BROKENDOLL Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 (edited) "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Hm, I beg to differ, guys. Here's a pic of my toys prior to an evening about a year ago that was spent with Jose' Cuervo Tequila. (Uh-oh, this can't be good.) The Yellow/ Gold Peavey generation EX on the right was a gift afew years ago from a friend who thought my Kramer Stirker was wornout and tired. I thought the Peavey was nice, but I wasn't fond of the shape. Unlike the Kramer, it felt bulky and uncomfortable, not to mention that bright gold color. It needed new strings at one point, as well as a wire needing to be resoldered, so Jose' Cuervo suggested I take care of that. ( I know, blame it on the guy, right?) While the strings were off along with the pickguard, he then suggested something to the effect of a color change...Thus, my first guitar project began... Now, had I only had sandpaper, it might have been just a color change. Fortunately, my fiance' couldn't bare to see me toil, or build up muscles, I guess, and proceeded to present me with an electric sander. (Black n' Decker Mouse style.) Good or bad, it broadened my horizons. Edited July 27, 2008 by BROKENDOLL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 ooh, i quite like the look of the kramer... lets see what its like now!!! i hope for a tequilla label somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Oh my,Brokendoll....you've broken the sacred hand tool,man tool laws....LOL So mite as well go for it.So far, so good,keep posting.I would say don't brake a nail,but if you drink Jose' Cuervo Tequila,like I do,I'am pretty sure you can handle yourself.I am working on a new project,but have not started a thread yet.Maybe soon tho.Keep the thread coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Welcome aboard. What do you plan on it looking like when you're done with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan316 Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Like a bottle of Jose Cuervo! I HAD TO!!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 (edited) Oh my,Brokendoll....you've broken the sacred hand tool,man tool laws....LOL So mite as well go for it.So far, so good,keep posting.I would say don't brake a nail,but if you drink Jose' Cuervo Tequila,like I do,I'am pretty sure you can handle yourself.I am working on a new project,but have not started a thread yet.Maybe soon tho.Keep the thread coming.Ha,ha,ha! I'm the bi-product of a general contractor so those man tool laws became null and void a long time ago! LOL And, as far as going for it? Well, like I said before...That sander opened a new horizon of ideas! (When I could see through all the sawdust, that is!) Remember, this was a originally a color change idea. I hadn't planned on reshaping my guitar of the future, but Jose' kept prodding me each step along the way. I tried keeping the "guts" intact in the beginning in order to avoid major surgery. It became obvious that more damage could occur, so with that "go for it" attitude, out came the pickups, pots, switches, etc. All safely put into a container. Keep in mind that was a year ago and the most I'd ever tackled on a guitar was putting new strings on... Edited July 28, 2008 by BROKENDOLL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Welcome aboard. What do you plan on it looking like when you're done with it? Since my next favorite thing to my guitar is my memories of Hawaii, I somehow wanted to incorporate that into my project. (That suggestion in making it look like a Jose' Cuervo Bottle is pretty good too, I must admit! LOL) While I had the pickguard off, and since it was scratched here n' there, I guess you could say an idea was born. I enlarged a photo on lightweight photo paper and glued it to the guard, then began applying polyurethane. Minus afew small bubbles here n' there, it came out kinda cool I thought, so I sipped abit of that creative juice to celebrate. I also learned shortly thereafter, that you really do have to wait for polyurethane to dry completely hard before doing any sanding! Anyway, it did finally come through for me and those palms you see there are decals from Micheal's Crafts. The "Aloha Baby" and "Brokendoll" are compliments of Jose', myself and a set of paint pens. If you take a look at the body of the guitar's face and use your imagination, it somewhat reminds you of the rearview of a woman's buns, no? (Well, it reminded me of that, anyway. LOL) This brought me to my next unexpected lesson in sanding and shaping a guitar... Once you start grinding that new shape, you begin the battle of retaining a smooth line and surface. Trust me, several times my fiance would come check on me to make sure I wouldn't end up playing something the size of a toothpick! Another one of the reasons I went for reshaping is the fact that my Kramer had a smooth, sexy shape to it. It seemed to fit me and felt comfortable to hold. The Peavey on the other hand felt bulky and thick. And, it was a heavy guitar. My goal was to shape something that was similar to the Kramer. Thus came my next unexpected lesson... Patience and Sandpaper! Now you don't think all this work was done with Jose's help, do you? Naw. He just started the job! He'd pop in on occassion and give me a hand, but many times, with a sober mind, I had to ask myself, "What the hell was I thinking???" And patience??? After sitting "in the wings" for a year waiting for me to complete it's new look, the least I could do for that Peavey was patiently make it happen, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Like is said on here more then once....if you like it ,that's all that matters.Having stated that,I like the pick guard and wait to see the shaped wood.Sexy shapes and guitars go together,so make sure that bottom looks good.hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Welcome Broken doll... Love the look here... Since you have some creativity you might consider doing further graphics in the body by burning designs into the wood with a soldering iron... Or the stripboard body and new curves got a bit of the old time surfboard look, play that up for more of a Hawaiian theme. pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Well since we are drinking tequilla here, you might be able to get some Jimmy Buffet insprired ideas as well. I was just talking to my wife about doing a surf rock guitar based on the Charvel Surfcaster and the first thing out of here mouth was that it needed some kind of tropical graphics. Might as well continue on with the theme since the pick gaurd already looks good. Maybe work it to look like one of the old 50's surf buggies with the wood side panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted July 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks for the positive feedback! Actually, the guitar is finished already and I can see that my pics so far have given you a general idea of where my project was headed. (Bet you thought into a dumpster when I mentioned the tequila part, huh? LOL Anyway, I didn't want to break any rules by posting too many pics per post, so it's taking abit to reach the final performance. Can't access my pics right now due to the fact I'm house sitting and won't get home for awhile. In the meantime, let's just say it's a big open-like house with no neighbors. And along with my toothbrush, I remembered to bring my amp and guitar. Figured I'd take advantage of the situation and see how good a job my guitar tech did with the project I passed on to him. HINT: Sweeeet! BTW...Speaking of help from a tech. I may have had control with that sander, but a soldering iron? Apparently, I missed that lesson growing up! Ha,ha,ha! More pics soon and once again...Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 And along with my toothbrush, I remembered to bring my amp and guitar. and presumably a bottle of tequila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted July 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 And along with my toothbrush, I remembered to bring my amp and guitar. and presumably a bottle of tequila Ha,ha! Nothing like being new around here and already feeling like you've been friends forever! (And, yes, of course I did!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 If your fiance couldn't stand to see you build muscles, he should have bought you a scraper and burnisher :-D Those make short work of paint and you shouldn't have any problems with sanding in any low spots! Looking good, and most importantly it's looking personal which is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan316 Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 I'm loving that pick guard!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted August 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 I hope nobody held their breath waiting for the finish project pics I promised! Here's one of the versions of my project finish. I say one of the versions because I really didn't have a definite plan to start with other than getting rid of that gold. Besides, who can make definite plans when there's tequila involved, right? Once I had it sanded to where I thought it was ready for stain, I'd learn after applying the stain that more sanding was necessary. And because of the burning I did to the body, the stain didn't seem to compliment the charred look likle I thought the natural color of the wood did. I know, typical woman can't make up her mind. Ha,ha,ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 looks like a cheetah burst! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 I like that so far. The burning with the burst gives it a unique look that I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted August 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 And then of course there was this version. A dark stain/sealer done with a brush. I liked the look, but needed more patience in waiting for it to dry before handling. Uh-huh...picture it with built in fingerprints. If there's anything I've learned from this first project, it's got to be patience. Not that I've got it down yet, but thinking back over how many times I thought it was ready to stain, only to have the stain tell me otherwise. (You wanna know how smoothe you got it? Dab some stain acrossed it and trust me, every little nook and ding will say hello! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngun Josh Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 all i have to say it wow, thats really good looking so far...cant wait to see it with the pick guard back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 I like the brushed look a little better...it should relic up really well with age! With the pickguard on it will look like the lone survivor of a bar room brawl! Well done... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 Hand sanding is your best bet if you want to avoid dings and marks....i would have sanded the bare body with 120 grit, then 240 and 320 after stripping (ho ho ho). Wipe the wood with a damp cloth to raise the grain, sand it with 320 again and repeat this a few times till the damp (not wet!) wood stops feeling "furry". Then sand to 400 and lastly 600 (or higher if the wood is dense or oily enough to take a polish). Sand in the direction of the grain rather than against it. You'll then have a great base for pyrography work, and stain will take much more evenly! :-D Have you got any larger pics in daylight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted August 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 Hey, can I get a drumroll in a guitar forum? I finally set my project down long enough to post the final pics of this Tequila Induced project idea I started almost a year ago. After toiling with all the finish attempts, I took it to my local guitar wizard for the electrical part of the project, as well as his oppinion on a final finish. He was so impressed with how smoothe I managed to finally get the natural wood that we concluded leaving it as is. I just keep a honey oil wood preserving oil handy. Now, about that drumroll. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROKENDOLL Posted August 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 Sorry about the glare, especially off of those "polished" (LOL) parts! While working on this guitar I found that Stewart McDonald site and don't think it didn't cross my mind to maybe go with black instead of the chrome parts! As a matter of fact, I had no clue about guitars coming in so many pieces! Honestly, I enjoyed that reading better than most Cosmopolitan mags, and am seriously thinking about building a guitar from scratch. (And, no, that idea wasn't aided by any tequila, guys! Ha,ha,ha!) In any case, in discovering your Project Gutiar Forum, I realized how much more I could learn from a great group of people who are more than willing to help and I'd like to say Thanks! Now, I believe it's just about time to settle down with a smoothe shot of Cuervo in one hand and my guitar in the other... Oh, and BTW...That red Kramer in my original pics? It ain't red anymore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 Congratulations... Now, about that drumroll. bambambambam....bambambambam...bambambambam...ting! Best I could do It certainly is an improvement and a unique guitar...nice rounded edges and a personalized one of a kind look...what more could you want... Oh, and BTW...That red Kramer in my original pics? It ain't red anymore... Somebody started something... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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