8 string build questions.

[leipzig175]

I want to start on an 8 string made out of poplar. I have all the wood, but I have some questions, such as:

-What type of headstock would be easiest to make, and could you explain how to make it, or at least some tips?
-What type of trussrod would be best?
-What would be the measurement of the nut?
-I'm hoping to get a 36 fret neck from Lmii. What type of fret wire would work the best for this? And what size fretboard do I need, like a bass or something?
-What's the best wood glue for this?


Some details of this build:
Most of the body and neck will be made from one giant piece of this poplar. Two pieces will be laminated on to make the the edges of the body sides. It will be an 8 string, 27.5 inch scale, with the 36 fret board mentioned earlier. Body shape is still to be thought of.

Thanks in advance,
Leipzig175

 

[Winspear]

Size of the fretboard is calculated by scale length and number of frets. It's not going to be as big as a bass with your specs, but you don't really need to worry about this too much if your getting Lmii to make it for you. They will ask the scale length and fret number I'm guessing. Just be aware that with this many frets, you may not be able to fit a neck pickup between the fretboard and the bridge.
You can use FretFind 2-D to get measurements and a drawing of the guitar basis

Nut width is personal preferance, but the standard for an 8 string I think is something like 54mm+. You want to take into account the string spacing of the bridge you will use, and either make the nut the same or thinner, not wider. It could be up to 20mm thinner than the bridge if similar to an Ibanez RG2228.

 

[leipzig175]

Size of the fretboard is calculated by scale length and number of frets. It's not going to be as big as a bass with your specs, but you don't really need to worry about this too much if your getting Lmii to make it for you. They will ask the scale length and fret number I'm guessing. Just be aware that with this many frets, you may not be able to fit a neck pickup between the fretboard and the bridge.
You can use FretFind 2-D to get measurements and a drawing of the guitar basis

Nut width is personal preferance, but the standard for an 8 string I think is something like 54mm+. You want to take into account the string spacing of the bridge you will use, and either make the nut the same or thinner, not wider. It could be up to 20mm thinner than the bridge if similar to an Ibanez RG2228.

Thanks for the tips. The website is really cool. I'm pretty sure I'll use this 8 string Hipshot bridge. Products > Store > Hipshot Products

 

[Winspear]

Cool, I think the string width (string to string) for that bridge is about 75mm, which I believe is about the same as the Ibanez RG2228, which uses a 54mm nut. Pretty much the same measurements I'm planning for my 8 though I hope to try the Ibanez first to see if I like that neck taper. I'm guessing Lmii will ask for these measurements so they know the fretboard taper from nut to 24th fret, unless that's something you cut down yourself.

 

[leipzig175]

According to the calculations I could do, it's about 72.8 millimeters. Based on that, I made a printout of what the neck will be like. I'll put that on some cardboard and draw a body.

 

[Neil]

Not sure you have thought this through enough, the neck made out of poplar struck me as odd.

Have you read, Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscock or Building Electric Guitars by Martin Koch.

If not you probably should before you get started, some great info in there

 

[leipzig175]

Not sure you have thought this through enough, the neck made out of poplar struck me as odd.

Have you read, Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscock or Building Electric Guitars by Martin Koch.

If not you probably should before you get started, some great info in there

The poplar was free, but if can't be used, I can get some different wood I suppose. Can't find much on poplar necks anyhow, so maybe that part isn't a good idea. I could get some oak as well.

 

[Empryrean]

It's funny that I find this, I just glued together a poplar neck for a build I plan to do. If you get any info on poplar as neck wood that would be wonderful, I feel like im treading in dangerous waters.

 

[Erik Hauri]

Poplar is not popular for necks, because the long-term stability under string tension is not good. Adding 2 more strings isn't going to help any.

That said, you *might* get away with it if you use carbon fiber reinforcement.

Oak will be very heavy and may cause neck-dive issues.

I highly doubt LMI will slot you for 36 - I know for certain they won't be cutting any tapers.

I think you have more homework to do before you cut any wood. The books mentioned above are a great place to start.

 

[leipzig175]

It's funny that I find this, I just glued together a poplar neck for a build I plan to do. If you get any info on poplar as neck wood that would be wonderful, I feel like im treading in dangerous waters.

I found out Danelectro made poplar necks in the 50's, but that's about it. I think I'll play it safe and buy a curly maple neck blank. And order a book, lol. Thanks guys. When I get started I'll post a thread, but don't hold your breath.