LP Special P90 Build

[Moodivarius]

Interesting option for the neck joint. Usually the singlecut specials/Jr's have the cutaway shelf and the full size tenon as a way to avoid potentially problematic narrow wedges under the fretboard that taper to nothing.

I looked all of that over before deciding what to do with our build.

The Epi’s & Gibson TV Yellow, looked like a full sized tenon, but the Gibson LP Special Tribute looked more like the body in the cut-away, ran out to the neck joint, like a regular LP.
The TV yellow have the body step out at the cut-away, to cover the edge of the full width neck tenon. Another obstruction, when trying to work the higher registry, we didn’t like.

Tribute

Here you can see on the TV Yellow, the fingerboard rises, as it gets to the end by the neck pickup, to get the proper neck angle.

Now looking at things on the Tribute, maybe Gibson angled the front part of the body to follow the taper of the mortise to create fingerboard flat with the face of the body?
If not, zero neck angel, and the action will always be high.

I will have to add little wedges under our fingerboard to fill the void between fingerboard & body. Thought of that before we started. Just assumed Gibson did that on the Tribute. But maybe they did something different.


Scott

 

[ARandall]

I think they must have a subtle neck plane. I can't think of any way that the equation of the bridge height clearance could be worked out.....even with the bridge slammed down to the top.

 

[Moodivarius]

Today was marker dots, fret slot clean out, final sanding of fingerboard, & fretting.

Had Rick mark all of the dots for drilling.

Drilling the marker dots.

Glued in.

Cleaning out the fret slots after final sanding.

Slight dab of CA glue for the frets.

Pressing them in.

Nipping off the frets.

Touched the edges down the oscillating sander to flush with fingerboard.

The apprentice is doing well.

Next will be, bevel fret edges, cut & trim headstock shape, then profile the neck.



Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

Headstock design, and routing tonight.

Rick wanted the Gibsonish look, but altered. After 2 different template routes, he liked the second design.
Much like the Gibson shape, but more of a crown than a moustache.

Trimmed on the router.

Drew the side profile on the neck, & cut that on the bandsaw.

Still a bit thick, but some carving room.

The Happy Apprentice.

Side dots & neck carve next.


Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

Tonight we installed fret dots, drilled a hole from neck pickup cavity to bridge pickup cavity for wiring. Added wedges under fingerboard to fill void to match up with the body, beveled fret ends, and also did the neck carve.


Used a a 12” bit from the neck pocket through neck pickup route, to bridge pickup route?

Came out in perfect line with bridge pickup hole to rear control cavity hole.

Small mahogany wedges at 3 deg angle to match proper neck angle. Cut wider, and longer, sanded flush with side and end of fingerboard.

Filled gap perfectly.

Now the neck carve.



Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

The apprentice doing his neck carve.


Roughing things out with the Shinto rasp/knife.

Now onto the wide emery to rough sand and round.

Just over the 0.84”-0.92”

Neck & fingerboard wedge joint looking nice.

Our next session will be refining the heel, the volute, then gluing the neck to the body.

Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

More sculpting of the neck.

From this,

To this,

Ready to glue it on.

Wait for the glue to dry.

Another evening prepping for the finish work.


Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

Last night I had Rick do some fretwork.

A little bevel on the corner of the body, to make a nicer transition to the upper frets. A bit more final sanding of the joint are before any finishing can be done.

Hanging out with the Birdseye LP.

Rick is on a week long holiday, so we won’t have any posts until he is back.



Scott

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

and exactly what kind of guy would take a week long vacation and not spend it working on a guitar....something is very suspect here. but seriously, you and he both are doing fine. one of my favorite threads happening here.

 

[Hector07]

Great thread!

 

[Moodivarius]

Well, my buddy Rick took it home & did the grain-fill & final sanding.

Last evening he came over & I sprayed a couple sealer coats of lacquer.

The neck grain has a bit of figuring.

This aft, I had time to mask & give the headstock some colour. Rick wanted to show the grain, so he didn’t grain-fill the face of the headstock.

It’ll shine up with the next bunch of coats of clear nitro lacquer, early next week.



Scott

 

[LtDave32]

This is a great photo - op for instruction.

Ever wonder why some LP jrs and specials have a 2-degree neck angle (or even less, in some cases) and others have the standard 3-degree neck angle?

Here's why. Look at the reveal of the neck wood at the point where the top edge of the body meets the neck:

See that bit of reveal?

Now, the three-degree config:

It goes from zero where the body top edge meets the neck, to three degrees at the end of the FB/ neck.

The added height of the strings over the bridge because of the rise of the neck over the body top requires less angle.

Scott, you're doing a great job of it. Nice work!

 

[Moodivarius]

This is a great photo - op for instruction.

Ever wonder why some LP jrs and specials have a 2-degree neck angle (or even less, in some cases) and others have the standard 3-degree neck angle?

Here's why. Look at the reveal of the neck wood at the point where the top edge of the body meets the neck:

View attachment 616112

See that bit of reveal?

Now, the three-degree config:

View attachment 616113

It goes from zero where the body top edge meets the neck, to three degrees at the end of the FB/ neck.

The added height of the strings over the bridge because of the rise of the neck over the body top requires less angle.

Scott, you're doing a great job of it. Nice work!

Thanks Dave.


My second set neck build, first LP Special.




Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

A light sanding, wipe down, and sprayed 3 more coats of nitro this evening.

Got Rick on the spray gun to do the larger, flat areas.

Coming along nice.

Pics of guitar in daylight tomorrow.


Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

Tonight, we came up with some waterslide headstock decals, an sprayed 3 more coats of nitro.

Ricks last name Smith, hence the “Smitty”

Turned out better than I was hoping.



Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

After 7 coats of nitro.

A level sand, and then more coats.



Scott

 

[Moodivarius]

3 more coats of 60/40 nitro/thinner.
Poor lighting in the basement.

The Happy Apprentice.

Waiting for pickups to arrive.



Scott

 

[CB91710]