Poley Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) Hey, just new here, and about to embark on the perilous journey of veneering. This is probably a very basic question, but what would be the best way to go about veneering my BC Rich Virgin? I'm a little worried that the contours of the body may cause a problem. Would I be on track in taking the weighted bags of sand approach? Or clamps? http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f360/Pol...G1_Black_SM.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f360/Pol.../Picture008.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f360/Pol.../Picture009.jpg The last 3 photos there are of my other virgin, can't really see the contours too clearly, will upload more detailed pics of the one in question, highlighting the contours themselves to give a better idea of what i'm talking about tomorrow when I find the USB lead for my camera! The overall body shape is pretty much identical though. These are the veneers I'm hoping to get my mitts on, although, as I said, I'm fairly new to all of this, so I'm not even sure how good they are. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f360/Pol...wfall/69_12.jpg Any help would be appreciated! Edited September 26, 2006 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 you can veneer the flat top, but not the bevels. It wont bend around the compound contours without snapping, ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 ^ Perry is correct. You will need to do some sort of a dark burst around the edges after you apply the veneer and sand it even and level with the edges. Advice 101: Buy some cheap scrap veneer and apply it to some scrap wood until you feel confidant enough that you know what your doing before trying it on a real guitar. Veneering is not something you successfully pick up overnight. By the way, is that real veneer or laminate wood? That guy typically sells laminate tops, and a little veneer, the ratio is like 95% laminates and 5% veneers, just making sure we're all talking about the same thing. PS, he is a great eBay seller, I use him quite often, very high quality service and goods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poley Posted September 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 you can veneer the flat top, but not the bevels. It wont bend around the compound contours without snapping, ever. Haha I'd expected as much. The dark burst was what I had in mind anyway, into a rich red. Advice 101: Buy some cheap scrap veneer and apply it to some scrap wood until you feel confidant enough that you know what your doing before trying it on a real guitar. Veneering is not something you successfully pick up overnight. I actually have an old strat shaped Yamaha that a friend of mine gave to me because it was wrecked, so i'd intended on giving that a try and getting to grips with it. Haha the only experience I've had with guitar building/finishing etc was with a graphite acoustic, so this is fairly new to me. By the way, is that real veneer or laminate wood? That guy typically sells laminate tops, and a little veneer, the ratio is like 95% laminates and 5% veneers, just making sure we're all talking about the same thing. Hmmm...As far as I'm aware, its veneer ok, its listed as veneer anyway! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axesandamps Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 We recently did a refinish on a guitar that did something close to what you are alooking at. We took a Plain top guitar and painted a quilted maple/mabled top onto it then finished it with a two color burst. If you are concerned about the contours of the body creating issues with the veneer you want to lay on top you could do the same type of pattern by hand, if you are handy with an airbush. Take a look at ours, keep in mind that is not a figured maple top, it is all paint work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted October 7, 2006 Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 Well then how did Myka do the veneer top on that there burl veneer topped spruce top Dragonfly... cause it's a carved top.... This one: http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/019/default.htm Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A different Brian. Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You guys might be interested in this... I just joined the board this week. I'm excited about the thought of building my own guitars as a hobby. The more I learn about the process, the more I realize that my workshop/studio already has many of the key tools. One of these tools is a vacuum press, which I built myself. It's easy, and much more effective than weights or clamps. Here's the link to Joe Woodworker.com, which is where I learned to build the press. Joe Woodworker.com And here's a picture of my venturi vacuum press, which hooks up to my air compressor. I know there's still some cost, even in making your own. But this is a much better unit at a much better price than I could possibly afford. Joe also sells the vinyl bags that you need. The prices for bags are exceptional. If you want to do veneer on guitars, get to know Joe's site. If you order from him, please let him know that the guy who built his "tree sculpture" referred you. I don't get anything, but I'd like to let him know that I appreciated his help and good deeds come back to you. And he *is* very helpful. He's also a big Rush fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A different Brian. Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Well then how did Myka do the veneer top on that there burl veneer topped spruce top Dragonfly... cause it's a carved top.... This one: http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/019/default.htm Chris BTW, Chris, if I were trying to get veneer to work on curves, a vacuum bag is the only way I'd attempt it. I've noticed that a softened burl is more flexible than most veneers. (Joe sells softener) The advise about compound curves is pretty accurate. Myka's situation is a little different. The curves are not that great, and the burl is probably softened and fairly flexible. Nice job on the faux quilted finish. Makes me want to try it on some scraps. I'm very much a novice on an airbrush. Am I correct that you basically paint the body the dark color first, then paint over the edge of a mask with the lighter color to get the quilts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Yeah, I talked to David and he said that it works cause his curves are gradual (and I'm assuming the same applies to the epiphone LPs cause they're veneer topped) and he agreed the beveled edges of the BC Rich wouldn't work. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You could veneer the bevel, sand the edge of the veneer flush with the top, then veneer the top. I'm working on modding an explorer for a friend where I veneered the gut cut then veneered the rest of the back. You can notice where the two veneers meet, but once I spray a toner coat and the fireburst, I don't think the seam will be noticeable. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammy Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 You could veneer the bevel, sand the edge of the veneer flush with the top, then veneer the top. I'm working on modding an explorer for a friend where I veneered the gut cut then veneered the rest of the back. You can notice where the two veneers meet, but once I spray a toner coat and the fireburst, I don't think the seam will be noticeable. peace, russ My first thoughts when I saw it too. That could work well. Could even be worth placing a thin contrasting veneer on first - make a feature of the contour lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grungehead Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 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.