Colonel Remus Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Hi all, newbie here on the forums. I've had a love for modifying guitars for a few years now and I just got my hands on a couple of *new* guitars to mess around with. I just wanted to post pictures and ask for some advice and ideas on working with these guitars. The first is a Jackson Stealth EX. I had a material finish on it for about a year and just took it off the other day. I want to to sand it down, put a natural finish on the back and sides, and put a red transparent finish on the front. I'm probably going to put all gold hardware on it. Most of the parts I need I found on Carvin's website or Stewmac.com. Here's some pictures of the Jackson. I'm wanting to route out this trem and put in a block so i can install a hard tail bridge. Here's the old material finish that I just took off. Here's the other guitar. I think it's a Kramer. My friend bought it from a drunk for $20 and just gave it to me to experiment with. I really don't know what I want to do with it yet. I'm pretty unexperienced in all of this, so any advice, warnings, or ideas; I am receptive to them. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 does that rhoads have a plywood body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Doing a natural finish depends on what kind of wood those bodies are made of. If they are indeed plywood, then a natural finish won't look as nice. Certain types of wood take dye better than others. Begin by sanding down the current green finish and then you can see how it goes from there. And why would you want to change that cool lizard material finish? Lol, I have enough scraps to build a cheap side project guitar and want to do a material finish, and I have always loved that lizard guitar on the main site. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Remus Posted December 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I'm pretty sure the V has a plywood body. I can see layers on the back where someone already sanded it too deep. I'm not sure how the back of the green guitar is, but I'm going to put like a veneer or some kind of wood on the top. So it's just a matter of picking the right wood and correct dye/stain. I just got tired of the lizard guitar and wanted something new. If I can find material that appeals to me I may do that finish again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 The Kramer looks like it is definitely a plywood body, making it a candidate for a solid finish. The Jackson should be either a poplar or basswood body. I don't think Jackson used alder on the Stealth's. Either way, you can do a natural finish, but none of those 3 woods are known for figured grain. But a veneer on top with a transparent paint over the entire body would look nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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