Hey, I'm a pretty handy guy. I grew up on a family farm, I work with chemists and analytical instruments all day, and I fool around with Jeep suspensions and mechanics. My current project is reviving a basket case of a 1947 CJ-2A. Even so, I can make some dummy newb mistakes. Here are a few for your enjoyment.
- Printed out a fretboard diagram perfectly to scale (link was somewhere on this site) and didn't note the scale length. I assumed it was 24 1/2 inches, cut the nut, laid it out, burned the lines, then I wondered why the bridge had to be at the far end of the box for correct intonation. Won't do that one again.
- Build 2 I cut the headstock too thin using the tuning machine barrels as a guide. I found out the nuts bottom out in the barrel before reaching the head. Now I'm trying to come up with a 1/8" spacer that doesn't look all "I cobbled this on after screwing up my dimension."
- e won't tolerate tuning to g tension. Here's your sign.
Well, there's a few anyway. Hope the list is helpful for someone going into their first build. Below is a pic of mine before I burned in the fret lines and added a a couple small wood screws for down pressure on the nut.
Replies
other common new builder mistakes...
1. not allowing enough room in headstock for tuner installation.... as a minimum all one inch per tuner (on the most crowded side, plus 3 inches... so... if you are doing a 2+1 headstock, that headstock needs to be atleast 5 inches beyond the nut... If you are doing a 4 tuner on one side, start with a 7 inch headstock....
2. not designing your neck/fretboard, so that the fretboard is atleast 1/8 inch above the level of the top of the body... if it is even with or below the body, it becomes a problem to play the neck close to the box....
3. not getting the right tools for the job... eg. fretting is relatively easy with a saw blade that has a narrow enough kerf...but, if the blade is too thick, you end up having to glue in frets and all manner of problems occur.
4. not searching this and other sites for answers to your questions... almost everything you have questions about has been asked and answered many times...and often with pictures. If you can't find the answer, go ahead and ask it, but often you will get better responses if you just email one of the veteran builders... most are very willing to answer.
5. oh, go ahead and include pictures or drawings with your questions. Before you pick up the lingo, you will often us language that "doesn't compute" to experienced builders.... I did it, we all do.....
And, build, build, build... you will figure out most of it by trial and error and develope your prefered methods... shocker, not everyone does it the same way.
email me if you think your questions are too simple to be asked in group.... I'll work with you as time allows...
the best,
Wichita Sam