Hey Gary, thanks for watching! I appreciate the compliment too, but sometimes I don't feel too sharp, but things usually work out anyway. The trussrod "mod" just seemed like a perfect solution for this guitar. It's not traditional, but I also don't want to build another pre-broken neck, lol. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
I can tell you’re excited about the jig! You didn’t want to over do it, but it shows. As well as it should be. Sometimes you just have to pat yourself on the back. Well, here goes an extra two pats. The Jig Man from Rockledge!!! And how about that 8.5K!!! Slowly but surely. You WILL make it to the big time. Hi Laura 😆❤️
LOL, hey Mike, good to hear from you and thanks for watching! Yep, I'm pretty pleased with the way that jiggy thing worked out. Still some learning to do, but it did take a lot of physical labor out of the process, I like that! Yes, just rolled over 8.5K, that's pretty cool and it's all thanks to great folks like yourself who keep coming back for more punishment. 😆 I'll let my better half (three quarters) know you say hey! Be safe brother!
David, thanks for watching and the kind words! I really enjoy the challenge of projects like this, a lot to be learned along the way. I also enjoy sharing the journey. Thanks again for hanging with me, be safe and take care!
BaukeC, thanks for watching! It's come in pretty handy, but there may be a version 4 on the horizon. Ya never know. Hope all is well for you, take care!
Lyricbread, thanks for watchin' and good to hear from you! Indeed, No hand or shoulder pain. Once the contraption is built, it makes easy work - of the hard work. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Hans, thanks for watching! I'm hoping the simple changes will help solve the problem for this guitar. I wonder if Epiphone has the authority to make such a change, or if Gibson would veto the idea. Gib would probably poo-poo the change. Wouldn't want a better product being standard in an Epiphone LOL. Thank you, and to you and yours as well. Take care!
really enjoying this one. like others are saying that spoke wheel at the heel seems like a much better idea, that whole headstock area is going to be stronger as you noted.
musterionsurly, thanks for watching! I really hope the simple change in trussrod will be the answer, along with far better neck lumber. Definately leaving a lot more wood at the nut area. When I got thinking about the trussrod channel and how it is cut through at the nut, I couldn't unsee the issue. Built in weakness, then the very light and weak wood used, was a perfect disaster waiting to happen for this guitar. Should look pretty custom too, going for the "cool factor", LOL. Be safe and take care!
That neck will be far better than the one that the guitar left the factory with. The truss rod adjustment at the heel end is a far better and far stronger design feature. I just finished building a set-neck firebird with the same spokewheel trussrod. It works great. Thanks for the continued stream of info and videos John. It's people like you that enable people like me to fulfil a dream or two.
Martin, thanks for watching! Very cool to hear of your set-neck firebird project! Glad the trussrod is working well for you, I'm hoping for that on this project too. Glad you're enjoying the projects and videos, and it's always good to hear from you and others who continually join me - remote family! I really hope these videos get people interested in tinkering, modding, building, or just looking under the hood of whatever is within reach. As i get older, I'm finding everything interesting, hoping others feel that way sooner, rather than later. Wishing you the best, be safe and take care - see ya in the next project!
Great job! Really enjoy how much research you put into both what you build and how you build. The effort is immediately noticeable from how educational your videos are and how much higher quality the guitar is after you're done with it! Looking forward to the next video 😁
Carlos, thanks for watching and the kind words. I'm glad to hear you appreciate the content and delivery. I always feel I'm rushing through too much information, but I don't want to bore anyone with hours of sanding, cutting, thinking ... So, from your comment, I may be delivering things in a pretty good manner. Appreciate hearing your thoughts, thank you! Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Hello my friend, another episode and again nothing to bitch about. A lot of sanding, nice routing, chisels (sharp chisels?) and other hand tools at work and your great neck shaping tool in action! To install a spoke wheel for the truss rod in order to have a more material in that danger zone is a very convincing thought. I am happy that the Epiphone 'face' is glued on the headstock in one peace! My son has a rehearsal today for a gig tomorrow and he wants to play his Epiphone SG instead of a Strat. Hopefully the SG will come back in one piece, because I don't have your skills by a long shot. Take care Jens
Hey Jens, thanks for watching! LOL, sorry I didn't offer bitch points again. I'm not doing my job right! At least there was the sanding, routing, reasonably sharp chisels...no bloodshed during this episode. I'm hoping the change of trussrod and lumber choice will offer this guitar a long and happy life. I'm sure it can still be broken, but it should take a little effort. Good to hear your son has a rehearsal and upcoming gig, that's pretty exciting! So, is he pretty comfortable switching back and forth between the SG and a Strat? I know some people have issue with the different scale lengths and such. Hope all goes well for him, and you. Be safe, take care and enjoy the show!
@@theNextProject I hope there will be some 'bitch points' in the following episode. Otherwise, I want my money back! If that neck breakes again, there will be a lot more meat (do You say that?) for fixing it. Thanks for the wishes! He plays nylon string, steel string and electric guitar, switching between guitars is no problem for him. He's playing with the big band at the prom tomorrow. Only parents of graduates have access. This will take another 5 years for us.
Meat, yes that's what we say. More meat is basically more mass of whatever the material. Sounds like you're boy is very well rounded, plays anything, that's good! 5 years will go be all to fast, sorry. Oh, your admission refund check(s) are in the mail. ; ) Take care my friend!
Philip, thanks for watching and I appreciate the kind words. I always try to make videos worth the time of the viewer. Glad you're enjoying them. Take care!
Hey Laura, thanks for watching. Yep, a proper neck....now I'll have to make the rest of the guitar "beautiful". A few other things need to be brought up to proper quality level. Stat tuned!
edwjak, thanks for watching! That thought has crossed my mind, mainly when I was thinking of staying with a headstock adjustable truss rod. The way I ended up going, I didn't rout out to the smallest part of the neck (nut), so I'm hoping this neck will have far better strength at it's weakest area. Rather out the heel of the neck for the spokewheel truss rod adjustment. Hope it will have a long and happy life once it's all back together. Be safe and take care!
Looking forward to the neck shaping jig episode. I built one of these last year and have spent a lot of time tweaking the design. I use a ball nose end mill to do the routing which can get tedious so I installed a braking system on the jig to hold each position while I run the router. I will have to give the bowl bit a try.
Jay, thanks for watching! I hear you, there is a lot of time tweaking things. I'm kinda working on a version 2 idea, as I as looking at the banana/hockey stick headstocks...they won't fit in this box. Yes, I can see a ball nose cutting such a thin line that there would be a loooot of repetitive passes need. I had originally tested a 2-flute 1/2" diameter, straight bit. It worked pretty well, but left a lot of fine ridges. When I finally tried this bowl bit, it made a huge improvement. It is a "cheap" Yonico bit from amazon. So far, so good. I hope to have my carve tool video out in a week or so. Hope all is well for you, take care!
Very enjoyable watch, you are obviously a master craftsman, and know exactly what you are doing! Efficient and precise, no unneeded moves or waste of energy, brilliant🎸🤘🏼🎸
GearView, thanks for watching, and the kind words! Honestly, I've screwed up a lot of stuff over the years, and I'm getting better at moving things in the right direction, or at least the direction I'm thinking of (right or wrong to be determined). Thanks again for joining me, should turn out nice. Be safe and take care!
Oh crap, I had a blooper to put at the end, totally forgot. Chris, thanks for watching! I'm trying to change my ways and be patient and calculated...it's a difficult transition for me. I just want to cut stuff and hope for the best, it's my nature and makes for good train wrecks. The new me is short on work time, and doesn't want as many re-dos. I'm conflicted, lol. Hope you are doing well, take care my friend!
Nieko, thanks for watching! I'm hoping the trussrod change will be a good solution. Not really any more work, but should yeild a lot stronger neck to headstock transition. I really don't understand Gibson's continued resistance to improvement. Some changes could easily be hidden, keeping the authentic look in tact. Oh well. Glad i'm not to authentic. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
P Chudzik, thanks for watching! I'm hoping it will all turn out well, a lot yet to do as I'm going to clean up a few other little factory issues. Stay tuned, more coming as soon as I can. Take care!
Nice work, and inspired solutions to solving the inherent issues with Gibson’s neck/headstock weaknesses. Also really interested in that neck shaping tool/ jig thingy, will check out your links but also very much looking forward to your Next Video on that. Cheers!
MuseumsBloke, good to hear from you again and thanks for watching! I expect the new trussrod and better lumber will make this guitar almost unbreakable...I'm sure it could still be destroyed, but this should fit the normal handling and use issues. I hope to have the carving tool video done in a week or so, I may run another test, and have an alternate set of plans in mind also. I was testing a banana/hockey stick headstock...need a bigger box. I hope to explain that in the video. Be safe and take care!
As always, I'm simply amazed by the work you do. What you do in order to reneck this guitar is worth more than double as a new Epiphone guitar would cost you. But of course, you don't do this for the value, you do it for fun(?), and that's worth more than anything.
Achim, good to hear from you my friend and thanks for watching! Oh yes, the neck is likely worth more than the rest of the guitar, but, can't really have one without the other, so... So true, projects like this are a labor of love, and as much for fun as anything. I like the challenge, and the benefit I get out of it is learning things. I also like having the opportunity to share the project/process with everyone too. It's all good. Someone will get a nice guitar out of this someday. A one-off custom shop Epiphone LP, that makes me feel good too. Hope you are doing well, oh - didn't you have some auto repairs going on recently? If so, hope that went well. Sorry if I'm confused on this. Be safe and take care my friend!
@@theNextProjectYes, the auto repair went as expected, took the mechanics two working hours. I don't know what it's like in the US, but here they get paid by the working time.
It seems to depend on what mechanic shop, or auto dealership. Many have a preset rate for certain repairs + materials/consumables and any environmental waste disposal... So a Honda Pilot SUV timing chain replacement will have a set cost, if the mechanic gets done quicker, they still bill the full amount. If they work slow...they get less per hour. But, that depends on the shop to some degree. Glad you got your repairs taken care of, now you can focus on guitar stuff!
@@theNextProjectAh! Yes! I know that, but that was not a standard repair, special rates for standard repairs are a thing here, too. They know what they do for an inspection, so they get you a fixed price.
Jason, thanks for watching! I'm working on more stuff, also trying to find a few minutes to practice. That's the hardest project I have. Hope you are doing well, take care!
Mogie, thanks for watching! Glad you're enjoying the projects too. I'm hoping this will all go well, still a lot to do, but it's looking promising. Be safe and take care!
Tommy, thanks for watching! Well, I don't really have the time to produce the shaping jigs, but I will have a video out in a week or so that will have the plans included. It takes some time to build, but having plans and an idea of how it all works will greatly help those who want to build this carving jig themselves. Stay tuned, that video is on the way. Be safe and take care!
What’s your point? Neck break at the headstock is extremely common on a Les Paul. There is no debating that. He is just coming up with an alternative and creative way to fix a broken headstock. If you don’t like it, don’t watch.
Hey Janis, thanks for watching! Agreed, a lot of LPs, 335s... never suffer this issue. I'm not doing this repair to a guitar that wasn't broken though. It was severed clean at the nut. Sadly, there are tens of thousands that do. A lot of guitar with angled headstocks suffer a break up there. A lot of acoustic guitars break too, it happens. This guitar, and another Epi LP I worked on last year, were both "brand new-ish" and both broke in the box. Both had nearly identical breaks too. That made me wonder what the cause may be. This has been a very interesting dissection project. The factory neck had a scarf joint running into the headstock, so it wasn't a short grain break as I would expect from a one-piece neck lumber where the shape transitions from neck to headstock. This guillotine break, is likely caused by a number of things. Weak lumber choice, bad piece of lumber, poor choice of trussrod and channel routing, all compounded at the smallest cross-section of the neck, the nut area = POP! :_ ( I'm expecting true Gibson's to have a better grade of lumber in the neck, at least older Gibs'. I hope they do. A lot of neck breaks are caused by a tragic accident, a bad fall. But what's going on here? Time for a super-upgrade. Thanks for watching and your comment too. Please return as this project still has a way to go. Be safe and take care!
Hey Chet, thanks for watching! Janis does have a point. A lot of LPs and such don't break, but as you point out, this project is for those that do. I really think there is a problem with lumber selection, and compounded by a design/manufacturing issue that could be corrected to some degree. I doubt Epi, or Gib, will start putting this type of truss rod in. I wish they would, maybe a line of LPs, 335s... that would be a player edition, with upgrades not put on traditional versions. Sadly, that would only complicate manufacturing, so it won't happen. Gibson Authentic will strike the idea down, down, down! As would a lot of traditionalists. Oh well, this will be a really nice One-off Custom Shop LP. Someone will get a great guitar. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Adding a volute does not strengthen the the neck. Gibson tried it in the 70's and it did not decrease the headstock breaks. You just ended up with a carbuncle on the neck break area. If you like the look, add one but they still break with one.
rakentrail, thanks for watching! I'm hoping the better choice of lumber and the different truss rod arrangement will make this a better neck choice. As for the volute, it may or may not help, and you're right there are guitars with broken volute necks too. I don't mind the look personally. I know some folks don't like 'em, and that's okay too. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Traditional Gibson players seem to hate them. I've actually removed many a volute for some of my customers. One thing that seemed to help was a backstrap overlay with something far stronger than mahogany! Maple, Hickory, Osage Orange, etc. I like to steam bend the overlay to keep the long grain intact. IMHO Epiphone made things worse by making their headstocks longer, AKA more leverage.
I don't know if this new Epi headstock is longer than a Gibson, maybe by a little, but not much. The older "odd" epi headstock was a paddle for sure, and I get what you're saying, it stuck out there. So, the volutes you removed, were they directly under the nut, between 1st fret and nut, or? This volute is away from fretting hand area, shaped narrow enough to be out of the way. Anyway, I get it. Some people won't like it. Some won't like the trussrod adjustment at the heel either. Can't make everyone happy. Thanks for the info, take care!
The volutes on 70's Gibsons started at or slightly north of the nut. They didn't interfere with playing but we all know how purists can be. The breaks were on a grain line below the volute right where the old ones would break! Yeah, the late 90's- early 2000's Epi headstocks were dang near as big as a cricket bat! I'm building a copy of sorts of a 59 LP Special and hiding the t-rod nut in the pickup cavity. No room to do the wheel! Also I believe the fake mahogany on the Epi's seems to be weaker than the real deal! I do think you are on the right track! Rock On!😎
Sounds like you have a cool project underway! Yes, the lumber Epiphone is/was using on this and other LPs of that date were a very light weight and fragile wood. I spoke with a furniture maker about the wood, he coined it as Lauan, which is Philippine Mahogany by another name. Others have mentioned it is a fast growth plantation lumber...light and weak. It is nice looking material, but I'm glad to have it gone. The new necks slight addition in weight shouldn't be too noticeable, probably +/- 8 oz difference between the original and new necks. If it was all at the headstock, it might be noticeable, lol. Good luck with your project, take care!
EbonyPope, Great question, and I don't have a scientific answer - sorry. Yes Epi did reduce the angle to 14-ish, which is still a pretty big angle. Since I made this neck, I wanted to try new things too. I've done 7 degree angles in the past, but just wanted to shoot somewhere in between. At a glance, most people won't know the difference. Everything is an experiment in my hands, scary! Thanks for the question!
Nice shave! Very handsome! *Almost* presentable! Love that neck shaping jig/tool/whatever. About how much rasping/shaving/sanding time do you think you saved in that initial 10 minutes?
I'm flattered, thank you very much! I was almost presentable for a day or two, now I'm borderline homeless looking again. Yes, that neck carving thingy, really worked out well. It was a lot of learning/work to get it built - for such a simple devise, but I'm pleased with the results. I probably "shaved" an hour in time doing this carve process over doing it by hand, but I haven't done any "hand carving" in a long time. I've used a couple other power carving processes, but this may offer me the most flexibility in getting close to a desired profile/section. Also, this should be more repeatable, if I need to match a neck profile or make multiple identical necks. It's all fun and educational for me. Hope you are doing well, be safe and take care!
LOL Tim, you are on it! Thanks for...wait a minute. Thanks for commenting. Hope you enjoy the vid when you get a chance to watch. LOL, too funny. Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProjectI started watching it and then fell asleep. That is not a critique of your work, but in that I was just plain tired. The neck looks fantastic. The join of it to the body is beautiful. I’m working on my ‘96 MIM black label Strat, as I have mentioned. I sanded off the sky blue I had on it in 2000, and am repainting it the Torino Red it was underneath. I sanded too much off in spots (oops) so I’m just redoing it. Clear weather tomorrow, so clear coats will be had! And applied! Then went and redid the wiring with CTS metric pots so I could reuse the original beautifully aged knobs, but the shaft is too long to fit in the pickguard. I added a washer underneath to lower the pot shaft, but it’ll still leave a sizable gap due to the splines being too long so I can have some threads for the nut to grip to. I have some unorthodox ideas that came to me as I typed, so I’ll keep ya posted.
123, thanks for watching! yep, it is a 2way/dual action rod, nearly identical to the truss rod that came out of the original neck, accept this new rod has the wheel adjuster.... and it's blue, lol. Hope this change helps the stability and longevity of the new neck. Take care!
Stealing, thanks for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the vids. Good to hear your feedback regarding how info is presented in the projects. I never really know if I'm moving too fast, or skipping details. Hard to get 10 hours of work into 15 minutes, LOL. Something's gotta go. I have an insta: thenextproject.yt Hope all is going well for you, be safe and take care!
Okay, I know what you're talking about. I'll take a couple of those free tunes out of rotation. Sorry for the spinning room, lol. This was a long video too, so much going on. Hope you are doing well, and the dizzy has passed. Take care my friend!
Love the truss rod swap. I think that is a winner.
Robert, thanks for watching!
I'm hoping the truss rod swap will help this neck design. Time will tell.
Be safe and take care!
You really are a smart guy and a craftsman with your great workmanship and jigs. But your truss rod adjustment idea is genius, great idea.
Hey Gary, thanks for watching!
I appreciate the compliment too, but sometimes I don't feel too sharp, but things usually work out anyway.
The trussrod "mod" just seemed like a perfect solution for this guitar. It's not traditional, but I also don't want to build another pre-broken neck, lol.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
I can tell you’re excited about the jig! You didn’t want to over do it, but it shows. As well as it should be. Sometimes you just have to pat yourself on the back. Well, here goes an extra two pats. The Jig Man from Rockledge!!! And how about that 8.5K!!! Slowly but surely. You WILL make it to the big time. Hi Laura 😆❤️
LOL, hey Mike, good to hear from you and thanks for watching!
Yep, I'm pretty pleased with the way that jiggy thing worked out. Still some learning to do, but it did take a lot of physical labor out of the process, I like that!
Yes, just rolled over 8.5K, that's pretty cool and it's all thanks to great folks like yourself who keep coming back for more punishment. 😆
I'll let my better half (three quarters) know you say hey!
Be safe brother!
The whole episode was mesmerizing. You are a talented artist.
David, thanks for watching and the kind words!
I really enjoy the challenge of projects like this, a lot to be learned along the way. I also enjoy sharing the journey.
Thanks again for hanging with me, be safe and take care!
Genius neck carving/routing contraption!!!!
BaukeC, thanks for watching!
It's come in pretty handy, but there may be a version 4 on the horizon. Ya never know.
Hope all is well for you, take care!
What a cool neck carving jig! Definitely saves some elbow grease!
Lyricbread, thanks for watchin' and good to hear from you!
Indeed, No hand or shoulder pain. Once the contraption is built, it makes easy work - of the hard work.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
This is a super solution to a seemingly common problem. Another great video. Thank you! Best to you and yours.
Hans, thanks for watching!
I'm hoping the simple changes will help solve the problem for this guitar.
I wonder if Epiphone has the authority to make such a change, or if Gibson would veto the idea. Gib would probably poo-poo the change. Wouldn't want a better product being standard in an Epiphone LOL.
Thank you, and to you and yours as well. Take care!
really enjoying this one. like others are saying that spoke wheel at the heel seems like a much better idea, that whole headstock area is going to be stronger as you noted.
musterionsurly, thanks for watching!
I really hope the simple change in trussrod will be the answer, along with far better neck lumber.
Definately leaving a lot more wood at the nut area. When I got thinking about the trussrod channel and how it is cut through at the nut, I couldn't unsee the issue. Built in weakness, then the very light and weak wood used, was a perfect disaster waiting to happen for this guitar.
Should look pretty custom too, going for the "cool factor", LOL.
Be safe and take care!
That neck will be far better than the one that the guitar left the factory with. The truss rod adjustment at the heel end is a far better and far stronger design feature. I just finished building a set-neck firebird with the same spokewheel trussrod. It works great. Thanks for the continued stream of info and videos John. It's people like you that enable people like me to fulfil a dream or two.
Ditto man....👍
Martin, thanks for watching!
Very cool to hear of your set-neck firebird project! Glad the trussrod is working well for you, I'm hoping for that on this project too.
Glad you're enjoying the projects and videos, and it's always good to hear from you and others who continually join me - remote family!
I really hope these videos get people interested in tinkering, modding, building, or just looking under the hood of whatever is within reach. As i get older, I'm finding everything interesting, hoping others feel that way sooner, rather than later.
Wishing you the best, be safe and take care - see ya in the next project!
Great job! Really enjoy how much research you put into both what you build and how you build. The effort is immediately noticeable from how educational your videos are and how much higher quality the guitar is after you're done with it! Looking forward to the next video 😁
Carlos, thanks for watching and the kind words. I'm glad to hear you appreciate the content and delivery. I always feel I'm rushing through too much information, but I don't want to bore anyone with hours of sanding, cutting, thinking ... So, from your comment, I may be delivering things in a pretty good manner. Appreciate hearing your thoughts, thank you!
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Hello my friend,
another episode and again nothing to bitch about. A lot of sanding, nice routing, chisels (sharp chisels?) and other hand tools at work and your great neck shaping tool in action! To install a spoke wheel for the truss rod in order to have a more material in that danger zone is a very convincing thought.
I am happy that the Epiphone 'face' is glued on the headstock in one peace!
My son has a rehearsal today for a gig tomorrow and he wants to play his Epiphone SG instead of a Strat. Hopefully the SG will come back in one piece, because I don't have your skills by a long shot.
Take care
Jens
Hey Jens, thanks for watching!
LOL, sorry I didn't offer bitch points again. I'm not doing my job right!
At least there was the sanding, routing, reasonably sharp chisels...no bloodshed during this episode.
I'm hoping the change of trussrod and lumber choice will offer this guitar a long and happy life. I'm sure it can still be broken, but it should take a little effort.
Good to hear your son has a rehearsal and upcoming gig, that's pretty exciting! So, is he pretty comfortable switching back and forth between the SG and a Strat? I know some people have issue with the different scale lengths and such.
Hope all goes well for him, and you.
Be safe, take care and enjoy the show!
@@theNextProject
I hope there will be some 'bitch points' in the following episode. Otherwise, I want my money back!
If that neck breakes again, there will be a lot more meat (do You say that?) for fixing it.
Thanks for the wishes! He plays nylon string, steel string and electric guitar, switching between guitars is no problem for him. He's playing with the big band at the prom tomorrow. Only parents of graduates have access. This will take another 5 years for us.
Meat, yes that's what we say. More meat is basically more mass of whatever the material.
Sounds like you're boy is very well rounded, plays anything, that's good!
5 years will go be all to fast, sorry.
Oh, your admission refund check(s) are in the mail. ; )
Take care my friend!
Enjoy all your videos, thanks very much. Great skill set, great projects and well edited videos.😊
Philip, thanks for watching and I appreciate the kind words.
I always try to make videos worth the time of the viewer. Glad you're enjoying them.
Take care!
18:12 .. Volutes are nice...very classy!!
Agreed, value added to this lil LP. 👍
Beautiful guitar - it will be great with a proper new neck!😊
Hey Laura, thanks for watching.
Yep, a proper neck....now I'll have to make the rest of the guitar "beautiful". A few other things need to be brought up to proper quality level.
Stat tuned!
Good idea to swap the truss rod 180 degrees. I would, maybe, think about using single action rod to save more of the thickness.
edwjak, thanks for watching!
That thought has crossed my mind, mainly when I was thinking of staying with a headstock adjustable truss rod.
The way I ended up going, I didn't rout out to the smallest part of the neck (nut), so I'm hoping this neck will have far better strength at it's weakest area. Rather out the heel of the neck for the spokewheel truss rod adjustment.
Hope it will have a long and happy life once it's all back together.
Be safe and take care!
Looking forward to the neck shaping jig episode. I built one of these last year and have spent a lot of time tweaking the design. I use a ball nose end mill to do the routing which can get tedious so I installed a braking system on the jig to hold each position while I run the router. I will have to give the bowl bit a try.
Jay, thanks for watching!
I hear you, there is a lot of time tweaking things. I'm kinda working on a version 2 idea, as I as looking at the banana/hockey stick headstocks...they won't fit in this box.
Yes, I can see a ball nose cutting such a thin line that there would be a loooot of repetitive passes need.
I had originally tested a 2-flute 1/2" diameter, straight bit. It worked pretty well, but left a lot of fine ridges. When I finally tried this bowl bit, it made a huge improvement. It is a "cheap" Yonico bit from amazon. So far, so good.
I hope to have my carve tool video out in a week or so.
Hope all is well for you, take care!
Very enjoyable watch, you are obviously a master craftsman, and know exactly what you are doing! Efficient and precise, no unneeded moves or waste of energy, brilliant🎸🤘🏼🎸
GearView, thanks for watching, and the kind words!
Honestly, I've screwed up a lot of stuff over the years, and I'm getting better at moving things in the right direction, or at least the direction I'm thinking of (right or wrong to be determined).
Thanks again for joining me, should turn out nice.
Be safe and take care!
Thx, entertaining and informative as usual. Not enough mistakes for the gag reel. 🤕
Oh crap, I had a blooper to put at the end, totally forgot.
Chris, thanks for watching!
I'm trying to change my ways and be patient and calculated...it's a difficult transition for me.
I just want to cut stuff and hope for the best, it's my nature and makes for good train wrecks.
The new me is short on work time, and doesn't want as many re-dos. I'm conflicted, lol.
Hope you are doing well, take care my friend!
Fancy trussrod 👍🏻 smart thinking.
Gibson likes things authentic. Assume breaks are part of that.
Nieko, thanks for watching!
I'm hoping the trussrod change will be a good solution. Not really any more work, but should yeild a lot stronger neck to headstock transition.
I really don't understand Gibson's continued resistance to improvement. Some changes could easily be hidden, keeping the authentic look in tact. Oh well.
Glad i'm not to authentic.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
This going to be an amazing guitar 🤩🤩🤩. Can’t wait for the next part!
P Chudzik, thanks for watching!
I'm hoping it will all turn out well, a lot yet to do as I'm going to clean up a few other little factory issues.
Stay tuned, more coming as soon as I can.
Take care!
Nice work, and inspired solutions to solving the inherent issues with Gibson’s neck/headstock weaknesses. Also really interested in that neck shaping tool/ jig thingy, will check out your links but also very much looking forward to your Next Video on that. Cheers!
MuseumsBloke, good to hear from you again and thanks for watching!
I expect the new trussrod and better lumber will make this guitar almost unbreakable...I'm sure it could still be destroyed, but this should fit the normal handling and use issues.
I hope to have the carving tool video done in a week or so, I may run another test, and have an alternate set of plans in mind also.
I was testing a banana/hockey stick headstock...need a bigger box. I hope to explain that in the video.
Be safe and take care!
As always, I'm simply amazed by the work you do.
What you do in order to reneck this guitar is worth more than double as a new Epiphone guitar would cost you.
But of course, you don't do this for the value, you do it for fun(?), and that's worth more than anything.
Achim, good to hear from you my friend and thanks for watching!
Oh yes, the neck is likely worth more than the rest of the guitar, but, can't really have one without the other, so...
So true, projects like this are a labor of love, and as much for fun as anything. I like the challenge, and the benefit I get out of it is learning things. I also like having the opportunity to share the project/process with everyone too. It's all good.
Someone will get a nice guitar out of this someday.
A one-off custom shop Epiphone LP, that makes me feel good too.
Hope you are doing well, oh - didn't you have some auto repairs going on recently? If so, hope that went well.
Sorry if I'm confused on this.
Be safe and take care my friend!
@@theNextProjectYes, the auto repair went as expected, took the mechanics two working hours. I don't know what it's like in the US, but here they get paid by the working time.
It seems to depend on what mechanic shop, or auto dealership.
Many have a preset rate for certain repairs + materials/consumables and any environmental waste disposal...
So a Honda Pilot SUV timing chain replacement will have a set cost, if the mechanic gets done quicker, they still bill the full amount. If they work slow...they get less per hour. But, that depends on the shop to some degree.
Glad you got your repairs taken care of, now you can focus on guitar stuff!
@@theNextProjectAh! Yes! I know that, but that was not a standard repair, special rates for standard repairs are a thing here, too. They know what they do for an inspection, so they get you a fixed price.
Enjoyed it John, keep the vids coming!
Jason, thanks for watching!
I'm working on more stuff, also trying to find a few minutes to practice.
That's the hardest project I have.
Hope you are doing well, take care!
Thanks for sharing
I really enjoy your videos
That truss rod idea is great 👍
Mogie, thanks for watching!
Glad you're enjoying the projects too.
I'm hoping this will all go well, still a lot to do, but it's looking promising.
Be safe and take care!
So, so good
Hey Steve, thanks for watching!
It is getting better, better than factory.
Be safe and take care!
Beautiful man..👍
wjewell, many thanks, and thanks for watching!
Be safe and take care!
Man, what fun!
Mark, thanks for watching!
Always something fun here, lol
Be safe and take care!
If you call them flaps, that covers both wings and ears, ... and more.
LOL, I like that "flaps". Tuning flap extensions, headstock flaps... Hehe, fun!
great work👍
Thank you for watching, I greatly appreciate it!
Take care
You should be selling those next shaping jigs
Tommy, thanks for watching!
Well, I don't really have the time to produce the shaping jigs, but I will have a video out in a week or so that will have the plans included.
It takes some time to build, but having plans and an idea of how it all works will greatly help those who want to build this carving jig themselves.
Stay tuned, that video is on the way.
Be safe and take care!
Cast iron neck. That's the ticket.
I better increase my protein intake!
Millions of Les Pauls' never need kneck repair!!!!
What’s your point? Neck break at the headstock is extremely common on a Les Paul. There is no debating that. He is just coming up with an alternative and creative way to fix a broken headstock. If you don’t like it, don’t watch.
Hey Janis, thanks for watching!
Agreed, a lot of LPs, 335s... never suffer this issue.
I'm not doing this repair to a guitar that wasn't broken though. It was severed clean at the nut.
Sadly, there are tens of thousands that do. A lot of guitar with angled headstocks suffer a break up there. A lot of acoustic guitars break too, it happens.
This guitar, and another Epi LP I worked on last year, were both "brand new-ish" and both broke in the box. Both had nearly identical breaks too. That made me wonder what the cause may be.
This has been a very interesting dissection project. The factory neck had a scarf joint running into the headstock, so it wasn't a short grain break as I would expect from a one-piece neck lumber where the shape transitions from neck to headstock.
This guillotine break, is likely caused by a number of things. Weak lumber choice, bad piece of lumber, poor choice of trussrod and channel routing, all compounded at the smallest cross-section of the neck, the nut area = POP! :_ (
I'm expecting true Gibson's to have a better grade of lumber in the neck, at least older Gibs'. I hope they do.
A lot of neck breaks are caused by a tragic accident, a bad fall. But what's going on here? Time for a super-upgrade.
Thanks for watching and your comment too. Please return as this project still has a way to go.
Be safe and take care!
Hey Chet, thanks for watching!
Janis does have a point. A lot of LPs and such don't break, but as you point out, this project is for those that do.
I really think there is a problem with lumber selection, and compounded by a design/manufacturing issue that could be corrected to some degree.
I doubt Epi, or Gib, will start putting this type of truss rod in.
I wish they would, maybe a line of LPs, 335s... that would be a player edition, with upgrades not put on traditional versions. Sadly, that would only complicate manufacturing, so it won't happen. Gibson Authentic will strike the idea down, down, down! As would a lot of traditionalists.
Oh well, this will be a really nice One-off Custom Shop LP.
Someone will get a great guitar.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Adding a volute does not strengthen the the neck. Gibson tried it in the 70's and it did not decrease the headstock breaks. You just ended up with a carbuncle on the neck break area. If you like the look, add one but they still break with one.
rakentrail, thanks for watching!
I'm hoping the better choice of lumber and the different truss rod arrangement will make this a better neck choice.
As for the volute, it may or may not help, and you're right there are guitars with broken volute necks too.
I don't mind the look personally. I know some folks don't like 'em, and that's okay too.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Traditional Gibson players seem to hate them. I've actually removed many a volute for some of my customers. One thing that seemed to help was a backstrap overlay with something far stronger than mahogany! Maple, Hickory, Osage Orange, etc. I like to steam bend the overlay to keep the long grain intact. IMHO Epiphone made things worse by making their headstocks longer, AKA more leverage.
I don't know if this new Epi headstock is longer than a Gibson, maybe by a little, but not much. The older "odd" epi headstock was a paddle for sure, and I get what you're saying, it stuck out there.
So, the volutes you removed, were they directly under the nut, between 1st fret and nut, or?
This volute is away from fretting hand area, shaped narrow enough to be out of the way.
Anyway, I get it. Some people won't like it. Some won't like the trussrod adjustment at the heel either. Can't make everyone happy.
Thanks for the info, take care!
The volutes on 70's Gibsons started at or slightly north of the nut. They didn't interfere with playing but we all know how purists can be. The breaks were on a grain line below the volute right where the old ones would break! Yeah, the late 90's- early 2000's Epi headstocks were dang near as big as a cricket bat! I'm building a copy of sorts of a 59 LP Special and hiding the t-rod nut in the pickup cavity. No room to do the wheel! Also I believe the fake mahogany on the Epi's seems to be weaker than the real deal! I do think you are on the right track! Rock On!😎
Sounds like you have a cool project underway!
Yes, the lumber Epiphone is/was using on this and other LPs of that date were a very light weight and fragile wood.
I spoke with a furniture maker about the wood, he coined it as Lauan, which is Philippine Mahogany by another name. Others have mentioned it is a fast growth plantation lumber...light and weak.
It is nice looking material, but I'm glad to have it gone. The new necks slight addition in weight shouldn't be too noticeable, probably +/- 8 oz difference between the original and new necks. If it was all at the headstock, it might be noticeable, lol.
Good luck with your project, take care!
Why only 10 degress headstock angle? I thought Epiphone already reduced it from Gibson's 17 degress to 14 degrees.
EbonyPope, Great question, and I don't have a scientific answer - sorry.
Yes Epi did reduce the angle to 14-ish, which is still a pretty big angle.
Since I made this neck, I wanted to try new things too. I've done 7 degree angles in the past, but just wanted to shoot somewhere in between. At a glance, most people won't know the difference.
Everything is an experiment in my hands, scary!
Thanks for the question!
@@theNextProject Ah okay.
Nice shave! Very handsome! *Almost* presentable!
Love that neck shaping jig/tool/whatever. About how much rasping/shaving/sanding time do you think you saved in that initial 10 minutes?
I'm flattered, thank you very much!
I was almost presentable for a day or two, now I'm borderline homeless looking again.
Yes, that neck carving thingy, really worked out well. It was a lot of learning/work to get it built - for such a simple devise, but I'm pleased with the results.
I probably "shaved" an hour in time doing this carve process over doing it by hand, but I haven't done any "hand carving" in a long time. I've used a couple other power carving processes, but this may offer me the most flexibility in getting close to a desired profile/section. Also, this should be more repeatable, if I need to match a neck profile or make multiple identical necks.
It's all fun and educational for me.
Hope you are doing well, be safe and take care!
👍👍👍👍👍👍
scabatoth, thanks for watching!
WOO WOO WOO!!
First comment and I haven’t even watched it yet.
LOL Tim, you are on it!
Thanks for...wait a minute. Thanks for commenting.
Hope you enjoy the vid when you get a chance to watch.
LOL, too funny.
Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProjectI started watching it and then fell asleep. That is not a critique of your work, but in that I was just plain tired.
The neck looks fantastic. The join of it to the body is beautiful.
I’m working on my ‘96 MIM black label Strat, as I have mentioned. I sanded off the sky blue I had on it in 2000, and am repainting it the Torino Red it was underneath. I sanded too much off in spots (oops) so I’m just redoing it. Clear weather tomorrow, so clear coats will be had! And applied!
Then went and redid the wiring with CTS metric pots so I could reuse the original beautifully aged knobs, but the shaft is too long to fit in the pickguard. I added a washer underneath to lower the pot shaft, but it’ll still leave a sizable gap due to the splines being too long so I can have some threads for the nut to grip to. I have some unorthodox ideas that came to me as I typed, so I’ll keep ya posted.
Is that a 2 way truss rod?
123, thanks for watching!
yep, it is a 2way/dual action rod, nearly identical to the truss rod that came out of the original neck, accept this new rod has the wheel adjuster.... and it's blue, lol.
Hope this change helps the stability and longevity of the new neck.
Take care!
Very impressed with your videos sir..i really like how you break things down and explain .. . Do you have an Instagram page to follow?
Stealing, thanks for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the vids.
Good to hear your feedback regarding how info is presented in the projects. I never really know if I'm moving too fast, or skipping details. Hard to get 10 hours of work into 15 minutes, LOL. Something's gotta go.
I have an insta: thenextproject.yt
Hope all is going well for you, be safe and take care!
Sorry dude, i got kinda bored on this one. The background music made me dizzy.
Okay, I know what you're talking about. I'll take a couple of those free tunes out of rotation. Sorry for the spinning room, lol.
This was a long video too, so much going on.
Hope you are doing well, and the dizzy has passed.
Take care my friend!
@@theNextProject lol, cool man. I'm doing well. Spinning gone now. Long video's are fine for people without ADD. Keep it interesting.