Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Blind Lemon Cello on July 28, 2016 at 2:30am

I built a Lowebow copy with 30" scale, FFCF.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on July 28, 2016 at 3:48pm

Yeah. Measure your strings and go from there. Seems silly but get your design right and standard strings might reach. 

I recently saw the tail stop made from nails that the tail of the string ball hole fit. If you get that into the design it might let standard strings stretch a bit further. 

Working out fret placement is easy.. Scale length x 0.9438743127 (fret 1) x 0.9438743127 (fret 2) etc etc..

Check your 12th is in the middle.

Oh and think about strengthening the neck.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 7, 2016 at 10:37am

Yup, answering myself on a side note but I'm getting stuff ready for a 27-28 inch 4 stringer.

One of the things I need is a T section bar trus rod for the neck. 

I also need preparation for neck curvature and fret level off to deal with that extra large bass string vibration so that it clears the frets near the heel of the neck. Good luck making yours, I know I will need it making mine.

Permalink Reply by Ken Vickerson on August 7, 2016 at 10:51am

Thanks F I've settled on a 29" scale but don't have enough knowledge to understand what you are trying to tell me. I get that you are trying to reinforce the neck with a mechanical device but I'm not familiar with a T bar truss rod, can you send a photo, I can likely make one. How are you stringing yours? Are you concerned with the neck bowing and where is the heel of the neck? Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks Ken

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 22, 2016 at 1:13pm

I'm nearing completion of mine.

I can't see any way of getting pictures onto this post, it seems pretty random on this website and it is extremely annoying. I will have to attach them at the bottom somehow.

I figured the best way to do this, considering string length, was to make it headless with the tuners at the tail stop. This would give me the best option to increase my overall scale length without having to use non-standared strings.

I embedded a 50cm long 3/4 x 3/4" aluminium T section bar down the length of the neck as I wanted a 3cm x 3cm D section neck where the nut is down to a 4cm x 3cm D section where the neck enters the body.
This should give me a string spread of 8mm at the nut to roughly 11mm at the bridge. (Mine is 4 strings. I feel that it would need some reinforcement to prevent bowing.)

It isn't completed yet but I can tell just now that it's going to be a monster of a guitar to play with the first 3 frets having a spread of roughly 4&1/2 inches.

Pictures in the reply to this post when I can get them online.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 22, 2016 at 1:31pm

Sorry these pictures got reversed, android tablets and this website act like sodium and water sometimes.. Things get a bit crazy.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 22, 2016 at 1:43pm

The bridge and string tree will just repeat something like my last build (a baritone ukulele)

Something similar to this but I think I will carve a bridge out of hardwood and top it with a fret (or a nail or something)

Permalink Reply by Ken Vickerson on August 25, 2016 at 7:13am

Very cool!  The photos of the aluminum extrusion give me a better idea of how you reinforced the neck.  How did you mill a space for it?  I like the idea of tuners at the bottom and would like to see a photo of their position on the interior.  How's play?

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 25, 2016 at 9:17am

It's not finished yet. I need to find some form of string fixing at the nut. I was going to use nails but I have a feeling that I will hate this and there is a very good chance they will bend and the string will slip off them. I'm thinking of a metal plate with holes.

This guitar is a first for me and is purely experimental. I'm not sure how it will turn out :)

Have you started your design yet?

Edit. I didn't mill it out of one piece. I split the neck into 3 to fit all sides of the T. Two at the back and one flat for the fretboard. Then chiseled out the wood so the T would fit snug. I've glued it all together and added some prayers to it.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 25, 2016 at 9:40am

On a side note..

When I fretted this, the space between the nut and the first fret is 1&1/2 inch, the distance between the nut and the third fret is 4&1/2 inches!

This is 28 inch scale. It's a monster and looks more like a bass guitar than a normal guitar.

Just something to consider.

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 27, 2016 at 5:30am

Heres some shots of the insides, sorry I can't show how I did this more clearly as it's nearing completion. Basically I took a 2cm x 4cm block and halved it, then cut out a channel to fit my tuners then put the two halves back together again. I hope you can make it out.

There's also a shot of how I fixed my strings to the top of the neck, not sure if I will build a spacer nut as the strings are pretty much fixed in place. To change strings you pull the pin out from the loops. Not a great design as you have to loosen all the strings just to change one but I was pressed for space and didn't want it too complicated.

Attachments:

• 20160826_150918-01.jpeg, 1.9 MB
• 20160826_150942-02.jpeg, 489 KB
• 20160826_152356-01.jpeg, 752 KB

Permalink Reply by Ken Vickerson on September 1, 2016 at 6:23am

Thanks for the photos. I can see why you reinforced your neck. I just finished mine (photos posted) and I have a neck bowing problem. I used medium gauge strings and tuned it an octave lower so the strings were loose enough to meet the fret board without too much effort. I tuned it to G1D2G2 but I'm considering alternate tuning. It has a buzz on one string that I haven't located yet, it might be the piezo but I haven't reopened it yet to check. I was hoping that an oak neck would be strong enough to prevent the bowing, no such luck. Thanks for sharing your build with me, I'm learning a lot!

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