alan hipson

Hi Pics as promised Thats the back after much sanding the dark areas are the thicker gunky filler. This is the front still to have the filler removed so if anyone has any ideas .....? I will sand it down if this draws a blank Alan

Hi Should you stain the wood before or after grain filling ? I have stained before filling and have had to sand through the stain to get all the excess filler removed. What a mess the grain filler makes...I scraped the exess off before leaving to dry but when sanding if goes all gungy and blocks the sandpaper. I take it I have done this all wrong ? Anyone any tips on filling swamp ash, or removing the filler ? I have only removed the filler from the back so any help with removing the rest would be great...I will post a photo later so you can have a look at the devastation. Chalk 1 up to experiance. Alan

Hi Thats top quality work....I take it you do it as a job ? Alan

Hi Try here http://www.burhouse.co.uk/products.asp?cat...WOOD%20FINISHES They deliver next working day. Alan

Hi This follows on from another post and has got me thinking ????? Has anyone tried staggering 2 x 6 string pickups to cover seven strings. If you tried 2 different sounding pickups would it sound wierd ? 1st and 7th string only on 1 pickup rest on 2 could it be wired up to be switch phasable ? Alan

Hi Instead of custom pickups why not stagger a couple of single coils ? if you used different types of single could make for an interesting sound. Alan

Hi Love the finnish on the Tele what type of wood is the body made from ? Top notch Alan

Hi Just to get an idea of what products people are using for finnishing in the UK spray cans, lacquer nitro/poly, suppliers quality. I think it would be helpfull to get a UK perspective as most of the info availible is for the US. I have mostly been using..... Spray rattle cans from car shops, paint and clear cellulose lacquer. Alan

Hi I try and avoid buying hardware in the UK if you have a paypal account you can get fantastic deals from the US. You are getting $1.81 for each pound at the moment which is fantastic. Try Brian heres site http://www.universaljems.com/index.htm or try http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/guitar_index.htm Guitar parts resource shipping is only $5.95 WORLDWIDE with a delivery time of around 7 days I have just placed an order with Brian who quotes 2-4 weeks delivery. If you can find the same stuff in the uk at the prices from the US including shipping let me know. maybe Brian could consider a pinned area which people could post sites with bargins low prices etc. PS your guitar is looking good Alan

Hi Anyone own or used Vox Valvetronic amps...I am considering a purchase. All views welcome. Alan

Hi Cheers mate p90 for the future will let you know Alan

Hi Nice guitar...I like the headstock to looks like a fender cut down to me to. Sweet keep up the good work Alan

Hi Anyone know what acrylic wood lacquer is? Or has anyone used it on a guitar ? Alan

Hi Dumb question ? How do you apply your decals ? peel and stick or under the finnish ? Alan

Hi I got 2 strats one with pickups in scratch plate one mounted on the body. there is to my ears no differance to the sound. Alan

Hi How much trainning did you guys have before becomming any good with spray guns.....Whats the best way to learn ? Alan

Hi Sweet finnish how did you get the marble effect ? Alan

Hi Fantastic finnish love to see it when its complete. Alan

Hi Thanks will take a trip to local library Alan

Hi thanks...I will give it a go and let you know the outcome Alan

Hi This may be a dumb question, are P90 soap bar pickups recessed into the body or are they attached to the top ? If they are recessed anyone know the dimensions or where to get a template ? Alan

Hi I have just got a 2.5mtr x 200mm x 50mm piece of swamp ash which is getting cut and planed into four 22" x 8"x 1.3/4" sections. What is the best way to join two pieces to make a body blank ? Just glue and clamp ? or Use biscuit joints glue and clamp ? Whats the best glue to use and how long should I leave it clamped ? Is there anyting else that I should look out for ? Alan

Hi I have light rubbed 0000 steel woolon my neck to get this effect. it basically strips some of the clear coat then you give it give it a polish to remove the hazyness. It makes your neck really slick feeling. Alan

Hi I cant coment on the spray gun, but the mask looks ok..I would check out the rating of the cartridges to be sure that they cover organic vapours. The mask looks very expensive as do a lot of items on stewmac you should be able to get the mask for $15.00 and a pair of cartridges for $10.50 or less. Alan

Hi I Just found some tips on using prevals to spray finnish guitars...I think I will try out on some scraps that I have kicking about will let you know...anyway here are the tips. Tips on using Prevals Thinning & Mixing Lacquer  Untinned lacquer is to thick to be sprayed using your Prevals. You must thin out the lacquer with lacquer thinner. Do not use any other type of paint thinner unless you've already tested the lacquer and different thinner out in a plastic cup. If the mixture turns gummy, then toss out the thinner and stick to lacquer thinner as I mentioned. You should purchase a gallon of lacquer thinner. Pour out a small amount of lacquer thinner into a different container to make pouring and mixing lacquer practical. You will want to have plenty availble and it also makes a great lacquer cleaning solution. Once you've mixed your lacquer with your lacquer thinner, you must stir the mixture together. I prefer to put the lid back on the glass Preval jar and swirl the bottle around. Do not shake the glass jar, it will make the solution bubbly and cause the Preval to spit while spraying. Ratio for thinning lacquer  Try mixing your lacquer and lacquer thinner between these two ratio's 50% : 50% and 33% lacquer : 66% lacquer thinner. Those are the most practical ratio's to use. 50% thinner is good ratio but the finish comes out thick and is harder for the Preval to spray. I prefer a 66% thinner ratio because it will give you a wetter finish. It's easier on the Preval and is easier to spray but tends to run more if your careless. Experiment with different lacquer to lacquer thinner ratio and find out what you like for yourself, it's all a personal perference. Why does my Preval spit?  The most common problem is a clogged nozzle. Remove the nozzle and soak it in small cup of lacquer thinner. The Preval also may be clogged at the intake valve filter, tube or internally. Fill a small cup up with lacquer thinner and put the Preval intake valve into the lacquer thinner. Shake the tube around to clean out the small filter. Then spray the lacquer thinner from the cup for a couple of seconds to clean up the Preval tube and inside. The thinner will clean the Preval out within a matter of seconds.  The nozzle may be damaged. Do not attempt to fix it by inserting a needle. Just toss the nozzle away and take a nozzle off another Preval refill.  The clear intake tube may come loose. Unscrew the Preval from the jar and push the clear intake valve tube securely into the Preval.  If you shake the bottle you may have air bubbles that will be getting sucked into the intake valve. Let the bottle sit and allow the air bubbles to float to the top of the bottle. Now mix the lacquer by swirling the bottle, not by shaking it.  When you buy your first Preval, you have a choice of two Prevals. One comes with a glass jar and a Preval, the other is just a Preval (cheaper). The difference in price is minimal. I always buy the ones with jars to because they come with a plastic top, this way I can store my lacquer if I don't use it all up that day. You can not use the Preval tube as a mean of storing the lacquer, the Preval tank allows air to seep into the jar. Not only are the Preval jars good for storing, they make clean up so much faster. I fill up one jar with lacquer thinner as soon as I finish spraying my lacquer, I unscrew the lacquer jar and screw on the lacquer thinner jar. I spray the lacquer thinner for a few seconds and swirl the jar, to clean off any lacquer residue off the Preval tube and filter. Then I put Preval tank back on the lacquer jar and leave it there for a few hours until I'm ready to start spraying again. Before I start spraying again, I press the nozzle down for a few seconds to get all the lacquer thinner out of the preval tube and tank. Don't forget to do this or else you'll spray lacquer thinner on your guitar and have an almost instanteous run.