The headstock is held only by its tuner post holes. Since i have rough cut a few necks i decided to start making neck jigs. The original neck jig by dan erlewine, now redesigned and improved. For beginners to experts is a stepbystep manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. In this video, i show the process of building a guitar neck rest caul. It uses a homemade overarm router and a 34 radius round over bit. If any itunes updates are available, click install. Dec 30, 2010 since you started with a flat board and returned to a flat board, you have no need for a neck jig when building a new neck. Made from aluminum this jig allows for precise neck alignment and control giving you a perfect neck joint. Your music, tv shows, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks will transfer automatically to the apple music, apple tv, apple podcasts, and apple books apps where youll still have access to your favorite itunes features, including purchases, rentals, and imports. Acoustic guitar neck routing jig rds guitars and wood. This makes for much more accurate fretwork, with less chance for weird necks to cause problems. It takes a little longer, but i think im ahead of the game in the long run. When the strings are removed, the neck jig holds the neck in the same curvature that existed under string tension.
The neck blank is now ready to go on the shaping jig. Mark erlewine moved his shop from ann arbor, michigan to austin, texas in 1974 and has been an integral part of supporting the local music scene ever since. Evolving through years of fretwork for demanding players, the erlewine neck jig has become a valuable asset in busy shops. A revolution in fretwork fretwork without guesswork. V5399 simulate string tension with the strings off for the most accurate fret and fingerboard work ever. Stewmac dan erlewines tips for shaping a guitar neck. Use a fine pencil and trace very closely and precisely.
Joe etgen is building a guitar for the first time, working down in his basement. All i get now is a link to download itunes from the windows store. In 2001 he produced dan erlewines guitar shop an allnew dvd series on the same subjects. Upgrade today to get your favorite music and podcasts. The materials are basic, a piece of plywood approx 24 x 24, 8 threaded inserts with set screws to match, 4 strips of 14 aluminum 34 x 6 long, some cork leather, etc, and some scrap lumber for the straight edges and end block. So, structurally, the neck is mounted just as it would be in the real body.
Now you can do your fretwork with total accuracy, because when you string the guitar back up the neck doesnt change. Dan erlewine developed the neck jig using the breakthrough idea of simulating string tension with the strings off. Can i download itunes without going through the windows store. It needs a new fret job and looks like a fretboard sanding. The straight edges required on the boards are easy to plane. The bolts allow fine tuning of the centerline and also hold the neck blank in place. We asked joe to take the guitar to dan erlewine s shop for a lookover. Dan erlewine is undoubtably a world leader in guitar setup, maintenance and repair. We asked joe to take the guitar to dan erlewines shop for a lookover. A long time ago i purchased stewmacs fretting tool kit and fretwire. Starter kit and want to use it to its fullest potential. The latest version of itunes now comes installed with macos mojave. Can i download itunes without going throu apple community. Apart from a plek machine which i have used, and hope to own one day, you cant attain accurate results unless you have one of these.
Update to the latest version of itunes apple support. How to use the erlewine neck jig simulate string tension with the strings off for the most accurate fret and fingerboard work ever. In the decades since, im amazed by how many luthiers tell me they got started in the business with the help of these lessons. Using the neck jig the erlewine neck jig is a string tension simulator. I remember the story and the pics with some early prototypes and the jig evolution. The stewmac neck jig has gone a long way to be what it is. The blocky, chunky neck blank is turned into a sleek, smooth guitar neck. In addition to being a treasure trove of guitar knowledge, he has a writingteaching style that is simple, straight forward yet absolutely comprehensive. Back in 1984 i started teaching guitar repair on videotape. Dan erlewine developed the neck jig with a breakthrough idea. Here are eight pieces of wisdom you can use when building your first guitar. Jan 14, 2016 this truss rod channel routing jig has a base and two fences. Dan was also the monthly repair columnist for guitar player magazine for fifteen years, and a frequent contributor to bass player magazine, guitar magazine, and vintage guitar magazine. Once the neck is perfectly aligned, trace the outline of the neck onto the body.
The erlewine neck jig from stew mac lets a repairer simulate neck tension on a guitar neck. This truss rod channel routing jig has a base and two fences. I was able to hang out at the neck removal bench at the factory for. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.
Working alone on stewmacs tripleo kit, hes got the body and the neck in good shape. The calculated puck values assume the height of the router bit about the jig base will be 78 in. Depending on the version of itunes that you have, there are a few ways to. Dan erlewine has made his living as a guitar repairman and builder since 1963, when he apprenticed at the herb david guitar studio in ann arbor, michigan. The jig takes that out so that the surface of the neck plane is planar with the top. Remove the neck from the fixture and dummy body, install frets.
Pc with a 1ghz intel or amd processor with support for sse2 and 512mb of ram. A the neck jig gave us a simple way to keep the frets in the same alignment with the string off by holding the neck in position. The jig is shaped to match the taper of the fingerboard and the shaper has a ball bearing rub collar under the cutter which follows the shape of the jig. The prefilled neck dimensions are reasonable values for a telecaster neck.
I just purchased a new pc and when i tried to download itunes the way i have for years it is no longer working. Using a forstner bit, remove the majority of the wood within the. Note that its loaded into the neck jig in playing position. Im a great browser of catalogues, but usually for ideasive copied quite a few ides for jigs and tools and made them myself for a fraction of the price, but only where i see an absolute necessity for them. The inside scoop on the neck jig strange guitarworks. The neck angle jig has become the industry standard in guitar building tools. Who is using bill scheltemas neck radius jig guitar. I would say about 8590% of the shaping is done here. Once secured, the entire jig is rotated so the guitar is in playing position. I was able to hang out at the neck removal bench at the factory for an hour, on my last trip back to nazareth. Dan erlewines guitar shop repair videos les paul forum. Guitar diy guitar shop music guitar playing guitar acoustic guitar ukulele stratocaster guitar fender guitars router jig learn how to play the bass guitar with all of these easy to understand tips and hints.
In my woeful ignorance, ive been doing fret jobs and setups for over 30 years without a neck jig. Here i am using the spindle shaper to rough out the neck shape and size. It can be the difference between having a good playing guitar or having one that plays great. I have the latest version, a great jig but still would benefit from a few small improvements seems like they just tried to make it simple for mass production. The purpose of this step is not to final shape the neck i still enjoy doing that by hand. Stewartmacdonald erlewine neck jig w vhs luthier series.
How to carve the neck pocket on an electric guitar. Home of the string tension simulating neck jig for the discerning luthier. Designed by mark erlewine, and made famous by master bluesman, johnny winter, the lazer is a lightweight, fullscale guitar featuring erlewine s patented headless tuning system. Jul 06, 20 first, the guitar is a fender jazz bass, so the neck is positioned in the jig differently from short scale guitars, obviously the dials read the neck bow in different points futher up the neck. One customer took his es339 that i had just completed, to a gig that night, and had it on his guitar stand plugged in.
Then flattened the fret board using the different grits of sandpaper on my long straight radius block. Also using the nut strap is not so easy have to put it angled to reach the tension bolt. There have been a number of different approaches introduced in recent years, including bolted and pinned straight tenons, and even flat butt joints attached with epoxy. Here are the neck blanks ready for preliminary shaping.
Since then he has owned and operated his own shop, under several names and in several locations. All the joint templates are made in a match set for both the neck and body and indexed to the center of the jig. Evolving through years of fretwork for demanding players, the erlewine neck jig has become a valuable asset in busy shops around the world. I think that the neck jig is an excellent tool for a repair shop, where you do not get to dictate what condition the neck is in when you begin to work on it. We have an erlewine neck jig at the shop that we made back in the 90s, but i havent used it in a long time. How to carve the neck pocket on an electric guitar project. Get your luthier on with this stewmac erlewine neck jig includes extensive vhs luthier series taught by erlewine. I will explain in another article on why and how to use the neck jig. A valuable tool for everyone novice to pro and the perfect companion to dans book. Download latest version of itunes for windows 10 6432 bit. For now, we are concentrating on how to construct yourself one. I have an old peavey tracer 22 fret neck i purchased off ebay about a year ago. Puck dimension calculator for scheltema neck contouring jig. Stewmac erlewine neck jig workstation stewmac reverb.
Sturdy aluminum beam construction adds extra rigidity without. Remove the neck and make sure the traced outline is clearly visible. Neck carving carving the neck is one of the most enjoyable parts of building a guitar. Jewelry artisan, brenda schweder, shares her expertise of the latest jewelry trend, now thats a. The hope is, i think, that it will not be too dramatic as to create a noticeable hump as the end of the fretboard is bent down to meet the top this assumes a careful. This results in the most accurate fret and fingerboard work ever. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. May 01, 2014 dan erlewine developed the neck jig with a breakthrough idea. Apr 07, 2016 the erlewine neck jig from stew mac lets a repairer simulate neck tension on a guitar neck.
Neck dovetail joint the neck is attached to the body with a tapered sliding dovetail joint. You have already completed a jewelry project with your kit and now want to discover new tricks and tips you want to create a fun and mixedmetal jewelry set without the stress. This tool is designed to set up the appropriate neck angle on the jig and then cut the joint on both the neck and the body of the guitar. Welcome since 1969, erlewine guitars has been the name in guitar repairs and custom guitars for the most demanding of professional players as well as the casual hobbyist. If you dont have itunes installed on your computer, get it from the microsoft store windows 10 or download the latest version from apples website. This way i can get an accurate read on the neck under actual playing conditions, instead of just guessing how the neck is going to behave.
To play standarddefinition video from the itunes store, an intel pentium d or faster processor, 512mb of ram, and a directx 9. Anyone see how this is so different from dan erlewines method. Personally i prefer using a jig made up of two long, 19mm 34thick and about 50mm 2wide boards plus another short piece of wood to using just one template for defining the shape of the neck pocket. Dan erlewines dvd library is a guitar repair school in eleven volumes. Two adjustment knobs allow precise adjustment for both side to side and neck angle positioning. A couple simple things you can do to achieve a traditional irish folk sound. Apr 29, 2015 this is my diy guitar neck carving jig. A truss rod channel routing jig project electric guitar. May 29, 2009 as i see it, there are only two reasons for using a jig, accuracy and speed. I havent had to do a touch up once since using this method. The edge vise is specifically designed to work with the jig, it also doubles as a end graft tool. Steel pins go through the holes, and the strings hook onto them. Acoustic guitar neck routing jig rds guitars and wood working. Aug 12, 20 then flattened the fret board using the different grits of sandpaper on my long straight radius block.
Designed by mark erlewine, and made famous by master bluesman, johnny winter, the lazer is a lightweight, fullscale guitar featuring erlewines patented headless tuning system. Heres how it works the guitar is secured to the jig, like so. The heel of the neck bolts to the body end of the fixture using the normal neck bolt holes. Attach it once again to the dummy body, place back in jig, add weights like before. Jul 30, 2016 since i have rough cut a few necks i decided to start making neck jigs. Guitar diy guitar shop music guitar playing guitar acoustic guitar ukulele stratocaster guitar fender guitars router jig learn how to play the bass. Some adjustment beyond that is needed to create the correct projection height above. No need for special strings, as the lazer uses regular ballend strings, locking them at both ends so they really stay in tune. A little bit about the dan erlewinestewartmacdonald neck jig. However, as soon as i began using it, one thing annoyed me. This eliminates the problem of working on frets, then finding that everything has changed when you string the guitar back up to pitch. A valuable tool for everyone novice to pro and the perfect companion to.
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