Making a Gibson SG Clone

  • Thread starter Thread starter Neve1073lover
  • Start date Start date
austinm08 said:
It's not my build. You don't know who is building the guitar?

...I don't know about you, but when I build something, I want to get it done as quickly as possible. Taking a lot of pictures and posting a step-by-step guide is very time-consuming.
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I didn't really notice who's thread/build this was when I responded to your post- but I still say you need to chill. :D

I agree with you- I usually don't even think of taking pics until I am too far into the project to start documenting it, and I usually decide then that I don't want to slow down my progress, either. So, I may have "before" and "after pics, but that's usually about all.

I do appreciate the thread. Neve, nice build, and I am enjoying the thread.

Good God, everybody here is so touchy lately...:confused::p
 
6 Thin Coats of Nitro

Must now wait for a month before I can polish:

100_1345.jpg


Added a Gibson emblem for the fun of it and to see how the faux shell came out.
 
Everything looks ace except the headstock which looks, from the angle & reflections, to be quite rough.
What's the story?
 
That's gonna be the longest month ever.;)
Trust me, I know all too well.
 
rayc said:
Everything looks ace except the headstock which looks, from the angle & reflections, to be quite rough.
What's the story?
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I used thin black veneer that I was worried I would ruin if I tried to fill the pores. It has very thin nitro layers that I did at night. Not happy seeing it in the day and I am adding a lot more clear to the headstock. New pics later today.
 
SGs rule as does this thread! Thanks for doing this man :D!
 
Redid the Coats

heatmiser said:
SGs rule as does this thread! Thanks for doing this man :D!
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Lesson Learnt...

Don't spray paint at night. The coats were too thin. You can see better during the day and cut back on runs (I have a few, but will fix later when all is cured.

Pics after recoating:

100_1348.jpg


100_1351.jpg


100_1347.jpg
 
You got a bunch of wet sanding ahead for you man!!
"I hate wet sanding".:mad:

Looks great though.:D

The headstock? inlay or stickers??
 
TKO Ken said:
You got a bunch of wet sanding ahead for you man!!
"I hate wet sanding".:mad:

Looks great though.:D

The headstock? inlay or stickers??
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Two or three light coats, cut back, two or three more cut back. A few well aimed top coats and cut flat. The trick is to build an evenly and as thin as possible. You also avoid buildup in corners and the toffee apple look.Stand for a week and burnish. Building up light coats and letting them gas off saves ages on drying and curing time.

You should take out runs and pits the moment they appear. Leave them and they become a real pain. Working in a spotlessly clean shop and dust free is also essential.
 
muttley600 said:
Two or three light coats, cut back, two or three more cut back. A few well aimed top coats and cut flat. The trick is to build an evenly and as thin as possible. You also avoid buildup in corners and the toffee apple look.Stand for a week and burnish. Building up light coats and letting them gas off saves ages on drying and curing time.

You should take out runs and pits the moment they appear. Leave them and they become a real pain. Working in a spotlessly clean shop and dust free is also essential.
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I think they will be a real pain. I am not a very good spray painter. Hopefully I can wet sand back and fill any small pits before using any polish.

If it ends up looking crap, I will sand all back and start again.
 
Neve1073lover said:
I think they will be a real pain. I am not a very good spray painter. Hopefully I can wet sand back and fill any small pits before using any polish.

If it ends up looking crap, I will sand all back and start again.
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With spraying lacquer the secret is to be spotlessly clean in the setup and make sure you don't have any dust and airborne particles about. Not easy for a home setup. It's not something I'd recommend for a novice because there are dangers. Follow all safety guidelines and use a respirator. You also need to get the air mix right with no spits and a manageable fan pattern.

It's better to spray to little than too much when your doing the build. Loading up is definitely a nack that once you get you know it. When you do the final coat make sure EVERYTHING is dust free and go a bit heavier.

What are you using?
 
Amazing

Hello: You really show how much work it takes to make an axe. I took the Epiphione - new pickups route. Bought a pre-china unit on Ebay. But for a woodworker, and keepsake carver, you're approach can't be beat. I have a friend who has a woodworking shop who may want to try his skills on a similar project. Will forward address so he can check your project out and decide. Great job !
 
chegment said:
Hello: You really show how much work it takes to make an axe. I took the Epiphione - new pickups route. Bought a pre-china unit on Ebay. But for a woodworker, and keepsake carver, you're approach can't be beat. I have a friend who has a woodworking shop who may want to try his skills on a similar project. Will forward address so he can check your project out and decide. Great job !
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Thanks for the positive feedback! Much appreciated. There are better build threads around, but I happen to frequent this one. :o

A solid body like the SG is actually one of the simplest guitars to build. I build copies (well... 2 to date) as I am pretty sure that they will sound good.

I go for the simplest approaches I can with the tools I have. Hope you (all) feel that you all can have a go.

I have wet sanded back mostly everything (after 3 days) and I have a few dimples that I need to correct. The faux gibson shell stickers turned out terrific when I sanded their nitro layer back level with the rest of the head.

Pics on the weekend when I will have finished correcting the 'orange peel' and any other problems (ran out of sandpaper). Then will let set for 3-4 weeks and wet sand with very fine paper and then polish with 'swirl remover'.
 
I have trouble waiting for a pot of tea to draw. I'm impressed with your patience and application!
Are you going to call it the "Ranga" or the Julia? About the same thing though.
 
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rayc said:
I have trouble waiting for a pot of tea to draw. I'm impressed with your patience and application!
Are you going to call it the "Ranga" or the Julia? About the same thing though.
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I have found in other woodworking projects that you cannot rush nitrocellulose. I put something on a table after a week and it left a mark. You MUST let it totally set.

If Julia gets to be PM, I may call it the 'Julia'.
 
Neve1073lover said:
I have found in other woodworking projects that you cannot rush nitrocellulose. I put something on a table after a week and it left a mark. You MUST let it totally set.

If Julia gets to be PM, I may call it the 'Julia'.
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That's why you go on lean and build with a number of coats. If you load the early coats up to thick and they haven't gassed off properly before you lay up the next coat you can trap solvent in the first coats. It can take an age to gas off then and on rare occasions it never really does. At least not enough to stop printing. It's always a good idea to spray up some scrap while you going so you can test it before going down that route.
 
Hey Muttley

How long do YOU wait before you sand back the first 2 coats?
 
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