ngaa Posted November 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 I need help deciding the finish on this guitar. I know I'm not painting, or staining, but should I go for high gloss, or a satin finish, and should I fill the mahogany with black epoxy? or what else should I use to fill the grain. ALSO, should I do two 1/4" strips of wenge between the body and the neck joins? or just leave that with maple touching the mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 The aesthetic touches are always up to the builder, you should think that over some more until you come up with something that will please you every time you pick up the guitar. As for the grain filling, you can use many things. I personally like the look of Mahogany with black grain filler. You could use black CA glue or a blackened epoxy to fill the grain. Test on scrap so you can get the best results when grain filling the real deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted November 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 Gluing the fretboard onto the neck, lots of clamps Also made a template for an explorer 8 string today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted November 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 some progress pictures! Belly cut (not quite done) http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar029.jpg another view of belly cut http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar030.jpg electronics cavity started http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar031.jpg neck routed flush with the fretboard http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar032.jpg another shot of the neck http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar033.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Are you sure you want to be cutting, carving, an routing the body wings even though they're not glued onto the guitar? Any work you do only seems problematic, a hindrance to gluing the wings on when you finally get to that step. I hope you saved the cutoffs from the wings to help when you glue. Keep us updated on how it turns out. PS. Epoxy is very difficult to sand. I would go with black tinted grain filler and a semi-gloss natural finish, like these basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted November 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Are you sure you want to be cutting, carving, an routing the body wings even though they're not glued onto the guitar? Any work you do only seems problematic, a hindrance to gluing the wings on when you finally get to that step. I hope you saved the cutoffs from the wings to help when you glue. Keep us updated on how it turns out. PS. Epoxy is very difficult to sand. I would go with black tinted grain filler and a semi-gloss natural finish, like these basses. yes, I saved the cutouts. it should all be good, and thanks for the info about the black grain filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 (edited) I have used both grain filler and black epoxy, and from them, I rather use epoxy anytime. It cover better and if you do a good job spreading it, it should be rather easy to sand back. If you were going natural, just use CA (superglue) easier than both and a lot easier to sand back. Looks good so far!!! Black grain filled walnut and mahogany http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/Maiden69/DSC01768.jpg Edited November 7, 2007 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Man! I've been looking for pictures of black grainfilled walnut for months...In fact I think I started a post about it quite a while back. Looks really cool. Got any more pics of that Maiden? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted November 7, 2007 Report Share Posted November 7, 2007 Thanks for both of the pics, Maiden! I too have been searching for pics of black grainfilled walnut and mahogany, and it'll give me a basic idea of what I should expect my build to look like when it gets closer to finishing. If I can manage to make no more (noticeable) mistakes, I'm thinking of going to grainfill black and then clear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 when I was routing the headstock to final shape, the router took a big chunk out of the wood where I added wood on the sides for the headstock (I guess I was taking too much wood out with the router) Here is a very dark picture, (stupid camera phone). http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...r/guitar034.jpg and a picture of the 1/4" round over on the body. Also got the control cavity rout done, just gotta finish making the template for the cover thing. (don't have a picture.. apparently my phone didn't save it..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted November 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2007 neck rough cut to width volute rough cut heel rough cut volute sanded overall neck shot more heel shaping starting to shape neck Going to finish shaping the neck on monday (maybe) and then I might glue it onto the body wings. Everything is looking good, and the headstock has been fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted December 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 (edited) Progress! Didn't work on it all last week cause I've been sick, still am a little bit.. But I got to get some work done today; here are the pictures. Headstock Front Headstock Back Yeah, there is a cut in there, I don't know what I should fill it with to make it look good though.. Gluing Wing Edited December 3, 2007 by ngaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 i would thin that headstock and backstrap it if it ends up too thin. if you have an offcut from the neck i would use that to make the backstrap to continue the flow of the laminates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted December 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Both of the wings are glued on and I started the level sanding.. What is a method you guys recommend to get the wings flush with the neck? Here are pictures, never mind the pencil on the wood, haha. Back Tomorrow (I think) I will do the round over on the butt end of the body (if I get the wings flush).. and then do the arm contour. Then another day I will start routing for the pickups/floyd rose, maybe I will rout before doing the arm contour so I have more flat space to put the templates on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted December 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Today, I got the wings flush with the neck wood, and then added the 1/4" round over to the butt end of the guitar. I think pictures for this will be pointless since it's nothing too big. Tomorrow I might start shaping the heel and neck move to match the body and do the arm contour.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted December 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 progress pictures today. Another angle Since those picture the heel has been cleaned up a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheIRS Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 Progress! Didn't work on it all last week cause I've been sick, still am a little bit.. But I got to get some work done today; here are the pictures. Headstock Front Headstock Back Yeah, there is a cut in there, I don't know what I should fill it with to make it look good though.. Gluing Wing Whoa! That's one SWEET neck!! I'm so gonna make a neckthrough one day. Excellent looking guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted January 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Inlays resting on the radiused fretboard. (abalone dots) Pot hole drilled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 (edited) Routing the Floyd. Yeah, the rout went into the control cavity, but it's okay because the post isn't going to hit that part, and it's the final depth. Hopefully it won't cause a big problem. Edited January 21, 2008 by ngaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastertone007 Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Looking very good mate! Lucky about the control cavity!!! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Floyd cavity done, just gotta rout through the back now. Too bad the block rout also went into the control cavity. Oh well I will put a small sheet of black plastic in the cavity or something. http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...ar/IMG00039.jpg http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...ar/IMG00040.jpg http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...ar/IMG00041.jpg http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...ar/IMG00042.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Hi, Very nice and clean work you´ve got there. If I were you, I would route the el.cavity a little bit more, then glue in a piece of wood, then re-route the trem cavity again just for an eye. What do others think? And don´t you think the pot hole is too close to trem cavity? Otherwise I like this guitar and I´d like to build some like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Yeah, the pot is a little close but I think I could put a killswitch there instead of a volume knob, then I could just put the other pots down more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 I don´t know.. killswitch? Won´t you shut the signal down accidently when you will play a little more... wild.. huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngaa Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 the bar would cover it a little, and I don't strum really, so my hand would never randomly hit it from strumming. http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa98/lo...ar/IMG00044.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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