InSasquatchCountry

That pup is gonna look so cool.

So I just read this thread and WOW. This is awesome!! I'm about to piece together a warmoth Korina body i got for $45 off craigslist, my first amazing find, with a Ibanez roadstar 440 neck. Not gonna look anywhere near as cool but I'm excited about the body shape.

Question- Why do you always fully finish with oil before you rout?

I have a question about the bridge. How does it feel? I don't like FRs because they get in the way like the volume nob on a strat but WAY worse and they are ugly. Are these better? I love the pro rock'r bride on the 84 Ibanez Roadstars, and this looks kind of like it. If so then this looks like something I would want for my next built. Would you be willing to make a video of you playing a song and posting it on youtube? Maybe give some specifics so I can build one too? I especially want to know the ins and outs of you sustainer circuit and driver. I would love to build one. I have the tools I just need the know-how (thats you). YOU ARE SOO COOL!!

Curious, Why a baritone and twelve sting? and Why the twelve on bottom? Also it looks amazing. When your done could you maybe put a youtube video up? I wanna see/hear the specs and some of the music you play with it.

Its a chinese product so its gonna be 10% hit 90% miss. SOMETHING most likely will go wrong. I got a body off ebay a while ago and it was OK but the neck pocket was poorly routed. It was fey hairs too big and the radius was off. You get what you pay for. It would be a good replacement for a squire body but thats about it. Its like the pet seminary, "Sometimes, dead is better."

Man that sucks, that gonna be a bitch to get off. Hmm you could try calling Fender and asking them. I would assume polyurethane just because thats what the Mexican strats are. Try the heat method. Ask the kid if he leaves it in hot cars or next to a fireplace (happens lol). The head can make the finish peel away from the neck and body.

edit- K I was wrong, its MIM strats bodys have a polyester finish but it looks most fender necks have a polyurethane finish. You could buy a test kit and determine what the finish is before you do anything. Test on the heal of the neck and the neck pocket. Either way you can use the heat method to remove both. I used a hair dryer and a sharp knife.

Hey ElysianGuitars, what are you spraying anyway? Did you know that satin finish is just regular finish with really fine silica sand in it. It scatters the light making it appear duller and softer. Cool huh I learned that from thewoodwhisperer.com or one of his links. Great Podcast!!

This is soo cool man, Its got a lot of features but they are practical.

Yeah go with heat, I just used a hair drier and it pulled the poly right up. Works very well.

Geo mentions this stuff called Tru-oil

"Here's the page where I bought it. If you're not in the States, it might be more of a hassle. I bought the 32oz and it was about $23 with shipping... much better than 3oz for $8.10 from LMI!

http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/sport/index.html

(click on wood finishing)

I just noticed you joined the day after I did!"

ElysianGuitars you have been a big help. Thank you so much.

So I'm gonna go with stewmacs waterbase lacquer for the body but....

What should I finish the neck with? I want it fast and comfortable. Maybe someone has a good link that explains the different options?

Why not finish the body and headstock in lacquer, and give the neck an oil finish? you should also consider KTM9 if you're worried about the environment.

I've never even heard of KTM. This stuff looks great. Its got the look I want and I wont be hurting good ol' mother nature. Apparently Stewmac came out with a waterbase lacquer too. Its a lot cheeper, but idk how good it is. Have you used KTM? Has anyone used the Stewmac ColorTone Waterbase Lacquer? Also, what oil should I use for the neck? My girlfriend has a Squier That I play when I stay at her house and its a POS but I really like way the neck feels. Its got a satin look to it.

So I'm about to finish my 1st project, will post pics, and I'm starting to think about my next one. I'm gonna build a strat with a Ibanez Roadstar 440 neck (stripped), a Carvin Alder body ($135), a Fishman VS-50P Powerbridge Pickup, and some other crap . I originally wanted to make it creamsicle orange, like the Capri Orange Fender. Now after using lacquer to refinish my Schecter Blackhawk, I like the look but the back of the neck is too slow, so I think I'm gonna hit it with a sandblaster. I still dont like how bad that stuff is for the environment. My girlfriend has a cheap fender beginner guitar and I love the finish on the neck. Idk what it is though. I felt the same thing on a ESP with a FR I rewired.

So here are my questions-

Is there a good way to get the color I want on the body without using lacquer?

If not,

What do you think I should do with it?

also for the neck,

What is the fastest finish?

Your opinions will be appreciated.

What did you use to paint the neck? Are you gonna polish it? It looks like its gonna be kinda slow. *** is a woodchuck?!?!

Woodchuck - (Marmota monax)

Also known as groundhog

thanks Wiki :]

I dis the picking it off with a knife on my horrendous snake shaped ebay special it was coming off in sheets! Then I realised I could use my fingernail.

You have the same reaction as me. "damn cut myself, where's the camera?"

The blood was just so red. I was gonna keep working but I was afraid of staining my guitar, although that would be bad ass. If you do use this method WEAR EYE PROTECTION!! Last night I took the trash out, picked up the neck, slid the knife under the poly and *pop, a piece was behind my eye. Serious pain!! I tried washing it out to no avail. Luckily after 2 hours I felt it slide around the side of my eye. I pulled down my bottom lid and snagged it with a wet q-tip. Sucks cuz I had band camp today and didn't get to sleep till 4.

I'm gonna keep chipping away but thanks for the input. Healer/Monster I think his method would work well for you, the only reason I'm doing this to mine is I don't feel comfortable using harsh chemicals. Is this what your guitar looks like?

I kinda like how that looks. If your not in love with everything else about the guitar it may be easier to sell it and get a new one. I'm just puttin the option out there.

Looks like it went pretty well for you. Definitely not the first technique I would recommend. Firdtly because of safety, secondly I would be worried about gouging into the wood.

Ya know you do gouge it a little, but nothing a bit of sanding cant take out like 200,400,600 and you fine besides I think i would have damage the neck a lot more by power sanding it, its too thick to hand sand.

I'm currently refinishing a neck from and Ibandez Roadstar II. I don't know what kind of finnish is on there but I do know its speckled red and slow. I think I'm gonna go with an oil finish. ANYWAY Ive read almost every tut out there; heat, sanding, chemicals, and variations on each. I used an orbital sander on the front of the headstock, but the paper clogged too easily and I didn't know how i was gonna do the neck without F***ing it up. I aslo tried sandblasting it and although it made that spot a lot faster, I mean list tung oil fast, it didn't really remove anything. SO I took one of the woodcarving knives my girlfriend gave me for my 18 birthday and just started chipping away. I caught the edge of the finish where I'd sanded down to the wood and slipped the blade in underneath it and then it chipped off. Its gonna take an hour or so longer to finish but this seems like a simple cheep and environmentally safe way to do it. Personally I was afraid the stripping chemical I purchased would somehow damage the wood. No science behind it just didn't seem like a good idea. I literally did this about an hour ago.

Tell me what you guys think...

You can see where I had sanded into the different layers of finish.

little cut + sharp blade= halottablood

Nice paint job. Did you refinish a guitar or make it from scratch?

look at a b.c. rich bronze series...i just made some minor changes such as adding curves, flatting edges...but for being my first crack at lutherie it was a good time

before

So you refinished it. Thats cool I did the same with my schecter blackhawk. I sanded the old paint off and just put the last coat of lacquer on 5 days ago. I gotta let it cure then I got a sag to take care of and some polishing. Ill post some pics when its all done. Todays my BDAY!! Just turned 18. Gotta get me some smoke... just kiddin those things is gross!! What pups are you puttin in yours?

Nice paint job. Did you refinish a guitar or make it from scratch?

I made a talkbox out of a little marshall I had laying around. I used the information I could find on this great "system of tubes" we go here. I made a how to on this awesome site called instructables.com.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-A-Talkbox/

Ive got the same problem. Sometimes I wear a dust mast while doing yard work even. I would think that if you can keep out you'll be fine. I am allergic to oak (amongst many other things) and whenever I'm working with it my nose gets really runny until I take a shower and get it all off of me and my clothes. So use a good resporatior and try to keep the dust out of your eyes. After working, take a shower and leave your clothes in the laundry room so not to track it into your house or room.

I'm sorry for the confusion. When I said paint, I didn't mean "paint". Paint is sometimes used as a generic term for finishes, where I come from. What I meant was, what type of finish do you want to use? Nitro, acrylic, urethane, etc.?

CMA

Ah, well I'm using Lawrence-McFadden Nitro Lacquer.

Well anytime i've seen anyone talk about finishing a guitar on this forum its either paint or oil. Laquer is not a paint its a finish. Also, most of the posts and tuts on this site are about using paint. I've learned a little about laquer and its very different from paint. I just wish some one had a good tut with pics and opinions. Ya know.

What type of paint are you going to spray, exactly?

CMA

Does everyone on this forum just slap paint on their guitars? (not a personal attack at you CMA)