Guitar build #2

  • Thread starter Thread starter jimistone
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do you have to add more clearcoat over the decal too? what grit paper do you use....thats quite an art doing the finishing swag... damn nice customshop...i like that comment "no junk under the pickguard" ..true.

hot rod that machine .. :eatpopcorn:
 
CoolCat said:
do you have to add more clearcoat over the decal too? what grit paper do you use....thats quite an art doing the finishing swag... damn nice customshop...i like that comment "no junk under the pickguard" ..true.

hot rod that machine .. :eatpopcorn:
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it's really a matter of preference on whether to clear coat over the decal. Fender never did on the vintage stuff. Then, in around 1980, I think, they started embeding their decals under the clear coat.
I know on their 60's strat and their 50's strat, the decal is embedded. On the actual re-issues the decal isn't embedded under the clear coat.
In my opinion it looks nicer embedded. The decals I get from this vender have lightly been coated with lacquer while still on the transfer paper. So, it looks really nice without embedding it. (his gold color, in these decals, is amazing also)
embedding it under the clear coat takes quite a few coats, in order to level the decal area flush with the surrounding area, without sanding into the decal.
All that being said I will probably just put a light coat of lacquer over it. It won't be embedded like the modern ones but it won't be exposed to the elements that deteriorate it either.
 
Jimi, I've been thinking of building a guitar from parts for years, and recently got into changing out pickups and pots, so maybe I'll just go for it. I was wondering what my options are for finish. Can I just do a natural stain at home? If so, what do you recommend for a nice, dark stain?

If I want paint I'd guess I have to ship it to a place that does that (sounds expensive). Is there any other option? I've heard of people using car places for paint jobs, but I'm not sure how that turns out or if the price is any good.
 
sure you can stain and clear coat yourself.
As for which stain, it depends on exactly what color you want. As far as paint goes I use lacquer. It's readily available in rattle cans and easy to cut and buff to a brilliant finish.
Go to AutoZone or orielys auto parts store and look at the dupli-color line of automotive touch up paint in spray cans. It is acrylic lacquer.. I would color with that and clear coat it with nitro lacquer (it's $5 A can at walmart)
 
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The allparts neck for my strat project has a rosewood board with a GORGEOUS grain! It's a little on the light side for my taste, but man what a nice grain it has!

time to darken it up with the Old English scratch cover for dark wood (aka Miracle Tonic!)
The difference is unbelievable after only one treatment!!
 

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I drilled the holes in the heel of the neck after I treated it with the miracle tonic. ....
bolted it on just to check it out!!
That darkened rosewood board and tort pickguard go together like bread and butter!!
 

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That's a beautiful gee-tar. Coming along real nice, man :guitar:
 
Well, after leveling, recrowning, and polishing the frets....
This strat plays fantastic!
I'm still going to dress the fret ends a tiny bit and roll the fretboard edges go put the icing on the cake. The pickup combination I used just kills in this particular strat.

I took it to work today because my boss wanted to see it.
 

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Thanks spantini!
Every pic I post from My phone is sideways. I don't know how to post one from a phone without it doing that o. this website.
 
May be that your phone's camera is set to "landscape", not "portrait". You may or may not have a setting to alter that.
 
no, the pics are not sideways on my phone.
Also, they are not sideways on other websites I have posted pics on.
 
Your photo/gallery app may still be set to display in "landscape". Your phone may be auto rotating it so you see it right-side-up,
and some sites auto correct for this by rotating, some don't. I reckon this site don't.
 
the amber finish matches the body amber really well, nice job.
definitely like the darker rosewood, I sold a MIM anniversary neck and wish I had that back...at the time I was obsessed with the us logo or something probably flipped it for something.. it was a slick dark rosewood beautiful thing.

the clearcoat and polishing that up is not easy imo. i try about every 8yrs and it never goes well..lol

off topic but it looks like your at work, the background a warehouse?....so does your boss let you play guitar and do fret work on the clock? if so...where can I apply? ha
 
CoolCat said:
the amber finish matches the body amber really well, nice job.
definitely like the darker rosewood, I sold a MIM anniversary neck and wish I had that back...at the time I was obsessed with the us logo or something probably flipped it for something.. it was a slick dark rosewood beautiful thing.

the clearcoat and polishing that up is not easy imo. i try about every 8yrs and it never goes well..lol

off topic but it looks like your at work, the background a warehouse?....so does your boss let you play guitar and do fret work on the clock? if so...where can I apply? ha
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm at work in the pic. It's a large grocery store and the managers offices are upstairs. I manage the meat market. The picture was taken in the store managers office. The store managers is into rock and roll and guitars himself and he wanted me to bring the strat in so he could check it out.
He snapped the pic of me holding it.
 
Jimi, do you find that certain bodies and necks don't mesh well together? Like you could have a high quality body and neck yet they don't sound right together? Kind of like explained in this video where certain things just don't match: YouTube


What companies do you use for the body and neck? Do they have to modify headstocks to avoid Fender trademark infringement, and if so, do they look odd?
 
Nola said:
Jimi, do you find that certain bodies and necks don't mesh well together? Like you could have a high quality body and neck yet they don't sound right together? Kind of like explained in this video where certain things just don't match: YouTube


What companies do you use for the body and neck? Do they have to modify headstocks to avoid Fender trademark infringement, and if so, do they look odd?
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I use allparts for necks. They are licensed fender replacement and have the correct headstock. They are the best deal for a quality neck with the correct headstock. I haven't had issues with necks and bodies matching and sounding good together. If the neck pocket isn't routed crookedly, and the neck heel matches the neck pocket route... everything else is tweakable.
 
Yeah the Allpart necks look like good deals, but I like 1.65 nut and vintage frets, and I don't see tweakable options like that on the Jazzmaster necks. I had to go with USACG since I could customize those. I hope there's no weird mismatch like in that video. We'll see! I am going to do a natural water based dye with shellac over it for my first.
 
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