Saga Electric Kit from Blues Creek Guitars

[Tony_in_NYC]

Very nice work! Both of you!
I have to go put a matchbook in my acoustic. I know Clapton had one to shim his strat neck, but having one in my guitar certainly wont hurt! Isnt that what the rattle from a rattlesnake was tossed in for? Cant remember where I read that.

[naccoachbob]

I can treat it like one of those cans that folks bury to be re-opened in a million years, saying something earth shattering like "Bob Moore played here".
Whatcha think?

[rgogo65]

Here's a pic of the "Shim" as installed in an early Strat at the factory.
I saw a lot of these cut and installed between 1951 and 1959 at the factory in Fullerton where I spent a lot of time when I was a Kid. My Father and Mr. Fender were friends and I went there often...and was privy to a LOT of history in the making :)
Time was money early on, and cutting and shaping maple shims just wasn't in the cards. The theory was, that the card stock would conform to the infinite detail of both the body AND the neck to make an almost perfect joint. It worked.
Sometimes it took more than one piece, with the longest being on the bottom to form a "Ramp" of sorts, but most often they were cut in the shape shown in the pic. Most of them came from card stock from the office.
The key here is: 0.10 shim will raise the Butt end of the neck 1/32" to LOWER the string action rather than disturbing the bridge or pocket.

Ray

[naccoachbob]

Does anyone know if there are ways to measure the neck to make sure it's "on plane"?
Like with an acoustic, you run a straightedge from the fretboard to the bridge, and it should just kiss the top of the bridge.
I don't have anything I could put on the fretboard to show it's angle.
I would think if I layed a straightedge from the fretboard over the body, I could measure the distance from it to the body where the neck joins it. Then measure the distance from the edge to the body at the bridge end. But then I don't know what is good, bad, or indifferent.
Right now, if I fret the 3rd fret, there's a tiny space above the 1st fret and below the string - which is good. I have about 5/64 or so on the bass E string at the 12th fret.
However, the strings still feel pretty high to me.
I can play with shimming it, but I'm starting to run in circles.
Thanks,
Bob

[rgogo65]

Bob, here is a "Guideline" of sorts and it pretty well covers the process for most situations, if yours is unique, (And it CAN be) Let me know and we'll address the specific issue when it comes up...Hope this helps!

Just don't jump around, follow the steps as listed or you'll wind up dealing with a lot of frustration.

Ray

http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/action.htm

[naccoachbob]

Thanks, Ray. Just got home and will try that this weekend.
Here's 2 final pics of the Saga kit. Got some good afternoon sun, and you can see the metalflake in it pretty good.
In case I forgot to mention, here's the process I went thru.
All paints, coats, etc. were from aerosol cans bought from an automotive store.
I put 2 coats of Dupli-Color sealer, waited 2 days or so. Then about 3 good coats of Dupli-Color Metalcast Ground Coat as a primer. Let that set a couple of days. I sanded that down to 400 because it felt so rough, and there were particles falling from it. Then sprayed the Dupli-Color Metal Specks Retro Red metal flake for about 5-6 coats. Let it set a couple of days, too. Then I used Perfect Match Acrylic Lacquer, a clear coat from the same company. It cured for about 5-7 days.
Afterwards came the sanding, 320, 600, 800, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grit wet sanded. Then Micro-Mesh from 3600 (which is equivalent to about 2200 grit), 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000. After the 12000, the thing shone pretty well. You could see a reflection, but it wasn't crisp. Then used Wizard's Final Cut and Wizard's Shine Master. Both of those were recommended by Ken Cierp, and now most definitely by me. It's very nice and the reflection is sharp.
Once the finish was done, it was almost anti-climatic assembling the parts. They went together very fast. The only problem was trying to align the pickguard to its supposed holes, which by this time had disappeared. I don't mean I painted over them, the holes were there, but the pickguard didn't line up as it should. Some pilot holes and it was fixed. Had to trim the part where it butts to the neck, but nothing else.
Good practice for finishing my acoustic. Figured out how much to spray to avoid runs. Learned a good bit about leveling the finish. My son said it looked "like you bought it in a store". Many people at work said that "no, you bought that, you didn't build it". So it passed the test for me.

Here it is. You can see the metalflakes pretty well:





Thanks for looking,
Bob

[deadedith]

Bob, send it to me right now. I want to play that thing :-) Man, I envy your skillset. I'll get there someday!
Dave B

[rgogo65]

I think it's really great! It does look factory, WOW!
Saga's are do-able kits from reputable sources. SOME out there don't go over them before retailing and sometimes there are badly warped necks and body pocket issues etc.

I'm not a fan of their electronics and pots, but that's just me. I also like to shield the PU cavities and pick guard to reduce feedback and quiet things down a bit.

Just a note: you mentioned the pick guard screw holes, not at all unusual. It's highly recommended that the entire guitar be "Mocked up" and everything checked for fit and alignment BEFORE finishing and all.

Lots of people like to remove the factory "Sealer" before finishing, it's thick AND PLASTIC LIKE, but it is also covering up a multitude of sin sometimes, and removing it just isn't always worth it besides being a PIA. because the bodies are often made of many pieces and the sealer is used as a structural item. Most don't sound too bad in my opinion.

If you have the patience to remove it from the NECK and use Tru-oil (I prefer) or lacquer of choice, it will make a marked difference in the sound, again...IMHO.

Lot's of people use Duplicolor products in this manner and have very good results as seen here.

One note of caution, don't lay in a case or place on a guitar stand equipped with medical rubber tubing as a protector for any length of time...as with any lacquer it will melt the finish or allow the fabric of the case to "Imprint" on the finish and ruin your whole day!

It CAN take up to a month or two (Average) and I've seen as long as 6 months depending on the location and weather, before it's fully cured and this is reduced to a slim to none possibility.

A thumbnail check under the pick guard or neck plate where it won't show is a pretty good indicator, no dent, your good to go!

The medical tubing can and WILL ruin a finish just like a nylon strap at anytime of course!. :)

Ray

[naccoachbob]

Thanks Ray.
I've emailed you and John about what I'm facing now. With the truss rod at neutral, I fretted at the 1st fret and the last fret. Looking for spacing under the 7th fret of .005". Mine was at .020".
I tightened it up about 1/4 turn and it's at about .013". I'm afraid to go further.
What can I do there? Will I damage it by continuing? I'll need a pipe to add to the allen wrench as it's killing my hand already.
Mayday!!
Bob

[kencierp]

Bob it looks great!! ---- way to go!