VaticanShotglass wrote: Mon Oct 17, 2022 8:21 pm
The carbon fiber rod repair method sounds interesting. Any comparative experience?
Also, here's a youtube channel I find relaxing. He's done a lot of Gibson headstock repairs using a spline method that looks like the one you are using here. Mostly acoustic stuff, but I find it interesting to see him craft so much by hand.
https://www.youtube.com/user/twoodfrd
The carbon fiber part is maybe a bit overblown, as I'd expect that a good matching wood spline would be just as functional. But the upshot is that with a mill you can be super accurate about placement of the spline, putting one on each side of the truss rod, without routing away anywhere near as much material. The traditional method takes about 3/8 to 1/2 inch. And because of the location and size it then involves about 30 minutes of hand shaping just to get a good fit into the slots, then another hour of hand shaping to make everything smooth. with a milled slot, it is exactly the correct width, and the shaping can be minimal, as there is original neck material on every side and you're just blending in.
I get paid by the hour at the shop, rather than a job rate- but I still like to be quick, and I have more work than I really care for just keeping up w/ the setups, pickup swaps and such. Plus if I'm going to spend so much time building my aluminum neck instruments I really don't want to be sitting there all day fussing with stuff.
