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©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware 

Page 4 

 

Tools

 

 

An

 

aluminum

 

straightedge:

 

18

″ 

 

36

″ 

long

 

 

Painter’s

 

masking

 

tape

 

 

A

 

guitar

 

mat:

 

A

 

scrap

 

of

 

foam

 

or

 

old

 

carpet

 

to

 

place

 

the

 

guitar

 

on

 

to

 

protect

 

it

 

while

 

you’re

 

working

 

on

 

it.

 

 

Wood

 

glue:

 

Titebond®

 

Original

 

Wood

 

glue

 

is

 

recommended

 

 

Razor

 

knife:

 

X

Acto®,

 

for

 

example

 

 

Single

 

edge

 

razor

 

blade

 

with

 

handle:

 

Used

 

for

 

scraping

 

 

Finishing

 

supplies:

 

Stain

 

(optional)

 

or

 

paint

 

(optional),

 

clear

 

coat

 

(recommended).

 

What

 

type

 

of

 

stain

 

or

 

paint

 

and

 

clear

 

coat

 

is

 

the

 

builder’s

 

preference.

 

 

Sandpaper:

 

100

 

and

 

220

 

grit

 

is

 

required,

 

320

 

or

 

400

 

is

 

optional

 

 

Clamps:

 

At

 

least

 

one

 

24

″ 

bar

 

clamp

 

for

 

the

 

neck

body

 

joint.

 

Two

 

12

″ 

bar

 

clamps.

 

Three

 

wooden

 

cam

 

clamps

 

with

 

a

 

throat

 

depth

 

of

 

4

 

1/2

″ 

 

6

″ 

are

 

optional.

 

 

Round

 

needle

 

file

 

 

Electric

 

drill

 

(or

 

drill

 

press)

 

and

 

drill

 

bits:

 

1/16

,

 

5/64

,

 

3/16

 

 

Screwdriver(s):

 

Several

 

small

 

Phillips

 

Assembly

 

Steps

 

1.

 

Dry

 

Fit

 

the

 

Neck

 

Joint

 

The

 

first

 

step

 

is

 

to

 

check

 

the

 

fit

 

of

 

the

 

neck

 

to

 

the

 

body.

 

There

 

may

 

be

 

some

 

residual

 

glue

 

and/or

 

sawdust

 

left

 

in

 

the

 

joint

 

remaining

 

from

 

the

 

manufacturing

 

process.

 

This

 

should

 

be

 

removed

 

so

 

that

 

the

 

joint

 

is

 

clean

 

and

 

smooth

 

and

 

there

 

are

 

no

 

gaps

 

between

 

the

 

neck

 

and

 

the

 

body

 

when

 

the

 

two

 

are

 

fitted

 

together.

 

Ensure

 

that

 

all

 

3

 

dowels

 

are

 

in

 

place

 

and

 

fit

 

snugly.

 

Note

 

that

 

when

 

assembling

 

the

 

neck

 

and

 

the

 

body,

 

the

 

truss

 

rod

 

that

 

is

 

attached

 

to

 

the

 

neck

 

must

 

fit

 

through

 

the

 

slot

 

cut

 

in

 

the

 

top

 

of

 

the

 

body.

 

See

 

Figure

 

1:

 

Neck

 

Joint

.

 

 

Figure

 

1:

 

Neck

 

Joint

 

At

 

this

 

point

 

it

 

is

 

also

 

a

 

good

 

idea

 

to

 

do

 

a

 

dry

 

run

 

of

 

the

 

clamp

 

setup

 

that

 

will

 

be

 

used

 

when

 

the

 

joint

 

is

 

actually

 

glued.

 

One

 

clamp

 

is

 

needed

 

to

 

apply

 

pressure

 

from

 

the

 

neck

 

heel

 

to

 

the

 

body

 

and

 

another

 

clamp

 

is

 

needed

 

to

 

apply

 

pressure

 

from

 

the

 

fretboard

 

extension

 

to

 

the

 

soundboard

 

(the

 

top

 

of

 

the

 

body).

Summary of Contents for ACOUSTIC GUITAR KIT

Page 1: ...k 5 3 Mask the Fretboard and Soundhole 5 4 Stain and Finish the Neck and Body Apply Rosette Decal 7 5 Glue the Neck to the Body 7 6 Install the Tuning Machines 8 7 Glue the Nut in Place 9 8 Install th...

Page 2: ...hat will pr Its shape is k the instructio y tools A razo the finish body Made ply ABS plasti d back to the neck Nato w board and sin Made from Note that is etric It is impo nto the bridge on pins kman...

Page 3: ...djustmen for example s is a water de chines Ferrul machines for t ar neck wher ing machines and Felt Pad re should be This hex wre r neck Truss r but is somet dity or sting t Truss rods ar t isn t a f...

Page 4: ...drill bits 1 16 5 64 3 16 Screwdriver s Several small Phillips Assembly Steps 1 Dry Fit the Neck Joint The first step is to check the fit of the neck to the body There may be some residual glue and or...

Page 5: ...a finish sand all wooden parts of the guitar Most parts are probably ready for 220 or 320 grit sandpaper some areas might need slightly courser grit first Sanding to finer grit is personal preference...

Page 6: ...glued depending on the builder s preference However if stain or some other type of finish that is absorbed into the wood is to be used the neck joint area must be masked Once the stain is absorbed int...

Page 7: ...it is wet it should slide around on the guitar with slight fingertip pressure If it starts to get stuck and needs to be repositioned dampen your finger in the bowl of water and wipe it around the surf...

Page 8: ...hea ount of Titebo ert the ferrul Figure 5 Gl the glue has e are 3 for the There will no ed with a 1 16 chines are alig 0 degree ang the fretboard st using mas rotected Now tions for doin aper to smoo...

Page 9: ...ances the nut may be slightly wider than the neck If that is the case look in Advanced Step Filing the Nut to Match the Neck Width 8 Install the Bridge The scale length of this guitar the distance fro...

Page 10: ...des of the bridge Continue making marks on masking tape until the bridge can be accurately placed in the proper location perpendicular to the neck It might be helpful to transfer the center point of t...

Page 11: ...e will be located A wooden caul might be needed between the clamp and the bridge patch to allow the clamps to extend over the bracing inside the body Be sure to use padding on top of the bridge to pre...

Page 12: ...r this task A more commonly available and less expensive tool is a round needle file Use the needle file to slowly enlarge the top of the bridge pin holes tapering them toward the bottom Keep checking...

Page 13: ...strap button onto the guitar body Be sure the felt button is in place to protect the guitar finish Figure 13 Strap Button Installation 12 Oil the Fretboard and Bridge Use cloth with a small amount of...

Page 14: ...ile the neck is attached to the body it is a good time to check the neck joint alignment The neck should be perpendicular to the body side to side and the fretboard needs to have a very slight angle T...

Page 15: ...he bridge or is more than 1 8 above the top of the bridge adjustments may need to be made to the neck heel To make adjustments use a sharp chisel a file or a card scraper to remove material from the a...

Page 16: ...o https www youtube com watch v d5DaSHIID s or http youtu be d5DaSHIID s Changing Steel Strings PDF http www taylorguitars com sites default files Steel_Restring pdf GuitarTuna guitar tuner smartphone...

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