american_jesus Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 alright, before we get started with what i want to do, this is the piece i'll be working with...it's a jackson JTX, pretty uncommon piece...not too many were made. ok, now that that's out of the way, i can get into the details of what i want to do. first off, it's gonna be refinished, i'm most likely going to add a quilted maple veneer, and stain it red, then spray the back and sides either black, or white. havent decided yet. Since i'm hopefully going to get a nice looking veneer, and do a nice stain job on it, i dont want a huge pickguard to cover the whole thing up. so i was thinking that i could fill in the top routes, and make seperate pickup routes, maybe go hum/hum, or stay hum/single. that brings me to my question. this is my first real decent amount of modification, and well, i've never really had much practice with this kind of stuff. i'm fairly sure i could do what i've described, but i've never worked with a router, and i've never refinished anything. am i getting in way over my head here, or do you guys think that it'd turn in to a disaster because of the amount of work that would be required? i do believe that i have the patience, the time, and i could develop the skills to make this work, but i'm not completely sure...so anythinf you guys think on this would be cool. oh, and any suggestions would be cool too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 that brings me to my question. this is my first real decent amount of modification, and well, i've never really had much practice with this kind of stuff. Yeah, well, you can't be as lame at this as I am I'm in the middle of my own first modification project (see the bocaster in the project section). What I did was pick up a cheapo Chinese guitar to work on ....I like the guitar, but it's not going to break my heart if (when) I screw it up. I've already ordered a second guitar, that'll be here in few days. When the first project is done, I'll get to work on that one....by then, I'll have learned quite a bit about how to go about doing what I want. And maybe I'll end up finding a different way altogether. So before cutting up that Jackson, I recommend you practice on a cheap guitar ---you'll have no problem finding a strat-style body to work on. As for getting rid of the pickguard...I don't really understand why so many people do that. For me, a guitar without a pickguard just looks...unfinished. I like the contrast a pickguard gives to a nice looking wood grain. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted November 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 that's probably a good idea to get a cheap strat body and work on that first. and the reason i'm taking off the pickguard is becuase i just think it's obtrusive. i think a piece of plastic taking up half the front just looks really clunky, so i'd like to keep it simple/. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Wow!!!! DON'T change that guitar. I never saw a Jackson like that and I bet that it is very rare and will go up in price and become a sought after guitar in some time. Additionally it looks so special and uncommon I would NEVER change it. Build a new guitar with a stained top, etc. but PLEASE let that rare guitar as it is. I bet you will regret it otherwise.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 I would have to agree with Wes, don't do a thing to it! You can always build a new body and keep the original intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted November 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 well, it's already been screwed with...the body had been chopped up under the pickguard, attempted to be refinished, and in overall bad condition...if you look around the edge of the body you'll notice that there was no sealer when the person painted it, and the paint seeped into the wood. also, the back and everything else is rough... so, no matter what, it's going to be refinished...it's just in too bad a shape to not be. i might just leave all the rest how it is now tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I would have to agree with Wes, don't do a thing to it! You can always build a new body and keep the original intact. Lol....I am not Wes....otherwise I would have a house full of new bought tempting guitars that I consider flawed..... BTW. I really wonder why he buys half decent guitars when he can build quality stuff himself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 BTW. I really wonder why he buys half decent guitars when he can build quality stuff himself? impulse buyer,g.a.s.,new toys to play with... i don't know...except that i can only find time to build about 1 guitar a year... i just love guitars...what can i say.i am just hoping to have a guitar some day that i love so much that i will never want to pick up another one.i don't really care if i buy it or build it....and when i do find that guitar i will probably get rid of all the others.it is too distracting when i pick up a guitar to see all those others...and i have a hard time sticking to one of them and all the ones i have built so far are flawed as well.but i keep trying. although that seven string is soooo sweet sounding...i just need to fix all the little things about it that drive me nuts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 You can't quit now, you finally made it off the entrance ramp onto the main highway. Just put the hammer down and floor it! PS, I don't know a SINGLE car lover that only wants -one- good car. Jesus (I can call you Jesus can't I? ) That's a nice guitar there. I hear what you're saying about it not being as nice as it looks on the surface, but I think refinishing it at this point might be a mistake. You should look into selling it, you'd be surprised what it might be worth, mucked up or not. And if this is your first big project, I agree, a guitar like that isn't a wise choice to start off with, trust me here. I -RARELY EVER- (I get flamed for this every time ) ...see someone make their -first big attempt- anything to write home about. It's usually more like, 'damn, I sure learned a lot on that one'...that's not a guitar to learn how to do refinishing on. And it's even more rare I see someone do their very first veneer job with NO problems. So, well, you gettin' my drift? It's called 'get some experience on the pawn shop cheapies first'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Jesus, if I may call you that, I wouldn't touch that guitar until you have done a couple of $150.00 knockoffs and made some real good mistakes. Seriously. You have a bunch of us out here drooling over your pick of a project guitar; to die for! I will warn you about one thing. I bought a $130.00 used LTD because it had dual humbuckers so I could try my rewinds and exotic signal paths on a piece of inexpensive crap. Turns out, 8 months later it is still intact and gets played more than any other axe I own. Happens more then you'd think. Used to like cheap beer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 You can't quit now, you finally made it off the entrance ramp onto the main highway. Just put the hammer down and floor it! PS, I don't know a SINGLE car lover that only wants -one- good car. well i don't think i will ever completely quit.but i have slowed down quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I -RARELY EVER- (I get flamed for this every time ) ...see someone make their -first big attempt- anything to write home about. It's usually more like, 'damn, I sure learned a lot on that one'...that's not a guitar to learn how to do refinishing on. And it's even more rare I see someone do their very first veneer job with NO problems. So, well, you gettin' my drift? It's called 'get some experience on the pawn shop cheapies first'. well, it's not like i've never done finishing stuff like that, i've helped my friend refinish one of his guitars and it came out well, so i'm confident that i'll be able to refinish it well. if the veneer doesn't work out well, i can always rip it off and do the body in a solid color too, but this was a cheapie. i got it for 185 with shipping, bought with the intent to refinish it, so it's not like it'd be the worst thing to happen. but, the only thing i'm going in blind on this project is veneering,but i think that if i keep my cool and just take my time, i'll be able to do the veneer right..and i think i've decided i'll just keep everything how it is, except for the paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I love that guitar! I'm actually pissed because one of the original designs I've played with, well, I guess isn't so original anymore. It looked alot like that! It's still sweet. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Wow!!!! DON'T change that guitar. I never saw a Jackson like that and I bet that it is very rare and will go up in price and become a sought after guitar in some time. Additionally it looks so special and uncommon I would NEVER change it. Build a new guitar with a stained top, etc. but PLEASE let that rare guitar as it is. I bet you will regret it otherwise.... Why not use it as a guide to make your own body that is like it? I would also recommend keeping it like it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Just buying wood you can get a "new" guitar for under $70(with good wood) Just drop ALL of your parts out of that thing and into your new body. than youve only spent like $70 bucks. Than well the other body on ebay(you'll probally get like $60 cuse its so rare) and there you go you just paid for your new wood! ROCK ON Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 naw, i'm not gonna sell it. i really like it...it sounds really good, it just dont look so hot... i might have to take into consideration building a replica of it though, but doing the stuff i said before, top routed etc...maybe do a different neck size too...the neck is extremely thin on this piece, and i really like a more substantial feel to the neck. thanks for all the suggestions though guys, and thanks for talking me out of completely butchering this thing. and hell, i might even just skip the veneer and do it up like it is again, the burgandy with the cream...it does look really cool...but this time around it'll have the grain filled and everything... thanks again guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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