Rockler ACOUSTIC GUITAR KIT User manual

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©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page1
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UNFINISHEDACOUSTICGUITARKIT
BroughttoyoubyRocklerWoodworkingandHardware
TableofContents
IntroductionandOverview.......................................................................................................................2
PartsList....................................................................................................................................................2
Tools..........................................................................................................................................................4
AssemblySteps.........................................................................................................................................4
1.DryFittheNeckJoint....................................................................................................................4
2.FineSandtheBodyandNeck........................................................................................................5
3.MasktheFretboardandSoundhole.............................................................................................5
4.StainandFinishtheNeckandBody(Apply
RosetteDecal)..........................................................7
5.GluetheNecktotheBody............................................................................................................7
6.InstalltheTuningMachines..........................................................................................................8
7.GluetheNutinPlace....................................................................................................................9
8.InstalltheBridge...........................................................................................................................9
9.InstalltheBridgePins..................................................................................................................12
10. InstalltheSaddle.....................................................................................................................12
11. InstalltheStrap
Button...........................................................................................................13
12. OiltheFretboardandBridge..................................................................................................13
13. StringandTuneYourGuitar....................................................................................................14
AdvancedSteps.......................................................................................................................................14
1.FineTunetheNeckJoint.............................................................................................................14
2.FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth.....................................................................................15
Resources................................................................................................................................................16
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Tools
Analuminumstraightedge:18″36″long
Painter’smaskingtape
A guitar mat: Ascrap offoamor oldcarpet to placethe guitar onto protect itwhile you’re
workingonit.
Woodglue:Titebond®OriginalWoodglueisrecommended
Razorknife:XActo®,for
example
Singleedgerazorbladewithhandle:Usedforscraping
Finishing supplies:Stain(optional) orpaint(optional),clear coat(recommended).Whattype
ofstainorpaintandclearcoatisthebuilder’spreference.
Sandpaper:100and220gritisrequired,320or400isoptional
Clamps:
At least one 24″ bar clamp for the neckbody joint. Two 12″ bar clamps. Three
woodencamclampswithathroatdepthof41/2″6″areoptional.
Roundneedlefile
Electricdrill(ordrillpress)anddrillbits:1/16,5/64,3/16
Screwdriver(s):
SeveralsmallPhillips
AssemblySteps
1. DryFittheNeckJoint
Thefirststepistocheckthefitofthenecktothebody.Theremaybesomeresidualglueand/or
sawdustleftinthejointremainingfromthemanufacturingprocess.Thisshouldberemovedsothatthe
jointiscleanandsmoothandtherearenogapsbetweentheneck
andthebodywhenthetwoarefitted
together.Ensurethatall3dowelsareinplaceandfitsnugly.Notethatwhenassemblingtheneckand
thebody,thetrussrodthatisattachedtotheneckmustfitthroughtheslotcutinthetopofthebody.
SeeFigure1:NeckJoint.
Figure1:NeckJoint
Atthispointitisalsoagoodideatodoadryrunoftheclampsetupthatwillbeusedwhenthejointis
actuallyglued.Oneclampisneededtoapplypressurefromtheneckheeltothebodyandanother
clampisneededtoapplypressurefrom
thefretboardextensiontothesoundboard(thetopofthe
body).
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page5
SeeFigure2:NeckJointClamping.Youmayoptionallywanttocutvnotchedwoodencaultohelp
provideagoodclampingsurfaceontheneckheel.Besuretouseapieceofscrapwoodandpaddingon
thebottomofthebodytodistributepressureandprevent
scratches.
Fortheadvancedwoodworker,nowisalsoagoodtimetochecktheneckjointalignmentandmake
adjustmentsifneeded.ThisiscoveredintheAdvancedStepssectionoftheins tructions.Note:Neck
jointalignmentissetinthefactorytoa reasonablestandard.Whileattemptingtoadjustit
byhandmay
resultinamoreprecisealignment,itmayalsoresultinapoorlyalignedorweakneckjointifnotdone
properly.
2. FineSandtheBodyandNeck
Inpreparationforapplyingafinish,sandallwoodenpartsoftheguitar.Mostpartsareprobablyready
for220or320gritsandpaper;someareasmightneedslightlycoursergritfirst.Sandingtofinergritis
personalpreference.Oncesandingiscomplete,cleanthewoodenpartsofallsandingresidue
usinga
tackcloth,compressedair,orsomeothermethod.
3. MasktheFretboardandSoundhole
Mostguitarmakersapplyfinishtothebodyandtheneckseparately.Thisiseasierandresultsinabetter
finishthanmaskinglotsofbitsandpiecesandtrying toapplyfinisharoundallthedifferentpartsofthe
guitar.However,theneckandbridgestillneedtobeglued
tothebody.Sincegluebondsbesttowood,
theneckjointandtheareawherethebridgewillbegluedtothesoundboard(thetopoftheguitar)
needtobeconsidered.Throughmaskingorthroughremovaloffinishlaterintheassemblyprocess,
thoseareaswillbebare
woodbeforetheyareglued.
Neckheelclampingcaul
Figure2:NeckJointClamping
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page6
Fortheneck,theentirefretboard(fingerboard)mustbemasked.Itismadeofrosewoodwhichhasalot
ofnaturaloilinitandistypicallyleftunfinished
.Neartheendoftheassemblyprocessitwillinsteadbe
protectedwithalightcoatofoil(see“OiltheFretboardandBridge”).Alsomasktheareasoftheneck
thatwillbegluedintheneckjoint(thefaceoftheneckheelandthebottomof
thefretboardthatis
gluedtothetopofthesoundboard).
Forthebody,thereisnoneedtomaskthebridgelocation.Itsfinallocationcan’tbedeterminedexactly
untiltheneckisgluedinplace.Thefinishwillberemovedfromthebridgelocationbeforegluing(see
“Installthe
Bridge”).Attheneckjoint,somemaskingmaybedone,orthefinishcanberemovedlater
beforetheneckjointisglued,dependingonthebuilder’spreference.However,ifstainorsomeother
typeoffinishthatisabsorbedintothewoodistobeused,theneckjoint
areamustbemasked.Oncethe
stainisabsorbedintothewooditcannotbescrapedawaywithoutremovingmuchofthewood,
damagingtheneckjointintheprocess.Tomasktheneckjointonthebody,applymaskingtapetothe
sideoftheguitarattheneck
joint,cuttingholesforthedowels.Thenattachtheneckandusearazor
knifetotrimthetapearoundtheneckheel.Becarefulnottocutthewoodontheheel.Thissame
proceduremaybefollowedfortheportionoftheneckjointonthesoundboard.Alternatively,an
approximateareacanbemaskedbasedonlineslef tfromthemanufacturingprocessor,ifonlyaclear
coatistobeusedonthesoundboard,itcanbeleftunmasked.
Besuretomasktheinsideoftheguitarbody.Theeasiestwaytodothisisbystuffing
somenewspaper
orbrownpackingpaperinsidethesoundhole.
Figure3:VariousExamplesofNeckJointMasking
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page7
4. StainandFinishtheNeckandBody(ApplyRosetteDecal)
Oncemaskingiscomplete,theneckandbodyarereadyforfinishing.Whattypeofstainandclearcoatis
appliedispersonalpreference.Actually,stainisoptio nal,butsometypeofclearcoat(lacquer,
polyurethane,acrylic/urethane)shouldbeappliedtothebodyandthebackofthenecktoprotect
the
wood.Asstatedearlier,thefretboardshouldbeleftunfinished
sinceitismadeofrosewood.Thebridge
shouldalsobeleftunfinishedforthisreason.
Therosettedecalmustbeappliedbeforethefinalclearcoatsareapplied.Itisokaytoapplyonecoatof
clearcoattotheguitarbodybeforeapplyingtherosette,butseveralcoats
shouldbeappliedafterward
toensurethatitisprotectedandsealedtothegui tar.
Toapplythedecal,soakitinabowlofwaterforapproximately2030secondsuntilitstartstoslideoff
thebackingpaper.Slideitontotheguitarbodyaroundthesoundhole,
peelingawaythepaperbacking.
Whileitiswetitshouldslidearoundontheguitarwithslightfingertippressure.Ifitstartstogetstuck
andneedstoberepositioned,dampenyourfingerinthebowlofwaterandwipeitaroundthesurface
ofthedecal.Usea
sponge,cloth,orpapertoweltosmooththedecal,removeanytrappedairbubbles
andremoveexcesswater.Allowthedecaltodryforseveralhoursbeforeapplyingthenextclearcoat.
Oncetheallcoatsoffinishhavedried,removethemaskingtape.
5. GluetheNecktotheBody
Beforetheneckcanbeglued tothebody,thejointhastobeprepared.Roughdryfittingwasdonein
Step1,butnowfinishhasbeenappliedtothebodyandneck.Thatfinishmustberemovedfromthe
neckbodyjointforproperglueadhesion(Note:Finishremoval
onsomepartsofthejointmaynotbe
necessaryiftheyweremaskedpriortofinishing).Todothis,inserttheneckintothebody.Holdingthe
neckfirmlyinplace,useasharprazorknifetocarefullyscribealinearoundthefretboardwhereitrests
onthe
topoftheguitarbo dy. Alsoscribealinearoundtheneckheelwhereitmeetsthesideofthe
Beforeremovingairbubblesand
wrinkles
Afterremovingairbubblesand
wrinkles
Figure4:ApplyingRosetteDecalduringClearCoat
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©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page9
Figure6:InstallingtheTuningMachines
7. GluetheNutinPlace
Using100gritsandpaper,lightlysandthenutwhereitwillbegluedtotheneck.Thiswillhelptheglue
adheretothenormallysmoothplastic.Becarefulnottosandareasthatwillbevisibleafterthenutis
installed.ApplyathincoatofTitebondgluetothe
endofthefretboard,putthenutinplace,andclamp.
Onlyasmallamountofglueisrequiredheresincenomechanicalstressisputonthenut;theguitar
stringswillholditinplace.Notethatduetomanufacturingtolerances,thenutmaybeslightlywider
than
theneck.Ifthatis the case,lookinAdvancedStep,FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth.
8. InstalltheBridge
Thescalelengthofthisguitar(thedistancefromthenuttothesaddle )is251/2.Thatmeasurementis
requiredforproperplacementofthebridgeontheguitarbody.Measure251/2″fromtheedgeofthe
nut(or123/4″fromthe12
th
fret,itwillbethesamepoint).Placeapieceofmaskingtapeacrossthe
guitarbodyatthispoint.Itiseasiertoputpenorpencilmarksontapethanonclearcoat.Nowlaya
straightedgealongthesideoftheguitarneckandmarkwherethe
straightedgecrossesthetape.Dothe
sameontheothersideoftheneck.Centeredbetweenthosetwolines,and251/2″fromthenut,isthe
Figure7:GluingtheNut inplace
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page10
pointatwhichthesaddleslotonthebridgemustbelocated.RefertothediagramsinFigure9:Bridge
PositionMeasurements,forclarificationofthebridgelocation.Also,measurethedistancefromthe
pointwheretheneckjoinsthebodytothefrontcornerofthebridge.Thisdistance
shouldbethesame
onbothsidesofthebridge.Continuemakingmarksonmaskingtapeuntilthebridgecanbeaccurately
placedintheproperlocation,perpendiculartotheneck.Itmightbehelpfultotransfer thecenterpoint
ofthesaddletothefrontofthebridgeusing
asquaresothatitcanbemoreeasilyalignedtomarkson
theguitarbody.Se eFigure8:BridgePositioning.
Bothlinesmustbe
equal
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saddlearealignedto
centeroftheneck
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12¾”from12
th
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Figure9:BridgePositionMeasurements
Figure8:BridgePositioning
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page11
Placethebridgeintheproperlocationandholditfirmlyinplacewithonehandandwhileusingthe
otherhandtoscribealineallaroundthebridgeusingarazorknife.Don’tletthebridgeslipwhiledoing
thisandbecarefulnottoaccidentallycutthe
bridge.Thepurposeofscribingthelineistomarkthearea
oftheguitartopwhereclearcoatmustberemovedsoagluebondcanbeachievedonthebridgebody
joint.
Oncethelineisscribed,removethebridgeandpreparetoremovethefinishinsidethe
scribelinewhere
thebridgewillbeglued.Followtheprocessdescribedin“GluetheNecktotheBody”mask,scrape,
sand.Oncethefinishisremoved,repositionthebridgeontheguitaranddoadryrunoftheclamp
setup.Ideally,2–3clampsshouldbeused,reachinginside
thebodytothebridgepatch—apieceof
woodinsidetheguitarbodydirectlybelowwherethebridgewillbelocated. Awoodencaulmightbe
neededbetweentheclampand thebridgepatchtoallowtheclampstoextendoverthebracinginside
thebody.Besureto
usepaddingontopofthebridg etopreventtheclampsfromdamagingthebridge.
Ifclampsarenotavailablethatwillreachinsidetheguitarsoundholetothebridge,anotheroption
mightbetousesomethingstiff,likeawoodenstraightedgeorapieceofwood.Laythestraightedgeor
woodacrossthebridgeandthenclampittothesidesoftheguitar.Again,usepaddingtoprevent
damagetothebridgeandguitarbody.Justbecarefulnottoapplysomuchpressurethatthetopofthe
guitarisdeformed.
Onceyou’rehappywithyourclampingsetup,
removetheclampsandlightlysandthebottomofthe
bridgewith100gritsandpapertohelptheglueadhere.NowgluethebridgetothebodywithTitebond
usingthesameclampsetupaspracticedearlier.Useadampclothtowipeawayanyexcessglue.Ifthere
isa
lotofglueexcessglueitmaybedifficulttoseethescribelinemarkingthebridgelocation.Afew
Figure10:PreparingandClampingtheBridgetotheBody
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page12
piecesofbluemaskingtapeplacedontheoutside ofthescribelinemightmakeiteasiertoseeduring
theclampingprocess.Theycanberemovedaftertheclampsareset,beforethegluedries.
Allowthegluetodryforatleast24hours.
9. InstalltheBridgePins
Oncetheglueforthesaddlehasdried,itistimetoinstallthebridgepins.Usea3/16″drillbittodrilla
holethroughthebridge,allthewaythroughthetopoftheguitar,ateachofthelocationsalready
markedinthetopofthebridge.Be
suretodrilltheholeperpendiculartotheguitarbody.Afterdrilling,
thebridgepinswon’tfitintheholes.That’sbecausetheholesmustbetaperedtomatchtheshapeof
thebridgepins.Normally,aguitar luthierwoulduseaspecialtoolcalledbridgepinreamerforthis
task.
Amorecommonlyavailableandlessexpensivetoolisaroundneedlefile.Usetheneedlefiletoslowly
enlargethetopofthebridgepinholes,taperingthemtowardthebottom.Keepcheckingthefitofthe
bridgepins.Thebridgepinsshouldfitjustsnuglyandtheyshouldn’t
betooloose.
Figure11:TaperingaBridgePinHole
10. InstalltheSaddle
Lightlysandthebottomofthesaddlewith100gritsandpaper.Applyasmallbeadofgluetothebottom
ofthesaddleandplaceitintheslotinthebridge.Becarefulnottogetanyexcessglueonthebridge
andmakesurethebridgeisinsertedinto
theslotfacingtherightdirection(seeFigure12:Saddle
Installation,forproperorientation).Lightlyclamp,oratleasttape,thesaddleinplaceuntilthegluehas
dried.Makesurethesaddleiscenteredinsidetheslotinthebridge.Ifthereisanyplayintheslot,front
toback,itisbettertohavethesaddlecontactingthefrontofthebridge,facingthesoundhole.The
stringswillforceitinthisdirection.
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Figure12:SaddleInstallation
11. InstalltheStrapButton
Witha5/64″drillbit,drill aholeintheendoftheguitar,inthemi ddle.Alternatively,a1/16″bitand
slightlyexpandingtheholewillprobablywork.Afterdrillingthehole,screwthestrapbuttonontothe
guitarbody.Besurethefeltbuttonisinplacetoprotect
theguitarfinish.
Figure13:StrapButtonInstallation
12. OiltheFretboardandBridge
Useclothwithasmallamountoflinseedormineraloiltoprotecttherosewoodfingerboard.Besureto
thoroughlycleananyexcessoiloffofthefrets,nut,andsidesoftheneck.Dothesametothebridge
(withthebridgepinsremoved).Commercialfretboardoilsarealsoavailable
atguitarshopsorluthier
supplyoutlets.
©2014,RocklerWoodworkingandHardware Page14
Figure14:Onlythe3rdand4thFretsOiledforComparison
13. StringandTuneYourGuitar
Therearemanywaystostringandtuneaguitar.Thissetofinstructionswon’tofferaparticularmethod,
buttheResourcessectionoffersseverallinksontheInternetthatdescribethestringingprocess.There
arealsoreferencesfortuningtheguitar.Electronictunersareavailableatmusicstoresoronline
retailersorevenassmartphoneapplications(alsolistedintheResourcessection).
AdvancedSteps
1. FineTunetheNeckJoint
Whiletheneckisattachedtothebody,itisagoodtimetochecktheneckjointalignment.Theneck
shouldbeperpendiculartothebody(sidetoside)andthefretboardneedstohaveaveryslightangle.
Theseareascanbecheckedwithastraightedgeoracarpenter’s
square.Ideallythesemeasurements
shouldbedonewiththeneckclamped tothebody.Inthefollowingfigures,notethattheclampshave
beenremovedinthepicturesforclarity.
Checkthattheneckisperpendiculartothebody bymeasuringthedistancefromtheendofthe
fretboardto
thesideoftheguitarbody.Repeatonboththeleftandrightsidesoftheneck.Bothsides
shouldbeapproximatelythesamedistance.SeeFigure15:CheckingtheNeckisPerpendicular
Figure15:CheckingtheNeckisPerpendicular
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Checktheneckanglebylayinga24straightedgealongthemiddleofthefretsonthefretboard.Align
the12¾″markonthestraighte dgewiththe12
th
fret(theonewith2dots).(Note:12¾″isusedbecause
thescalelength,thedistancefromthenuttothesaddle,willbe25½.The12
th
fretisexactly½the
scalelength.Sincewehaven’tgluedthenuttotheneckyet,wecanapproximatethebridgepositionby
measuringfromthe12
th
fret.)Undertheendofthestraightedge,placethebridge,centeringlefttoright
andaligningtheendofstraightedgeovertheslotwherethesaddlewillgo.Thestraightedgeshouldjust
clearthetopofthebridge.SeeFigure16:CheckingtheNeckAngle.Ifitdipsbelowthe
topofthebridge
orismorethan1/8″abovethetopofthebridge,adjustmentsmayneedtobemadetotheneckheel. 
Tomakeadjustments,useasharpchisel,afile,oracardscrapertoremovematerialfromthe
appropriatesideoftheneckheelto
getthenecktoraiseorlowerasdesired(ormoveleftorright).Itis
criticalthatthefaceoftheneckheelthatmeetsthebodyremainflat.Ifitdoesnot,theneckbodyjoint
willnotbeasstrongaspossible.
2. FilingtheNuttoMatchtheNeckWidth
Ifthenutiswiderthantheneckitispossibletofiletheendsofthenutsothatitisthesamewidthas
theneck.Itisbesttodothisbeforethenutisgluedinplacesothattheneckisn’tscratchedbythefilein
theprocess.Filebothsidesequallysothatthestringsdon’tendupoffcenterontheneck.Onlyfilea
littleatatimesothatthenutdoesn’tendupnarrowerthantheneck.
Figure16:CheckingtheNeckAngle
Checkgaphere
12¾″at12
th
fret
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Resources
AcousticReStringingTutorial(video):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5DaSHIIDsor
http://youtu.be/d5DaSHIIDs
ChangingSteelStrings(PDF):http://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files/Steel_Restring.pdf
GuitarTuna(guitartunersmartphoneapp):http://ovelin.com/guitartuna/
HowtoTuneaGuitar(webpage):http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/
/