New build, Jazzmaster

[ricky1918]

Hi all, so in these days I've started working on a new guitar. I can't paint the other one I'm finishing because of the weather (too humid and cold) so it'll have to wait until spring.
Therefore I started a new one.

Nothing really special, as I am going for a standard jazzmaster.
Poplar body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard.

Here are some pics of where I am right now, it's gonna be a slow build as I got to study for some exams in the next weeks.






I'm trying to build the pickups too. First thing that came to my mind while thinking about what I could use to make the bobbins, was fiberglass.
So here's what I ended up with:





I still have to put them together and wind them.
I'll use a turntable to wind them. Not the fastest machine, but that's what I've got right now. And that's how Seymour Duncan started, so it should work just fine.

The poplar body:










So this is where I am right now. I glued the little piece that couldn't fit in my blank.
I'd like to route the body tomorrow and drill/route the cavities, Sunday. We'll see.

I have to order the neck blank and truss rod, since I found out I couldn't put together some scraps I had around.



Right now I think it'll be painted with british racing green, and some racing stripes in cream. like a Porsche from the 70s. block inlays and bound fingerboard. But we'll see what I end up with

 

[ARandall]

Nice.....I just got some premade templates for the Jazzmaster......will use it to remake a Jaguar body too.

It might be worth making a second template for the deeper routs......upper and lower electrics and trem. I don't know the precise Jazzmaster pickup attachment method, but I think the pickup part of the rout is much shallower than the electrics for that reason. The premade templates have a pickup rout template separate to the 'body outline +electrics & trem'

 

[ricky1918]

I didn't buy the templates because I didn't want to wait for them to arrive, and also because I'm cheap.

You are correct, the cavities are at different depths, I didn't make the pickup templates yet but I'm going to!

 

[ARandall]

I just wonder how you're going to stop the deeper rout on the pickup side of affairs. I mean I guess you could freehand it......but I always like to have straight/clean rout lines even if they're hidden.

 

[ricky1918]

Forgive me if I'm not clear.
I will fill the pickup holes in the main template with some mdf, drill and route the deeper cavities, then remove the mdf I put in the shallower pickup cavities and route them.

I can't find a photo of template I'm "copying" online, but it just has these two filler for the pickup holes!

 

[cooljuk]

You'll torture yourself (and probably end up with very loose and uneven coils) trying to wind for hours and hours on a turntable (even if you find one that does 78 RMP).

I imagine you have a drill press, or at least a screw gun, if you're building a guitar. Give that a try for turning your bobbins, instead. It will go much faster and you'll probably end up with more evenly wound and tighter coils.

Bevel and polish the edges of your acrylic bobbin flanges to keep from snagging the wire, as well.



I'll subscribe and follow along.

 

[ricky1918]

Gentlemen, I did very little work today. But still some progress.



Routed the body shape. Sanded the edges a bit and did the arm rest, but I'm not 100% satisfied about it. I'll have to try how it feels.
I started the belly cut too, but couldn't finish it.

Cooljuk, thank you for the tips and the subscription. I do have a screw gun, my only issue with using it as a winder is that I have to find a way to easily set and modify the speed. I'll try some ideas I had, hoping they work.

 

[cain61]

Ricky, the Jazzmaster is the only fender guitar I can stand to hear, so I'm subscribed!

 

[cooljuk]

Cooljuk, thank you for the tips and the subscription. I do have a screw gun, my only issue with using it as a winder is that I have to find a way to easily set and modify the speed. I'll try some ideas I had, hoping they work.

Band clamp? C-clamp? Zip-tie? Tourniquet? I've never actually done it this way. Just some ideas. If you wanted to get really fancy you could relocate the speed control from the screw gun to a pot on a panel or a rocker pedal, but at that point you're starting to build a winding machine.

Looking forward to the build progress.

 

[ricky1918]

Thanks guys! I just ordered the material for the neck and the binding for the fretboard.
I couldn't find neck wood for my budget in my area. They only had some big a$$ piece of flamed maple for tops, and I didn't need all that stuff. shame, 100 miles trip just to get a fretboard and a good look at their other woods wan't really worth it.

Today I did the belly cut.




For the pickups:

Band clamp. zip tie and tourniquet aren't viable options since I'd need to change the speed easily.
Maybe a C-clamp, I already have a way to fix the screw gun to my workbench.

Pickups will have to wait for the covers to arrive, I want to make sure that the poles fit in the covers!

 

[Andyb0378]

I love Jazzmasters, the colour scheme should look great. Am I right in thinking that Poplar is also called Tulip wood, or have I just made that up?

 

[ricky1918]

Andy, I really think the color should work great. I took inspiration from this one:

It's all going to be a challenge. I'd love to try the numbers on the back too

I'm waiting for the neck wood to arrive, right now.


Quick question guys, my finished neck should end up being about 25mm (1").
The fingerboard blank I have is about 9mm tall, I still have to sand it a little because the back is a little rough.

If I end up with a fretboard taller than the usual 6/7mm, how should I build the neck?
Can I just plane it to the required height and therefore have the maple at about 16mm instead of the "usual" 19mm? Would this cause problems for the truss rod?

 

[ARandall]

I love Jazzmasters, the colour scheme should look great. Am I right in thinking that Poplar is also called Tulip wood, or have I just made that up?

The Poplar itself is not the tulip tree. Some of them get common names mixed together as they might have similar shapes of growth.

 

[emoney]

Y'up,, Poplar is Poplar. I haven't built a Jazzmaster, but I am in process of building myself
a strat and the control area is what you need deeper in order to allow the switch to sit in.
I routed my Strat body with 3 different levels; 1)main p'up area, 2)electronics cavity and
3)switch cavity. I'm using Basswood so I didn't need weight relief and wanted to keep
as much wood as I could, hence the reason to only take the deepest route in the smallest
area.

 

[Stevis Beavis]

I'm liking your build man. It's coming along great! I'm also building a Jazzmaster at the moment, but it's blocked out and double bound more like a Tele. I'm making it for a Christmas gift for my Dad. Hope he digs it.

 

[ricky1918]

Y'up,, Poplar is Poplar. I haven't built a Jazzmaster, but I am in process of building myself
a strat and the control area is what you need deeper in order to allow the switch to sit in.
I routed my Strat body with 3 different levels; 1)main p'up area, 2)electronics cavity and
3)switch cavity. I'm using Basswood so I didn't need weight relief and wanted to keep
as much wood as I could, hence the reason to only take the deepest route in the smallest
area.

I drilled the body today - tomorrow the routing!

I went for 1 3/16" instead of 1 3/8" for the lead cavity, figured I can always drill some more if I really need that extra 1/4" I didn't drill today.



Steve, your Jazzmaster is beautiful!! The burst is perfect, I could stare at that back for hours. Love the binding too, how's the neck going to be?

 

[Stevis Beavis]

Thanks Ricky! I'm using a standard 25.5" scale Strat neck but with a rosewood fretboard and pearl block inlays. It should look pretty killer.

 

[ricky1918]

Yes it should!! post a pic when it's finished!!

Today I completed the routing of the cavities. It didn't turn out as tidy as I'd wanted it to, though.




I didn't route the neck pocket, as I want to wait for the neck to be ready and shape the pocket around it.

Now I have to wait for the wood and trussrod, the body is nearly finished. I only have to round the edges, and it should be done.

 

[ricky1918]

OK so today I received the neck blank, the fingerboard binding and the truss rod.

I hope to start the neck as soon as possible, I'm a little worried about ruining the fretboard while routing the binding channel.

I also bought a cheap palm sander, in the meantime.

 

[johnP-90]

Hi ricky1918, maybe a bit late in the build to offer any help with the templates as looks like your mostly there now, but important you get an accurate and centered neck pocket rout and make an accurate template for whatever neck yer using. (Use the neck your getting and draw the outline on a piece of 12mm mdf board, with a center line and cut it by hand with a jigsaw and finsh it with rasps etc until on center, and a snug fit with the neck. Clamp it on center and rout to about 9/16" not 5/8" depending on bridge choice and neck) JM necks sat 1/16" higher than strats because of the Mustang style rocking bridge hieght. What bridge are you using btw?

I have a full set of jazzmaster templates having done a scratch build years ago, when on "Ofset Guitar Forum" most of the time, before I pissed them of building Tele's...

Heres a set of templates I knocked up today for a friend of mine, I have a neck template and routing template for the cavity's and depth guide if yer need any help. A bit late now but if you need any help PM me or reply. Heres the templates being copy cut for another build.






If you need a set yerself I can make them and post to Italy, as looks like your a fan of the quirky and a bit mad "Jazzmaster". Heres my one with 70's CBS rediculous headstock shape.




Not trying to steal yer thunder man as your is done with minimal tools, templates and help and not a bad job friend, as not exactly an easy guitar to build either. If I can help let me know.

Kind regards, John