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Guitar Repair and Maintenance
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Topic starter
12/03/2006 12:42 pm
hey all. a while ago I traded a les paul copy for a flying V copy. it was pretty good apart from godawful pickups, & I used it as a backup guitar. last week i decided to fix it up.
Ive unbolted the neck, & removed all the hardware from the neck & body, & I've sanded down the original finish (matte black) & Im ready to spray the new finish on (satin black)
I have 2 questions.
1. Ive heard that glued in necks improve sustain ona guitar. The V has a bolt on neck, but Im wondering if I could glue it in like this & if so, what glue should I use?
2. I want give the body & headstock a metallic brass coloured trim, is there any way I can do this apart from painting by hand (my hands arent steady enough) & will it look crap next to the original hardware (which is silver)
also any advice on DOs/DONTs of fixing up guitars would be appreciated, this is the first time Ive really altered a guitar at all.
12/03/2006 1:10 pm
1. I personaly don't think it effects sustain with it being glued or bolted on.
2. Try and put some painters tape around the headstock or where ever you want the trim. You could even pre-cut a design in the tape if you wanted.
Have fun with your project.
Mike
12/03/2006 1:30 pm
Don't glue in the neck. A bolt-on joint is not shaped for creating the proper joining surfaces needed for a good, strong and stable glue joint. Plus you will lose the ability to shim the joint to adjust the neck angle -- usually important for a bolt-on pocket geometry. Finally, should you choose the wrong glue and screw it up, there may be no going back.
A well designed and attached bolt-on joint will serve you well. So concentrate on optimizing that. Learn about cleaning the pocket, creating proper shims, aligning the neck properly and bolting it on right. Most of Dan Erlewine's books deal with this topic.
-=tension & release=-
Topic starter
12/03/2006 2:16 pm
Great idea about cutting designs in the tape mike, Cheers :D
& thanks for the neck advice gnease, saved me a lot of hassle
13/03/2006 2:53 am
if you were extra brave, you could attempt to do some sort of binding on the body. stewmac has the materials...you'd need to get some sort of tool though to cut the binding channels, but it'd look pretty sweet if you could do it.
just checked, they have koa wood binding...that's similar to a brass color, but not so shiny
13/03/2006 3:17 am
You cant glue in a bolt on neck for a bigger reason. I mean, physicly speaking with enough epoxy it would function but the hardware is lined up after the neck is on. If the neck moved a 16th due to wrong repositioning EVERYTHING would be out of line and you risk it being unplayable. And sutain... yes, tone no. Ive always thought that fixed neck guitars didnt have the tone that a bolt on does. Just my 2 cents tho... *EHEM, New BC Golds neone...*
SHUT UP ABOUT IRON MAIDEN SOLOS AND GO PRACTICE!
-Manitou
15/03/2006 2:51 am
Everything you do will effect the sound of the guitar, however so slight. It may not be as noticeable to most. I'll recommend putting the neck back on the same way it came from the factory. Others have brought up geat reasons why.
Joe