GB Brotherhood Build 2023 - my Valentine

[gb Custom Shop]

Looks like everyone is starting to post their Brotherhood Builds, and I've recently started mine, so I better get to posting!

For a little context, I'm particular towards the vintage instruments, but there's been a couple modern shapes that I've fancied - specifically, the EBMM Valentine. The shape was mostly inspired by the Tele and 335, and I'm a BIG fan of both of those, so naturally I'm a fan of this. I also do not currently possess a Filtertron equipped guitar, so for this build I'll be using McNelly humbucker-sized SparkleTrons, which I am very excited to use.

As for my choice of lumber and parts, I'll be going with a claro walnut top on a torrefied mahogany body, with a roasted birdseye maple neck and streaked ebony fretboard. Further, I'll be using all gold Gotoh hardware and EVO gold frets. Oh yes, I'm going all out on this one - should be a good build!

Here's what the body woods look like:

alignment holes drilled into both top and body simultaneously:

 

[gb Custom Shop]

This mahogany is quite heavy and requires considerable weight relief.

So I made a chambering template for that out of 3/4" MDF:

Started hogging away with the drill press, and finished with the router. In total, removed about 2.25 lbs. I left the floor to a thickness just shy of 3/16"

I also routed for a wire channel and rough cut the top & body on the bandsaw:

Then glued it up!

 

[Bob J]

Love the “every clamp in the shop” photo!

 

[old wrench]

Good to see you're in!

EBMM has some nice designs - I think they use the 4X2 headstock design?

I like that 4X2 design - it makes good sense to me


.

 

[BB]

Wow! Nice work so far....this is going to be a killer build. Good luck!

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Here's the body right out of the clamps:

I got a bit closer to the perimeter line with the bandsaw, and then closer with the ROSS. Stuck on my template, and routed flush. I also marked out and drilled for the string and bridge holes. However, I forgot to change the drill bit when switching over to the bridge holes, so had to fix that! I had some 1/8" (maple?) hardwood dowel that I used to plug the majority of the hole, and then used a scrap from the top for the rest:

After the glue dried and I trimmed off the excess:

Afterwards I drilled the ferrule holes from the back, and started routing the rear control cavity. The post on the right chipped out pretty badly at first, so I completely flushed up that side, and glued another piece of mahogany from the blank scraps, and re-routed it:

Once that was done, I routed the ledge for the control cover:

Not pictured, but while I had those back templates on, I also marked and drilled the holes for the neck pocket.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

At this point, I sanded out all the router marks from the sides of the body. So when I run my round over and binding but, it'll have a perfect surface to reference. I also used a random orbital sander to remove all the drum sander scratches before I got to routing.

Went with a 1/4" round over for the back, after which I laid down a highly diluted coat of z-poxy:

Came back the next day and put a highly thinned coat of z-poxy on the top:

I then routed my binding channel, and continuously taped and heated the binding into place. Once happy with the fit, I dab thin CA glue between the tape:

Once that CA sets after a few minutes, I took all the tape off, and ran a bead of CA all along the seam. Let that sit overnight and came back the next day to clean everything up. The initial coat of the thinned z-poxy really makes the clean up easy.

At this point I decided to grain fill the top before routing out the remaining pockets. Spreading out the z-poxy and sanding down was much easier without those pockets. It took 3 days worth of applications to get the grain all filled:

 

[papa32203]

That looks so beautiful already.
Great job on the binding.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

After grain filling the top, I put on my last template, which will be used for the pickup cavities, neck pocket, and control layout. I starting with routing the pickup cavities and neck pocket, and then marked where I need to drill for the control pots and blade switch:

Then routed the little notch for the spoke wheel nut:

And decided to do a little dry fit:

BUT encountered a miscalculation! I totally intended for the pickups to be ring mounted, and really the neck pickup cavity should have been scooted towards the bridge a tad more. So the pickup ring sits ON the spoke wheel:

Obviously, that's no bueno. I will most likely cut out that portion from the pickup ring, but I'll address that later on in the build, in case I change my mind.

I will also address the neck that I started earlier this year for this build at some point too

Nonetheless though, looking a lot more like a guitar at this point!

 

[TheZ]

Super clean! For what it's worth I think the pickup would look fine mounted to the body too.

 

[crazydave911]

Super clean! For what it's worth I think the pickup would look fine mounted to the body too.

Or simply remove the spoke wheel (if it does remove) and use an Allen wrench to adjust it

 

[RiversQC]

Very nice progress!

 

[old wrench]

What does the heel-end of your neck look like?

Is it possible to counter sink the spoke-wheel into the neck at all?

That's how I usually build my necks - with the spoke wheel counter-sunk into the end of the neck - that way the neck can be used on bodies that don't have a spoke-wheel relief pocket cut into them

I usually use the truss-rods that have the spoke-wheel already brazed on instead of loose - I really like the convenience of a spoke-wheel adjuster.

It wouldn't take very much at all (a little here - a little there) to allow you to use an un-cut pickup ring, and still keep the slightly over-sized pickup pocket rout from showing around the pickup mounting ring .

.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Or simply remove the spoke wheel (if it does remove) and use an Allen wrench to adjust it

What does the heel-end of your neck look like?

The spoke wheel is removable, and has a female end. So the male part on the truss rod goes just a hair shy of the heel end. I wouldn't be able to countersink the spoke nut at this point unfortunately. Although it's a feature I wanted to maintain from the original so I'm not gonna modify that end of things

I am also considering just routing the neck p/u cavity south maybe 1/16". It would totally work to have the pickup ring butt up to the spoke wheel and route out that little bit of exposed wood. Probably a sensible way of going about it honesty.

I usually use the truss-rods that have the spoke-wheel already brazed on instead of loose

I got both for this project and debated hard on which to use lol. But I kept this one to the original, and the removable spoke wheel does offer some flexibility in the neck building process, so it made sense to me in this case. I think if I had the spoke nut contained inside the neck, then the truss rod with the brazed on spoke nut would definitely have been the ticket

 

[old wrench]

I'm sure you'll work something out ^^^ that looks good!


Here's a neck with the spoke-wheel set into the neck -



Sometimes it's six of one or a half-dozen

Sometimes it's either one or a dozen or a baker's dozen

Most of the time you never know until you get there


.

 

[Moodivarius]

The spoke wheel is removable, and has a female end. So the male part on the truss rod goes just a hair shy of the heel end. I wouldn't be able to countersink the spoke nut at this point unfortunately. Although it's a feature I wanted to maintain from the original so I'm not gonna modify that end of things

I am also considering just routing the neck p/u cavity south maybe 1/16". It would totally work to have the pickup ring butt up to the spoke wheel and route out that little bit of exposed wood. Probably a sensible way of going about it honesty.

Maybe find a gold/brass spoke wheel, mount the pickup in the cavity without the ring.

Could look sweet!

It would look a bit like this, then a gold spoke wheel between pickup & fingerboard.

I just coloured it for illustration.

Just a thought.



Scott

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Maybe find a gold/brass spoke wheel, mount the pickup in the cavity without the ring.

Could look sweet!

It would look a bit like this, then a gold spoke wheel between pickup & fingerboard.
View attachment 1096375

I just coloured it for illustration.
View attachment 1096385


View attachment 1096392


Just a thought.



Scott

Scott, that's the first time I've ever seen a gold spoke wheel nut! Thanks for sharing. I'll come to some elegant solution eventually

I do love the look of your wood mounted pickup btw!

 

[gb Custom Shop]

Got to working on the control cavity, and since I'll be using a blade switch, I practiced routing that slot as best I could with a Dremel and a 1/16" bit. I have a precision rotary base (non-plunge), and found that difficult to keep perfectly aligned when plunging into the workpiece. So for $40 cad I got the Dremel plunge base kit and practiced with that. It comes with a a couple guide bushings, the smallest having a 5/8" od, and ultimately that's what I used. With some calculations I made a template to use with that bushing, did a bunch of test cuts till I was confident in getting a predictable result on the actual body, and went for it:

I didn't route all the way down, as I'll expose the slot when I route a recess from the cavity side. Made a little template and routed the recess:

Then I cleaned up the slot a little with a file, and give it all a test fit:

All turned out pretty good and definitely acceptable to me. The practice cuts sure did help

P.s. the Dremel plunge base is definitely not the greatest. It has some wobble and is of pretty cheap quality - ya get what you pay for. But it did it's job. I would have probably been better off getting the Veritas rotary base.

 

[gb Custom Shop]

I also fixed up the issue of the neck pickup ring. I just routed the pickup cavity south by about 1/16" and now everything sits together neatly:

Did a weight check on the body:

Not too bad, considering how heavy that mahogany was!

I'll get to the control cavity cover and grain filling the rest of the body next. Might have to put this project on the backburner for a couple weeks as I have some other things I gotta work on

 

[RickyRicardo]

Got to working on the control cavity, and since I'll be using a blade switch, I practiced routing that slot as best I could with a Dremel and a 1/16" bit. I have a precision rotary base (non-plunge), and found that difficult to keep perfectly aligned when plunging into the workpiece. So for $40 cad I got the Dremel plunge base kit and practiced with that. It comes with a a couple guide bushings, the smallest having a 5/8" od, and ultimately that's what I used. With some calculations I made a template to use with that bushing, did a bunch of test cuts till I was confident in getting a predictable result on the actual body, and went for it:


I didn't route all the way down, as I'll expose the slot when I route a recess from the cavity side. Made a little template and routed the recess:


Then I cleaned up the slot a little with a file, and give it all a test fit:


All turned out pretty good and definitely acceptable to me. The practice cuts sure did help

P.s. the Dremel plunge base is definitely not the greatest. It has some wobble and is of pretty cheap quality - ya get what you pay for. But it did it's job. I would have probably been better off getting the Veritas rotary base.

What I want to try next time I do a blade switch is using a Tele control plate as the template. As long as the Dremel bit is long enough where the cutting edge isn't hitting the plate and only the shaft. Should work.. I always struggle with getting a clean cut otherwise in something like a Strat pickguard.

Looks great!