# Raven: Neck and Bridge Replacement



## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Received the neck and roller bridge from GFS yesterday, so now the project begins. As a frame of reference, here are a couple of pics of the guitar as it looks right now:



















I'm quite impressed with the GFS neck, especially at this price point. It's nicely finished, frets are good, and it's straight. Here's some pics:





































I thought I would post some measurement comparisons:


Raven stock neck:


Nut width: 1 9/16"
Heel Width: 2 1/16"
Thickness at the first fret (not including the fret itself): 13/16"
Thickness at the heel: 15/16"


GFS Neck:


Nut width: 1 5/8"
Heel Width: 2 1/8"
Thickness at the first fret (not including the fret itself): 7/8"
Thickness at the heel: 1"


SX STL-50 (Ash) just to compare:


Nut width: 1 11/16"
Heel Width: 2 3/16"
Thickness at the first fret (not including the fret itself): 7/8"
Thickness at the heel: 1"


First order of business will be checking the frets, levelling and touching up ends where needed. I'll post more shots as I progress. I'm also posting here for those who are into Mats guitars.

http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8458


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Here we go, Step #1 - Fret Level: There were only a few slightly high frets and the ends were pretty good so this process didn't take too long. Hopefully I won't have to do much more once the guitar is set up.

Step #2 - Pre-fit and Experiment: Although the new neck has a Fender style headstock, my goal is to maintain the "stock look". Here's a pic as a frame of reference:











Utilizing the same pickguard material (purchased from Bezdez) that I used to make the pickup rings and some covers, I cut a small piece to experiment with heating and bending. This tuned out to be an easy process yielding the result I was looking for:











To accomplish this, I preheated my toaster oven to 150 degrees F, placed the plastic on a piece of parchment paper and left it in for 3-4 minutes. Now warmed up, I was able to pick it up by hand and placed on the neck. Parchment paper was placed in between the wood and the plastic. I held in in place for about 5 minutes to cool.

The next step was to see how the tuners would fit the headstock with the addition of the pickguard material. I had to widen the holes to accommodate the tuners first. I also removed the Raven logo which was attached with two very small black nails. 






















I'll have sand approx. 1/32 - 1/16" off the thickness of the headstock for the tuners to fit the way I want them to. As for finishing, I'll be using the following:

From Lowes; Valspar Gloss Black Lacquer, Gloss Clear Lacquer, Satin Clear Lacquer.











From Lee Valley Tools; Honey Tone Amber Wood Stain.











Stay tuned!


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Yesterday's spring like weather allowed me to get some sanding done, which is now complete. I used 80 grit to remove material off the back of the headstock as well as the sides of the heel. I then continued on with 120 grit for the rest of the neck to take the thin poly finish off. The nice thing about working in the garage with natural light is that you can actually see where the poly is by the slight colouration. I'm pretty sure I got it all off. I then finished it with 220, then 320.




























The neck pocket on this guitar is not straight. I had to take enough material off the sides to accommodate a side to side adjustment, as well as some wiggle room for the finish.


The colour scheme I've settled on with be as follows:


1) Face of the headstock will be torte.


2) The back of the headstock and the heel will be gloss black.


3) The neck and sides of the headstock will be the honey amber dye with a clear satin finish.


Today' plan is to do one more pickguard bending test, this time drilling a hole in the material for access to the truss rod. If all goes according to plan, I'll make and install the actual piece. I'm also going to test the dye for colour on the heel.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

I did some dye testing on the heel yesterday. Based how it was going, I decided to go ahead with rest of the neck. The first coat came out blotchy big time. The colour was right though.










I let it dry overnight, sanded the spots that didn't take with 120 grade and then the whole neck with 180 grade. I then wet the neck slightly with water before applying the second coat. It came out much better but I'll probably have to sand and apply one more time tonight to get it perfectly even.










The only area that just won't take the dye evenly is the edge of the headstock. I may have to go with my backup finishing plan in the event I can't get an even look there. I'll know tonight.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Maple can be blotchy. Some use a stain conditioner first.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

shoretyus said:


> Maple can be blotchy. Some use a stain conditioner first.


I'm going to pick some up today. Because I'm using a water based dye, should I be looking for something special or will any stain conditioner do?


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

As long as it is compatible.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Making headway.

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Lessons learned so far:

1) Weldbond will not bond plastic to wood. Household Goop works great.

2) Drilling large holes in the pickguard material can crack it. Small holes work fine and enlarge with a dremel. 

3) Maple has to be sanded really well to take the dye evenly. This is an art rather than a science IME. The good thing is that the dye doesn't penetrate too deep (on maple) so it's easy to sand the areas that need it and reapply.

I'll be ready to shoot the satin clear tomorrow morning.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

All taped up with three coats of satin clear applied. Shot two coats, 4 hours apart, no sanding to lay a good base. Lightly wet sanded with 600 this morning before applying the third coat. The fourth and last coat will be applied tonight.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

I returned the Valspar clears and gloss black I bought from Lowes in favour of the following (from Home Depot); Varathane Satin Clear for the neck, Zinnser shellac base primer/sealer for the back of the headstock and heel, flat black paint (rather than gloss) and gloss clear.










Re-taped and shot the primer this morning.










After 30 minutes of drying, I shot one light coat of black, waited 15 minutes and shot a second coat.










After allowing to dry for one hour, I lightly dry sanded with 320 to even the surface out, and shot a light third coat. I'll let this dry for 8 hours, wet sand with 400 and shoot the fourth coat. It's nice and smooth so far and I should be able to start shooting the gloss clear tomorrow morning.


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## Frenchy (Mar 23, 2011)

Great work ! You really are putting lots on work on this Baby.....


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Frenchy said:


> Great work ! You really are putting lots on work on this Baby.....


Thanks. I hope it works out for all the work I'm putting in  Learning allot though.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

*Finally Done!*

Check it out!














































Generally speaking, I'm happy with the outcome and of course, the wider neck makes it a joy to play. I had to shim the neck to compensate for the height of the roller bridge. The tunomatic feature made intonating a pleasure. Now I can get back into playing it


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