Black on Black (another Black Limba Neckthru Build!)

[H.E.L.Shane]

Well, I've been contracted to build another Black Limba neckthru Lester..

This ones a bit more over the top that the last one even.

In a nutshell, specs are to be:

Black Limba Neckthru and Body Wings
Flame Maple Top (keystoned under fingerboard)
Black Binding
Transparent Black Paint job both top and back.
Suhr Doug Alderich puckups (black covered)


Ok that seems pretty standard..



then it all gets jacked up



First... its gonna have a recessed Schaller Floyd

Then its gets Steinberger 40:1 gearless tuners

Finally... its gonna have LED / Fiber Optic Position markers / Side dots!!

Sooo... I started gather wood unto myself..

The Top is from Northridge and is typical KILLER quality
The back was actually sourced from a body / kit supplier, I had Seth dig through their stash and send be a couple pieces with fairly symmetrical color patterns for the body wings.

The Fingerboard was a blank from LMI

he we go!!

 

[Barnaby]

Awesome stuff! I will really enjoy this. One question, however...I'm actually currently planning a build with a recessed Schaller low Floyd. What neck angle are you using if any? I worked mine out to be about 2 degrees.

 

[j.six]

I keep hearing great things about those Aldrich pickups....

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

I keep hearing great things about those Aldrich pickups....

I've never heard them.. but the customer requested them specifically... You can never tell on youtube.. (an AxeFX can make a squire strat sound amazing!!)

So I'm anxiously awating the end of this build!!!

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

Awesome stuff! I will really enjoy this. One question, however...I'm actually currently planning a build with a recessed Schaller low Floyd. What neck angle are you using if any? I worked mine out to be about 2 degrees.

My fancy schmancy neck drop calculator works out to 2 degrees assuming a535" bridge height of a schaller floyd. (low pro is the same saddle height).

this is from the BOTTOM of the plate.. if you want the top of the plate to be level with the surface of the guitar, the brige height becomes 8.5 mm or .35" and the neck angle goes to .35 Degrees!!!!

now.. if you are putting a 1 degree pickup plane on the body, the total becomes 3 degrees relative to horizontal.. but still 2 degrees as compared to the pickup plane.. if that isnt confusing enough!!!!

I'll probably do a 2.0 degree drop, its a recessed floyd, you can always make the recess a bit deeper.. But i like to set the BOTTOM of the plate at or close to the level of the face of the guitar.

 

[Barnaby]

For some reason I missed this when you posted all the info and only found it today after remembering the thread and going hunting for it. This is awesome stuff - thanks a ton!!!

 

[decoy205]

This is gonna be goooood!

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

If anybody wants that Calcultor just pm me.... But use at your own risk.... It works.. But your measurements need to be good.. Like... Dont assume that your bridge is .5 inches high, take the fudge factor to zero and then find out that your bridge is .65 inches high later.... You won't have a good day!

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

OK.... the parts have arrived, and the neck blank is cut to form..

body wings be going on soon!

Yes, thats a Schaller Floyd
Yes, those are Steinberger tuners
Yes, those are LED's

Going with a flame maple headplate, which will be stained black and edge bursted to match the body, had toyed with ebony.. but.. Maple makes more sense!

 

[EatBacon]

I'm very interested in this one, rock on.

 

[kboman]

Yep, I'm subscribed

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

Ok… so here’s a progress update for this build.. yesterday I cut the neck blank down and keystoned it for the top.

Then I joined the body wings and glued it up.

Next on the “to do list”:
Join the top and glue it together and plane down headstock ears out of the neck blank scrap.

I‘m gonna try to get to at least one thing per night, however, they got me workin 13 hour shifts for the next week straight because of this idiotic storm.

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

Ok.. Got the top lined up and glued up… Can’t wait to see this one under clear!

May not get much more done this week.. hurricane is ass hammering us and I might not make it home from this freakin hell that pays my health insurance for a couple days.

 

[jessejames]

I always thought floating trems usually had a neck angle of 0-1 degrees, are you using high frets?

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

High frets require more of a neck angle, yes.
However, you have to take into account the point at which the neck actually breaks..
The further from the bridge, the lower the angle.
On a superstrat style guitar the neck to body join is usually the neck break location as well, and a shim is added over the body resulting in the bottom of the board being a mm or so above the body of the guitar and sitting on the shim.. (in a bolt on neck , usually, you just adjust the pocket depth so that your fretboard is at whatever height you want it and there is no neck angle)
On a Les Paul, the neck break is at the end of the fingerboard, and the body join is at the 16th fret, the entire face of the guitar slopes down forward of the en of the fingerboard.
Because this is a 24 fret guitar, the end of the board is even closer than it would be on a standard Paul. (I have adjusted the neck to body join to about the 17th fret to compensate and keep the ergonomics and lower horn in relatively close proximity to a 22 fret fingerboard.

if you were have a flat topped Paul and use a shim at the 16th fret, the angle would be on the order of 1 degree or so for a countersunk Floyd.. but it would look weird!!
FINALLY, there is also the matter of the pickup plane…. That the body of the guitar slopes from the bridge to the end of the neck anyway… This is why LP’s have such a relatively HUGE neck angle…
3.5 degrees is PLENTY of angle, too much in fact, for a Jr with a flat top.. but on a standard, with a 1 degree pickup plane, 3.5 degrees of neck angle (relative to horizontal, will not fit a TOM ), you need at least 4 degrees.. 4.5 is comfortable, gibby usually uses 5

 

[Ekphrastic]

^ And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love this forum--guys who really know their stuff sharing their wisdom.

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

^ And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love this forum--guys who really know their stuff sharing their wisdom.

I don't know about wisdom.. but you learn pretty quick when you're starting out, there's no forum like this, and you put the wrong angle on a neckthru blank and end up with a fender brdige on a guitar you wanted a TOM on!!

that neck calculator is about 10 years old BTW!!!!!!

honestly, I rarely use it anymore.... but.. it does come in handy at times, especially with a bridge i'm not used to.. and it does make a good double chek to the measurements i've come up with by hand

 

[j.six]

::coughcough::Or you wind up recessing a wraparound bridge ::coughcough::

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

::coughcough::Or you wind up recessing a wraparound bridge ::coughcough::

Or.. ***cough cough*** countersinking a TOM on the first guitar you ever built because you bought a carvin neckthru over the PHONE from a catalogue add in the 90's.... and just didnt know any goddam better... *hhaack*

 

[H.E.L.Shane]

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