How do you make those stick/holders for your body?

[SonicDethMonkey]

Hey guys,
I'm just about to start finishing my first guitar, but I need to put it on one of those holders I see everyone using around here. I have a few questions about this:
1. What do you all like to use for this purpose?
2. Does it matter if the stick is touching the sides of the neck pocket? Do I need to be able to get a scraper/sandpaper in there?
3. I already have the 4 holes for the neck pocket drilled. I was going to try to use these for the "holder stick". However, it looks like a lot of people are putting two extra holes in the neck pocket for their holders. How do you y'all do this? Is this the preferred method?

Thanks alot for your help! I hope to have pictures of the process to share soon...

 

[KevinB]

I just use a piece of 1"x2" pine, with 2 wood screws (diagonal to each other) making new (small) holes in the neck pocket. The stick doesn't touch the sides of the pocket. When I'm all finished I sand the entire pocket flat with some fine (600/800) paper.

Sometimes I'll take the stick off - for example when I'm doing the final fitting of the neck before I shoot the final round of clear. It's easy to put it back on using the same holes.

I also drill a hole into the other end of the paint stick so I can put a loop of cord through it and hang the body on a nail in my garage or basement.

 

[SonicDethMonkey]

Oh, so that's what it's called!

I also drill a hole into the other end of the paint stick so I can put a loop of cord through it and hang the body on a nail in my garage or basement.

A "paint stick"! I shoulda' known!

 

[Ronsonic]

I have little experience, so don't know if I was fussing needlessly, but I used a couple of washers under the stick to keep it off the body. I was afeared of getting a paint build up at the edge of the pocket that would glue the body and stick together and form a fillet that would need sanded off.

 

[KevinB]

I have little experience, so don't know if I was fussing needlessly, but I used a couple of washers under the stick to keep it off the body. I was afeared of getting a paint build up at the edge of the pocket that would glue the body and stick together and form a fillet that would need sanded off.

It's certainly not a bad idea, but usually you are spraying very thin coats and I've certainly never had a paint stick stick

 

[Ronsonic]

Okay, so I was doing the newbie fuss.

 

[mudbean]

I have little experience, so don't know if I was fussing needlessly, but I used a couple of washers under the stick to keep it off the body. I was afeared of getting a paint build up at the edge of the pocket that would glue the body and stick together and form a fillet that would need sanded off.

I cut away the stick at that point to avoid buildup ...

And made a spraying stand out of 1 inch threaded pipe, based on a pictorial posted by one of the members here. My stand ...

mud

 

[RodeoTex]

I can't find a picture right now but Jwells (I think) uses 1" PVC pipe. Heat and squish about 4" of one end flat. Drill four holes in it (use a neck plate for the pattern).
Screw it to the body with #10x1" sheet metal screws.
I also glued a small piece of popsicle stick to the bottom side to prevent the paint bridging discussed above.

The used paint stick (with paint on it) is also a great place to test the compatability of top coats. Learned that one from Buckocaster.

 

[SonicDethMonkey]

This is great stuff guys, Thanks!
With these dowels (I'm assuming mudbean) are you putting two extra holes in the neck pocket? How are you doing that? What do I need to watch out for when doing this? For instance: my swamp ash body is a two piece from usacg. Do I need to keep away from the seam in the middle?

 

[swamp freak]

Very Kool stand, mud.
I'm thinking of using PVC.

 

[mudbean]

Yes, I drill two small holes in the neck pocket (careful, not all the way through!) to mount the dowel (I use a 3/4 inch dowel, to fit in the 1 inch threaded pipe). I have no idea if the glue seam would be of concern - I haven't had any trouble after seven bodies.

I didn't use PVC, because I was concerned that it wouldn't be strong and/or stable enough - PVC flexes ... my 48 inch upright pipe is rock solid. Note that the upright has quite a bit of angular stress due to the offset of the guitar holder & body.

mud

 

[Colt W. Knight]

I used a piece of scrap pine from my first pine body guitar for the longest time. I am going to build something that rotates for spraying ease for my next run of bodies.


All you need is a stout stick.

The neck pocket area - some guys build there stick to fit in there perfect so they don't get any finish in their neck pocket and some guys use a small stick so they can paint their neck pocket. Depends on whether or not you think the paint is going to effect tone or not.

 

[mudbean]

I am going to build something that rotates for spraying ease for my next run of bodies.

Exactly - that's why I love my stand - I turn the body with the end of the paintstick that comes out the other side of the Tee. I also wrap some tape near the "handle" end of the stick, so it creates some friction inside the pipe - I can rotate the body fairly easily, but it stays where I position it (the body's weight is not evenly centered, so it will drift around the rotational axis to a weird non-horizontal equilibrium angle without this, which can cause runs & sags in the wet finish).

mud

 

[WrayGun]

Here's my cheapo rotating system: a big dowel, a 1x2, and a few U-bolts, clamped to a ladder. Sophisticated!

I also put a few washers between the 1x2 and the body, and it does not touch the edges of the neck pocket. The string is for when I hang it up to dry in the closet. Works pretty good so far.

 

[WrayGun]

... my 48 inch upright pipe is rock solid.

mud

no comment

 

[CobaltSoul]

This is an old thread, but wanted some advice. I will be finishing my first tele project, should I screw in 2 additional holes in the neck pocket? What are the chances of it stripping the wood? I don't want to play with the 4 mounting holes as some years back I had expanded them trying to spot fix a body.

 

[R. Stratenstein]

A lot of guys use a stick cut to the width of the neck pocket, or narrower, if you want to get paint in the pocket, and drill two additional holes centered on the stick and the neck pocket.

I like Dan Earlewine’s method which is to cut a length of 1” diameter schedule 40 PVC pipe about 2 feet long. Heat one end of the pipe with a heat gun or torch (careful not to start a fire) , and squeeze the end in a bench vise to partially flatten and widen it so the flattened end’s sides cover the actual neck mounting holes. I use relatively short sheet metal screws, #12, I think, either screwed into the existing neck mounting holes, or drill new ones, from the stick into the body. 4 of them eases my anxiety that they will hold, even though they penetrate into the body only 5/8” or so. They’re solid, and do not damage existing holes.

Before mounting the pipe on the guitar, drill 4-1/4” holes around the opposite end from the flattened end, so the pipe can be hung from overhead hooks bent from coat hanger or heavier wire, for drying or spraying.

The round pipe also allows you to suspend the guitar horizontally, with the pipe end slipped over a smaller pipe, and easily roll the guitar over in the horizontal plane, to get easier access to all surfaces. I spray everything horizontal as much as I can, so gravity is working with me to flow out paint and finish flat, instead of trying to pull runs and sags down the front of the guitar.

EDIT: if you would rather not risk damaging your already-damaged body holes, use two screws in the middle, I think you’ll be fine. Adirondak5-Herb- is a top-notch finisher, and last time I looked, he uses 2 screws in the center of the neck pocket.

 

[Y-not]

Hey guys,
I'm just about to start finishing my first guitar, but I need to put it on one of those holders I see everyone using around here. I have a few questions about this:
1. What do you all like to use for this purpose?
2. Does it matter if the stick is touching the sides of the neck pocket? Do I need to be able to get a scraper/sandpaper in there?
3. I already have the 4 holes for the neck pocket drilled. I was going to try to use these for the "holder stick". However, it looks like a lot of people are putting two extra holes in the neck pocket for their holders. How do you y'all do this? Is this the preferred method?

Thanks alot for your help! I hope to have pictures of the process to share soon...

I just made my own on a current project. I am building a Warmoth/Fender 72 PJ bass in Fiesta Red! With a Fender Jazzbass roasted maple neck!
I simply cut a scrap piece of 1x4 cedar, the key is to make sure to put something on the back to raise it up off the back of the pocket so none of the holder touches any of the paint edges, or it will chip off the edges imperfectly when you try to remove it. I had a piece of trim that was 1x 1/4 inch thick that I glued to the back. I used clamps to connect it to a another piece of scrap I attached to the cieling. I was able to easily remove it, flip it, and just hold in in my hand when spraying the edges, etc. Worked out great! After filling the body - 2 coats of sanding sealer, 3 coats of white Primer, 4 or 5 coats of color, 9 coats of clear. See pics.

Wet sanding next. BTW - Stewmac is great, but the colors are limited. Oxford supply out of Windsor ON, Canada have a ton of colors and ship to the US pretty fast. https://www.oxfordsupply.ca

 

[eslover]

I can't find a picture right now but Jwells (I think) uses 1" PVC pipe. Heat and squish about 4" of one end flat. Drill four holes in it (use a neck plate for the pattern).
Screw it to the body with #10x1" sheet metal screws.

^^^
This is what I’ve done. Does a great job. Save the wood.

 

[Sea Devil]

I use any old piece of wood and two of the existing neck pocket holes. I tape the exposed areas of the pocket if there are any markings there that I want to keep.