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.


There have been gigantic strides in adhesives in the last 50 years. Modern wood glues in particular are far superior to the animal-based glues of old times. When I see 'luthiers' insisting that you must use Hide Glue, I have to laugh. Tone Glue? Seriously? Here are the most useful adhesives if you are building a guitar: