electric slotted headstock

[Sean Murphy]

there doesn't seem to be any pre-fab necks like this available for a noob, such as myself. so I was thinking of augmenting an existing paddle style headstock with a sandwich over the front and back, or modding a acoustic slotted headstock(stew-mac martin) neck to suit my purposes. anyone know if either of these has been tried already? if so, pros, cons, suggestions? thanks in advance
-sean

[David King]

Sean who? What's with the made up names here, doesn't anybody read the signup docs?

People glue "wings" onto paddle headstocks all the time, I'd think that would be easier than filling a slotted headstock's slots if that what you intended to do.

[Bob Gramann]

It's not that hard to make a slotted headstock the traditional way. Many of the guitarmaking books have instructions. Make one or two on scrap wood and then go for it. Just doing it is likely to be quicker and have a better outcome than trying to find a shortcut. I made a jig for routing the slots. After a few that way, I went to traditional. drilling the majority of the slots and chiseling out the pieces left followed y sanding. It was just as quick and neater than the router method.

[Greg Robinson]

Hi Threetorches/Sean.

Please note that we require the use of full names (first and last) on this forum, and do not accept aliases or "handles". Please let us know your name so we can update your registration. Thanks.

[Sean Murphy]

sean murphy, that is me. sorry for any unintended informalities.
to the subject at hand: i can definitely appreciate the building of a neck, i just don't feel the necessary confidence( and/or tools) to pull it off for my first project.
although, to make the jig to drop said slots in- i have(or so i think). i guess what i'm getting at is: when lamming the front and back of the "sandwich"( to make up for proper thickness ) do you think it would have the needed integrity for drilling into the side of the paddle for slotted style tuners? or would i need to seek further reinforcement such as some sort of channel to keep the layers from separating? i feel the slotted headstock has been one of the most overlooked of "classic" headstocks, when compared to the usual suspects- i.e. strat, tele, or gibson.
thanks for indulging my questions
-sean murphy

[Greg Robinson]

Thanks Sean.

[David King]

There are no hard and fast rules, cheaper guitars still come without any face laminations and as long as they don't get dropped the wrong way they aren't likely to blow-up of their own accord.
You just have to trust that wood is tough and the wood glues we use are at least as strong as the wood. If you were really concerned about splitting along the edge of the headstock I suppose you could add a cross grain veneer to the edges but I've never seen that done.
Use the correct size drill for the tuners, preferably with a drilling guide to get them centered in a straight row and evenly spaced.

[Bill Hicklin]

"do you think it would have the needed integrity for drilling into the side of the paddle for slotted style tuners? or would i need to seek further reinforcement such as some sort of channel to keep the layers from separating?"

Drill the post-holes first, then cut the slots.