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I don't glue my fretboard extensions down either.

Hmmm thanks Guys. So my frets came in today and I got that all done and ready to glue my fret board down to my neck. Still not my favorite part but it was a lil easier going this time. So when I bolted my neck on there's a piece of the joint nub sticking out due to the neck angle. I'm thinking that when I mate the neck and fret board, I can glue my FB down to that joint nub and it should take care of the lift. I'll have to check it first befor I glue. I did kinda try to bend it a lil but it I heard a crack so quit.

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Hearing a crack does not sound good

It's cool. I waited to glue the joint nub till after I had glued the rest of the fret board down so I could control the angle better. When I clamped it down I felt what was cracking. When I was installing the frets I dropped a dab of glue on each end to help those lil problem areas stay down. Any way one came unseated a hair and was making the crack sound. I replaced it and it's better now. Yea I was real careful tapping the frets in this time. Still can't do it in one tap but three is better than 10-15. Got scared after reading a post where a guy was having a hard time installing his frets, he beat his in so bad AFTER gluing his FB down, it cracked right down the middle. Scary!!!

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Lates pic with neck mated.

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All right I have a few questions about action height. I sealed and finished my neck and am ready for set up. To begin with I set the nut on the neck and placed my bridge in its round about position and ran a long straight piece of scrap from nut to saddle to check the string height. And it's a lil low compared to my other guitars and that's not even counting the depth that the strings go in to thier grooves. Also I raised the saddle to its height with the under saddle piezo. The actual height is around 1/16th between the 9th and 12th frets. The first question might be a lil dumb but can I set the nut where it goes with out gluing it so I can adjust its height after stringing it up. I'm thinking string tension will keep it in place. Also won't string tension also pull the neck forward a lil increasing string height?

Here's a pic showing the height at the 9th to 12th fret.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

Check out F.O.F. Custom guitars on Facebook.

Www.fofcustomguitar.weebly.com

Yessir the neck should bow and increase the string height slightly. It seems to me that you may just need a taller nut. I always have my but tall enough that I don't have to shim it and I cut the slots till they are the depth that gives me the action I require. I'm pretty sure this is how most people do it. Next time you may want to have your fretboard a little thinner or your but slot a little shallower to keep from having to use an extra tall nut or shim.

Alright just noticed a problem. I didn't make my holes close enough together and not easily able to clear the braces with a tool to get to the bolts. Would it be possible to scallop the UTB so I can screw the bolts on or off. I could glue the back on like it is but It'll be hard to bind. What would y'all reccomend?

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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id recommend a ball end hex wrench. should give you all the play you need

are you sure you have your top glued down sufficiently to the kerfing?? Id hate to see it fail after you have done all this work

Yea there are a couple spots where you can just get a finger under and a real hair deep due to the unevenness of the sides. I couldn't get them perfect. I'm gonna shim those areas and make sure they are completely solidly bonded before final gluing. It was after I had un clamped them it that I noticed and didn't know what else to do.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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Actually the left circle is touching and that does look deceiving in the photo. Ok I used two stacked pieces of veneer to make a shim and raised the nut level. It looks better but I'm afraid it will make it too hard to use the upper first fret strings.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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what method did you use to clamp the top to the sides for gluing??

the nut being like that will be fine. you will compensate the difference when you cut your nut slots. that will get the action over the first frets correct. then you use your truss rod to adjust relief in the neck and the saddle to adjust the action throughout the rest of the neck

crappy diagram but hopefully works



1 is tall nut and saddle you got high strings

2 is the strings set in proper height nut slots

3 is in slots with the saddle at proper height

Love the diagram. Thanks.

I used straight 1x2's and bar clamps throughout and individual clamps in other places. I assure you that it's glued good though. There's really only three areas less than an inch long. And not very deep at all. I checked with a piece of paper just a minute ago. I can fill them with literal splinters of veneer with a lil skill.

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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I don't understand what you're trying to achieve by raising the nut. The strings height at the nut should be just a hair over the height of the frets otherwise it will be impossible to play. It looks to me like you need to adjust the neck angle a lot - it needs rotating forwards. http://www.lenaweelutherie.info/page6/p ... age31.html

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+1

First, you don't need the shim under the nut, the shots at the top of this page look fine to me, the strings should pull the neck enough to get the action close.
Second, flatten the top of the UTB a little, cut a slot wide enough for the wrench, and glue a cap over the slot. Have you checked to see if you can get to the bolts through the pickup hole? If not, you'll have to take the back off to get the neck off, kinda defeats the purpose of using a bolt-on neck.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I think your sig says it all right there Roger...

Quote:

A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Ok thanks guys. Can do. I had to add an access hole in the back to be able to get to every thing.

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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All right with a lil work I managed to set the neck angle better. Also had to unglue the joint nub. Fortunately I used regular Elmer's wood glue for that particular glue joint so it came undone easily. Now when I lay my scrap piece over it, it looks like Zekes third diagram drawing. I'll still have to make my nut notches deeper but I can handle that no problem. Any way thanks guy for helping me with that I really appreciate it.

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

Check out F.O.F. Custom guitars on Facebook.

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Here's what I got now. It shows a lil high but that doesn't count the slot depth and saddle is prolly a lil high. What do you think.

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

Check out F.O.F. Custom guitars on Facebook.

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Unfortunately what you're asking us is impossible to answer. What matters is the clearance between the top of the fret and the bottom of each individual string at the nut and at the 12th fret.

I'll recommend Robbie O'Brien's online course to you again. And for a low-tech way to set the neck angle (Robbie's videos are awesomely low-tech for everything but setting the neck), John Mayes' neck-setting DVD and Hesh's two tutorials on fitting the neck and checking the neck angle.

Robbie's course will help you build a better guitar and answer the questions you don't even realize you have yet. I promise.

I understand. I'll have to see if I can get those. Thank you much!

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

Check out F.O.F. Custom guitars on Facebook.

Www.fofcustomguitar.weebly.com