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First Build, so many lessons learned


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A funny thing happened the other day. I was opening a new bottle of transtint red mahogany that I'm using to dye a piece of curly maple for the truss rod cover. I cut a tiny amount off the nipple, and blood-red dye shot forth like a damn squirt gun. It got all over my bench, all over the floor of my garage, and all over my face. I started to wipe down the bench when it occurred to me that if I didn't get that dye off my face immediately I would be walking around town like Captain America's nemesis Red Mask. When I first looked in the mirror it looked like someone had thrown a cup full of blood all over my face and bald head. It took quite a bit of scrubbing, and luckily my face was pretty sweaty and oily that day, but I got it off.

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This is about #4 on the list of all things we do at some point or another. #7 is trying to pull out a straight router cutter from the collet without unloosening it enough, and slicing your thumb and forefinger. Good luck with 5 and 6. 😂

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Well I guess I'm done with the finishing. It's had ~15-20 coats of tru-oil that I leveled between coats and that I just buffed with some Meguiars and a wool pad on my orbit sander. It's not nearly as good as Scott's work with tru-oil, but I'll take it. It looks way better in person than it does in my crappy photos. I also installed the ferules and the bridge. If I had nothing to do tomorrow I'm pretty sure I could get it all wired up and set up, but I think I'll stretch it out a little further just because I don't want to be done just yet.

R1tvFUE.jpg

7iWtWkX.jpg
 
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4 minutes ago, beltjones said:

but I think I'll stretch it out a little further just because I don't want to be done just yet.

I get that same feeling at the end of a build. I both can't wait to see and hear it finished so I rush for the finish line and yet I hate to be done because it has been so much fun building the thing.

This is a very impressive build you've got here. Something to be very proud of.

SR

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It's a great result however you slice it. I'm sure that you're mentally wrangling over the details, however I think it's for the best that these are simply taken onboard and applied to future builds rather than kicking yourself over anything on this one. I think she looks marvellous.

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Ok, it's "done." 

7BOtXZX.jpg

Some really cool figuring came through on the body.

8IMRKy9.jpg

I really like the "raw" padauk fretboard. I'm surprised it isn't used more often. It's not plasticy-glass smooth like ebony, but with the open pores it's not that far off from rosewood. 

WeVCwry.jpg

I made a little curly maple truss rod access cover.

FPbSbVW.jpg

I left the neck "raw" with just one coat of tru-oil, rubbed back with steel wool. 

Eb41oOe.jpg

The neck is still a little fat, and I'm going to open up that belly carve a little bit and re-do the finish, but otherwise I'm really happy with how it turned out.

kWrHZlY.jpg

I know the paduak will darken over time, and I'm ok with that, but the current burnt orange color is awesome. It makes me want to do an all-paduak guitar ala our friend in New Mexico. 

 jLTOrjd.jpg

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Oh yeah, the wiring: It has a three way switch and three push / push pots. It goes neck volume, bridge volume, master tone. The neck volume splits the coils on both pickups, the bridge volume switches both from series to parallel, and the tone control is a "blower switch" that sends the bridge pickup directly to the jack. 

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1 hour ago, beltjones said:

Ok, it's "done." 

7BOtXZX.jpg

Some really cool figuring came through on the body.

8IMRKy9.jpg

I really like the "raw" padauk fretboard. I'm surprised it isn't used more often. It's not plasticy-glass smooth like ebony, but with the open pores it's not that far off from rosewood. 

WeVCwry.jpg

I made a little curly maple truss rod access cover.

FPbSbVW.jpg

I left the neck "raw" with just one coat of tru-oil, rubbed back with steel wool. 

Eb41oOe.jpg

The neck is still a little fat, and I'm going to open up that belly carve a little bit and re-do the finish, but otherwise I'm really happy with how it turned out.

kWrHZlY.jpg

I know the paduak will darken over time, and I'm ok with that, but the current burnt orange color is awesome. It makes me want to do an all-paduak guitar ala our friend in New Mexico. 

 jLTOrjd.jpg

That is so, so good on so many levels.  Absolute triumph....

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