Mr Natural Posted February 10, 2019 Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 congrats on co-GOTM great job on the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted February 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted March 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2019 I'm going to refinish this guitar to make some changes for playability and wanted to add a little more uniqueness to it. One of those things are going to be pickup covers. I've made about 4 different sets and I think I've finally got a method that'll work for me. I made them out of 3 laminate pieces of the same design but staggered the holes so it would be clean while being thin. Have one more to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted March 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Resculpting the top some. Want it to feel more organic. Also some alterations to the neck for feel. We'll just call this Mako 1.1. Oh and got a better camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 5 hours ago, ZekeB said: Resculpting the top some. Want it to feel more organic. Also some alterations to the neck for feel. We'll just call this Mako 1.1. Oh and got a better camera! What changes did you make to the top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 I saw on one of BigD’s YouTube videos, he uses a round sanding bobbin on the end of a drill to do the awkward pot recesses, doing what by hand would be a real pita! Im really looking forward to seeing his prs refin job finished. The dragon burst looks stunning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 I liked it a lot before but it looks like you softened the carve a bit if I'm not mistaken? looks good. can't wait to see it finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted March 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 Here's a list of my modifications: I'm rounding out the carve on the top. it will accent the features on the horns. I'm also going to add some contour lines sculpting out the area right above the middle contour line. Actually I was inspired by your Sauron guitar ADFinlayson. The sections that meet the neck will be smoother transition as well. Going to rebind it and carve some of those channels that were too shallow around the sharp corner of the horns. Adding some gold MOP to the guitar knobs. Adding the new covers (really excited about those). Carved the neck back some more to fit my hand a little better how I play. Its not perfectly symmetrical because I adjust my hand differently as I go up the neck so I made some small transitions for that. Figured out my mistake on the paint job the first time. Going to add the black, sand it back, then add the higher concentrated blue WITHOUT WASHING OUT THE BLACK. Then as I put on the finish I'll spray some black to very lightly burst from the binding. The finish on the top will be tru-oil under and nitro (mohawk) on top. the finish on the back and the neck will be just tru-oil. Here's a pic for the contours. I've been carving with a lamp in the dark to see the sculpt. I really helps a lot. I find I get lost in the grain pattern if I don't have some type of way to differentiate. Hopefully the B&W helps see the contours 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2019 Just waiting for the final sand now. Really like the finish. It seems darker in doors. It's almost turquoise bright outside. Just seems more dynamic. The slimmer neck with true oil feels great too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 A little better shot. Ignore the orange peel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 Pickup cover preview. Thoughts welcome 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 What a lovely contrast with the tranquil natural wood vs. the dynamic blue! Hopefully there's enough space between the strings and the covers. Recessed covers would match the pot knobs but at this stage making them would most likely require redoing the entire top and be nerve wrecking at the very least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 5 hours ago, Bizman62 said: What a lovely contrast with the tranquil natural wood vs. the dynamic blue! Hopefully there's enough space between the strings and the covers. Recessed covers would match the pot knobs but at this stage making them would most likely require redoing the entire top and be nerve wrecking at the very least! I spent a long time trying to figure out just that. The fretboard is a lot thicker than originally planned so I used that distance to justify the covers. I guess it was just an opportunity from a mistake. The string distance from my playing is just right with the covers. The top piece of the cover is thinned down to get the most room after I set the pickup height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 it's looking awesome, what finish have you gone for this time? the deep black ripples look great I'm hoping I can achieve that sort of thing on the V so do share your process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 18, 2019 Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 Looks great from here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 2 hours ago, ADFinlayson said: it's looking awesome, what finish have you gone for this time? the deep black ripples look great I'm hoping I can achieve that sort of thing on the V so do share your process! The key to the black undertones is the color wash. After you sand it back don't do multiple color washes. Just use a higher concentration and wipe on once using a clean part of the cloth for each rub. I did it based on skyjerks root beer float build thread. I washed out the black color the first time. It may seem dark at first but it seems to brighten up as it dried I did a tru oil coat over that then the nitro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 As a rule I never use black. The pigment is coarse and gets blotchy. Nothing wrong with using tobacco brown as a substitute when popping figure. Once you get colour over it, the quality of differentiation is a mile better than black. Bit late in the game, I know. Still, it looks great! Can't deny results when you get them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted April 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Prostheta said: As a rule I never use black. The pigment is coarse and gets blotchy. Nothing wrong with using tobacco brown as a substitute when popping figure. Once you get colour over it, the quality of differentiation is a mile better than black. Bit late in the game, I know. Still, it looks great! Can't deny results when you get them. I'll try it on the next stained guitar for sure. Thanks for the tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 19, 2019 Report Share Posted April 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Prostheta said: using tobacco brown as a substitute when popping figure. Once you get colour over it, the quality of differentiation is a mile better than black That's logical. Most woods have darker brownish growth rings so enhancing that colour produces a more natural effect. Lately I've seen that logic getting more publicity and popularity, yet the black still lives hard in tutorials. Note that you can use any colour for popping figure, even light ones like yellow or pink, and after sanding apply another colour. Also, if you start with a spirit based dye and continue with a water based one, the colours don't blend. Lots of options there for an open mind! Written by one who likes natural wood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ZekeB Posted May 12, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted May 12, 2019 Just need to to hook up and string up. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 13, 2019 Report Share Posted May 13, 2019 wouldn't have guessed you could improve on the before pic as it looked great, but you have. nice job. how did you do your binding? did you finish it first and then apply, or do the dye first/apply binding/then clear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 13, 2019 Report Share Posted May 13, 2019 Nice finishing job! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted May 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 Thanks! It only took three tries, lol. I'm glad I did though. As for the binding I did it before the color coats of laquer. Then I scraped it back and followed up with the clear. I wanted to separate the black from the blue wash so I did one wash of blue on the bare wood and another in the lacquer so didn't wash out the black again but still got the blue. I was afraid it would dull the contrast but I think it turned out pretty good. Nitro is about a million times easier to sand and polish up than poly too. I tried to polish poly many times and never could get near the gloss on nitro. I kept the neck tru-oil so I could sand and fine tune that to my feel if need be. Pretty happy with the changes. learned a lot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 It looks stunning @ZekeB The difference between this and the previous finish are night and day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 On 4/19/2019 at 6:53 PM, Bizman62 said: That's logical. Most woods have darker brownish growth rings so enhancing that colour produces a more natural effect. Lately I've seen that logic getting more publicity and popularity, yet the black still lives hard in tutorials. Note that you can use any colour for popping figure, even light ones like yellow or pink, and after sanding apply another colour. Also, if you start with a spirit based dye and continue with a water based one, the colours don't blend. Lots of options there for an open mind! Written by one who likes natural wood... It's mostly down to the size of the particles in black pigment being coarse and stubborn I think. I'd have to re-check my sources on that as I've been using the guidance from theory and forgotten the underlying basis. Whichever, black is a bit too stark for my taste, especially when it tends to flatten figuring to the point of it resembling veneer or a photo finish very easily. I seem to recall that black is rarely true black, and when it is it's coarse....when it isn't it's an off-black with mega amounts of pigment. Something like that. Somebody else will add more useful info I hope. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.