Repairing and modding damaged acoustic guitar

Post by **bicostp** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:32 pm

There's no way to salvage the truss rod from the existing neck? (I think it just goes in a slot in the neck and gets covered by the fretboard; "How It's Made" said so.)

That is, if the neck is beyond repair.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:39 pm

I was just thinking that. The intention is to salvage the fretboard, because I'm definitely not gonna fret it myself

and I also plan to salvage the headstock. I'll cut a wedge in the new neck to put it on. I don't know how hard it would be to put in the truss rod. Does it just go in there? Is it just a simple metal rod?

limpport · Post by **limpport** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:24 pm

Thought this might help:

http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator

It'll probably help a bit, if you are going to totally replace the neck

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:48 pm

I'm way too lazy to fret it myself, so the plan is to salvage the fretboard from the existing neck and put it on the new one. It takes little more than an iron and a sharpened putty knife to remove it. Thanks though.

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:38 pm

Edutainment wrote:I can't play fretless. Does anyone have the measurements of a baseball bat, 'cause I sorta doubt it's wide enough, mainly near the bottom. If it were too wide it would be okay, but I can't really add on to it.

EDIT: I actually did find a bat that may be wide enough. It's a practice bat or something called the Akadema Barbell Bat. It doesn't have a gradual curve like a usual bat. It has a straight handle and a straight 2 3/4" barrel (that's what it's called right?). 2 3/4" is wider than I need but still. If that part of the bat is the length of a standard fretboard, which I figure it is, then it could work with a bit of modification by someone less lazy than myself.

EDIT: If it was cut a little more than in half, like 5 eights or something, then the smaller part would be narrower, less modding. This could make a viable DIY neck, but not for me since it's $50. I'll remember it if I ever have another guitar needing a new neck though. Plus, I only need to make a new neck if this glue doesn't work. Let's not get ahead of ourselves

what do you mean you can't play fretless? The guitar doesn't need the frets to actually make notes.. there just there to show where the notes are.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:43 pm

I've only been playing for like a year.

dragonball345 · Post by **dragonball345** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:47 pm

man this is funny you live in ontario too i just thought of it whn i saw your guitar since my music room at my highschool has a bunch of tattered guitars one with a bunch of stickers 2.

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:57 pm

Edutainment wrote:I've only been playing for like a year.

oh.. well once you take the frets out, and fill the cracks in, you can still see where the fret used to be. You could also put the standard 3 5 7 9 12 dots on.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:08 pm

True, but why the extra work of pulling out the frets when I plan to use the existing fretboard?

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:14 pm

because in your first post you said you wanted to do mods?

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:23 pm

Good point

I have a great idea for the paint job (more of a decoupage job, though). I don't expect most of you to know what it is (anyone seen Eraserhead?) but here are the pics...

Potser:

Photoshop of what I hope for it to look like:

I'm gonna print it out at Kinkos and decoupage it on (put layers of shiny stuff over it until it blends with the finish).

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:34 pm

What you should do, is make this a vintage guitar. Scuff up everything, make it look worn and really used. Plus with the image it would be sick.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:40 pm

Yea reliced guitars look sick, but I don't know about acoustic relics. I wanted to do it to my Strat but though it'd be cooler if it got that way through years of playing and wear. I'm definitely gonna electrify it but I can't think of any other mods I'd wanna do.

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:46 pm

definitely build a pickup into it. Thats a must. Then you could put some strap knobs on there, like on a les paul would be cool. (one on the back of the neck, where the neck meets the body, and one in the normal position.) You could also carve your out your own style headstock, and maybe put your own inlays throughout the neck <--- would be sick.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:48 pm

I'm thinking of using a piezo as the pickup, as I may use nylon strings in it, we'll see.

I don't have the woodworking skill to carve out a headstock or do inlays. Well maybe a headstock but the intention was to splice on the old headstock (and maybe try a cool inlay in the headstock). Actually, I might also be able to do inlays but I don't wanna do it on the fretboard without having done it before because that's the only fretboard I have so I can't mess it up.

Project budget: As low as possible