The Fatalities Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 (edited) I am starting a new built based on Epiphone's Gothic Series. I am painting a Squier Strat and Jackson Flying V. These wil be the first gothic version of a strat and jackson flying v ever made. Jackson flying V: I will be painting both guitars fully matte black (excluding fretboard). The hardware, bridge, jack, humbuckers, tuning keys, whammy bar, strap buttons, pickguard, plates and pick up switch will be painted matte black and the tuning knobs will be replaced with gibson ones. The letters XII will mark the 12th fret, but im not sure how to put it on or where to get it. On the headstock of the both will have the epiphone gothic logo. Both guitar will hopefully eventuall recieve new humbuckers and strings. The Flying V will be shipped to me sometime before the 28th. I dont want to start on the stratocaster quite yet because ill have nothing to use. I am a newbie when it comes to painting anything and from my understanding what you have to do is: - use coats paint thinner to remove the paint - cover neck attachment part - soak in acetone - primer it - paint 11 coats - polish correct me if im wrong. Edited May 12, 2006 by The Fatalities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Not gonna comment on the oddness of copying, straight-up, an Epi's (or anything else's) designs and logos, other threads for that... I am a newbie when it comes to painting anything and from my understanding what you have to do is: - use coats paint thinner to remove the paint - cover neck attachment part - soak in acetone - primer it - paint 11 coats - polish correct me if im wrong. Uh, don't soak anything in acetone. Get a paint stripper (go to the paint store, they'll have it), apply as per direcetions (I find applying it, leaving it in a black garbage bag to 'soak' helps a little), scrape off what paint you can, then sand clean and level. Since you're doing a matte finish (solid colour), it's less critical that you get all the paint off, but if there's a thick layer on there already, it's probably the wisest thing to do. A word of warning here: if the finish is poly (very likely), it may be next to impossible to get off with a stripper, and it'll be time for good hard sanding (I really hope you've got a ROS or something), or a heat gun (used carefully) and a paint scraper. Clean out the neck pocket carefully, if you do, because while minimal finish there is good, you also want to make sure the fit between body and neck is nice and tight. After you've got the body prepped (Sanded flat and level to around 320 grit or so, no scratches elsewhere), primer, colour coats, and clears as per normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campylobacter Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 The guitar in the pic you posted is actually Jackson's RR, not flying V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 you dont need 11 color coats, 3 or 4 should do fine, you'll want a lot of clear coats though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 i think that's what he was refering to. do his primer.... THEN 11 coats of clear. Cause the step after 11 coats is "polish" and I doubt he's gunna be polishing primer hahahaha. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 thanks for the feedback. Im not sure what paint Squier strat copies have but it has been chipped and i can already see the wood parts, so the paint should come off easy. Im going to be doing 1 coat of primer then 4 coats of matte black, then enough coats of clear that it still looks matte. I still need to read up on some pickguard, neck hardware, tuners, plates and pickup painting. Im on a tight budget, so im not buying them already painted. I should start work soon but will not be able to assemble the strat due to lack of soldering tools. I really have to wait to paint because i dont have a paint gun so i have to rely on my school which starts next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 (edited) Current Projects: First ever Epiphone Gothic Flying V (Jackson body), First ever Epiphone Gothic Stratocaster (Squier body) Am I drunk?, or...no, I'm not drunk... Hate to say it, but I doubt you're the first person to spray up a Strat and a V with flat black paint. As a matter of fact, I think Carvin and ESP both offer that as an option. Also, Epiphone? I've seen a bunch of people trying to copy Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and Jackson logos on this forum before, but Epiphone? That's like building up a sweet chopper and slapping a Hyundai logo on it. Is this for real? Edited March 9, 2006 by crafty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Why copy the logo? Just get one of these necks and go to town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 How old are you dude? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 (edited) These wil be the first gothic version of a strat and jackson flying v ever made. ummmm Are you joking or what? BTW what with the > < in the title? :D The hardware, bridge, jack, humbuckers, tuning keys, whammy bar, strap buttons, pickguard, plates and pick up switch will be painted matte black It's a bad idea to paint (using regular paint) metal. It would just flake off and you would be left with an ugly mess. I've never seen matte black hardware for sale but powercoating is always an option when doing metal parts. Although I'm not sure it would work because of the tight tolerances. Powdercoating puts on a pretty thick finish. I'm not sure if anyone makes metal paint. Might be something worth looking into. Edited March 9, 2006 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 The paint will not flake off if you scuff the metal and use an appropriate primer. EDIT: What are cars made from, by the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I'm not sure if anyone makes metal paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Hey i happen to really like the Epiphone Gothic series. There the sweetest guitars ive ever played, besides some Ibanez ones. I wanted to start an Epiphone Gothic collection. BTW - Im 16 and been playing guitar for like 3 years and pretty new to the whole modifying scene. - I would like to buy one of the knock off necks but i am on a limited budget and live in Australia, every thing works out really expensive. Ebay also usually doesnt ship to Aus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadmike Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 if epiphones are your thing who are we to judge. i woundnt paint the metal parts if you want a black matt finish, get them chemically dipped. the gothic series has chemical black hardare which i believe is dipped in acid to give it that finish. you might have a hard time trying to find a place that will do this for you. rake round the internet shops and ebay, theres plenty of black hardware out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Is all hardware universal or will i have to find a specific size bolt for each guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadmike Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 no. theres different kinds. what you need to do is gen up a bit on guitars before you spend any cash or you could be left with a lot of odd parts that wont go together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Tuners will always tell you what size hole they fit when buying them. Bridges will always tell you the spacing, and (if applicable) the radius too. As long as you have your neck in hand before you start routing, you'll be fine for the pocket. Single coils and humbuckers have pretty standard sizes, so no worries there. Every piece of hardware usually takes its own size of screw, but they also usually come with. Just make sure you get your string spacing, neck angle, and scale length down before you try to build anything. Also, most powdercoated black hardware isn't gloss -or- matte, but a nice middling semigloss. It'd look fine with a matte black finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 (edited) i didnt really understand all those technical guitarry words but i think i know what your trying to say. EDIT: just wonder if this will fit my Squier Strat copy. Edited March 10, 2006 by The Fatalities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 i didnt really understand all those technical guitarry words but i think i know what your trying to say. EDIT: just wonder if this will fit my Squier Strat copy. In my experience, if GuitarFetish says it'll fit, it'll fit. If it might need some adjustment or modification, he'll say so. In my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoughtless 7 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Thats the EXACT bridge i put on my Squier Strat i mod'd. It seems to fit well enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 will copies of squire strats and Jackson RRs usually have the same hardware and parts dimensions as the originals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fatalities Posted March 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 (edited) upon delivery of the jackson rr copy today (hornsay r43) i have noticed a few flaws that may affect it. -finish is not very smooth -some parts are not properly painted -whammy bar insert is loose -the pickups are 'fused' together -the neck is really high off the body -plastic riser on neck bolts -unusually wide neck (about 1cm more) -unusual 12th fret marker size -noticable material color different when the neck meets the headstock -wierdly positioned strap button (on neck) -string hieght is too high (how do i fix that!!) -body has a round curve instead of sharp overall it still can be used as a project. Edited March 14, 2006 by The Fatalities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 -noticable material color different when the neck meets the headstock That is probably the scarf joint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 upon delivery of the jackson rr copy today (hornsay r43) i have noticed a few flaws that may affect it. -finish is not very smooth -some parts are not properly painted -whammy bar insert is loose -the pickups are 'fused' together -the neck is really high off the body -plastic riser on neck bolts -unusually wide neck (about 1cm more) -unusual 12th fret marker size -noticable material color different when the neck meets the headstock -wierdly positioned strap button (on neck) -string hieght is too high (how do i fix that!!) -body has a round curve instead of sharp overall it still can be used as a project. What do you mean by "fused" together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 the strap button is probaly on the neck block or heel, which is a common spot for explorers and some vee's. some necks have a different style of inlay at the 12th fret, you can lower your string height at the bridge, if not, then you will have to recess the bridge into the body (routing the body so the bridge sits lower into it) What do you mean by the body having a round curve instead of sharp? do you mean the radius, or the actual body shape? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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