Most difficult procedure? (Besides finishing)

Hello All,
So it takes quite a few steps or procedures to get us to the part where the pick or finger strikes the string.
For you, individually, what was/is the most difficult of all the procedures? Do you have several difficult procedures?
Tell us whether it was the hands on or a difficulty in understanding a concept and what you did to overcome,
or what you are currently trying to do in order to overcome.
Knowing there are others who get stuck on the same points that stick you and getting together in discussion with these
folks usually results in the light bulb finally flashing for all those involved.

-tommy

[tippie53]

Actually there were 2 areas of guitar making that drove me nuts. Binding and the perfect neck set.
Once I found the binding machine designs that helped with that issue. On neck setting. I have found that the better you can true the fretboard on the guitar before fretting the better the final outcome.
Setting a neck is so much about fit and finish and geomoetry. Take your time and learn those skills.

[newbybeau]

Still working on my first. In the process of finishing with tru oil. To date the most frustrating part and yet the most educational was setting the neck. Getting it right has actaully caused some finish issues with the guitar and long term playability may suffer but I did learn a lot about the geometry as well as the mechanical craftsmanship during this process. The next one will be much better

[johnnparchem]

My two areas are still: binding - I am getting better with a good binding rig. Other areas that help are making sure I have a clean channel, Taking more time bending the bindings so that I am not forcing them in. Having the body in relatively square shape, so that I do not end up with a thin binding while leveling. Even still it is the hardest for me to get right.
2 avoiding dropping tools while doing the final set up. (no hope for me there :(. I have taken to covering areas of the top while I work.

[Zen]

Definitely Finishing for me , but I know the thread says -"besides finishing"

So can anyone tell me if its possible to use gloss spray from a can over tru oil ?

Apart from finishing though--it was fitting the neck block to the sides. and getting the angle correct

[Alan Carruth]

My students tend to have the most trouble with fitting the neck. The biggest issue, IMO, is getting them to work slowly enough. You have to have a chisel that will 'cut a hair floating on the stream', and just remove the chalk. It's the prime example of what I call 'the koan of lutherie': "The slower you work, the faster you get done". Big cuts just leave you chasing your tail.

Hand bending is a hard one for many people to pick up. Having a thermometer on the bending iron (and paying attention to it!) helps.

Any fancy work is troublesome, or, at least, time consuming. Some things, like bevels, call for a certain level of tool chops, and you'd better have passed the exam before you try them.

Finishing is actually not so much difficult as it is just plain fussy. Surface prep is about 80%, and filling much of the rest. You have to learn the idiosyncracies of the particular finish you're using, of course, and some of them can be unforgiving. The main issue is that there is no really good finish, so you're always trying to get by with something that's less than you'd like it to be in some major way.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I still struggle with getting all those little nooks and crannies filled, especially at the binding/body joint, before I start applying the finish. They just want to rear their ugly head at me when I start spraying....frustrating.
I have the neck angle stuff worked out, and my fretboard extensions will lay flat on the top (no need to force it down and glue)but I'm still figuring out how to get a nice tight clean fit where the angle of the cheek and fretboard fits around the top binding edge. I try to keep this area square, but it still gets slightly rounded over, and then I get a gap sometimes at that joint. The current guitar with the finish on is tight on one side, and has a slight gap on the other...very frustrating. I will work it and tweak it and make it better, but I wish it was easier.

Kevin

[Darryl Young]

On my first, I had trouble getting the headstock veneer trimmed square to fit the nut nice. Also, getting the bottom of the nut at the right angle to fit against the end of the fretboard took some thought (not very difficult once I figured out a way to keep the nut at the correct angle while sanding).

Also on my first, I went to a lot of effort to get my neck angle so that I had 1/2" of string height at the bridge........yet after gluing the bridge on the top a straight edge had too much clearance! This didn't make sense. So did a large trim of the neck and went a bit too far and slowly worked it back where it was correct. But now I had shortened the neck length slightly and ideally the bridge needed to be moved slightly further away from the nut. After I had it strung up I finally found the problem.......the bridge in my custom BC kit was less than 3/8" tall.......and I had assumed a 3/8" tall bridge. I used a bridge template I had made to fit the neck and it was exactly 0.375" tall. I possibly made things worse when I sanded the top radius into the bottom of the bridge (not sure). A lot of work and problems caused by me assuming a bridge height and not measuring. In hindsite, I wanted 1/2" string height so I wish I had just made or ordered a bridge that was 3/8" tall (or slightly less).

[watergunn]

For me it is the accurate cutting for the tail piece slot.

Is there a "right" way to do it consistently and accurately each time?

Rick Gunn
Rose Creek

[Darryl Young]

Yes, you can make a jig and use your trim router.

For me it is the accurate cutting for the tail piece slot.

Is there a "right" way to do it consistently and accurately each time?

Rick Gunn
Rose Creek