Lex Luthier Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'm gonna be slowy building a third bass, but my jointer won't be in for a few weeks, so I will finally start on my 1960 relic Strat project I've been putting off. For the first time ever I am using kit parts. The body is 2-piece unfinished Alder, and the neck is a small headstock Strat, Maple/Rosewood unfinished, both from Allparts. You can also see some of the hardware in the pic. A vintage style steel block trem, neckplate with 5 digit serial #, along with bolts. The parts I'm excited about are a set of Kluson Deluxe looking tuners and saddles from an old asian Strat copy from the 70's. I got them from a luthier who was replacing the hardware on the guitar. They're cool because they have natural wear, so they will go well with the look of the instrument. Also in the pic you can see the bootleg decal I got off ebay. I will be finishing the guitar at my work, because it's cheaper. For the neck I think a good plan will be to seal it, stain the sealer, seal in the stain, apply decal, seal the decal with light dust coats, then one or two more heavy-ish coats, with sanding in between. For the body, I still not sure if I want to first sealt he body with the clearlacquer, or start with the paint. I think if Istarted with paint, when I do the wearing the paint will wear off the body with a 'grain-ier' look. Once I have the paint on, I will stain the paint with a heavily reduced stain for a yellowed clear coat look, then one or to final coats of clear. I'm not going to lay on numerous coats, level sand and buff because, especially on the neck, alot of the finish will be perposely worn away. Also I use a really nice gun at my work that already gives an exellent finish. BTW, it is a lacquer I will be using, but I don't think it's nitro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 but my jointer won't be in for a few weeks I gonna go get it today! I will still work on all the instruments though, Bass, Strat, Violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Well, thats good news. I cleaned my shop so I could work, and bad things happened. But I decided it was a great time to star my wifes new guitar. Convo fom an old P bass body to a NT strat. But anyway, I'll start my own thread, and keep us updated. Knowing you it will be muchas kickasso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 BTW, this is what I hope the finished product will look like, from the Fender website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Me loves relics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Cool, but your starting to scare me with the use of these kits. I can understand the violin kit though. And i guess this is cheaper, escpecially because your just gona relic it. Did you get the left handed trem?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2004 your starting to scare me with the use of these kits. Yeah the violin kit is understandable, but I've just wanted to try using a pre-fab neck and body just for fun. Did you get the left handed trem?!?! It's not gonna be an SRV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 I just bolted on the neck. I's too late to use the drillpress, so I'll attach the bridge tomorrow, as well as get the rest of the hardware, except the pickups. I MAY even begin finishing it this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 Well, keep this in mind. Duplicolr makes tran yellow in spray cans. Its the yellow Metalcast top coat. I smells like cat piss until it cures tho, at least you can tell if it's cured.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 I installed the rest of the hardware that required holes drilled. I think next week I will begin finishing the neck and body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullmuzzler Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Hey, Lex, man, could you (or anybody who has strats - tsl ) post EXACT dims of the strat body, please? I need W and L of the strat body cause I'm working on a blueprint of something like Pensa Suhr which has reduced strat body shape. I like strats very much. I'm very interested how your relic will come up. Have you seen Sambora's relic custom shop strat with stars inlays? Very nice. Thanx in advance mullmuzzler | OSSMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 mullmuzzler, There's adrawing in the advanced d/l section of a '62 strat I made in coreldraw. The only thing that was freehanded is the body contour. All the measures are from the blueprint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 nice work lex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 could you (or anybody who has strats - tsl ) post EXACT dims of the strat body, please? I need W and L of the strat body cause I'm working on a blueprint of something like Pensa Suhr which has reduced strat body shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Well, keep this in mind. Duplicolr makes tran yellow in spray cans. Its the yellow Metalcast top coat. I smells like cat piss until it cures tho, at least you can tell if it's cured.... The scent of cat piss would only help make it a more authentic relic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullmuzzler Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Thx, tsl! mullmuzzler | OSSMT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I began finishing the neck yesterday. I sealed the neck with lacquer, then tinted it with stain. The first stain I used didn't look right, so I redid it with a much darker, oranger tinted stain. I got it as dark as I could get it, which doesn't look very tinted at all, but I like it. (At least it's not a bright white, like when I first sealed it) Here I am applying the decal. I used a book for the placement and cutout of the decal. Decal applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar_dude23 Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 I noticed in your picture you only taped off the top of the fretboard. Is that how your supposed to do it? I always thought that you were supposed to tape the top and the little bit on the side of the fretboard. Nice job btw. Im starting a similar project (My first guitar from scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 you got that decal off ebay??? is that legaL??? I mean for someone to sell something like that??? i was just wondering thats all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted March 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 You only mask off the top of the fingerboard. If youmask off the sides you get a nasty seem. I doubt it's legal, there are a bunch of people selling them, though. When people talk about bootleg decals this is usually where they come from. The quality isn't that good though. It looks great from a few feet away, but up close it's pixel-ish and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezerboy Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 isn;t it legal as long as your aren't selling it? 0_o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renablistic Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 they sell them "solely for the purpose of replacing the decal on a true original fender you re-finished and/or re-built/brought back to life (forgot real word)" but most people don't buy them for that reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 Dosent matter if its illegal, if ebay makes money off of its sale they dont care. But im sure you all know that already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 Lex.. use Kiwi brown shoe polish to age the finish.. it works. I'm about to finish a fifties Tele relic and the shoe polish trick still amazes me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbiejon Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 isn;t it legal as long as your aren't selling it? 0_o Surely if you're buying it from someone then it must be illegal?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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