Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, here it is.
I/(we , thanks to all the great info on this forum) built this from an LMI kit (with some minor mods).

I'm happy with everything but the action.

It seems something changed from the time I checked the neck position and the time I actually clued it on.

It has what I would consider a medium action.

The problem is, I've run out of saddle to whittle on.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike
MikeT38846.7667708333

Looks great! Congrats...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

It does look great!

Mike, it looks very nice and a real nice finish you got there!

If you ran out of saddle the only way maybe be a neck reset

But, let the pros chime in! There's tons of help at the OLF!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Mike,

Nice guitar! I'm currently working on my first and am curious as to the finishing method you used. It really "shows off" the wood.

I won't be ready for a while, but I'm always looking for ideas.

Thanks,

Pete

Hi Mike, It looks great . Nice tidy work . Something to be really proud of . Bet it sounds fantastic too !

I can only see a neck reset .Corrogated cardboard all round the fingerboard to isolate the heat you will need to loosen the glue.

My advice would be to reset the neck and not glue down the fingerboard until the guitar has finally settled (action wise )

Great effort Mike

Regards KiwiCraig

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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Congrats Mike, she looks beautiful!

Serge

Very nice. Is that a tru-oil finish? It has that look.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Nice work. I really like the headstock. As far as action, check the neck relief first then consider a reset if still too high. Shaving the bridge may be acceptable for a short term fix, but it's really not the way to go. BTW it looks a lot better than my first.

Al

Very Nice for a 1st. VERY VERY NICE
You will want to reset the neck. Experience will help over time.
The goal is for low action with a taller saddle. This will give you many years
with a lot of room to work with. Now with CF rods and better neck joints,
neck resets will be needed less often.

John Mayes video shows a good method for setting the neck. Worth the
purchase.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Very nice first guitar Mike.I agree with the others,it sounds like you need to reset your neck and make a new saddle. Good job!DaveAndy38847.0253472222

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Thanks for the encouragement and replies.

The finish is nitro, 3-4 coats a day. Let sit overnight. Wet sand with 600 (usually takes off about half the finish to get flat). I did this 3 or 4 times until it was good and flat and I felt like there were 6-8 coats of finish left. Then I sanded to 2000 grit and waxed with a good carnuba wax.

Resetting the neck is not what I wanted to hear, but is what I expected .

I glued the entire surface between the fret board and the top!

Will I need to pull the 15th thru 20th frets before heating the fret board extension to soften the glue joint?

Any hints/clues on how to remove the neck with the least amount of damage would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

Well, I managed to get the glue softened up and pulled the neck off for a reset.

MUCH BETTER !!!

The corogated cardboard is a great idea for a heat shield ... thanks.

Mike

Congrats for the repair Mike!

Beautiful job Mike! Congrats on this one. Turned out very nice. Learning how to reset a neck is a good thing. Without making mistakes, you cannot learn. I admire your courage to forge ahead on such a dangerous operation. Keep up the good work!
Tracy

What a great looking guitar - you must be very pleased with the results

Kevin Thomas
Quail Rock Guitars
Austin, Texas

Is this a dovetail?

If not and its a M&T, you might have been able to get a better back set by simply removing the bolts, and flossing the cheeks, allowing the neck to tilt back and creating a greater angle, allowing a taller saddle, all the while leaving the fretboard extension glued in place. This does bring other problems into the mix, such as a drop-off after the 14th fret, some builders like this, but to much is not good.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Great looking machine MikeT.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

    About the finish: In the free Stew Mac instructions it says wait 2 weeks after the last nitro coat, then sand down any orange peel that shrinkage creates. Seems a bit much...But I wonder what the pros think. Everyone has their own way of doing it. There's probably an archive or two on this subject though. Nice guitar.nickton38853.1732060185

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

I think if you are looking for a high gloss finish and you buff nitro out too early ... it'll dull up again in a few weeks when the solvents finally all flash out.
I was more interested in a "sheen" and not so much interested in super glossy. We'll see how it works out?