BFG Refinish -- Flame top?!

[JamesD]

We must be getting close, huh? I can't wait to see it finished! This is really making me think about refinishing mine.

[Ole'Lefty]

The re-work is, frankly, a bitch. Cutting an attached neck for binding is the real kicker.(I don't claim to be as gifted as The Thruth) The body only requires hand chiseling at a part of the cutaway. I am also fighting extraordinary humidity-daily rain.It takes very little neck movement to mess up the neck cut. When you remove the frets, the neck bows and the trussrod won't always take it out. So, I fuss around with leather shooting sandbags and weight. I still haven't ruled out pulling the fretboard. I'm getting help moving a small bench into my little den- central airconditioned. Been planning that for awhile anyway.I am also filling and staining the body and neck. Had a few Dr. appointments and MRI's lately as well. Dj knew it wasn't going to be fast-thus the loaner.Like I had to tell some clients-"You can have a fast trial, or a good trial, but not both."[for example, no independent forensics, psych experts, research and cutting edge evidence attacks, pre-trial depositions sheduled---force a Doctor to do a deposition(interview under oath) on your schedule instead of theirs-their buddies are shopping for Vipers, or golfing-you have made them sit in a little room in the smelly jail asking questions that challenge their sense of self-perfection-how much help will you get?] Ole'Lefty

[djwilbanks]

Heh, you have infinitely more patience than I do, Mike. I think, just from this paragraph alone, I would have attempted to gouge my own eyes out with a spork if I had ventured to try this myself.

Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere, lol.

[Texas07R8]

Originally Posted by Last

I've been talking with Tex (here on the forums) & he has had great success with the Cherry Colored Nitro that Stewmac sells.

I'll probably use this on yours. I could attempt a burst using Tex's idea of shooting an amber belly then a translucent cherry nitro on the edges & teardrop pattern for your burst.

Something to chew on. Originally I was thinking of just shooting your top completely & evenly with the transcherry Nitro.

Up to you my friend.

Last,

I agree with Frank, I was considering doing an Amber/Cherry burst but it is too red. If you look at Frank's Less Tall done in Cherry and Amber you see it ain't right. But man o man when he shor that darker Red Mahogany on the edge that made a beautiful Brockburst.

I was considering a Brockburst and still may do so but I'm kinda craving a faded burst similar to Pearly that's Amber fading out to a Tobacco Brown edging and maybe shoot some brighter Red Mahogany through a template for under the poker chip, pickup rings and pickguard to give it that faded look. That' pretty ambitious of me though but a guy can dream...

[marc1kim]

Any updates?

[djwilbanks]

Last I heard from Ole'Lefty, he had decided to just outfit the guitar with a new ebony fretboard and we discussed plugging the killswitch hole and leaving the three knob/one switch config.

[Ole'Lefty]

All I can do is apologize for the time I am taking. When you get older, you start paying a higher price for your past endeavors. My pain specialist and I are hopeful that the latest spine injection therapy(called a "nerve root injection") will give me some mobility as we go through MRI's and X-ray to see if I have to have surgery again. The injection is done with real time active X-ray and he said during the procedure that things look very bad "in there." While not always a part of this kind of procedure, we did a dye injection to see whether the steroids were even able to migrate to the areas in distress-there are some real roadblocks there. This was done Thursday and it takes awhile to tell whether the results will be as hoped. I get sudden pain hits that actually cause a full body spasm and that isn't good when working with power and sharp.

If it appears that surgery has to come fast, then I'll load up on the painkillers and finish DJ's guitar and get it to "Last." In the meantime, I supplied him with a unique "loaner." He had been without an electric all that time before he sent his BFG to me, so I figured I had better "Electro-6string" medicate his needs. He was in serious withdrawal. It is coming along. Ole'Lefty

PS-I need to add that a major element here is going down my stairs to the shop. I have fallen downstairs 4 times in the last 6 months. I don't tolerate that as well as I used to. mt

[bfcg]

Look, you are doing right by DJ. He is kept up to date and he even has a loaner.
DJ is what I call a "reality" based customer and seems like the kind of guy that knows that you are working with all kinds of organic variables.
Don't get skittish because of some of the other things that might be going on around here.
Please don't work with power tools if you are feeling the effects of the pain killers.

[djwilbanks]

Mike, never forget you come before my guitar. If you're not feeling up to it then it can wait, it won't be going anywhere.

I'm in no rush, my friend... I just can't wait to see the finished product.

[Last]

Damnit! This crap must be contagious!

I threw my back out (going on 3 weeks) & I'm hurting for certain!

I'm still managing though.

Ready to proceed with whatever you want when you want.

Absolutely no worries.

Damn I'm getting old.

[Ole'Lefty]

I know you fellows understand. But there are some here who forget that people come before objects. I have done test runs on a couple of bodies I made(Tele-style) to make sure we get a good even rout on the body. These were my first runs on the new StewMac binding jig-things are going to go well-all but the cutaway by the neck will rout on the jig. The rest will be with some scalpels and the gramil.

I've lived with some level of this disability since a bad day at HS football practice, and racing didn't help-I can still remember how that sprinter felt with 700+ ponies like a light switch. I won't be going down with, " I sure wish......" I have a friend helping with the laundry downstairs-next couple of days, I should be more mobile. O'L--I sent out an APB to my daughter for my camera.

[River]

Originally Posted by Ole'Lefty

I know you fellows understand. But there are some here who forget that people come before objects. <snip>

Lemme at 'em.

[djwilbanks]

Here's an idea of what a BFG would look like without the killswitch in the upper bout...

I definitely like the look.

[Last]

Definitely Custom all the way though you will have a visible 'plug' where the other/kill switch was.

[djwilbanks]

I'm cool with that. If you can end up dark-bursting it, it won't show as bad

[djwilbanks]

Just bumping, since we have so many BFG guys all of a sudden... maybe give them some inspiration!

[gibbbbbbbaaaay!!!]

DJ I want to do the same. Only I don't have a BFG and I can't do all of that! Maybe you could do it for me? How much would it cost? I'm lookin on eBay right now for a BFG!

But anyway, sweet lookin axe! I'm inspired!

[djwilbanks]

Which part would you want me to do?

[gibbbbbbbaaaay!!!]

Originally Posted by djwilbanks

Which part would you want me to do?

All of it

[djwilbanks]

I can strip it and put a finish on it for you. If you want inlays and stuff, you'll have to find someone besides me.

[gibbbbbbbaaaay!!!]

Originally Posted by djwilbanks

I can strip it and put a finish on it for you. If you want inlays and stuff, you'll have to find someone besides me.

Sweet. I may be able to afford one by Christmas or quite possibly before. Work has slowed for me plus I'll be going back to school. Hopefully by then I can get everything I need then we can begin planning doing this!

[djwilbanks]

Sure thing. It gets pretty cold here in the winter, humid, too. No good for spraying nitro, so you'll have a little more time to save up.

[gibbbbbbbaaaay!!!]

Originally Posted by djwilbanks

Sure thing. It gets pretty cold here in the winter, humid, too. No good for spraying nitro, so you'll have a little more time to save up.

Yeah I didn't really think about that. I think these kind of things are awesome.

[nuance97]

Why are all of the photos gone in this thread?

[diceman]

DJ's bandwidth is exceeded for the month it looks like. Happened once to me before as well. It'll reset on the "anniversary" day of the month that DJ registered his account w/ photobucket.

[nuance97]

Okay. Thanks.

[djwilbanks]

Yeah, I had a Joker signature picture that was 800k... multiply that by 15000 posts and poof! No bandwidth.

Anyway, while it's here, an update: Mike says he has maybe 3 weeks left of work as far as the binding and new fretboard and new overlay go. Then it will come back here for the winter while we wait for good spraying weather.

Also, the pics should be back up on the 19th.

[frankencat]

Great thread. Any updates?

[djwilbanks]

Ole'Lefty is finishing up the fretboard right now, and considering the weather, he may do the finish too since Last doesn't have a climate controlled area to do so. Everything else is finished and Lefty said he'd be getting some pictures soon, maybe.