Post by CTGull on Feb 28, 2017 14:02:03 GMT -5
Thanks! I may be closer to starting a build from a kit than I thought. I think I've seen some kit build forums. I'll have to start doing research. All I need is money, time, more tools and a place to do it. I make most of my tools, so that won't be a big deal. My space is kind of small and cramped already, I need to either make better use of it or radically get rid of guitars! Time is tough with a wife, 3 teenage kids, a house, a 9+ hour a day job, a mother-in-law with cancer, and many days just not wanting to do anything. Facebook is my biggest time waster!! Closely followed by anything guitar related. Playing is way down the list, just behind repairing guitars.
I've had very good luck with reshaping the tops of guitars with a combination of clamping, with a saturated sponge (or 2) and a 15W light inside for heat. I've had limited luck with laminated tops. The S12+ was an extreme case with the bridge area hugely twisted, so I made the huge version of the Bridge Doctor. This treatment, over a few months, has worked very well. I'd recommend putting a Bridge doctor in every 12 string to eliminate the possibility of the string tension twisting the top. That twisting causes tension, which reduces vibrations. That's why the Bridge Doctor works, it relieves the tension in the top and keeps it there.
I never posted about the 70's laminated top Ibanez 12 string that I "rehabbed". It had a similar twisted bridge area & belly problem. It took 5 months of sponge/heat/clamping to reshape the top, then I installed a custom Bridge Doctor. I was very happy about how that turned out.
I'm not sure if I've glued the fretboard extension down on the S12+, I wanted to give it a few months to see what happens. The only thing I don't like about HHG is that it gels so quickly, requiring practicing the clamping and heating the parts.
I did find out the hard way that the addition tension of the 12 strings caused additional bend in the neck, causing the need to overset the neck slightly. I'm still experimenting with clamping the guitar in a jig with some string tension to check the progress on the neck angle.
I've been making nuts & saddles out of Corian lately, because that's what I have handy. I do have a few oversize bone saddle blanks but I've been "saving" them for a special occasion. And I have the dogs bone that I made a nut from for my Yamaha FG-300. Our pit bull has a couple of some kind of grey curved animal horn that is virtually indestructible, even by him. It takes him forever to wear it down. I may have to find out what they are and look to see if there's enough material in them to make nuts & saddles. I don't think they're cheap.
I don't have a .010 saw so I use the .010 nut file for starting the slots.
I've had very good luck with reshaping the tops of guitars with a combination of clamping, with a saturated sponge (or 2) and a 15W light inside for heat. I've had limited luck with laminated tops. The S12+ was an extreme case with the bridge area hugely twisted, so I made the huge version of the Bridge Doctor. This treatment, over a few months, has worked very well. I'd recommend putting a Bridge doctor in every 12 string to eliminate the possibility of the string tension twisting the top. That twisting causes tension, which reduces vibrations. That's why the Bridge Doctor works, it relieves the tension in the top and keeps it there.
I never posted about the 70's laminated top Ibanez 12 string that I "rehabbed". It had a similar twisted bridge area & belly problem. It took 5 months of sponge/heat/clamping to reshape the top, then I installed a custom Bridge Doctor. I was very happy about how that turned out.
I'm not sure if I've glued the fretboard extension down on the S12+, I wanted to give it a few months to see what happens. The only thing I don't like about HHG is that it gels so quickly, requiring practicing the clamping and heating the parts.
I did find out the hard way that the addition tension of the 12 strings caused additional bend in the neck, causing the need to overset the neck slightly. I'm still experimenting with clamping the guitar in a jig with some string tension to check the progress on the neck angle.
I've been making nuts & saddles out of Corian lately, because that's what I have handy. I do have a few oversize bone saddle blanks but I've been "saving" them for a special occasion. And I have the dogs bone that I made a nut from for my Yamaha FG-300. Our pit bull has a couple of some kind of grey curved animal horn that is virtually indestructible, even by him. It takes him forever to wear it down. I may have to find out what they are and look to see if there's enough material in them to make nuts & saddles. I don't think they're cheap.
I don't have a .010 saw so I use the .010 nut file for starting the slots.