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RedTree Collective
Canada
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2020
The journey of creativity and a passion for guitars.
glueing on a headstock veneer
This week we pick a headstock veneer to match our fingerboards and glue them onto our electric neck blanks.
#guitarbuilding
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - angling one end
03:48 - setting up the neck blank
06:18 - glue up prep
8:31 - glue up
#guitarbuilding
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - angling one end
03:48 - setting up the neck blank
06:18 - glue up prep
8:31 - glue up
มุมมอง: 86
วีดีโอ
Huge shop upgrade - a CNC machine!! 😁😁😁
มุมมอง 151วันที่ผ่านมา
Huge shop upgrade - a CNC machine!! 😁😁😁
Making a laminated fretboard
มุมมอง 42214 วันที่ผ่านมา
We show how to make the most of your nice pieces of wood that are too thin by laminating. Also Zach provides a very detailed how to cut binding strips safely. #fretboard #fingerboard #woodworking #binding 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - How much thickness do we need 02:22 - Picking the wood 03:27 - Laminating... 06:21 - Cutting binding strips safely
Fingerboard - Scale Length and Taper
มุมมอง 17021 วันที่ผ่านมา
We had some discussion that came up while making the how to fretboard video pertaining to taper and scale length. So we have made a separate video for this. 00:00 - The problem 00:40 - Scale Length 04:35 - Taper
How to: Bound Fingerboard
มุมมอง 196หลายเดือนก่อน
TreeHouse Guitars (Zach) shows us how to make a bound fret board using a table saw to cut the slots. During the making of this video the discussion of taper and scale length came up and it was enough that we will put it in another video. 00:00 - Prep the Blank 02:41 - Cut the Taper 03:08 - Mark the Location of the Nut Position 04:08 - Choose a Side 05:45 - Cut Slots w/ Table Saw 15:12 - Glue Bi...
How to: Perfect Fretboard Side Dots - The Easy Way
มุมมอง 8217 หลายเดือนก่อน
This is my method for getting accurate fretboard edge position markers - no need for fancy tools or jigs, just a drill press, the right sized drill bit and two pieces of wood. I am a luthier who Loves simple solutions and this is definitely one of them! Hope you enjoy, -Zach
How To Make Golden Age Restoration Tuners Work Smoothly (for Slotted Head)
มุมมอง 734ปีที่แล้ว
I've always Loved the look of Stew Mac's Golden Aged Restoration tuners. The first time I used them I was disappointed in the way they functioned, but knew that with some design changes and thinking ahead during the build process I could likely mitigate the issues. I was happy to find out that my theory was correct and now I love the tuners for more reasons than just looks! I hope you enjoy thi...
How to bolt on neck with f-hole guitars
มุมมอง 2Kปีที่แล้ว
We had a question on another video about how @treehouseguitars does a bolt on neck with his ember series guitars. Because they have no sound hole it is hard to get the bolt in let alone tighten and loosen them. So if you are also curious then here you go. #guitarbuilding #handmade #boltonneck #retro #fholeguitar
TreeHouse's Latest Guitar Builds
มุมมอง 627ปีที่แล้ว
We were wanting to learn to use some equipment so that we could help shoot some video for @algomatrad7312 so we thought what better way than some video of Zach playing his recently completed guitars.
Hand Rubbed Sunburst timelapse
มุมมอง 1.5Kปีที่แล้ว
There is no sunburst that is much better than a good, hand-rubbed sunburst (in my humble opinion). Here is my process - sped up to help visualize the changes that are happening. One thing that is great, but sometimes frustrating if I am honest with myself, is that a hand-rubbed sunburst is never "perfect". These imperfections are what makes a good hand-rubbed sunburst look vintage, classic or "...
Why Semi-hemispheric Fret Ends Don't Make Sense!
มุมมอง 4Kปีที่แล้ว
The hype of the popular, "improved" semihemispheric fret ends is just that. Hype. This video is a deep dive into why they don't live up to their claims and why I don't offer them on my guitars. Hope you enjoy. -Zach
TreeHouse Guitars Solo Workshop Jam Session
มุมมอง 96ปีที่แล้ว
Sometimes we luthiers need to do something a bit different in the workshop than build guitars or work on workflow/efficiency.
Inlay Process
มุมมอง 2.6Kปีที่แล้ว
Time lapse video showing Zach's process of inlaying a piece of copper in an ebony end graft. The inlay is inset then made flush with surrounding surfaces with a polished biopoxy resin. This particular guitar will get stained so little attention was made to keep the maple completely clean and white. If you do want to keep dark dust out of white wood be sure to do all sanding with a vacuum attach...
Making an electric guitar back access routing jig
มุมมอง 266ปีที่แล้ว
Making an electric guitar back access routing jig
Friday Shoptalk #40 - What's going to happen in 2023??
มุมมอง 75ปีที่แล้ว
Friday Shoptalk #40 - What's going to happen in 2023??
Lil Dickie works on guitars now
I don't know what this means. - Eric
Hahaha, there is a striking resemblance. Yikes! 😁
I’m jealous. But can’t wait to see what you make next.
Thanks! Yeah, it’s a big milestone!
Nice CNC machine, Auto change bit, cool and convenient!!!
Thanks! Yeah I’m super excited. 🤨
I never would have thought about laminating finger boards to attain the thickness needed. Good idea!
It’s a bit more time consuming, but it has a few benefits. 1) you can make a fretboard with fairly small scrap pieces of wood 2) it’s more stable to changes in humidity 3) its never going to crack Thanks for watching!
@@zachlefebvre4825 Thanks again!
@@red58impala- No problem! :)
Interesting subject. Background music unnecessary and too loud. Annoying, trying to understand what you say. Re-edit and re-post, Then I'll watch.
Thanks for the feedback. That video is long gone so we will probably have to do another one when we have a chance.
How do you adjust for the yaw? I couldn't actually see the jig design. Thanks
The jig is only for the neck set-back. The side-to-side (I think that’s what you’re referring to as the yaw?) is done by lining up the centre line on the neck with a centre line on the top. When I place the neck blank on the body I sight down the lines and adjust where necessary.
The semi-hemi fret ends feel better to me. In fact, I have sold all my old guitars and will not buy a guitar that doesn't have the semi-hemi ends anymore. The reason a lot of luthiers don't like them is that it takes a lot longer to make them. It's okay if they want to be lazy, but once most people play on them, they won't won't go back to old style fret ends. I've also changed to stainless steel fret material as well. They also take more time to dress. there will always be people that resist anything new and improved and that's also okay. Just don't try to gaslight us into thinking that they don't make sense. We like the way the new ones feel.
I am very on board with modern ways of doing things in lutherie, in fact I take many (what some would consider unnecessary) steps to make the guitar more responsive while remaining structurally sound for years to come. My neck joint method is just one example, it takes about two days of work to execute when a simple dovetail neck joint could be done in less than an hour. Why do I do it? Because I personally believe it’s worth it. Me not doing semi-hemispheric fret ends is not out of laziness, it is out of the fact that they are actually making the playable width of your frets (for string bends) narrower instead of the sometimes advertised “extra fret real estate”. With that being said, I can respect that some people such as yourself prefer semi-hemispheric fret ends. So many details and aspects of a guitar are purely subjective.
I can tell you from first hand experience that Zach is not lazy. I would also say, if he believes what he is saying to be true and is giving what he considers to be reasonable reasons, then it is not gaslighting, it is discussion. I am very glad you are happy with your choice to get rid of your old guitars but it is important to remember that you can be happy with that while others still will not like semi-hemis or agree with your opinions. Thanks for commenting. - Eric
Good stuff. Lots of great info! I really like the hacksaw blade idea. Will have to try!
Thanks.
It sure has been a long time.
It sure has thanks for noticing. We are hoping to be in a place where we can be more consistent with our uploads.
The "music" is annoying.
Feel free to turn off the sound and use closed captions if the “music” bothers you too much. That way you can still learn from all the free content based on my years of experience without having to endure the sound of the “music” I chose for the video. 👍🏼
@@zachlefebvre4825 I did., I have skills. My 59 years of making stringed instruments is an advantage.
Cool stuff! I’m using this neck joint method on my current build. It’s my first try at it and I’ve made it as far as routing the mortise in the top and making the tenon to go into it. I’ve used the Gore/Gilet book to make it this far, but it’s really nice to see another perspective on the joint in a video and to see how you do it and take mental notes on things going forward. I’ve already routed the truss rod, so I’ll have to finish it off after gluing in the tenon block. It’s funny, I ended up doing my mortise only 12mm deep and only extended the pocket past the neck-to-body fret by18mm. I was worried it wasn’t far enough because Gore/Gilet go 30mm into their neck. My heel transition comes farther down than theirs which is why I stopped at 18. Seeing you only do 15mm makes me feel better because if it has worked well for you, mine should be fine. I will definitely be pinning it for the glue up like you do. I have been concerned I’ll shift it when clamping. How thick do you make your two piece headblock? Since I only went 12mm deep with the mortise, I’m thinking the part of the headblock under the neck extension is overly thick. The dimensions in the book call for like 35mm which seems huge to me.
Cool, it’s a great neck joint and there seems to be more and more variations as time goes on. Glad you’re finding the video helpful! The extension of the block into the neck isn’t super critical if your block fits into the mortise nicely. I haven’t had issues so far but I’ve considered going further into the neck to make sure I’ll never have an issue. As for the heel block extension, I go with 7/8” thick before sanding the top to radius and such. My upper transverse brace matches that height. And that is plenty. 30mm is wayyyy more than you need.
If you dont like them or dont want / cant do the work to make them then dont offer them. But to debunk them is silly. Its an aesthetic choice.
I agree, it’s an aesthetic choice more than anything. They look fantastic!
thumbs up!....nice explanation!...there are a lot of Myths with guitar making and this is another...totally agree on you pointing this out!...plus 40 years experience and almost 700 guitars ive built semi hemi is not so good.
Yes! 🙌🏻
Great approach for getting this joint spot on correct ! I retired many years ago but keep active repairing and building guitars. At the moment I'm building an OM-21 style and as I live in Australia, I'm using Victorian Ash which is a eucalyptus hardwood for the neck. Could you tell me about the guide you're using to check the fit of the neck to the body and is there a radius in the top or is it flat ?
Thanks! Cool, that’ll be a fun project :) The jig I’m checking the neck angle with basically just has 3 protrusions, one at the bridge location, one at the neck joint and the other (which sticks out about 2mm extra) is at the nut. It helps me dial in the setback of my neck so that my neck projects to the right height at the saddle. Alignment side to side is eyeballed with a centre line on the neck and top. Does that answer your question?
@@zachlefebvre4825 Thanks Zach, all new to me as I've be using a more cumbersome approach with a straight edge and measuring gaps etc. Is there a source where I could find a plan on how to build your alignment/reference jig ?
@@andrewdarnley4608- I don’t know of any plans, but I’ve made a few of these jigs by 1) jointing one edge of a thin board 2) gluing equal sized “nubs” where the nut, neck joint, and saddle go 3) adding a shim to the “nut nub” which is the thickness I want the setback to be.
Howdy. Does this affect the plating in anyway that will make it more prone to rust? Thanks
Great question. I can’t say with 100% certainty, but so far these parts have held up well without any rusting. I like to wipe on Renaissance Wax (a microcrystalline wax) on anything metal I want to inhibit further tarnishing/rusting. It works great and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for added protection. It’s commonly used in museums for restoration of metal sculptures.
I don’t know man, have you ever actually played a guitar with really high end frets? Kinda doubt you have honestly… You should get your hands on a really well made instrument and be amazed… I’ve never had any issues with rounded fret ends when done right other than paying for it… Especially when done in stainless…
Haha, well, seeing as I am a guitar maker by profession (have been for 13 years) and have colleagues all over the world that build some of the world’s nicest guitars, yes. I’ve played guitars with “high end frets”. A good fret job with either semi-hemispheric fret ends or standard fret ends will feel good. The claims, though, do not make logical sense - and that’s what I show in this video. If you prefer semi hemispheric fret ends then great! If you prefer standard fret ends then great! I’m sure everyone online would appreciate it if you didn’t make accusations in your comments. Thanks for watching the video and I hope you do get something useful from our channel. ✌🏻
You are were right with that first statement "you don't know" the man. Zach is 100% in the guitar building which is why we started this channel. I am so glad that you have not any issues with rounded fret ends when done right. - Eric
@@redtreecollectiveguitars Everyone is building guitars these days… Many more started playing than ever before, and now it’s going back to where it was. It’s pretty shocking being you have absolutely no idea who I am. It’s shocking that neither of you have played a well made instrument is exactly what I’m saying… If the string is slipping off the board then either you aren’t playing it correctly or it isn’t built correctly… Regards from Nashville TN… Having professionals say the strings will find there why off the board if the ends are rounded is simply ridiculous. It’s something nobody complains about…
@@robertw1871- So who are you? I’d assume that if you were well known you’d have more than 2 subscribers… although you live in Nashville. That must mean you’re a famous musician? 😉 All kidding aside, if you like semi hemispheric frets then great. If you were told that there is more fret real estate on semi hemis or that they are more comfortable because of their rounded ends then you were lied to (possibly unknowingly). I’m sorry if this video made you uncomfortable… and if you believe I am wrong then I can respect that and I can accept that you believe that about me.
@@zachlefebvre4825 I just find it odd to lash out so vigorously over something that zero players I know have ever complained about… I get it though working with stainless is difficult and perfectly finishing the final geometry of those difficult frets is something I’d try and convince my customers they don’t want as well… Trouble is it’s become more and more standard even on inexpensive import guitars. Judging people based on number subscribers is probably not wise, it’s relatively easy to create a couple hundred accounts… Have fun with it…
are the contact points on your neck template all protrude an equal distance?
No, otherwise a straightedge would work. The protrusion that contacts where the bridge goes is the same as the neck joint protrusion, but the one that’s at the nut is 2mm bigger. That means the headstock will be slightly tipped towards the back of the guitar… if that makes sense. This makes the strings at just the right height over the top (about 12mm).
@@zachlefebvre4825 Thank you very much
Hi! Regards from Argentina. Thanks a lot for sharing those videos. A question... What is the scale of that guitar? Thanks in advance
Hello!! 👋🏻 You’re welcome :) This guitar was my standard scale length, 64.5cm.
@@zachlefebvre4825 Thanks
@@msinger01- no problem at all! :)
Nice work Braddah but wear a mask! I’m not cracking on you or trying to purposely belittle you….I’m sincere in saying to mask up because I know too many people that are suffering with some lung issue with their health because of breathing saw dust, shell dust(from grinding sea shells), etc. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your time and skill with us. Aloha….
Thanks for your concern - we usually do wear masks in addition to our shop dust collection, but it’s not ideal for videos.
Because the Dobro factory made the holes too big for the Restoration tuners (plus beaucoup misplaced screw holes I had to fill.) I put metal tuner bushings on each internal side of the slot so the tuner rests on a bushing after it enters the slot, and also at the end of the slot in the middle of the peghead. The original tuners were a total loss, and the ones I got from Schaller had the gears wear out in no time. I have two sets of Restoration tuners mounted on a slotted peghead guitar, and my square neck Dobro. The tuners work fine with no hangups. I recommend them very highly. The only hangup is the postage and handling from Stew-Mac, but I can live with it. Thanks for the tips.
Your solution sounds even better! Bushings are the ideal solution if you can get them in there. :)
@@zachlefebvre4825 If you've got a pair of Kelly forceps they make it a lot easier. Check Harbor Freight. I think they have a kit that doesn't cost an arm or a leg, and you can fine hundreds of uses for them. Amazon may also have the kit.
Excellent approach and execution.
Thanks! 😊
You are definitely not playing guitar very often. The semi-hemispherical fret ends are much much more comfortable to play than standard lazy "chopped-off" ends. The 1mm overall decrease in the real estate is not a huge loss as to me.
Everything is subjective! If you find them more comfortable than standard fret ends then stick with those - likely your frets don’t go quite to the edge of your fretboard or they are more rounded on the top of the fret end, which is fine if it doesn’t cause issues with strings falling off the edge with string bends. As a musician that has toured across North America numerous times with a few different bands I, personally, have always stuck with the standard fret ends and prefer them.
Why are you assigning "lazy" to non rounded fret ends? This discussion is supposed to be about the difference when both are done well by people with experience. I am so happy for you that you are pleased with your choice of fret ends despite its shortcomings. - Eric
@@redtreecollectiveguitars because the main reason why builders/luthiers don't make the semi-hemispherical ends is time and complexity, in other words - work more, make less.
@@vitaliistep- Did you watch the video? This doesn’t have to do with why or why not luthiers do semi hemispheric fret ends. This video is dispelling the myths about semi hemispheric fret ends. Would I do them if the myths were actually true? Definitely! Would I be able to do them? Abso-frickin’-lutely I would! I know quite a few world-renowned luthiers that do semi hemispheric fret ends on all their guitars but say that they aren’t actually better despite that. The reasons stating that semi-hemi is BETTER are a marketing gimmick, pure and simple. And that is what the video is about. You are free to believe that they are better or feel better to you, I can’t tell you how to feel or what to believe.
@@zachlefebvre4825 use whatever you like, but how is it a gimmick, if I easily feel the noticeable difference for the better with the neck in my left hand? Also the semi-hemispherical ends usually done with filed tang on the fret ends, which is undeniable plus too. The fret sprout is a common problem on most guitars with regular fret ends.
This great. Very well done. Thanks for sharing. I've been wanting to re-work my neck joints and this is great inspiration for moving forward. Cheers!
Glad to hear it’s inspiring you to try new things!!
How thick cut do you do for guitar top and bottom and sides on bandsaw before going to drum sander.
If you put a more realistic fillet instead of a chamfer on your traditional model, and move the hemispherical fret to the edge of the board like it should be... ... you will find that in reality there's the same amount of fret "real estate" on each style! The rounded ends simply appear in-board from the edge of the fretboard due to the radius
As Zach explains there would still be less real estate. He also mentions why it is unlikely to be right at the end and some benefits of that. He is not saying that people should not do them or buy guitars with them. The point of this video is to show that claims of it being a superior method of fret ending is false. It is another option with benefits and short comings. Thanks for commenting. - Eric
How did you make the sides? I’ve seen laminated sides before, but yours have holes in them. What is that?
Do you mean the soundport on the upper bout, bass side? It’s basically just a small port for sound to go towards the player. It’s reinforced on the inside, but the rest of the sides are single-ply, standard solid wood guitar sides.
At 4:45 in the video the sides don’t look single ply. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It looks really thick, but hollow.
I think what you might be looking at is the kerfing. Here is a video that Zach did on his treehouse account before we started this one. th-cam.com/video/tkXNLBQowGg/w-d-xo.html - Eric
If you go to 4:45 there is something more going on. I see the kerfing, but that looks like a double wall on the sides. You can only see the kerfing from the top. If the sides were single ply, you’d see the sides of the kerfing, which you don’t.
@@thomastedder- Yeah, good observation. That particular guitar (and a few others I’ve made in the past) had structured sides. Meaning the kerfing basically goes the full width of the side. Quite a few guitar makers are using this method now, but I moved away from it because I felt it didn’t work so well in my guitars, particularly in how it affected bass response. 🤷🏻♂️ Hopefully that image didn’t make things confusing! If you have any questions let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them. :)
How wide is your tenon - It looks about 20 mm or so - Is this correct ? - I've made a template which is about 24 mm wide and I'm a bit worried it might be too wide - I'm planning to have a wide heel so its not an issue in that respect but is there any other reason why 24mm or an inch wide tenon could be problematic ? Thanks - I appreciate schooling newbs might be a bit boring
I’m pretty sure my tenons are 3/4” wide, but that’s mainly because my heels are quite narrow. With a 3/8” rod down the heel anchoring the neck that technically only leaves 3/16” of continuous grain on either side of the rod… it’s a bit hard to explain, but if my tenon was 3/8” wide and my rod down the heel is 3/8” wide, then my neck could very easily break away leaving the bolt and tenon behind. Does that make sense? Anyway, a wider tenon would actually be better - the wider you can make it within your heel the better.
Hi - thanks for the detailed reply - I really appreciate it - that does make perfect sense. I mocked one up out of the template I have and it was fine. I have to say though - you make it look easy and it definately isnt @@redtreecollectiveguitars
@@hereasafanofallsorts5164 You're welcome :) Haha, sorry! I suppose I've made a number of jigs this way now so it has become easier for me. -Zach
If you look closely at how most people are doing it you will see that the ends aren't a true semi-hemisphere, but rather a lesser degree of radius that varies greatly depending on who's doing it. I think you are taking the term semi-hemisphere too literal to make your argument.
That very well could be true, but based of the definition of two end types the argument would still stand. Obviously there are going to be a whole variety of ways and qualities of both types of fret ends. This video is trying to just challenge the thinking that by definition semi-hemis are superior. Thanks for your comment. - Eric
Hi - thanks for the Video - how did you make the templates accurate - what did you use to route the acrylic ?
Great question - I just carefully score the acrylic with an x-acto knife then drill out most of the material and file/sand up to my scored lines. I use calipers to bring the cutouts in my templates to the dimensions I want. So I really don’t do it in any fancy way, just carefully by hand. A CNC would make quick work of an accurate acrylic routing guide! :) -Zach
@redtreecollectiveguitars Hi , Thanks for the reply . That's great to know - a CNC would be marvellous for all sorts, but it's reassuring to know that it's not mandatory and that there is no need to spend a fortune on shop bought templates - your work is amazing and I love that it's CNC free - I'm building my first guitar atm so your videos are a huge help - thanks again
I’m glad you’re getting something out of our videos! :) Definitely no need for a CNC machine to make accurate jigs. Just careful attention to detail!
Hi - Can I ask you one more question ? I see people all over TH-cam with neck angle jigs for routing the neck angle in the tenon and shoulders of the neck where it meets the body - am I correct in saying that with your method of routing the tenon - where the tenon routing template is screwed to the end of the tenon - it does away with the need for a jig altogether as you are routing off of the angle of the end of the tenon and therefore routing the correct angle in the shoulders also - it seems so simple and effective and yet people go to all this trouble of assembling a giant jig to achieve the same outcome - am I missing something ?@@redtreecollectiveguitars
@@hereasafanofallsorts5164- Haha, yes you are correct! No big jig necessary. The correct angle is achieved before routing the tenon therefore a parallel rout gives you the same angle and usually perfect heel cheeks. I’m not sure why this isn’t the norm in the industry honestly - it only makes sense. -Z
Making a fully bolt-on neck joint - Part 1: assolutamente fantastico l'attrezzo utilizzato per l'esecuzione dei fori per la giunzione dei due pezzi (Corpo-manico). Dove posso comprare questo attrezzo? grazie
Thanks! So far it is not available anywhere - I may get some made to sell though. Keep an eye on my TreeHouse Guitars instagram/Facebook page. :)
before start to glue I advise you to apply a bit of shellack in the soundboard, when you take off the tape without nothing, in the soundboard, sometimes you push small amount of wood .. what is not good. to be honest I do the shellack befor open the Chanels
Yesss, great tip. I have been doing the same for the last couple years. I found if you still have thickness sander lines on your top the fibres don’t get pulled up with the tape, but I usually don’t at that point. Shellac works great for this 🙌🏻
Saludos donde venden esa erramienta, bendiciones desde Puerto Rico
Hola Javier! Lamentablemente esta herramienta no se vende en ningún lado. Es una herramienta que diseñé y mandé hacer a medida. Estoy considerando fabricar algunos para vender, pero eso aún no ha sucedido. -Zach
I also like regular fret ends. It's an aesthetic, and therefore subjective...
But how does the guitar sound?
Umm. Great! The sunburst wouldn’t affect the sound though.
In my opinion it sounds great, as is the case with all of Zach's guitars. If you want to hear it he does a demonstration on his treehouse gutiars channel. th-cam.com/video/LXyFhP1kzlI/w-d-xo.html . Thanks for asking. - Eric
"standard" [so-called "standard", don't think it is a standard, just some laziness/shortcuts] fret edges SLOW player's hand DOWN significantly [at both upper and lower sides of the fretboard]. have watched this video out of disagreement after already beginning with re-shaping fret ends on my Tele-clone --the guy makes pretentious claims, nothing more. i love playing WITH A FEELING [if you know what i mean, if you don't --listen more blues]. 👭💕
I think that it is pretty hard to find full time guitar builders that are lazy. If one is lazy there are much easier ways to make a living. So with that not being a part of the discussion then maybe Zach has actually made some points that are worth discussing. I am glad that you like the semi - hemi, enjoy. - Eric
Great job , thanks!
Thanks! And you’re welcome. :)
Beautiful build!
Thanks so much for that. - Eric
Could you imagine how much greater Jimi Hendrix would have been if he had rounded frets? LOL....play yer damn guitar!!!!!
Hahaha right? Who cares really…
Very nice. That neck will hold up indefinitely!
Thanks! I believe so! :)
Is that a top mounted or floating pickup on the Ember series guitar? I've heard that mounting a pickup into the top tends to diminish the acoustic sound.
It’s floating above the top - so is the fingerboard. Yeah you’re right, any added mass to the top is going to affect the sound in a (most often) negative way.
appreciate the honest conversation,
Great video. Thanks!
You’re welcome! And thanks!
you can do it the way I do it, by hand, then screw it up, then try to fix it. And hate yourself. But I'll try yours.
I also like to forget to do it until it's glued on. I will try to not do this going forward.
Hahaha, how do you think I came up with this method? ;) Been there… felt that way.
Yes! There have been so many times that I have almost done that! 🤦🏻
such great ideas man! keep up the hard work PD: that way of gluing the freboard is genius!!
Haha thanks so much! I wish I could take credit for all of this, but I am merely the one responsible for putting together all the different ideas that I’ve learned from my colleagues over the years. :)
My favorite DARK wood for a fretboard is Malaysian Blackwood. It is a true ebony, but it has a look that's kind of a cross between Brazilian Rosewood and Ziricote... while still being insanely hard and dense. I like dark woods that have noticeable grain (not jet black like most ebony boards), but that's just my preference.
Nice, sounds like it has the perfect physical properties for a fingerboard. :) I’ve never worked with it so I wouldn’t know, but I’ve heard similar things from other luthiers as well.
No no. The only metal thing in a guitar shoul be, strings and tuners, not screws for the neck in any way. So practise to make a real dovetail, is recomended and trow them screws away. If You dont have the skill to do a dovetail in the usual manner, I will recomend to do other things in the future.
There are many ways to make a great guitar - this is one of them. I used to do a dovetail neck joint and got quite good and efficient at it, but it has its flaws. It does not support the upper bout of the guitar very well so the guitar’s geometry changes much more over time than with a neck joint like this. Also once the geometry changes, it is a time-intensive and expensive job to readjust the neck angle to correct the changes in geometry. I am certainly not against dovetail neck joints, but after using several neck joint methods, I much prefer this type of neck joint for many reasons - and I believe it is much more difficult to execute than a simple dovetail. 🤷🏻♂️
So @tribestribes2555 are you suggesting we should leave the neck to it's own devices because it's metal and not a string or tuner?
Clown, you should be legally obligated to finish your statement with a great big DUHU.
Thank you for the excellent videos Zach very informative I wish you all the very best for the new year👍
Thanks so much! Glad you found the videos helpful. :)
Have you ever experienced the back deform becoming flat again after 15 foot radius brace glued? And how to fix it?
Aha, yes I’ve had that happen once. It was in my first workshop and my humidity wasn’t as well controlled at it should have been. It happens when the environment the back is in is humid. So the wood is swelled up with that extra bit of moisture - then you glue the 15’ radiused braces on and as a result they try to hold the back at it’s swollen width… but the back wants to shrink and return back to a lower humidity so it is forced to only shrink on the outside surface opposite the bracing. This actually works very similarly to a truss rod. The only solution I know of is to rout off the back, knock off the braces and reglue new ones at a drier humidity. Then you’d likely have to add a couple purfling strips to clean things up. As a general rule I try to brace my backs, carve the braces and get it glued onto the sides within a day or two to make this less likely to happen. Hope that answers your question! It sucks to see a back go concave…😞
semihemispheric frets look stupid imo. gimmick
Haha, I appreciate your honesty! I agree, kindof a gimmick.
Hi Zach, thx for all the help via comments on this joint. I routed the mortise and tenon and the neck is out of alignment by maybe 1/64” over 12”. Would you rough shape the heel and then floss it to perfection and then do the extension pocket, or am I close enough that I can do the extension now and floss the perfect fit later? I’m wondering if it has to be bang on at this point or just really close. Thx!
Yeah I’ve had to do what you mentioned a few times now. I rough shape the heel then hollow out some of the wood between the edges of the heel and the tenon so flossing works more effectively, then put the two bolts in loosely and floss. Tightening the bolts every now and then to check your alignment. Once it’s bang on then move on to routing for the extension pocket. 👍🏼
Perfect, thx!
No problem! :)