the Next Project is a simple idea, gone wrong. Well, at least that is how many projects seem to go.
As new content is added, you will find a range of topics and projects. Anything from the design/build/mod of an electric guitar, or how-to Improve water flow of a kitchen faucet, to the simple repair of a Fender G-Dec amplifier, and more. The to-do list is never ending, and as projects fit the schedule, something new will be added here.
The video content is not intended to replace formal training, nor is it intended to replace the need for a professional technician. These videos will be for entertainment and thought provoking purposes. Hopefully you will see ideas you like and have the "I can do that too" attitude. Always remember to use your best judgement, that starts here by subscribing - just do it!
Hope you enjoy the trials and tribulations to come!
What happened to the rebar you used to clamp with? Is it still in the top? Going to make something similar for an outside bench and I really liked your design.
Thanks for watching! I've used up 50% of the threaded clamping rod. Various little projects, surprised how often I can use that stuff. An outside bench, cool! Good luck with your project.
GREAT Video!! right to the point with specs and video also I like your style, Just subscribed and just going to look for "my" next project. I have a question though about the wheel bolts they are a 1/4" diameter but what is the length and type that you use or what do you recommend? your new fan PB and again thanks
Patrick, thanks for watching! I think the bearing bolts were 1-1/2" length. You might be able to better determine by knowing the thickness of the bearing and wood you use. If I recall, the bolts had a smooth shoulder where the bearing rides, not a fully threaded bolt. Either type of bolt would work however. Think if everything as a prototype, build it, improve it, make a better one. Take the idea, make it your own! Good luck with your projects! Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProject Yes I'm thinking of putting bearings on the very bottom as well and also putting stops in on the router carriage thanks for the inspiration!
I’m not sure how you’ve wired the battery disconnect, and I’m no expect on Sandberg wiring, but here’s how I would do it. I would use a SPDT switch, with the wire that is currently connected to the negative battery terminal being routed either to that negative terminal, or to the positive. So in one position the circuit is as stock, and in the other position the battery is being disconnected *and bypassed* - that should look the same as a flat battery, so the passive sound ought to be ok.
Matt from EverTune here. Thanks for this great video and for your careful, meticulous work! EverTune is great on expensive instruments, but how it transforms cheap guitars is truly mind blowing, and you showed that here. Thanks again!
Matt, thanks for watching! Glad you like the project video. I must say, I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the Evertune bridge. Only minor issue I encountered was the body thickness being 1/16" short of the recommended 1.75". I'll be making a custom heat-formed back cover for this guitar in the future, just to offer clearance without the back plate being smashed against the mechanism. This guitar will also undergo a major mod of some flavor... should be fun. Hope all is well for you, be safe and take care!
Surreal to watch those bends without a change in pitch. Here I thought this project might be doable without any sanding, but looks like you had a bit of smoothing-out to do after that rasp!
Hey Mark, thanks for watching. I always try to find a little sanding to throw in. Not a real project with some sanding, right? Hope all is well, take care!
huh, i'd written the evertune off as gimmicky not realising that it can be set to allow bends. I can see where this would speed up the recording process to always have your instrument at the correct pitch. Did you notice much of a change in tone of the instrument after routing away so much more of the wood? Nice work on the guitar and the Video production as always.
STaipari , thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the project delivery. I'm with you on your original concern, that's what I thought too. This entire project was a bit of a fluke, a non-sense project. The cheapest guitar I could find, just to test an installation process and the bridge in question. Ha, that's me, no good reason projects. I'm really pleased with the quality of build, machining, fit and finish of the bridge. I appreciate the engineering and thought that went into it. I'm not much of a player, so this device is largely wasted on me. Yet at the same time, I'm typically tuned to "myself" and not the rest of the world. I am lazy, and I admit it. This will be my one guitar that is "in tune", even if I break a string. As for noticing a tone change, this was probably the wrong guitar to A/B test that on. While it is a pretty good $50 guitar... it's a $50 guitar. It has/had the cheapest list of ingredients from tip to tail. It actually sounds better now, but that is likely because I fixed the nut and tuners. Other components will be upgraded during a future "mod project" - stay tuned (no pun intended). The action can be set really low, actually too low with this bridge, but may be limited to what the neck angle will allow, as with most guitars. I had all strings down to 1mm, but that's largely unplayable as the oscillation of the strings jangle all across the fretboard. Right now I've got it at a fat 1.5mm "E", and 1.35mm "e" at the 12th. Might be a hair tighter at the 22nd as I don't think there is much fallaway on this neck. A heavy hand will still jangle the stings, but the neck and frets are surprisingly good. Still testing, gotta find what feels good to me. Very interested in the fact that a broken or missing string, makes no difference in the tuning of the other strings. I expect the neck relief may change ever so slightly with a missing string, but all remaining strings seemed to be spot on. Hmm, what else. Replacing a string is effortless. Put it in, tune up to zone 3 "bend zone" and forget about it. It just seems to stay in tune. Interesting. It appears that once initial setup "tune up, intonation, action" are done, swapping out a string, or stings is a breeze. I may be wrong about that, but so far that's what it looks like. Hope this helps. Be safe and take care!
nasticannasta, thanks for watching! A proper setup is a good thing, that is for certain! I guess another way to look at it might be, while the other guitars are in the case, this guitar could be getting played for months and still be in tune. I find the engineering, thought and development of such things very interesting. I was amazed how it soaked up string stretch and stayed in tune, and how removing any string didn't change the tuning. I really figured neck movement would throw tuning off, but it didn't seem to. I'm sure the action shifted a bit when I removed strings, but remaining strings stayed in tune. Interesting stuff, to me. This kinda thing isn't for everyone, price alone is a big enough turn off. Still, I kinda like what it can do. I also enjoy the process of working on the guitar itself, learning new approaches, one thing leads to another. A journey down a different path some days, new scenery, all good. Hope all is well for you. Be safe and take care!
Even well set up guitars will go out of tune from strings stretching, temperature and humidity changes, over-fretting, and monster string bends. EverTune eliminates all of those issues. I encourage you to try it and see.
I thought I replied to this but now I don't see it. Apologies if I'm repeating myself. Going out of tune has been a problem ever since there were guitars. Temperature and humidity changes, huge bends, squeezing too hard, strings stretching out can all cause a guitar to go our of tune. EverTune solves all of those problems and provides perfect intonation all the way up the neck (by maintaining constant tension on the strings). Give it a try and see if it's right for you.
Hey Matt, thanks for watching! I just had an image of an old chevy sedan, faded paint, cracked windshield, with big chrome rims and skinny rubber all around, cruisin' down the street. LOL, my mind wonders. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Yep, the "zone 2 and zone 3" tuning. This is an interesting piece of engineering. I imaging there are people who don't bend, or maybe only want certain strings to be bendy... Pretty amazing bunch of steel and springs.
Hey John, great video. Definitely not anything i can do. Here's a tip for the amateurs here, have a larger drill press, some drilling that is required will mean that clearance is needed. I have a small drill press and csnnot fit thr body at many positions. Good advice i think.
Hey Randy, thanks for watching! Drill presses are a great tool. This is one of those medium size jobs. If I had the room, and money, I'd like a large full-size floor version. Maybe someday, or not. IDK We work with what we have and find work-arounds for obstacles we encounter. All good. Hope you are doing well. Be safe and take care!
Exactly! For no good reason, is reason enough. I now have one of the most expensive high-tech $50 guitars on the planet, LOL. You got me laughin! Thanks for watching, hope all is well, be safe and take care!
You know, an amateur performs a task, because he/she loves performing the task, it does not mean, an amateur is bad at performing the task. Sometimes amateurs are better in doing this than some professionals. You are of the latter part of amateurs. Once again, a pleasure to watch your video.
Achim, good to hear from you and thanks for watching! Many thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. I keep trying to up my game a bit. Glad you enjoyed the project, it went pretty well. Hope you're doing well, be safe and take care!
@@oldmanzen6682 , maybe not now, but one day, you'll regret those word's. Randy tried to speak truth and got rejected. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
OldManZen, thanks for watching! I try to keep it clean, this one went pretty well. Seems like every project has a point where I want to walk away from it. Darkest before the dawn and all that. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Hello John, as always a great pleasure to watch your video! I am not pretty sure whether I ever need evertune. But I am happy that You do the testing for us! Thanks for that! I had to look up what is meant with the zones. Ok understood. What is your impression? How is build quality of your Gio Ibanez compared to other guitars in that price range e.g. a cheap Squier? Btw. I suggest to build a headless guitar for your tNP. Stay safe and take care Jens
Jens, good to hear from you! Thanks for watching too. I am a really lazy "player", often find myself tuned to...myself, not the real world. The Evertune is a really cool piece of engineering, and somehow does what it says. It keeps a guitar in tune, if set up correctly. I am really fascinated by how well the new strings stayed tuned, even without stretching them. The ET seemed to soak up the stretching strings and kept this cheap guitar in tune. The only real issue I had/have, is the back plate. Since this guitar is 1/16" thinner that is needs to be, the ET mechanism contacts the back plate and gives it just a little bow outwards. Not really a dealbreaker, just something to be aware of. I'm going to make a custom heat-formed back plate with just enough coutour to get around the mechanism. This Ibanez GIO is actually a pretty good guitar, but it appears that it had been setup at one point in its life. The action was supper low, fretboard straight and no buzzing. The hardtail bridge was solid, but the small allen saddle adjustment screws needed to be cut down, as the E & e screws protuded out the top of the saddles and cut into my palm. Not really an issue, but would need to be corrected. A couple of the tuners were less than good, and the nut... I have no idea what was going on there. Guessing it was set up for 9's, and 10 or 11's were put on it. I did clean the string slots and the guitar currently has 10's on it, no issues. So, a headless guitar. Hmm, I think I've see a kit. Hope all is well, take care my friend!
LOL, thank you Steve! Thanks for watching too. Hope you enjoyed the project, it was pretty interesting to see how the Evertune mechanism was put together and how well it does what it claims. Cool engineering. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Curious…did you have to drop down the bridge 6 screws to lower the bridge for better action? Do these screws have the indents in them for the trem edge to sit and pivot on?
kmatax, thanks for watching! To be honest, I don't recall if I lowered the 6 screws, or just the saddles. The saddles were way high... I looked back at the video and noticed a few of the screws were "uneven", so I probably did adjust them and the saddles. Yes, it appears the screws do have a fine groove just below the head. Looking back, I'm a bit surprised that the bridge is finished pretty nice, yet the saddles look like bad pot metal. Hmm. Interesting. Take care my friend!
Check out the FRTLZR for a tool to help with polishing frets, especially sides of them after crowning. Also, they have a cheaper version of the Stewmac fret kisser
kmatax, thanks for the info, I'll have to look into that. I'm familiar (aware of) the FrtLzr leveler, now I'll look at the polishing tool. Thanks again, be safe and take care!
Hey Mike, good to hear from you! Once the bendy part is dialed in, it can do blues. I'll let the lady know you say Hi. Hope you are doing well. Be safe and take care my friend!
Wow, that's one hell of a complicated method to restrict creativity. I couldn't possibly go through all of that work to then be denied bending notes without 'tricking' it first. A great video John, but the Evertune is not for me.
LOL, hey Martin, thanks for watching! I like the way you put that, good stuff. Once all the "tricking" is accomplished, it's pretty much set up. You can remove (break) a string, and the rest of the strings won't budge a bit, they stay in tune. Put a new string on, twist the tuner and it goes from flat to being in tune pretty quickly. I hear ya, it's not for everyone. I do find all the engineering pretty fascinating. Hope you are doing well, be safe and take care!
That’s rather cool! Kinda wish I hadn’t sold on my Hipshot mechanical multi-tuning Tele bridge thingy, which was some mighty complex engineering. But then I remembered: my woodworking is even poorer than my soldering, and it’d still be sitting in its box after another 15+ years. I will get around to putting the Bigsby I bought at the same time on an actual guitar tho’. Roll on The Next Project!
I encourage you to try EverTune and then decide if it is right for you. For thousands of top players and producers EverTune enhances creativity. Never tuning up when you grab your guitar, no retuning between takes in the studio, perfect intonation all the way up the neck, playing a gig in direct sunlight and never going out of tune, and being able to slap a capo on with no retuning whatsoever. As for bending, there's no trickery involved. You simply dial the string in to the proper spot much like you would on any guitar and you're good to go.
Another great video. So much work. Did you do anything with the tight nut slots? I know I should know that you couldn't leave that and have any level of real tuneability even with the Evertune. Thanks again and Stay Safe!!
Hans, thanks for watching! Yep, I prepped the nut before I put new strings on it... also put a new set of locking tuners on if for good measure. The factory tuners were a bit sketchy. This Evertune thingy is pretty cool, a lot of engineering going on in there. How do people figure this stuff out? Take care my friend!
Wow! That is an entirely new guitar. It bears no resemblance to it's former self. I am totally blown away. I couldn't believe you used CA glue to finish the fretboard, the whole guitar was a phenomenal piece of work. I binge watched this series until I couldn't keep my eyes open last night. I watched the last of the last episode today and it was well worth it. Thank you for all that you do, it is very informative and inspiring.
Many thanks! Really glad you enjoyed the project, it was a lot of fun and had its share of surprises along the way. CA is a really tough finish for a maple fingerboard (not for use on rosewood). The open grain of rosewood doesn't play nice and ends up looking like plastic, but on Maple it's a really great finish! Hope to hear from you again, plenty of other crazy projects happening here. Until then, be safe and take care!
David, thanks for watching! Yep, a painful drain, LOL Need to figure out a battery disconnect that will avoid that wonderful draining sound. Turning the volume down "hides" the draining sound, but doesn't correct the issue, it's still there... I'm guessing it's probably not good for the active circuit as attempted here. The owner doesn't always unplug the bass, which keeps the battery in the circuit, eventually resulting in a dead battery. Do you have any suggestions, or know where to point me for a solution? If so, thanks! Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
i heard recently brian may say in an interview he has never replaced the frets on his guitar and i haven't slept since ... how is that even possible? 50 year frets? i have a working theory his techs secretly replacing them and not telling him.
I see the thumbnail and make an eeky face. I then hold close my nostrils with pointer and thumb from above. It's some kind of JH J-Bass, eek. But the bridge is yummy! And please don't take my complaint too serious!
Achim, LOL - made me laugh. Thanks for watching! It's all good, had some fun making a messy plastic guard for this one. Glad you at least like the bridge, I had nothing to do with it. :) Take care my friend!
Another interesting project. Gotta admit that purple MOTO pick guard does look very cool. However, the zero fret grooves etc definitely do not look cool. Guess it’s the owner’s budget that limits what can be done, coz I’ve no doubt that the job is well within your skills set. More philosophically, what’s your opinion of zero frets generally? I like the idea of, and playing on, instruments with zero frets as it seems to even out the playing feel and equalises the tone with all “open” strings being played off the same material, compared with playing off a bone/plastic/graphite/nylon/ even brass nut. Why wouldn’t it? But I know they’re not that popular (ie non-traditional), and are supposed to make setting up an instrument a bit harder. Hopefully the Sandburg’s owner will read all the comments and find the cash to enable you to do the job, and we can all find out together! Cheers!
MuseumsBloke, god to hear from you and thanks for watching! The purple does pop, doesn't it! I really don't know why we didn't do a refret, but the bass does still play well. So, I guess the owner figures if it works, gig it... ha. I really like the zero fret idea. Clearly this bass has nickel fretwire throughout, and I'm guessing the wire has a million miles on it. Some very strange things going on. First the trenches in the zero fret, which were soooo deep, and yet the bass was playable. Next, there were/are what appear to be solder filled frets up the neck a ways. I've heard of such things, but really hadn't seen such. All the frets are rather low, and the strings are starting to wear on the fingerboard... it's only a matter of time. I made a gretsch style big-body guitar a couple years back, and it has a zero fret. Honestly, it was sooo easy to put that neck together. I did use stainless frets, so I don't expect any noticeable zero fret wear during my lifetime but it could possibly happen. So, on a new build, or new fret job I don't see a zero fret being any more difficult. In fact when all is new, the zero fret is pretty much set the moment it's pressed in. The guide nut takes more time than does the zero fret. However, on a used instrument with a worn zero fret, fine tuning it is more work than a typical nut adjustment. I've had a couple discussions about the difficulty of dialing in a zero fret, especially on a used instrument. I get it, and just accept it is a bit more involved than cutting a nut slot. It is what it is, I guess. I plan to build using the zero fret in the future. Especially when stainless frets are to be used. Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
Short, sweet & success - all in one pass! You're improving on your game John 😉, keep it up! Doesn't it hurt to let something go out while you know it's not OK? Those frets are a real mess...
PTRarch, thanks for watching and the kind words! This was a fun little project, aside from the wiring fiasco. The frets do bother me, but at this time the owner seems cool with the way they are. I was really surprised the bass would be playable as is, but it just keeps chugging along. I expect to see it on the bench again, maybe early next year. If the owner is happy, I'm happy - for now. Hope all is well for you, be safe and take care!
kmatax, yes and no. I have been doing various repairs for a long time, basically what fits my abilities and timeframe for both the owner and myself. I have a 40+hr job, laundry and dishes to do, then I get a few hours to tinker with projects in the garage. Not sure where you live, but shipping of an instrument is a big negative. Sooo expensive at times. Send me a message, let me know more about what you've got. thenextproject.info@gmail.com Be safe and take care!
kmatax, thanks for watching! Yes this bass was incredibly light. The owner said he loves gigging with this one because of weight. I don't recall for certain, but I think you are correct, probably is Paulownia. It is a good feeling instrument!
Hey Mark, thanks for watching! Great question about the zero fret, and honestly I don't know. I don't think the owner did this, he doesn't appear to be a repair/mod kinda guy. Possibly done before the current owner got the bass, some years ago. From the look of the main frets, this poor old bass has seen some miles. A few of the frets look like someone added solder to fill in string wear divots. The zero and frets are getting pretty low, as there is string wear on the fingerboard too. I wish these guitars could talk. Probably be some frightening stories they would tell. Hope all is well, take care my friend!
Hi John, no sanding but at least a Sandberg. I'll accept it. Great job with the pickguard. Looks great. Did the zero fret become so deformed just through playing? Stay safe my friend Jens
Hey Jens, good to hear from you and thanks for watching! Sorry, no measurable amount of sanding, barely a trace, no accumulation. The pickguard was fun, a nice change of pace. However, all those little plastic bits cut away by the router as sure annoying. They stick to everything! I wish I knew what was up with the zero fret. It is heavily trenched. The nut is equally recessed too, and the frets... oh boy, it needs a lot of love. The frets are really worn, and many of them look like solder has been added to fill string wear spots, then roughly recrowned. I'm not sure of this bass guitars history. The current owner gigs it about every weekend. Hope all is well, best to you and yours, be safe my friend!
Hans, thanks for watching! I have been gathering parts for a bass build. Pretty sure I have everything accept neck and body lumber now.... and a plan. Hope all is well, be safe my friend!
James, thanks for watching! Amazing what smoke and mirrors can do, lol. I think a lot of practice doing everything else has helped me on projects like this. Now, if I could only get the wiring to work properly, that's another day. Be safe and take care!
I'm sorry I thought I had a copy of my tweed order in a project folder... I don't have the receipt any longer, but I did track down where I purchased it from. Parts Express, MellowTone Tweed cabinet fabric. I want to "guess" I ordered 2 yards of tweed, and one yard of grille cloth. I still have about 1 yard of tweed left over, and 90% of the grill cloth. If I recall I cut a couple panels of tweed wrong and had to recut - it happens when trying to get the pattern right. So if done perfectly, 1 yard could possibly do it. I don't do anything perfect the first time, or ever... Good luck with your project!
Larra, thanks for watching! Sorry I left everyone hanging with my indecision. Honestly, all these files are capable of doing the job, and each person will have their own favorite. I've used the StewMac Original Z-file for a handful of years, so I know how to get a specific crown with that file. Putting it in the top "2" is perhaps a bit biased, but it is a really good file. The FretGuru Diamond Dagger 2 file, also in the top "2", is a new file to me and I honestly didn't expect it to do as well as it did/does. The diamond coating is a bit different on this file, but seems to work very well. It's now done work on a half dozen necks. MusicNomad S-File has a ton of innovation and design benefits. I really expected it to be my favorite, it just looks the part and everyone is saying it's the best thing since sliced bread. Then I used it, and while I still appreciate all the design, I find it stops short of doing the job. I've been in contact with MN, we've discussed some issues I have with the file. In hind-sight, I'm not sure I should have even given it a #3 spot. The offset file from Bitterroot (StewMac sells a very similar file). This file had very sharp edges when I pulled it from the package. I wouldn't have been able to use it without injuring myself, so I took a flat file to all the edges and fixed it. Honestly, it does a great job! The rounded/offset ends solve the issue of getting up over the body on an acoustic or set neck instrument. One thing I would like to see changed is to have one side of the file noticeably narrower than the other. They appear to be identical concave surfaces. The Baroque Gen4, another surprise and a really good file for the money, it's just too big for half of the work that I do. StewMac Compact Z-file. I had a hard time using this file. It is compact enough to use over the body of an acoustic and such, which is good. However, it's shape/design caused my hand to continually cramp, and sharp edges cut into my fingers and palm while in use. The results were also average, it can create a reasonably narrow crown, but other files are far more comfortable to do the same job. Also, this file has 2 different V shaped sided, and narrow V and a wide/flat V. The idea is to start the crowning with one side and finish with the other, to get a final "hairline" crown. The idea does work somewhat, but I found it took more work to get there and the file left a faceted fret. I could easily see flatened filed angle facets along the sides of the frets. I still use my old SM Original Z-File on nearly every job, also the FretGuru DD 2. I keep trying to find a use for the MN S-file, but it just leaves too wide of a crown. Sorry, I don't have a clear winner from this failed test. I hope all is well for you, be safe and take care!
Thanks i watched a couple times i really enjoyed it and think they were all great too for different things. I've tried the baroque gen 3 and 4 and the fret guru one without the diamond cutting. I work as a guitar tech at guitar center thanks for the video!
Thanks for the multiple re-watches! I'd love to hear your thoughts on different tools, being a front-line responder to guitar issues, you probably have some valuable insight. Slightly off-topic, I've been interested in the StewMac Fret Kisser for some time, but the cost has been a negative factor. I noticed the SM price recently dropped by ±$30 for the Fret kisser, and about the same time MusicNomad introduced an understring "U" shape tool(s) that do the same basic thing. I picked up the MusicNomad version (impulse purchase). I"ll be trying it out this weekend, and probably do a short vid on it. Let me know you thoughts on various tools at your bench. Thanks!
I made that one, it's a prototype-ish thing. Borrowed the idea from somewhere... I used some ±0.060 sheet steel, cut the key shape, filed in a gentle fingerboard radius on the "down side" and some string space dips on the "upside", then added some heavy shrink tubing. i think I'll cut the string dips a little deeper some day soon. Maybe a double layer of shrink tubing version too. In general, it works pretty well. I make things up as I go.
I start with a shallow cut, and progressively cut deeper to my final depth. I've been targeting 1/4" thick fingerboard dimension, at the center "crown" of the board. It's helpful to do a couple "test" routing on scrap material, anything will work, pine etc... Good luck with your projects!
