TM
UNFINISHED ACOUSTIC GUITAR KIT
Brought to you by Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
Table of Contents Introduction and Overview ....................................................................................................................... 2 Parts List .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Tools .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Assembly Steps ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.
Dry Fit the Neck Joint .................................................................................................................... 4
2.
Fine Sand the Body and Neck........................................................................................................ 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 the Bridge ........................................................................................................................... 9
9.
Install the Bridge Pins .................................................................................................................. 12
10.
Install the Saddle ..................................................................................................................... 12
11.
Install the Strap Button ........................................................................................................... 13
12.
Oil the Fretboard and Bridge .................................................................................................. 13
13.
String and Tune Your Guitar .................................................................................................... 14
Advanced Steps ....................................................................................................................................... 14 1.
Fine Tune the Neck Joint ............................................................................................................. 14
2.
Filing the Nut to Match the Neck Width ..................................................................................... 15
Resources ................................................................................................................................................ 16
©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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Introd duction a and Overview Welcome to your Acou ustic Guitar Kit. With somee care in workkmanship and d attention to o detail, the p parts mbled into a b beautiful guitaar that will prrovide hours of enjoyable playing. Yourr in this kit can be assem with the neckk finished gguitar will havve an overall llength of 41″. Its shape is kknown as a dreadnought w th joining the body at the e 14 fret. Be sure to read the instructio ons thorough hly before starting assembly. or knife or drill bit sitting in n the way when Try to keeep your work area clear of unnecessaryy tools. A razo the guitarr is set on the e bench can easily scratch tthe finish.
Parts List Guitar b body – Made from basswo ood (top, back and sides) w with single‐p ply ABS plastic binding. (Binding is the ttrim that joinss the top and d back to the sides.)
Guitar n neck – Nato w wood with rosewood fretb board (fingerb board) and sin ngle‐ply ABS binding. Bridge –– Made from rosewood
Saddle – Note that iss a compensaated saddle. It is not symmeetric. It is impo ortant that in n Step 10 wheen the saddle is glued in nto the bridgee that it is glu ued facing thee correct directio on. Bridge pins
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Nut
Rosettee Decal – Thiss is a water deecal.
ws – Note that Chromee Tuning Macchines, Ferrules, and Screw there are 3 tuning m machines for tthe left side o of the headsto ock (the part of the guitaar neck where the tuning machines aree mounteed) and 3 tuning machiness for the rightt.
Guitar SStrap Button and Felt Pad
Guitar SStrings – Therre should be 6 strings, eacch of a differeent gauge ((diameter).
Truss Rod Wrench –– This hex wreench is used to adjust the ttruss rod insiide the guitarr neck. Truss rrod adjustmeent isn’t part o of the guittar assembly,, but is somettimes necessaary if temperrature, humid dity, or sting ttension changges cause thee guitar n neck to bow. TTruss rods are found in mo ost guitars, but truss ro od adjustment isn’t a frequ uent maintenance task (likke tuning, for example)).
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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). ©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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Neck heel clamping caul Figure 2: Neck Joint Clamping
See Figure 2: Neck Joint Clamping. You may optionally want to cut v‐notched wooden caul to help provide a good clamping surface on the neck heel. Be sure to use a piece of scrap wood and padding on the bottom of the body to distribute pressure and prevent scratches. For the advanced woodworker, now is also a good time to check the neck joint alignment and make adjustments if needed. This is covered in the Advanced Steps section of the instructions. Note: Neck joint alignment is set in the factory to a reasonable standard. While attempting to adjust it by hand may result in a more precise alignment, it may also result in a poorly aligned or weak neck joint if not done properly.
2. Fine Sand the Body and Neck In preparation for applying 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. Once sanding is complete, clean the wooden parts of all sanding residue using a tack cloth, compressed air, or some other method.
3. Mask the Fretboard and Soundhole Most guitar makers apply finish to the body and the neck separately. This is easier and results in a better finish than masking lots of bits and pieces and trying to apply finish around all the different parts of the guitar. However, the neck and bridge still need to be glued to the body. Since glue bonds best to wood, the neck joint and the area where the bridge will be glued to the soundboard (the top of the guitar) need to be considered. Through masking or through removal of finish later in the assembly process, those areas will be bare wood before they are glued.
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For the neck, the entire fretboard (fingerboard) must be masked. It is made of rosewood which has a lot of natural oil in it and is typically left unfinished. Near the end of the assembly process it will instead be protected with a light coat of oil (see “Oil the Fretboard and Bridge”). Also mask the areas of the neck that will be glued in the neck joint (the face of the neck heel and the bottom of the fretboard that is glued to the top of the soundboard). For the body, there is no need to mask the bridge location. Its final location can’t be determined exactly until the neck is glued in place. The finish will be removed from the bridge location before gluing (see “Install the Bridge”). At the neck joint, some masking may be done, or the finish can be removed later before the neck joint is 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 into the wood it cannot be scraped away without removing much of the wood, damaging the neck joint in the process. To mask the neck joint on the body, apply masking tape to the side of the guitar at the neck joint, cutting holes for the dowels. Then attach the neck and use a razor knife to trim the tape around the neck heel. Be careful not to cut the wood on the heel. This same procedure may be followed for the portion of the neck joint on the soundboard. Alternatively, an approximate area can be masked based on lines left from the manufacturing process or, if only a clear coat is to be used on the soundboard, it can be left unmasked.
Figure 3: Various Examples of Neck Joint Masking
Be sure to mask the inside of the guitar body. The easiest way to do this is by stuffing some newspaper or brown packing paper inside the sound hole.
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4. Stain and Finish the Neck and Body (Apply Rosette Decal) Once masking is complete, the neck and body are ready for finishing. What type of stain and clear coat is applied is personal preference. Actually, stain is optional, but some type of clear coat (lacquer, polyurethane, acrylic/urethane) should be applied to the body and the back of the neck to protect the wood. As stated earlier, the fretboard should be left unfinished since it is made of rosewood. The bridge should also be left unfinished for this reason. The rosette decal must be applied before the final clear coats are applied. It is okay to apply one coat of clear coat to the guitar body before applying the rosette, but several coats should be applied afterward to ensure that it is protected and sealed to the guitar. To apply the decal, soak it in a bowl of water for approximately 20 – 30 seconds until it starts to slide off the backing paper. Slide it onto the guitar body around the sound hole, peeling away the paper backing. While 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 surface of the decal. Use a sponge, cloth, or paper towel to smooth the decal, remove any trapped air bubbles and remove excess water. Allow the decal to dry for several hours before applying the next clear coat.
Before removing air bubbles and wrinkles
After removing air bubbles and wrinkles
Figure 4: Applying Rosette Decal during Clear Coat
Once the all coats of finish have dried, remove the masking tape.
5. Glue the Neck to the Body Before the neck can be glued to the body, the joint has to be prepared. Rough dry fitting was done in Step 1, but now finish has been applied to the body and neck. That finish must be removed from the neck‐body joint for proper glue adhesion (Note: Finish removal on some parts of the joint may not be necessary if they were masked prior to finishing). To do this, insert the neck into the body. Holding the neck firmly in place, use a sharp razor knife to carefully scribe a line around the fretboard where it rests on the top of the guitar body. Also scribe a line around the neck heel where it meets the side of the ©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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dy. Be carefull not to scrape the side of the fretboard d or the neck heel or to lett the knife slip p and guitar bod cut the gu uitar body. Once the lines are scrib bed, remove the neck. Firsst, using masking tape, maask along the scribe lines sso that the p parts just outsside the scribe lines are prrotected. Now w the finish m must be removved from the area inside thee scribe lines. There are at least two opttions for doin ng this. One iss to use a razo or blade to sccrape the finish off and then use some 10 00 grit sandpaaper to smootth the surfacee afterwards. Another option is to use a chemical stripper to soften n whatever cleear coat was used, then usse some type of scraper to o remove th he softened ffinish. Whicheever method is used, be caareful not to sscrape too much wood– o only scrape thee finish, takin ng care not to o mar the surrrounding areaa. You only w want to scrapee the finish that will be un nder the fretb board and thee neck heel. Itt’s ok to leavee ~1/32″ marggin around th he edges. Now that the finish is rremoved, app ply Titebond w wood glue to the neck join nt where the bottom of the op of the body and the bacck of the neckk heel meets the body. Be sure to applyy glue fretboard meets the to to both en nds of the 3 d dowels. Now attach the neeck to the bod dy and clamp p. Use the clam mping setup practiced in “Dry Fit th he Neck Jointt”. Remove an ny excess gluee from the joint with a dam mp cloth. Wait 24 e to dry on this joint beforee proceeding to the next sstep. – 72 hourrs for the glue
6. Insta all the Tun ning Mach hines Place the six ferrules in nto the six ho oles in the heaadstock. Theyy may press fiit or they mayy be a little lo oose. ount of Titebo ond to the insside top of thee hole and a vvery small am mount If they aree loose, applyy a small amo to the top p rim of the hole. Then inseert the ferrule.
Figure 5: Glluing Ferrules in n Place
Once the ferrules are in place (and the glue has dried, if neceessary), turn the neck over and insert th he tuning maachines. Remember, theree are 3 for thee left side and d 3 for the right side. Inserrt the tuning p post through the back of the headstock. There will no ow be 2 smalll, Phillips head screws for eeach tuning ot holes drilleed with a 1/16 6″ drill bit. When marking the location for the pilot machine tthat need pilo holes, maake sure all the tuning macchines are aliggned and thatt the handless for each tuning machine protrude from the heaadstock at a 90 degree anggle. ©2014, R Rockler Wood dworking an nd Hardware
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Figure 6: Installing the Tuning Machines
7. Glue the Nut in Place Using 100‐grit sandpaper, lightly sand the nut where it will be glued to the neck. This will help the glue adhere to the normally smooth plastic. Be careful not to sand areas that will be visible after the nut is installed. Apply a thin coat of Titebond glue to the end of the fretboard, put the nut in place, and clamp. Only a small amount of glue is required here since no mechanical stress is put on the nut; the guitar strings will hold it in place. Note that due to manufacturing tolerances, 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.
Figure 7: Gluing the Nut in place
8. Install the Bridge The scale length of this guitar (the distance from the nut to the saddle) is 25‐1/2″. That measurement is required for proper placement of the bridge on the guitar body. Measure 25‐1/2″ from the edge of the nut (or 12‐3/4″ from the 12th fret, it will be the same point). Place a piece of masking tape across the guitar body at this point. It is easier to put pen or pencil marks on tape than on clear coat. Now lay a straightedge along the side of the guitar neck and mark where the straightedge crosses the tape. Do the same on the other side of the neck. Centered between those two lines, and 25‐1/2″ from the nut, is the ©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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point at which the saddle slot on the bridge must be located. Refer to the diagrams in Figure 9: Bridge Position Measurements, for clarification of the bridge location. Also, measure the distance from the point where the neck joins the body to the front corner of the bridge. This distance should be the same on both sides 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 the saddle to the front of the bridge using a square so that it can be more easily aligned to marks on the guitar body. See Figure 8: Bridge Positioning.
Figure 8: Bridge Positioning
Middle of saddle slot is 24 ½″ from nut or
12 ¾” from 12th fret
Center of bridge and saddle are aligned to center of the neck Figure 9: Bridge Position Measurements
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Both lines must be equal
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Place the bridge in the proper location and hold it firmly in place with one hand and while using the other hand to scribe a line all around the bridge using a razor knife. Don’t let the bridge slip while doing this and be careful not to accidentally cut the bridge. The purpose of scribing the line is to mark the area of the guitar top where clear coat must be removed so a glue bond can be achieved on the bridge‐body joint.
Figure 10: Preparing and Clamping the Bridge to the Body
Once the line is scribed, remove the bridge and prepare to remove the finish inside the scribe line where the bridge will be glued. Follow the process described in “Glue the Neck to the Body” — mask, scrape, sand. Once the finish is removed, reposition the bridge on the guitar and do a dry run of the clamp setup. Ideally, 2–3 clamps should be used, reaching inside the body to the bridge patch— a piece of wood inside the guitar body directly below where the bridge 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 prevent the clamps from damaging the bridge. If clamps are not available that will reach inside the guitar soundhole to the bridge, another option might be to use something stiff, like a wooden straightedge or a piece of wood. Lay the straightedge or wood across the bridge and then clamp it to the sides of the guitar. Again, use padding to prevent damage to the bridge and guitar body. Just be careful not to apply so much pressure that the top of the guitar is deformed. Once you’re happy with your clamping setup, remove the clamps and lightly sand the bottom of the bridge with 100‐grit sandpaper to help the glue adhere. Now glue the bridge to the body with Titebond using the same clamp setup as practiced earlier. Use a damp cloth to wipe away any excess glue. If there is a lot of glue excess glue it may be difficult to see the scribe line marking the bridge location. A few ©2014, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
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pieces of blue masking tape placed on the outside of the scribe line might make it easier to see during the clamping process. They can be removed after the clamps are set, before the glue dries. Allow the glue to dry for at least 24 hours.
9. Install the Bridge Pins Once the glue for the saddle has dried, it is time to install the bridge pins. Use a 3/16″ drill bit to drill a hole through the bridge, all the way through the top of the guitar, at each of the locations already marked in the top of the bridge. Be sure to drill the hole perpendicular to the guitar body. After drilling, the bridge pins won’t fit in the holes. That’s because the holes must be tapered to match the shape of the bridge pins. Normally, a guitar luthier would use a special tool called bridge pin reamer for 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 the fit of the bridge pins. The bridge pins should fit just snugly and they shouldn’t be too loose.
Figure 11: Tapering a Bridge Pin Hole
10.
Install the Saddle
Lightly sand the bottom of the saddle with 100‐grit sandpaper. Apply a small bead of glue to the bottom of the saddle and place it in the slot in the bridge. Be careful not to get any excess glue on the bridge and make sure the bridge is inserted into the slot facing the right direction (see Figure 12: Saddle Installation, for proper orientation). Lightly clamp, or at least tape, the saddle in place until the glue has dried. Make sure the saddle is centered inside the slot in the bridge. If there is any play in the slot, front to back, it is better to have the saddle contacting the front of the bridge, facing the soundhole. The strings will force it in this direction.
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Figure 12: Saddle Installation
11.
Install the Strap Button
With a 5/64″ drill bit, drill a hole in the end of the guitar, in the middle. Alternatively, a 1/16″ bit and slightly expanding the hole will probably work. After drilling the hole, screw the 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 linseed or mineral oil to protect the rosewood fingerboard. Be sure to thoroughly clean any excess oil off of the frets, nut, and sides of the neck. Do the same to the bridge (with the bridge pins removed). Commercial fretboard oils are also available at guitar shops or luthier supply outlets.
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Figure 14: Only the 3rd and 4th Frets Oiled for Comparison
13.
String and Tune Your Guitar
There are many ways to string and tune a guitar. This set of instructions won’t offer a particular method, but the Resources section offers several links on the Internet that describe the stringing process. There are also references for tuning the guitar. Electronic tuners are available at music stores or online retailers or even as smartphone applications (also listed in the Resources section).
Advanced Steps 1. Fine Tune the Neck Joint While 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. These areas can be checked with a straightedge or a carpenter’s square. Ideally these measurements should be done with the neck clamped to the body. In the following figures, note that the clamps have been removed in the pictures for clarity. Check that the neck is perpendicular to the body by measuring the distance from the end of the fretboard to the side of the guitar body. Repeat on both the left and right sides of the neck. Both sides should be approximately the same distance. See Figure 15: Checking the Neck is Perpendicular
Figure 15: Checking the Neck is Perpendicular
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Check the neck angle by laying a 24″straight edge along the middle of the frets on the fretboard. Align the 12 ¾″ mark on the straightedge with the 12th fret (the one with 2 dots). (Note: 12 ¾″ is used because the scale length, the distance from the nut to the saddle, will be 25 ½″. The 12th fret is exactly ½ the scale length. Since we haven’t glued the nut to the neck yet, we can approximate the bridge position by measuring from the 12th fret.) Under the end of the straightedge, place the bridge, centering left to right and aligning the end of straightedge over the slot where the saddle will go. The straightedge should just clear the top of the bridge. See Figure 16: Checking the Neck Angle. If it dips below the top of the bridge or is more than 1/8″ above the top of the bridge, adjustments may need to be made to the neck heel.
12 ¾″ at 12th fret
Check gap here Figure 16: Checking the Neck Angle
To make adjustments, use a sharp chisel, a file, or a card scraper to remove material from the appropriate side of the neck heel to get the neck to raise or lower as desired (or move left or right). It is critical that the face of the neck heel that meets the body remain flat. If it does not, the neck‐body joint will not be as strong as possible.
2. Filing the Nut to Match the Neck Width If the nut is wider than the neck it is possible to file the ends of the nut so that it is the same width as the neck. It is best to do this before the nut is glued in place so that the neck isn’t scratched by the file in the process. File both sides equally so that the strings don’t end up off center on the neck. Only file a little at a time so that the nut doesn’t end up narrower than the neck.
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Resources Acoustic Re‐Stringing Tutorial (video): 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 app): http://ovelin.com/guitartuna/ How to Tune a Guitar (web page): http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/
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