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I'm coming along on the 00028 kit build, in progress for way too long as is.

I have achieved an acceptable (to me) finish: brushed-on boat yard varnish, wet sanded (#2500) and then buffed by hand with 3M Finnesse-it and cotton rags. It is pretty level, very glossy, with little imperfections here and there but nothing I can't live with. The guitar is for my son, if he can't live with it he can rub it some more

I have to glue on the bridge, attach the neck and level the FB, and fret it, then tuners, nut, saddle, and set up.

My question is about set up: once it is strung up for the first time, how long should I expect it to take for it to settle into the string tension enough to fine tune the set up and adjust neck relief?

Again, thank you all for inspiration and advice.

David

Hi David - What I do is set-it up to an acceptable degree so that I can stand playing it and then I play it and let it sit around under string tension for a couple of weeks. During this time I make a list of what needs to be adjusted.

Then a couple of weeks later I get out the list, strobe tuner, what ever is needed to do the final set-up and go at it. During this couple of weeks period I try to only play this guitar to get as much time and experience with it as I can.

You're getting close so you must be excited and also good on ya for building a guitar for your son!

I feel for you David. It always seems to take too long, especially if you are doing it "nights and weekends" with a regular job and a family to mind. But you are building, right? What's the down side of that?

Hesh is probably right, a couple of weeks, but I find it is ready sooner than that, but I don't want to waste a new set of strings so soon (me, tightwad). I find that since the finish is still fresh, and you'll be playing it hard to wake it up, then doing the final set-up, taking the strings off and rubbing it out one more time, then string it up, and call it done.

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Hesh: thanks. Well, the kit was a gift to me and my son from my dad who passed away a year and a half ago. My son plays guitar (and mandolin and banjo) very well, although just 16. I play too but he's way ahead of me. The up side of turning this one over to him is, I get back my nice Martin he's had for a year!

David: Well there's no down side! I am enjoying the process and learning a lot, and have distant dreams of starting another guitar, more "from scratch", when this one is finished and making music. By the way, my full name is David Newton Lewis!

Best,

David

I do pretty much what Hesh said. I've got a "break in" saddle I use. I give them a week or 2 to belly and settle. I don't play new ones alot, so I don't risk a scratch or something, but I play some chords and scales all over the neck so I'm sure there's no high or low frets. After the week or 2 I get my strobe tuner, make a new saddle compensated correctly and make whatever adjustments are necessary. I wait at least 2 days after the final set up before shipping, to make sure it stays......good.

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