clamp the neck to the outdoor table and carve away. I do not use spokeshaves, just the rasp is enough. I find the Tasmanian Oak carves nicely once things get going. I carve to the centre line on both sides and round all the way to the edge of the fingerboard.

A few more of the process including the rasp i use. Just a cheapie from Bunnings.

The heel needs a bit more fine work. I carve this using a thin round rasp.

Then hit the neck with 80grit. This is a long piece of sandpaper held in each hand and moved from side to side along the entire length of the neck. It quickly smooths things out. Once that is done, I use a cabinet scraper to fine tune the shape and then sand down 150 grit, then 220 and I will finish off with 320 grit.

The two pieces of timber look good together. The Meranti really stands out. The plan is to have a transparent Cherry Red finish.

And the sanded neck with a closer look at the finished heel.

Some last shots. I used white spirits to clean up the excess dust and took a few shots whilst the neck was wet. Grain looks good.

So the neck is basically done. I'll move on to the body and trying to work out the tenon next week.

Hi everyone. I oiled my deck this weekend so didn't get much time for the build. Still, I got a few things done. I did the body round over. I prefer the original small style rather than the strat style round over. I also lined up the neck for routing. I was concerned about getting the neck fitted tightly. I set up some Tassie Oak "rails" to follow and used a short template bit.

The neck rout went well. A nice tight fit! Because the heel is slightly angled I ended up with a small gap on the top but not too large. I will need to shape the heel for a snug fit. I love the way these guitars look from behind with the deep cavity and set neck. I need to sand the tenon flush to the body once it has been glued in place. I will not set the neck until I have routed for the pup.

Time to build the scratch plate. Very simple. I made the template from MDF. Cut three ply pick guard material close to the line. Double sided tape onto the template. Then out to the table router to cut with a 45degree template bit. You can see some of the plastic on top has started to come off. Then over to the pillar drill to drill some holes. Quick clean up of the edges carefully with some sand paper. A word of caution. Be careful to set the router bit height correctly otherwise you'll end up with a useless template and a pick guard that's too small!

Still plenty of work to do but at least now I have something that resembles a guitar. I couldn't resist a sneaky peek with some hardware! I'm using the Stew Mac p90 pup and the wilkinson compensated bridge. I'm still not sure if I will go with the "correct" dogear pup cover or the standard p90 cover.

I checked the neck angle and all looks good! So far I'm happy with this build! I'm still thinking through the Cherry Red finish and how i am going to do it. I can spray nitro or use shellac or both. At this stage i think I'll go with using shellac and a very thin clear of nitro to finish it off. I hope you are getting something out of the build.

For me the dogear pup kinda balances the look, the standard pup looks like it's a little lost.

Great build, looking forward to the next installment.

I'm with Warnz - both on the dog ear looking best and that it's a great build!

For me, Junior's do need that dog ear covered pickup or it looks all out of whack - full size humbuckers look particularly wrong to my eyes. Errr, no offence to those of you who've done it ...

For me the dogear pup kinda balances the look, the standard pup looks like it's a little lost.

Great build, looking forward to the next installment.

Warnz and ModerneGuy - I agree that the dogear looks right. The thing I don't like and I'm a little concerned about, is the lack of height adjustment available. The pup rout will allow me to try both out.

Hi Dasher, she's looking good. I also prefer the dog ear. If you need shims you can get them from guitarpartsresource.com A pair (2 Thicknesses) will cost about $17.50 + post.
Regarding the finish, I seal with shellac then onto nitro, sometimes with sanding sealer but mostly just clear. And colour about coat 3. The s/sealer tends to hide the grain slightly. The Hard Shellac from U-Beaut gave me a lousy finish and after about 6 months I couldn't bear it anymore and stripped back to bare wood and re-finished with Hi-Chem from Carbatec.
Looking forward to your review on the StewMac P90. I used their H'buckers on a 'Greeny' LP and was amazed at the sound. I bought them to experiment with the magnet-flip, out-of-phase sound and didn't want to risk too much cash.

Hi Dasher, she's looking good. I also prefer the dog ear. If you need shims you can get them from guitarpartsresource.com A pair (2 Thicknesses) will cost about $17.50 + post.
Regarding the finish, I seal with shellac then onto nitro, sometimes with sanding sealer but mostly just clear. And colour about coat 3. The s/sealer tends to hide the grain slightly. The Hard Shellac from U-Beaut gave me a lousy finish and after about 6 months I couldn't bear it anymore and stripped back to bare wood and re-finished with Hi-Chem from Carbatec.
Looking forward to your review on the StewMac P90. I used their H'buckers on a 'Greeny' LP and was amazed at the sound. I bought them to experiment with the magnet-flip, out-of-phase sound and didn't want to risk too much cash.

Thanks Crafty. I've checked the neck angle and it looks to be fine. This is my first angled neck build so I'm just a little nervous about making sure I get the action right.

I was thinking of building up the colour using shellac and then a thin nitro finish? I've used the ubeaut on a couple of build without trouble. But I did polish rather than spray. Do you have a booth for spraying?

I've been impressed with the Stewmac pups. The humbuckers and the tele pups have both been fantastic. In fact, their Tele pups are the best value for money going around IMHO. I expect the p90 will be great! I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your help.

No spray booth yet, I've only got a small shed but I fit a fan into an open window, compressor outside, respirator for gas/vapour, safety goggles and away I goes, using small HVLP gun. One day I will get special dispensation from 'Minister of Home Affairs' to enlarge Nano-Shed and fit booth.

Nice touch with the truss rod, and I also like the grain on the neck. that oil should bring out the grain nicely.
This is an awesome build. looking forward to the finished product.

Good stuff so far, that neck looks great! Ditto on the truss rod access hole, thats a great result. Coming along nicely!!

This is amazing. Thanks for posting and sharing this. It looks great.

No spray booth yet, I've only got a small shed but I fit a fan into an open window, compressor outside, respirator for gas/vapour, safety goggles and away I goes, using small HVLP gun. One day I will get special dispensation from 'Minister of Home Affairs' to enlarge Nano-Shed and fit booth.

Ha - My Minister of Home Affairs didn't realise I was planning an expansion of the tool set earlier this year. Caused a little bit of grief!

I don't have a booth. Just sprayed the one nitro build I made outside. I have plenty of nitro left for this build.

What do you suggest I should do to dye the cherry red?? Should I use Metho and a rag?? Should I tint shellac and spray clear nitro. Should I tint the nitro? I'm a bit unsure as to the best method. I've seen some good results with all of these methods.

Nice touch with the truss rod, and I also like the grain on the neck. that oil should bring out the grain nicely.
This is an awesome build. looking forward to the finished product.

Thanks! The neck was a trial for me. It's the first angled headstock I've built. I decided not to use mahogany just for the cost factor. The local timber is easier and cheaper to get and I thought it was smart to use since I've approached this whole build as a test.

The Tassie Oak, is just a specific spiecies of Australian Gum Tree. The grain is lovely, it works nicely on the rasp and takes to a finish nicely. It's not as closed grained as the American Maple but more so than Mahogany. A number of builders here shy away from the local product because it's considered unauthentic. But it makes great necks. This is the 5th neck I've made with Tassie oak.

I used the Maranti just to add strength and because it's not as heavy. I've never built a four piece neck before.

I found out from my timber supplier today that the Mahogany body is Brazillian not African as I suggested earlier. And he reckons he has some nice birdseye maple just arrived. I'm out to check that out tomorrow. The guitar is quite light, I must weigh it.

Good stuff so far, that neck looks great! Ditto on the truss rod access hole, thats a great result. Coming along nicely!!

Thanks bro :wink:. I was delighted with the access hole, it really worked well. The fit is perfect and no need to use any filler pieces.

This is amazing. Thanks for posting and sharing this. It looks great.

Thanks! So far so good! I'm going to do the pup and control routs this weekend and I may even set the neck. I'm really looking forward to the day I plug this in for the first time!

I'm a sucker now for this double cut shape. I'm already trying to work out the best way to make one of these with twin p90s. Maybe a long tenon and a Tasmanian blackwood cap??

Hi Dasher,
I use grain filler (Timber Mate) prior to sealing with shellac then sometimes a coat or two of sanding sealer or clear coats. Then I shoot a colour coat before spraying the rest of the clear coats. The colour is the StewMac stuff (Color Tone) mixed into clear lacquer, just mix a drop at a time and dab a bit onto an off-cut till you get the desired mix. I don't colour the wood directly in case it has to come off again (and I've done that a few times!).
I only use sanding sealer depending on how much I need to fill the grain. It can also obscure the grain somewhat and on my last guitar I ended up stripping it back to bare wood, starting again and skipping the s/sealer.

Nice ,thanks for sharing,nice telecaster !!!oops..:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Nice ,thanks for sharing,nice telecaster !!!oops..:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Hey, I've made 4 telecasters so far! Surely I can take this one little liberty?

Hey, I've made 4 telecasters so far! Surely I can take this one little liberty?
Yes you can and personally I enjoy it very much and waiting for more photos.:cool::cool:

Hi Dasher,
I use grain filler (Timber Mate) prior to sealing with shellac then sometimes a coat or two of sanding sealer or clear coats. Then I shoot a colour coat before spraying the rest of the clear coats. The colour is the StewMac stuff (Color Tone) mixed into clear lacquer, just mix a drop at a time and dab a bit onto an off-cut till you get the desired mix. I don't colour the wood directly in case it has to come off again (and I've done that a few times!).
I only use sanding sealer depending on how much I need to fill the grain. It can also obscure the grain somewhat and on my last guitar I ended up stripping it back to bare wood, starting again and skipping the s/sealer.

Hi Crafty, I took a punt and dyed the wood directly with Colour Tone Cherry Red. Hated it! It looked hot pink, I almost cried (Almost!). But then I mixed up shellac, Cherry Red dye and some Watson's Mahogany tint dye and hit the colour I wanted. Lots of build pics to post as soon as I get the chance. But here's a little tease for you. And a snap of Sydney from Hunters Hill last weekend.

OK after a few weeks of being too lazy to post, here is an update.

Measuring for the jack. Template being built for the rear control access. The p90 sits quite shallow in the body. I have decided to use the dogear cover.

Rear access cavity cut and template for the cover. I decided to make a cover from Mahogany.

Glued the neck in. This is a tight fit, plenty of glue squeeze out. Two clamps and a day to dry.

I sealed the body with some shellac, filled with Timbermate and then sprayed the Colour Tone Cherry Red diluted in alcohol. YUK!! Too pink. Now what?

I mixed some Cherry Red into UBeaut Hard Shellac along with some Watsons Red Mahogany dye. The Watsons has a blue tinge which I added to get the colour I wanted. Ahhh, that's better! Unfortunately the iphone does not do the colour justice. Take my word for it, it looks good!

I filled the headstock again and sprayed it black. I will need to take some shots with a better camera so you can see the colour better. And then two shots of Nitro. I used a hook in the strap button hole to hand this up for spraying. Sprayed outside! And then hung up for a little curing time. We're getting there!

That garage needs a clean out! I'll takes some better photos to show the true colour as soon as I can.

It's coming together well, Dasher. I like the view from Hunter's Hill; don't tell me that's what you see from your workshop?!!

I'm loving this build! I should take a picture of what I see from my shop. I'm accross the street from the Okanogan, it's beautiful! For the colour, I might have added a drop of black, to darken it.

It's coming together well, Dasher. I like the view from Hunter's Hill; don't tell me that's what you see from your workshop?!!

Crafty, no I'm doing the photography at a wedding later in the year and was down at Hunters Hill with the couple casing the pier and park for photo locations. Perhaps it would be a good idea to use a proper camera to take some photos of this guitar rather than the iphone? I can't seem to get a decent photo showing the true colour.

I hit this with another couple of coats of Nitro yesterday. Slowly getting there.

I'm loving this build! I should take a picture of what I see from my shop. I'm accross the street from the Okanogan, it's beautiful! For the colour, I might have added a drop of black, to darken it.

Hi Bentley. I've been to Canada and through parts of B.C.. A magnificent part of the world!!!! Post some picks of your view of the river!

I'm not sure I could handle the winter in Canada? But at least the beer is better than what they dish up south of the border! And you can find people who play cricket and rugby there.

In terms of the colour, I'm happy with how it turned out. I'll see if I can get a more realistic shot of it with a better camera.

FINISHED!! Here are a few photos from a better camera. My version of Cherry Red.

She sounds great too! thanks to everyone for your encouragement and assistance for this build.

Headstock. Showing the grain of the Tassie Oak neck.

Well done Dasher, that is just awesome!

Nice work Dasher. The colour looks great too. Look forward to hearing it.

Fabulous

Whewwww....a beauty!!!

Thank you guys!!

Nice work Dasher. The colour looks great too. Look forward to hearing it.

ModerneGuy - I plan on doing a Youtube when I get the chance. This thing sounds good! The pup is wonderful for the price. You can get a good clean sound but it comes into it's own when it's driven hard.

Thanks Dasher - I love Juniors and P90s so I've no doubt your effort will sound excellent. I'm assuming the Wilkinson bridge is the aluminium version? I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it as I've bought one for an upcoming build myself. Cheers.

Thanks Dasher - I love Juniors and P90s so I've no doubt your effort will sound excellent. I'm assuming the Wilkinson bridge is the aluminium version? I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it as I've bought one for an upcoming build myself. Cheers.

Hi mate. Yes it's the aluminum bridge. It sounds great to me. And I am happy with the intonation. No trouble at all. I set the scale length from the high E. Then I needed to screw the low E back just a bit and it's as close as you could get I reckon. The thing I love is the endless sustain. I really am a big fan of the Stewmac pup. I'm sure there are better ones out there but it's hard to see how these don't stack up against the best. I need to do a fret level as there are some small high points. Then I'll record something and post. What's your next build?

:cool:Awesome just awesome:cool:

What's your next build?

Ah, I think strictly speaking it'll be a Dano double cut style, partly because I wanted to experiment with finishes on something cheap (masonite), but I think I'd underestimated the cost of buying Dano parts - those stacked concentric pots can set you back:shock: I've bought everything so may as well get on with it.

The wraparound will go on a Rick 450 inspired build (inspired by Oigun frankly :razz:) I'm doing for my daughter. Probably won't start for a couple of months as there should be a lot going on in the last quarter of the year for me. Cheers

Hey Dasher,
What would you suggest as an affordable local species that easily available in Sydney to attempt doing a Tele body build? Obviously many of the woods that these folk can get from Lowes etc are exotic to us....

Oh wow! Next build thread please. :wink:

Hey Dasher,
What would you suggest as an affordable local species that easily available in Sydney to attempt doing a Tele body build? Obviously many of the woods that these folk can get from Lowes etc are exotic to us....

G'day Robbied,

Local is a tough question to answer. Queensland Maple is the obvious suggestion. Its beautiful to work with but can be heavy, is now harder to come by and can be expensive. The les Paul tele I built using it, the blank cost me 120! Tassie oak is too heavy and hard to get a decent body blank. If you want cheap you could try Meranti which I've used before. It's not local but available and quite cheap. Mitre 10 stock it in sizes that work. My recommendation to you though would be to go out to Trend Timber at Windsor. They sell Mahogany blanks for $80. If you can afford that it would be best. They also sell Bunya pine, walnut and Queensland maple. And have a bunch of exotic timber for tops. They know their stuff too. Send them an email and ask for some quotes.

Tassie oak for the neck! You can't go wrong with Tassie oak. Get to bunnings for that.

Good luck! Let me know how you get on.

Oh wow! Next build thread please. :wink:

Thanks mate! What about a Mahogany Tele? Or a les Paul special with that Tassie black wood as a top?

Try the mahogany tele, mahogany is a great wood to work with, at least that's what I've mostly found...