Strat kit with a dash of neck twist

[iH8usrnames]

Received the replacement this; this is already much improved over the original.

Original was rift sawn (45*) grain pattern:



new has grain running completely side to side. Fretboard is nicer too.



I should add, I imagine if would be better for the grain to run vertically through the neck for greater structural strength. Horizontal, while not as strong will still be stable but may lean on the truss rod a bit more. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Torvald]

I was hoping they'd send you a new neck! I bought a fretboard from them that required a lot of sanding because of a low spot. When I told them about it they credited me back what I had paid for it.

 

[Marvin Martian]

That refret looks great! You got a lot of practice AND a new neck. Will be looking forward to seeing what you can build from ground up.

 

[iH8usrnames]

I was hoping they'd send you a new neck! I bought a fretboard from them that required a lot of sanding because of a low spot. When I told them about it they credited me back what I had paid for it.

Honestly, I am quite impressed with Stewmac's customer service.

Laid a notched straight edge on the fingerboard - perfect.
Laid a straight edge on the frets - perfect (I did not check with rocker, yet).
Currently applying finish to the neck prior to mounting to body.
I will follow up as it progresses.

 

[iH8usrnames]

I received my replacement neck on Friday.
First, checked with notched straight edge - nearly perfect - to the point it it would be crazy to complain.

Light sanding then applied roughly 4 coats of tru-oil for a few days: about 12-15 passes.

Trued the frets with 9-1/2” radius block, dressed and polished.

Guitar is assembled now and all previous issues have been resolved.

Next; do people put something on the rosewood? I’m thinking a quick wipe with boiled linseed oil (BLO). Something make it look a bit deeper.

 

[StratoMutt]

Off topic... Love the avie! Good old Jack Elam.

 

[iH8usrnames]

Off topic... Love the avie! Good old Jack Elam.

View attachment 633912

He is always on topic.

 

[simoncroft]

I received my replacement neck on Friday.
First, checked with notched straight edge - nearly perfect - to the point it it would be crazy to complain.

Light sanding then applied roughly 4 coats of tru-oil for a few days: about 12-15 passes.

Trued the frets with 9-1/2” radius block, dressed and polished.

Guitar is assembled now and all previous issues have been resolved.

Next; do people put something on the rosewood? I’m thinking a quick wipe with boiled linseed oil (BLO). Something make it look a bit deeper.

Good to hear your build is going well. I would really advise against BLO. It will leave a sticky mess on your board. I know not everyone approves of this, but I've always found Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil brings out the grain and gives a nice sheen.

 

[StratoMutt]

Good to hear your build is going well. I would really advise against BLO. It will leave a sticky mess on your board. I know not everyone approves of this, but I've always found Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil brings out the grain and gives a nice sheen.

Agreed. BLO is a bad idea.

 

[Cyberi4n]

There's a luthier in England who sells his own fingerboard conditioning wax. I'm giving that a go next. I've always used Lemon Oil on rosewood, but I'm starting to read now that it doesn't really condition, just cleans the grime away. Hang on, I'll find a link to that stuff I've just ordered...

Monty's Instrument Food - The Original Guitar Nourishing Wax

NOW IN A LARGE TIN AS STANDARD! Please allow us to introduce the original guitar finishing wax – Monty’s Instrument Food If you are looking to indulge your guitar Monty’s outrageously decadent Instrument Food is your only choice. Instrument Food is the perfect solution for conditioning...

www.montysguitars.com

 

[uncle daddy]

I've used BLO on a dozen fretboards and it's been fine. Thin coat, wipe off excess, leave to dry; no issues at all.

 

[iH8usrnames]

I've used BLO on a dozen fretboards and it's been fine. Thin coat, wipe off excess, leave to dry; no issues at all.

Yes. I'd imagine slathering it on there and leaving it wet would result in sticky misery.
My intent is wipe on, immediately wipe away excess. Done.

 

[dasherf17]

This is a bit of a continuation of my introduction thread as I think it is more relevant here.
New guy intro thread if you care to see background on this: https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/new-guy-kit-strat.598997/#post-5019261

Wife bought me a Wilkinson Modern Strat kit from Stewmac. Overall I am quite impressed with the quality minus my neck issues.

I've been fighting with this neck since I completed the build but always figured it was something I was doing wrong or did not understand.

• When I first completed the guitar I found buzzes in random places; no amount of bridge/truss rod adjustment would eliminate while leaving it remotely playable.
• I then bought a notched straight edge, fret rocker, and fret file, to dress the frets.
  • no amount of truss rod adjustment would allow the straight edge to touch the fingerboard the full length; always a gap someplace. I trued the notched straightedge on a calibrated granite stone from woodcraft and the issue persists.
  • I got it as close as I could using the notched straight edge and trued the frets using sandpaper and granite stone mentioned above.
  • I crowned the frets, checked with a fret rocker, everything should be good.
  • I did notice there appeared to be a bit of a twist to the fretboard when sighting town the neck. I wrote this off as possible optical illusion.
• Reassembled guitar and it played much better, however, I would still get a bit of buzz on the high E in a few place. I initially wrote that off to my amateur work.
  • I made several bridge and truss rod adjustments and noticed truss rod seems to affect EAD strings more than GBE; the high E being the worst. It seemed close to a 2:1 relationship. With 1st and last frets held down the low E may have 2mm of relief while high E had .5-1mm of apparently relief.
  • I ran it this way for a few weeks and had it very good minus a buzz here and there on B & E strings. I ultimately had to run the B & E higher off the frets than the low E to eliminate buzz.
• Most recent attempt as of Sunday
  • Bought a 9-1/2" radius block, removed all the frets using soldering iron and fret puller.
  • Redressed the fretboard with 220 & 400 grit paper. I found several low spots along the length with the space between 3 & 5 to be the worst.
  • Installed new Fender frets.
  • Trued the frets using the radius block with 220 and 400 grit paper.
  • Crowned the frets, used fret rocker to find high spots, trued again, crowned again.
  • I then sighted down the neck and it still had the appearance of a twist.
  • See photos of the neck with the winding sticks on it.

I now have the guitar reassembled and did a bit of measuring

• All neck relief measurements are with a capo on 1st fret and holding string down beyond last fret, measurement at 8th fret.
• Brand new set of Ernie Ball .010-.046 strings.
• Each measurement was after truss rod adjustment, estimate 1/10 turn (as much as I can adjust while strung to pitch and not wildly pushing strings with allen wrench).
• The first measurement is with the truss rod loose.

Low E: .026"
High E: .020

1/10 turn
Low E: .022
High E: .014"

1/10 turn
Low E: .019"
High E: .007"

1/10 turn
Low E: .012"
High E: .006"

Low E: .007"
High E: touching

See how this looks in the attached graph.

The divergence of the adjustment is what concerns me and it happens across the fretboard.
String
1. .007
2. .009
3. .011
4. .013
5. .015
6. .019
* These numbers above are not measured, they are estimated for illustration.

Even if I did a bad job dressing the frets, I cannot imagine it would also affect the rate of change with the truss rod.

Ultimately, I think I have a bum neck.

Also, if you have read all this, you are a seriously dedicated person and I truly appreciate it.

I don't know if you did, I just started reading...
Did you contact StewMac about the issue?

 

[iH8usrnames]

Y

I don't know if you did, I just started reading...
Did you contact StewMac about the issue?

Yes. They sent replacement. Mounted yesterday and 100% of my issues are resolved.

 

[trapdoor2]

Good ending. If you're familiar with BLO, it works fine. If not, it can be a nightmare. I use mineral oil...same way, but it doesn't catalyze. Soaks in a tiny bit, looks good. Might treat it again in 10 yrs.

Many of us obcess over tiny details like "the perfect action height". However, when you go for the lowest possible, you start getting into where changing temp and humidity can cause problems...and the chase is on. Much better to go a bit higher and learn to use it. No finicky guitars!

 

[Butcher of Strats]

BLO is a polymerizing finish, hardens like poly.
RW boards should get a penetrating oil that does not harden into a skin.
Mineral oil is best for RW and ebony etc.
Same as most "lemon oil" products but cheaper and no perfume.
Also same as fingerboard conditioner products, pretty much all of them are mineral oil plus perfume.
Some lemon oil products are furniture polish and contain either cleaning chemicals that strip oils from RW, or they contain silicone which you do not want near guitars.

I have used BLO which is different from "linseed oil" on guitar bodies, it adds a notable orange hue. Pretty if you want that.

 

[Geoff06]

Well, I say throw a full finish on that fretboard, maybe like Rickenbacker does. But to whatever level of shine the rest of the neck is.

Woods like rosewood look incredible with a quality and deliberate finish on them. I'm not trying to spark the hatred of the "How could you EVER put a finish on a non-maple fretboard, you horrendous, disgusting monster?!" crowd but seriously, there is so much character in a piece of wood that is never fully visible without a finish. Humidity/temp changes no longer matter as much and cleaning basically becomes a non-issue too.

Glad your new neck is a good one! Do we get to see the completed guitar?

Jack Elam's role in Firecreek has for some reason stuck with me. And his laughing, almost grotesque character in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

 

[iH8usrnames]

BLO is a polymerizing finish, hardens like poly.
RW boards should get a penetrating oil that does not harden into a skin.
Mineral oil is best for RW and ebony etc.
Same as most "lemon oil" products but cheaper and no perfume.
Also same as fingerboard conditioner products, pretty much all of them are mineral oil plus perfume.
Some lemon oil products are furniture polish and contain either cleaning chemicals that strip oils from RW, or they contain silicone which you do not want near guitars.

I have used BLO which is different from "linseed oil" on guitar bodies, it adds a notable orange hue. Pretty if you want that.

Respectfully, you are wrong.
There is linseed oil that takes forever to cure, if it ever truly does.
The is Polymerized linseed oil, which is heated in an oxygen free environment thus making it thicker and decreasing trying time.
Then there is Boiled Linseed Oil which has hardeners in it.

In any case, as with any finish, if applied too thick you will end up with a mess - be it BLO, spar varnish, etc.

In my case, I intended to apply the thinest amount imaginable and repeatedly wipe off excess. I think there is a knee jerk reaction where people imagine slathering oil on the fretboard and leaving it wet.

I ended up using mineral oil as I have that on hand too. Just enough to deepen the color of the fretboard.

 

[iH8usrnames]

Good ending. If you're familiar with BLO, it works fine. If not, it can be a nightmare. I use mineral oil...same way, but it doesn't catalyze. Soaks in a tiny bit, looks good. Might treat it again in 10 yrs.

Many of us obcess over tiny details like "the perfect action height". However, when you go for the lowest possible, you start getting into where changing temp and humidity can cause problems...and the chase is on. Much better to go a bit higher and learn to use it. No finicky guitars!

Admittedly, I am a nut about functional details. It is my nature; I want all tools and equipment I use to be in perfect working order so I become the weakest link, not the tool.

 

[iH8usrnames]

Well, I say throw a full finish on that fretboard, maybe like Rickenbacker does. But to whatever level of shine the rest of the neck is.

Woods like rosewood look incredible with a quality and deliberate finish on them. I'm not trying to spark the hatred of the "How could you EVER put a finish on a non-maple fretboard, you horrendous, disgusting monster?!" crowd but seriously, there is so much character in a piece of wood that is never fully visible without a finish. Humidity/temp changes no longer matter as much and cleaning basically becomes a non-issue too.

Glad your new neck is a good one! Do we get to see the completed guitar?

Jack Elam's role in Firecreek has for some reason stuck with me. And his laughing, almost grotesque character in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Full gloss finish on Maple, yes.
Full gloss finish on Rosewood is looking for trouble.
Rosewood is oily.
Frequently, if you apply an oil based varnish to rosewood it may never try. The oils in the wood react with the oil finish and its a mess.

I built a high gloss teak vanity a few years back and the spar varnish would not harden - then wisdom from my father. Seal it first with several coats of shellac - it creates a barrier between the oils in the teak and the finish. Did that and it worked like a charm.

This is a general rule with using any oily woods - teak, rosewood, ebony, Ipe, etc. That is why you rarely find those woods under I high gloss finish.

I will take a few photos of the neck tomorrow - I am quite pleased with the finish on the frets. The body of this guitar is temporary; I intend to build a new one from scratch, likely with a curly maple top and no pick guard - everything loaded from the back. It is possible, however, I become lazy and using front loading and pick guard.

Wenge veneer on a sub I built a few years ago.



Teak vanity.