Doing Things Wrong

Radiatabacker Part IIa

A lot of work for not much to show

I made some small adjustments to the outline, and finished the neck mounting. And a lot of sanding. The drywall sander is a godsend, it works much better than a block, and really saves your hands. But my arms feel like lead.

I also did the roundovers on the back, a mix of 1/4" and 3/4". You can see the small fillets I left at the base of the neck mount. I could have squared those corners with a file, but this will be less prone to crack the finish. The neck will cover them.

And a lot more sanding on the back, I found a spot where the belt sander had dug too deep. It's as flat as a mirror now.

Detail of the neck mount and horns. I'll use a standard Fender mounting plate for the added strength, since this body is rather thin. The front body edge will get binding. Now I think it's time to start roughing-out a neck. Fortunately, I have a model right at hand that I can simply copy - the Superfreak. Speaking of which, that one is ready for final assembly.


Mar 9, 2016

image

I have several of these necks and bodies roughed-out, and they feel much better than my first one, much better balanced. I knew that banjo neck would never play well, which is why I used a standard Fender profile on my first one. Banjos are made for picking. Intonation is one of those things where close is good enough, and with only 16 frets, I doubt it will ever be a problem. You'll be forever wiping smudges off that copper pickguard. I would shine it up and clear-coat it. Make a brass headstock tag and print out a waterslide decal to put on it. I posted the graphic above.

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