Q For All You Wood Workers

[JoeVictim]

This is my first post on project guitar. You guys seem real knowledgeable so here it is. I just bought a jackson js20 dinky guit from this guy. The guitar had signs of abuse, multiple dent, scatches, jackplate rigged, pup selector switch is junk... anywho, I decided to refinish the guitar. The body is Indian Cedro aka Red Indian Cedar. I am almost done sanding, by hand, and had some questions as this is my first attempt ever.

First, do I need to sand the trem and pup cavaties? Please tell me I don't...that is going to be hard.

Second, I noticed that some of the places that I sanded are red, the natural color of the wood, some are like a bone white. I don't know what this means or what would I need to do to fix it? I doint want to take too much off.

Next, would this wood need to have grain filler applied?

Last, is there any tips you can give me?

Thanks for the response.

[ToneMonkey]

Alright matey, welcome to the slippery slope of guitar fiddling. It may be you first project, but I doubt it'll be your last (for some reason sadning beomes adictive).

I presume that the paint in the cavities is thick and black. If this is the case, then that paint is shelding paint. It stops any interferance from getting to the electronics. You could sand it off if you wanted, but then you'd have to put some back on again (or cover it all in copper tape). Make sure you mask it all off when you spray your guitar again.

Chances are that the white stuff is grain filler.

I'm certainly not a finishing expert so I'll let someone else help you out on this one.

Don't forget the forum rules. WE WANT PICS

[killemall8]

the white part is the sanding sealer. i have re-done 11 jacksons, and they all have had sanding sealer on them. the js 20 is the cheapest lowest model jackson makes, but is still a decent guitar. indian cedro is a great wood. i love the way it sounds. and yes, try to keep as much of the paint as possible on the guitar. what color are you planning on painting it? because that influences what color of primer you should use.

[USAF1989]

White stuff = filler. Yes, you need to add filler back to the places you sanded through. If you see red (grain not paint), you probably did take too much off. Of course, that depends on how deep the dings/scratches were. Anywho, add filler, then sand flat.

Think of it as body work on a car, except it's on a guitar. WOW! What a comparison. It's kinda like joint compound on sheetrock walls. You got the idea?

Add filler, let dry, sand flat. Then again, and again, and again until it's eprfectly flat. I'm assuming (OH NO!) that the filler is covering th eentire body to where you can't see any grain?!!?

Of course, you can always remove all the filler and leave natural. Depends on the look you're going for. Good luck, wear a mask, and that that safety stuff!

[JoeVictim]

It takes a little while to upload pics cause I still got dial up at home. As soon as I get home and have 45 mins to burn , I'll post some pics.

The paint is thick black in the cavaties, so I'll be sure to leave it alone.

The guitar was the black color Jackson offers. Once I sand it,. I want to stain it natural and then hit it with a black burst.

killemall8, do I need to sand the white part more or sand the red part more? I think the white shows in areas I have sanded too much, is that right? (The red I am reffering to is the color of the wood, you can see the grain. Once I wipe the body with a wet rag, the areas that were white go back to red.).

So, I should get some filler, apply to areas that are "white", then hit it with the stain, then apply the black burst edge. Sounds simple enough.

I'll link the work in progress forum as soon as I can get pics.

[JoeVictim]

I am making pretty quick work of the finish, especially since I've only put about four and a half hour into it. The cutaways were the hardest part. So, I should get some filler, apply to areas that are "white", then hit it with the stain, then apply the black burst edge?

I think the white shows in areas I have sanded too much, is that right?

Edited July 6, 2007 by JoeVictim

[biliousfrog]

If you're going to have a natural/stained/sunburst finish you need to get down to the wood. It doesn't matter whether the white is filler, sealer, paint whatever, you need to have plain wood if you're going to stain it. It's difficult to tell what you've got but I'm sure that you can tell what is wood & what isn't? the wood will be UNDER the finish...so if you're sanding back & you reveal another layer of colour you've obviously not sanded enough, correct? You can't sand through the wood to a layer of white, red or anything else...unless you've sanded through the entire body.

You can apply stain by mixing it with laquer but you still want a flat, even surface first. So you need to remove any colour spots from the wood.

[JoeVictim]

Thanks biliousfrog I got pics at home that I will post tonight. I think I might need to sand a little more, the "white" seems to be the "final layer". Its only "white" where i sanded really hard. The "red" is wood also though.

I'll just let the pics speak for themselves. I'll check tomorrow after the pics are up for your guy's response. I appreciate everything.

[JoeVictim]

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=30851

Here is the topic with a couple of pics. You can see the "white" I am talking about on one of the cutaways.