KitDean

I would suggest reading Reranch 101 at http://www.reranch.com/ . Then, I would read it again just to be on the safe side. Next, make a list of all the supplies you will need (primer, paint, clear, various grits of sandpaper, sanding blocks, naptha, any sealers or fillers) and purchase them. If you do choose to work with enamel (and it would not be my first choice due to longer than average cure times), strongly consider making a painting jig. You will minimize the potential for runs in the finish (one of the side effects of using enamel). In addition, it will be easier to get a consistent coat on the guitar. Good Luck! Kit Dean

The idea to use a blue anodizing spray (Metalcast or Duplicolor's Anodizit) over a silver (or chroming) paint is a good one. I recently tested Plastikote's Candy Apple Blue auto spray paint (rattle can) on some wood and the resulting color was close to chrome blue but not exact. Tell me how you do.

You may have to get a good color picture and visit an autobody paint supplier in your town. Most of these places will custom mix colors (spray or canned) for a price. Usually, they use computer matching to get the color right. Although it is more expensive than off the shelf options, it may be your best bet... Chris D.

Having seen Eric identify batteries in a series of Fuzzfaces at random while I stood with his bemused guitar tech a couple of years ago, I can testify to the fact that he can hear the difference. That being said, he is a little crazy. I heard him play through a Pod into a desk at the same venue just to try it out and it sounded like Eric Johnson playing thru his very large pedalboard into his multi amp assembly. I agree that sometimes his tone is hard to get into, but for everyone who "gets" Vai's tone there is someone who thinks Buddy Guy's is better and for everyone who digs Fripp or the Edge, there are people who think that Big Bad Brad or the guys from Slipknot have something to offer (go figure).

Thank you for your posts. This is a problem I am going to be dealing with shortly and has occupied my mind lately. Your experiments and findings have been very helpful. Thanks for the insight. Regards, Chris Dennis

I know that, here on the East Coast of the U.S., that 80s hard rock cadre (Cinderella, Dokken, Poison, etc.) still set out large clubs and small open air venues every summer. Lynch did tour in the past 4 months throughout the U.S. and his line of ESP guitars still sell (surprisingly) well in this region. I think that, although Europe and Japan are more supportive of traditional hard rock, the "fire never died" over here, despite all the Linkin Park/Limp Biskit/Cookie Monster Metal that radio seems to embrace now. Back on topic -- that is a great looking axe and an excellent tutorial. Thank you and congrats!

Hello! Try in cabinet design forum here: http://www.the-crossroads.org/ or go here: http://colomar.com/Shavano/construction.ht...nstruction.html and scroll down to "Speaker Cabinets/Cases/Wood Items" Either should get you started. Chris D.

Yeah, the transparent blue tutorial on Stew Mac's site covers this particular finish photographically and step-by-step. It is invaluable. Definitely practice on scrap for a bit. My first refinish was a blue transparent figured strat and I was surprised at how easy it was, but it fell into place only after some dedicated practice. As far as the HT-10 kit is concerned, proceed very slowly and sand with caution and you will be okay. Make sure that you sand slowly under direct light (e.g., a shop or study lamp) and you will minimize the possibility of sand throughs. Patience will reward you. Best, Chris D.

Hello! I used RIT black to bring out the figure in some scrap maple once. It looked great, but I did notice that sodium was one of the ingredients on the package. This prevented me from using it on a guitar veneer. Something about putting a salt solution on bare wood doesn't feel right to me, even if there is no ill effect. That said, someone in Reranch.com's gallery used black RIT for this purpose exactly under their transparent black cherry strat copy. I guess your mileage truly does vary.... Chris D.

Thank you! Your explanation makes sense (which is probably why I could not figure it out myself!). Regards, Chris D.

Hello! Has anyone mounted any of the boosters (asided from the Stratoblaster) whose schematics are available on the web? I am thinking of mounting an LPB-2, similar to this: Schematic here in my strat. Can anyone tell me how, once I remove the input jack from the equation (the layout is for a stompbox-mounted booster), do I wire the pickups or volume pots to feed into the preamp board (i.e., what will input wiring look like?)? Any info, even if it does not apply to the LPB, but to some other booster, is appreciated. Regards, Chris Dennis

I only used it once on a body... I shot it over Reranch nitro LPB about four years ago. It yellowed very slightly after 2 years time. It looks okay on this instrument ('59 strat copy) because this same thing has happened on vintage Fender instruments. I prefer acrylic lacquer now (no yellowing, less chance of checking, etc.), but your mileage may vary. Regards, Chris D.

Don't know if this is helpful... I have used the Deft Gloss Clear, in both the rattle can and through a Preval sprayer, and it is good and inexpensive. I should say that I like Reranch.com's stuff slightly better, but not enough to want to shell out the extra $$$ required. The only drawback I could see is that it yellows perceptibly over time, but all nitrocellulose lacquer does. I use Deft (exclusively) for necks, regardless of how I have finished the rest of the guitar. Some Deft, some dye, some fine steel wool and you have a nicely finished neck. Just my $0.02... Chris D.

FWIW: I used the Duplicolor Mirage system on my battered, Fernandes LE-2 strat copy. I went with the green to purple paint kit. As long as you have been thorough with sanding, filling and using the primer that comes with the kit, you will have good results. By following the process outlined at reranch.com and using the kit, your results should be very good. Note that you should provide AMPLE curing time (3 wks+) for best results. A friend used the Krylon blue to purple Mystique kit on his Dinky copy and it came out nicely. He did have some problems getting adjusted to heavy output from the nozzle at first (which is why it is alway best to practice on scrap to get a feel for these things). I think that, by working slowly and deliberately, these products can produce excellent finishes. I am on the road now, when I get back home (this weekend) I can post pictures.

That is sweet looking! What paint color is that on the body? Regards, Chris D.

Hello! I was wondering if anyone has made an extension or added a fret to their RG/Strat styled neck before. Melvyn Hiscock's "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" says that this is a pretty simple process, but I have never seen it discussed anywhere else. I ask because I am working on a strat styled guitar using odds and ends and would like to extend the exisiting fretboard by one fret (21-to-22) without tearing down the neck and creating a whole new fretboard. Any ideas? Regards, Chris D.

Capt. V-- I assume you are talking about your pickup cavities, floyd rose cavity, neck pocket etc.? If that is the case you have some options. Many people fill these cavities with plumber's clay (which is what it sounds like -- a synthetic clay that is easily removed). It is readily available at most hardware stores and is reusable. The option I use is to tape off these areas with 3M's Blue Carpentry Masking Tape. This is less sticky than traditional masking tape and is thicker. This can be found at most hardware or wood working shops. Many folks I have talked to simply mask everything off with regular masking tape and use many layers. I find this less effective than other options. The coating in those pickup cavities is often (but not always) some sort of shielding paint but usually it is not applied in large quantities. Certainly 80s and 90s Jacksons benefit from additional shielding (using inexpensive self-adhesive copper foil) in these cavities. I had good results doing so on my Dinky Pro, PS-4+ and Stealth model Jacksons. Check www.guitarnuts.com for more shielding info. Good luck! Best Regards, Chris D.

Ben: How many coats of primer do you have on the body? I always make sure that I have two very smooth coats of Bins underneath. Plus, I make sure the first coat goes on pretty dry, allow it to cure for a day in a warm area and come back to shoot wet coats. As with all advice, your mileage will vary, however After your first orange peel, it is often effective to wetsand with #800 or higher. Sand until the surface is glassy smooth (if sanding down orange peel, sand throughs will be a factor & will need spot respraying). After that, wipe the guitar with damp towel or tack cloth to remove any dust or finger oil. Check the body closely. Check for thin spots where the white can be seen and spots where paint is drying in the grain. When checking for thin spots, get in the brightest light you can find. If the undercoat is glassy, your paint is warm, the gtr body is not cold and your ambient temperature is not extreme, the only other place I could point the finger is at your paint. I have had success with Reranch and Krylon, but have not used anything else. Best, KitDean

Thanks BeAR!! Damn that is good work.... I still can't get over how detailed that is. Kudos!! KitDean

BeAR: I kid you not, when I say that looks better than the most recent decals that Fender is issuing when you go through the official decal replacement process with them...I wish I had seen that a month and about $60 ago . BTW,would you mind sending me that file as well? I would really appreciate it! Best Regards, KitDean

Ben: Although I try not to spray in February (the coldest month here), lately I have been running a ceramic space heater for an hour before working in the room (about 8ft x 12ft), shutting it off, sliding it out of my spray area, spraying (with the water heated cans), letting it dry for an hour (flash drying) on the jig and then taking it in the house for further drying in the basement. I have not had any problems so far. This winter, I have happily finished one "superstrat" body in dark metallic blue and am in the middle of a strat. My room hovers around 63 degrees fahrenheit after heating with the space heater. Previously, I would never have attempted guitar work in such cold -- I did two previous guitar bodies in the spring and summer of this year. I find working with the painting jig and using warm cans, however, enables me to get a consistent spray with no runs. As with anything, your mileage may vary. Best, KitDean

Ben: FWIW, I do my finishing in a (now cold) workshop behind my garage and here is what works for me. I run the cans under warm water for just less than a minute. Than I push the can thru two soft foam beercan coolies with the bottoms punched out. As goofy as this sounds, it keeps the can warm and I have not had problems with spitting or runs (unless the can is almost empty). If I am out there for any length of time, I plug in a hotpot and set it to "warm", seal the can(s) in freezer bags, fill the hot pot with warm water, and let the bagged can float in the lukewarm water between uses. It sounds involved but it is simple. Whatever you do, try to avoid spraying around kerosene heaters -- it goes without saying that this is a highly explosive scenario.... Best, KitDean

Thanks for the suggestions. For me, StewMac and Allparts are definitely last resorts. Although quality and service is topnotch, prices tend to run higher than I'd like. Guitarelectronics.com is a good suggestion. I actually had considered them and guitarpartsusa.com before for pots and preamp parts. I will probably go with them... Regards, KitDean

Hello everyone! I have a question for the North Americans on the forum -- Where does everyone pick up their pots for projects? I have found a bunch of places where 500k pots are inexpensive, but am having difficulty locating a good, cheap source for 250k pots. The same goes for dome knobs. Where does everyone turn for this stuff? Any helpful suggestions are appreciated! Best, KitDean