The back, with the walnut neck mounting from scrap.
I would have liked to put cheaper tuners on it, but it was already drilled for these. The pickups are located to obliterate the old pickup routs. The other major adaptation is the metal bridge plate, which covers the rout for the Ric bridge and gave me some latitude in locating the new bridge. I think the 30″ neck is nicely proportioned with this body.
I also deepened the neck pocket into the body a bit. I decided this body was too small and light for a 32″ neck, so I stole this 30″ neck from the other Ric and made a new 32″ neck for that one. This is the conversion for 32″ to 30″, the same way you would convert from 34″ to 32″. Note how the 20th fret overhangs the body. I found another set of strings for the other Ric, threw away some remaining oddballs, and that cleared out the string box. I eyeballed the action into place and set the truss rod. I shortened a long-scale E, the rest fit, some just barely. The strings are a hodge-podge from the string box. I figured the extra height would require a neck shim, but not really. I like the aluminum plate under the bridge. I had to do some final surgery on the neck mounting, but it’s all good now. Right now it is a “No-backer”, but I have a couple of ideas, or maybe I’ll just leave it this way. The whole guitar is a mash-up of test pieces that came out better than expected. It’s not perfect, but it’s not bad for a first time. The brass string nut is a hand-me-down as well. I cut it too thin but salvaged it with the walnut piece. The fretboard is one of my earliest ones. The neck is all flamed maple, with rosewood dots and a walnut side stripe with aluminum markers. Even the white thumb rest is something that has been knocking around the parts box for years, as was the headphone amp. I threw away the body at one point, and the neck was made for a different body, while this body was originally set up for a different scale. Pretty nice, considering it is made out of the cheapest parts available and junk. Nothing shows.Īll together and strung up. Then I drilled out the mess to a neat 1/4″ and dowelled it. Using a small drill bit in the drill press, I drilled around the stump until I could get it with a needle-nosed pliers and twist it out. Installing tuners, when, aw crap, little tiny screw twisted off. I’ll have to scare up a set of strings for it. Varathane is good for grain-filling undercoats, but for the final finish, sand it down and topcoat with Minwax. I had finished that neck in Varathane, and it came out rather lumpy, looks much better now. I tried un-polishing the neck, but it is too edgy and went through in a couple of spots, so it got a fresh coat of poly. To balance things out, I added a Ric flying pickguard. The battery box forced me to move the switch, which bunched up all the controls. The headphone amp has been lying around for a long time, it keeps the battery box from going to waste. This guitar was originally going to get active controls, so it has a battery box on the back. New pickguard and all wired up – basic switch-volume-tone.
I think the ‘luthier’ wood in the other neck is some inferior western species, I’ve never seen maple like it around here. The maple on the east coast is extremely good stuff. As far as suitability for a guitar neck, I’ve built quite a few now, and never had a problem. You have to pick through the pile and get lucky, but it can really be worth the effort. I wish I had thought of that before.Ĭompare the Home Depot wood in the foreground to the “luthier grade” in the background. This minimizes the amount of air in the can that the poly can react with, which should extend its shelf life. When I was done, I added rocks to the poly can until the level was right up to the top, then sealed it up. The bodies are shot and hung up to dry, and the necks are shot on the front. This will keep the air space in the can to a minimum, that is what ruins the stuff. I did get an idea though – as the level drops in the new can, I will drop clean rocks in to bring it back up.
It would be interesting to see if it could be liquified again, but since I am spraying it, I am not going to chance clogging up the gun. I had to get a new can of poly, the old one had turned to jelly in the last few weeks. When that dries, they should take an even overall yellow. These are in the spray booth now, getting my usual single thick coat of poly.