Spalted Telecaster - Part 3

The next step is to glue the top to the body. I use epoxy which is really strong but also has the advantage that it isn't waterbased, meaning there's no danger of the body warping as can happen with traditional wood glue.

I use a very simple, but effective, vacuum pump and bag to apply even pressure across the whole of the guitar top. And yes that is a wine vacuum pump.....

Once the glue has dried overnight I then go to the router table and rout the body to it's final shape.

I also make a start on the neck. Once it's been routed and sanded to shape, I make a template for the neck pocket. Each neck I make is slightly different (different nut width, string spacing scale length etc) so each neck has it's own individual template. This means the neck joint is nice and neat and also means if you ever decide you want another neck made (solid rosewood? mahogany with wenge highlights?!?) it can be made to fit the same body.

I always use metal threaded-inserts and bolts for the neck join, rather than more traditional wood screws. Partly because it ensures a really strong connection between the body and the neck (critical for good sustain), but also because it means the neck can be removed as many times as necessary, for example if you are travelling, without any risk that the thread will get stripped, as can happen with traditional wood screws. Here I'm just putting a slight bevel onto the hole - partly because it's supposedly easier to screw in the inserts, but mostly because it loooks good!

Once the inserts are in, I can test fit in the body. Perfect.....