Working on a DIY LP Stnrd Kit

[guitarsmith]

The next time I get a free tripod for my camera - i'm sending it to you! Its looking better than the first set of images. Did your thicker coated finally level out the pores that didn't fill well?

 

[ARandall]

You're a bit late with the veneers

I added a fibreboard one to the BYOG LP kit I made, and it takes quite a bit of shaping/sanding to get it both to shape and to thickness....remember that the headstock is usually 15-16mm deep in total. and if you add the veneer to an already correct headstock then you'll have to sand the back down so the tuners poke through the right amount.....speaking of such you'll also have to drill the holly for these - be careful. This wood is very fibrous and can tear out quickly

Also the black stain is VERY messy, but I guess with sealer on the rest of the headstock this step could well be easier.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

The next time I get a free tripod for my camera - i'm sending it to you! Its looking better than the first set of images. Did your thicker coated finally level out the pores that didn't fill well?

Hey dude man thanks for stopping by. One of these days I'd like to have a camera that I can actually reco........we might actually have one. Lemme check with the wife.
Anyway, yeah bro for sure the added passes with grain-fill, then all the coats of sealer have gotten me a pretty solid and smooth build-coat. I gotta thank Randall for pointing that out to me.

Randall--The holly blanks I ordered are already cut for thinness. This guy on eBay deals in woods for luthiers. He makes holly headstock veneer blank. Even if I can't put a veneer on this guitar, I'll gain some experience working with the holly-- cutting it, staining etc. The face of the headstock is just raw wood. It's not as thick as LP headstock-with-veneer. I think there's room to make it work. Oh yeah...I'm still planning to ask Tulsuh for an MOP something-or-other. I'm all in on this project.

Might as well put some pics up while I'm at it. The body and neck are well sealed. Time to focus on the top. I already shot two coats of sealer to the top. Today I'm gonna shoot three more coats. I've already shot the first one of the day. I'm now starting to understand what "one coat" means and how to tell if I've hit the mark.

 

[ARandall]

You could probably shape the veneer off the guitar, and maybe stain it too. That might cut down on possible damage/disturbance of the red on the headstock which is already sealed.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

You could probably shape the veneer off the guitar, and maybe stain it too. That might cut down on possible damage/disturbance of the red on the headstock which is already sealed.

Yup yup that's kinda what I was thinking. It will be interesting to say the least. It's a great excuse to buy tools...not that I know much about them. I was thinking "OK so I'm gonna try veneers I need a scroll saw." Well, at least I know what a scroll saw is now....and how much they cost.
I found some nice jig saws that will serve my purpose and budget.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

I got another question: should I put some shielding paint in the control and electronics cavities? I've researched a lot, but come up with many different answers. No consensus.
It seems some folks use the paint, while others use copper tape,...and some line the cavities with aluminum foil. What do you gents use? Which of these is my best course of action?
thanks!

 

[ARandall]

If yourpower is dirty, or you play it in areas where there is massive interference, then there will be some benefit. Otherwise using shielded cable for the long runs works well enough.

 

[KnightroExpress]

I actually had a similar question. I have guitars with paint and with tape; I can't hear a difference.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

If yourpower is dirty, or you play it in areas where there is massive interference

Interesting you mention that. I happen to live < 50miles from a one HAARP installation and < 400 miles from one down near Anchorage. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is really weird around here.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo-T_KvLNdQ]HAARP-- What is HAARP IS HAARP Dangerous HAARP and Weather Control.flv - YouTube[/ame]
****ing sinister shit is afoot at the Circle K!

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

BUMP-date: OK here we go... lot of pics.

I got the top sealed up really well. There must be about 6 full coats of sealer over the maple top. I let the coats dry for about 48 hours, then I carefully and slowly started wet sanding it down to a nice flat, smooth, dull surface. It took a little while and 3 different grits, but it turned out to be the best wet sanding work I've ever done. I looked it over in several different spectrums of light at every angle. I got all the shiny/raised spots flattened and dulled down.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

Next step: I needed to fit the Faber eSerts into the bridge post holes. I've been uneasy about this for a while now, but I've known it has to be done, and I've done it before. I'm tired of taking my gear to a luthier every time a challenge comes up. Besides, the point of this build is to do as much of it as I can do myself. If I screw up, I need experience getting myself outta the jam. Plus I love the thrill-seeking risk/reward pay off. The Faber inserts were far too wide for the existing holes. I needed to open them up a lil more, but keep it tight enough so that I could hammer them down into the holes, at which point the splines would grab hold for a solid wood-to-steel seat/transfer. I knew this was gonna go one of two ways, ALL good or ALL bad. So, I went for it. No drill press (bad idea), just a free-hand B&D cordless and different bits, files and and haphazard techniques. I know it was reckless to try this without a drill press or even knowing the proper technique, but I do have some intuition. I slowly and carefully widened out the holes a bit more. Then seizing on the widow of opportunity, I did what many American males do, I grabbed a hammed and drive those inserts down to the hilt. Then I spun the thumb screws on the posts and the bridge just dropped right down over the posts. This is where the reward side of the decisional balance comes into play: the feeling of victory is like great sex!!

I had a couple "Oh my god. What damage hath I wrought?" moments. My heart sank so deep I felt like I had to take a dump. I walked away, did some deep breathing techniques in order to regain some measure of confidence. When I came back to the bench and surveyed the situation, I realized I hasn't messed up nearly as bad as I thought.

Why do this now? I couldn't see drilling to widen these insert holes and bang them down into place after the color and gloss started going on.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

More pics

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

Stew-Mac vintage amber reporting for duty

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

Sorry for bringing up my post again. Question: How many coats of amber should I put on the top? I've shot one full can so far, but I have more. I'm going for a deep gloss look. More amber?
It's unsettling that I didn't think to ask this before now.

 

[tnt423]

Spray amber until YOU are happy with the hue or color, then top of with clear until you're sure you won't sand through into the amber, then add three or four more coats of clear. Then after four to six weeks start wet sanding.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

Spray amber until YOU are happy with the hue or color, then top of with clear until you're sure you won't sand through into the amber, then add three or four more coats of clear. Then after four to six weeks start wet sanding.

Thank you dude! I like that answer.
When I'm done shooting the amber, how long should I let it dry before shooting the clear? 24-48hrs?

 

[ARandall]

Until its a bit dry - perhaps 10minutes if its warm and low humidity. We had a day of 28deg and wind. Things were touch-dry in about 5 minutes.

 

[ARandall]

You seem to have gone a bit overboard with the sealer too - usually you just shoot a coat or two on the top of the bare wood and then go straight into colour (maybe with a quick sand to take off the highs. Its only the clear on top that you really sand down to level. The sanding you did on the sealer is reserved usually for final finishing....unless there are massive cavities you have to fill due to dented wood.

 

[CherryBurstChaser]

You seem to have gone a bit overboard......

brother, that is the story of my life
I wonder what it would be like to be able to do anything in moderation.
Can you imagine what I was like back in my drug addiction days?

I shot so much sealer b/c I wanted to safe-guard against possibly sanding through it. I learned some severe lessons about over-sanding on my last project.
I finished shooting the amber on Thursday. It's got a nice caramel look to it. I'm gonna shoot some gloss to it today. Then I'll sand/smooth/flatten out the gloss, and begin shooting the cherry around the edges.

 

[ARandall]

Its the clear on top that you don't want to sand through. You'll be into colour (and have to re-spray) long before that.

But oversanding is certainly an issue.