ttowner50
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Post by ttowner50 on Jun 14, 2007 11:42:40 GMT -5
Building jazzmaster for my son with parts from Warmoth. Have some questions on a few things I have been wondering about and can't seem to find any answers researching on the internet. Yes, some of the questions could be comical but this is my first time so please bare with me. 1. Do you finish the cavity and the joint between the body and neck the same as you would the outside of the guitar or not finish them at all. Will this effect the tone, finished or not? 2. Should you finish the neck and body together to get a better looking joint between the 2 or finish them separately. I would think you would have a better fitting joint without a finish in it. 3. If you put a decal on should it be under the finish? That's all I have for now, but I'm sure I'll have more before it's finished. Thanks
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Post by ccso8462 on Jun 14, 2007 12:28:03 GMT -5
Hi ttowner! Welcome to the forums.
1. Yes, finish the cavities to seal the wood. I don't think you will haear any effect on the tone, but it will protect the wood from humidity.
2. On a bolt-on neck I don't think I would want to finish it on the body. Sort of defeats the purpose of a bolt-on. Sure, you may never remove it, but what if you need to later on.
3. I'm not experienced with decal applications so I'll let somebody else answer that. My guess would be put it under the finish.
Sounds like a good project. Enjoy!
Carl
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ttowner50
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by ttowner50 on Jun 14, 2007 13:52:55 GMT -5
Would you finish the wood where the neck and body bolt together? It will leave a gap won't it?
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Post by Runewalker on Jun 14, 2007 16:00:50 GMT -5
Ed Roman, who is quite a personality, has many opinions and insists on sharing them --- swears by raw wood contact in the neck pocket and --- swears at anyone who disagrees. He also swearsthis raw wood contact creates better "tone transmission through the 'tonewoods'". Alrighty then, Eddie.
I have opened many bolt-ons and seen them from thickly finished to no finish. It does make sense to have at least a thin layer in the pocket to seal the wood. Sorry Eddie.
I am not sure if you are asking whether to bolt it up then finish it. And if so then that answer is don't and finish the pieces unassembled. If that is not what you asked then I apologize.
Decals are put on sealed wood. Clear is then built up until the ridges of the decal disappear.
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Post by ChrisK on Jun 14, 2007 23:34:30 GMT -5
Don't finish the neck pocket on the body. Anybody that sez otherwise is crazy.
I do like the base of the neck to be finished. Anybody that sez otherwise is also crazy.
Finish the neck and body separately. You don't want a thick finish on either.
If you want to finish them together, you might as well glue the neck in first (you'll still need the neck screws).
Anybody that sez otherwise is crazy.
Ed Roman is half-right and half-crazy.
Or maybe I am, can't be certain.
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 15, 2007 0:21:54 GMT -5
Ed Roman, who is quite a personality... hehehe! I don't think I've heard a more tactful description of him. If one were to finish the areas of the neck pocket and neck where they meet, It would be incumbent on them to allow an inordinate amount of time for the finish to dry, otherwise, the trapped solvents would likely cause adhesion of the mating surfaces. It could get real ugly if/when the neck and body were separated, later. Obviously, Leo would only want to wait until the parts could be handled without leaving fingerprints, and not a second longer.
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Post by sumgai on Jun 15, 2007 14:51:30 GMT -5
ttowner50, Hi, and welcome to these here Forums! unk's right in so far as Leo not wanting to waste any more time than needful. If the product is hanging around on the walls (drying), then it's not out the door and in the dealer's hands, thus it's not making any money for you. Words to live by, in a dog-eat-dog world. Everyone (except Ed Roman) is right, there must be some kind of sealer on any wood surface, even it it's gonna be covered by another piece of wood. I have also seen neck pockets that were completely finished with the body paint, and they looked like sand dunes..... small hills and valleys, with no large patch of flat area for the two woods to meet and transfer string vibrations. This can't be good for the tone, IMO. A single application of sealer should be sufficient, it'll be a non-problem as far as tone goes, and the wood will live for many decades without the usual problems. Ditto for the neck's pocket contact area. Seal the entire neck. Mount the neck onto the body, very lightly pencil the body outline, and remove it. Mask the affected area up to the pencil lines, and finish the neck as appropriate. Unmask and re-assemble when all is dry. However, before doing all that, make sure that the neck is a tight fit into the body's pocket in the first place. Being as they are both Warmoth parts, I'm betting that it's a tight squeeze, and all is well. But it doesn't hurt to make sure, right? If the fit is not very tight, then apply more finish to the neck pocket area. The body's pocket is much harder to sand smooth, making the neck a better choice for adding finish as a "filler" to make a tighter contact. HTH sumgai
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 15, 2007 15:08:26 GMT -5
As long as this subject has touched on "the Troll"...
I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that he's selling his business. Has anyone heard anything to support or debunk this?
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Post by ChrisK on Jun 15, 2007 17:12:42 GMT -5
Ya know, I keep wanting to build a JazzMaster body guitar. Lots of control room. That goofy vibrato cavity which would make an interesting battery/booster cavity w/lid if I could just get an answer on the bridge post spacing (fer a hardtail like a Gotoh 510 or so).
Throw on a contoured heel, an eight section (or so) pickguard w/ hinges fer wiring access, pickups out the wazoo (man, that's gotta hurt), a wiring scheme like a Brian May extrapolation, and it's all that.
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Post by crazymanandy on Jun 15, 2007 19:51:57 GMT -5
I don't really think it is an issue. I've seen it done both ways with great results. Whatever suits you really.
CMA
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Post by sumgai on Jun 16, 2007 15:47:07 GMT -5
Chris, So why not just order the body with the cavity routing you want? Mine's getting the universal pickup hole, the more-or-less standard Strat control cavity, and a standard Strat TremoLeo ® route. Since this is axe is getting the Ghost Piezo Saddle treatment, I'm putting the 13-pin jack into another Strat-style angled jack mounting plate. Lots of room for that on the JM body, the two outputs will be side-by-side, but about an inch apart. I've tried it on a cheapie Strat copy, and it just didn't look good at all - too cramped for my tastes. The pickguard will be a custom bastardization between the two models - Strat on the bass bout (no extension over the Rhythm Section - there's no cavity, remember?) and the controls area will extend towards the endpin a little bit to accomodate the Ghost's switches and pots, but otherwise, that's it. Man, that gen-u-wine imitation tortoiseshell stuff is expensive with a capital E! I'm still considering one of those Moses graphite necks, but they don't seem to be very flexible on the neck radius and profile. You'd think for $300 (Merkin), they'd be happy to accomodate a customer, but not so far. You got any alternative ideas? Also, I don't consider the sealer coat to be part of finishing a guitar, it's an independent step. IMO, it's mandatory to prevent even moderate deterioration over time. Perhaps some woods don't need a finish, in the usual sense of the word, they're almighty hard to begin with. But no sealer at all? Excuse me Doctor, but I'd like a second opinion, please. sumgai
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