stratoskier

OK -- sounds like the consensus is that I can proceed. Dylanwad, we really are on the same track, aren't we? The only difference I see is that it looks like you're planning on leaving the body-to-neck contact area as is, similar to the Fender version. As noted, I was planning on also removing that area. Any reason why you decided to leave that part alone? Bert

Hi, I'm working on a partscaster (Fernandes body + Ibanez neck...) that has a regular, blocky strat heel. I prefer a contoured heel, as the big block really interferes with upper fret access, especially if I'm switching around from an Ibanez AANJ or JS style heel back to the Fender style heel. The neck was originally an Ibanez AANJ neck, so that there is actually a gap where the neck tapers into the AANJ style, but the block heel on the body does not match that shape. By the way, this was a regular 22-fret body and a 22-fret neck, so none of the strangeness about 24 neck heels is an issue. As you can see from the picture below, I already modified the neck plate so that it is now similar to the plates used on Fender's contoured heels (American Deluxe HSS, Jeff Beck, and possibly others). The next step would be to shave wood off of the body to conform with the plate contour. In the image, you should be able to see a line I have etched in the paint to mark how far back I would shave (~3.5 mm from the edge of the plate). Now in the Fender models, the part of the heel that abuts the neck is not much different than on a regular strat, but it tapers back to match the plate contour. I could do it the same way so that the neck-to-body surface area is not changed. Alternatively, I'd like to shave more wood so that the body heel matches my etched line all the way down. That would provide significantly better access over either the regular strat heel or Fender's contoured heel. However, I am somewhat concerned about loss of stability. My hunch is that removing this much wood wouldn't be a problem, as I would only be taking about 1-cm at the maximum point (plate to corner of the heel). You guys know a lot more about this kind of thing that I do, so I'd appreciate any input before I start shaving. Thanks in advance! Bert Here's the Fender contoured heel: And here's my guitar with the proposed mod:

Good idea about resealing the raw edges. I'll also check into the faux chrome plating stuff. Thanks, Bert

Here's link with a pic, but it's not a great pic: http://store.guitarfetish.com/flroflotrsy.html They claim it's "solid machined steel" and that appears to be true. It actually seems to be well built so it'd be nice to try it. Bert

Greetings, I'm working on a project based around an old Ibanez Radius body. The orginal trem was an Ibanez Edge, although their Lo-Pro Edge would also fit. I was trying to avoid the usual Floyd allen wrench hassles by installing a new trem that strings up like a regular trem -- no locking saddles and hence no allen wrench required. Guitar Fetish sells what they call a "Floyd Rose Fastloader" (not to be confused with Floyd's own "Speedloader" which requires special strings) that got decent reviews. So I bought this thing ($59) but it's too wide for the route in the body. Not by much -- say about 2-3mm plus a little extra for clearance. I could try and widen the body cavity slightly, but I just refinished the body (with considerable advice and guidance from this forum), and if it were to go like most of my routing projects, it'd be less than perfect when I was done. Plus, I might decide that this trem is crap and want to switch back to something else later. Finally, to my question... I'm considering using a grinding wheel to shave the edges of the trem base plate and make it ~2mm narrower per side. This is a chrome trem, so I'd undoubtedly lose the chrome finish on the sides, but it normally sits down into the cavity and the sides wouldn't be easily visible. Does this sound like a very bad idea? Thanks, Bert

Once again, thanks to everyone for all the good advice... I see that the body filler recommended by Foggy (Davids Isopon P38) appears to be mostly a European product. Can anyone recommend a particular brand of body filler available in the States? I've used good ol' Bondo before and could go with that again. Also, there's a two-part Minwax product that is marketed as a heavy duty wood filler, but it sure feels, smells and behaves like Bondo. I have some of that already, but as DGW noted, I should probably avoid using a wood filler over anything but raw wood. Cheers, Bert

Great - thanks for the tips, guys! Normally, I wouldn't have thought of having a body shop paint a guitar, but I know this guy a bit and I've seen some other wood paint jobs he's done and they looked very good. Plus, I haven't found any luthiers that paint guitars locally. I'll follow your advice on prepping the body and will check with him to see what primer would be compatible with his paint. Take care, Bert

Hi, I'm having a body shop repaint an old sunburst Ibanez body in surf green. The body is actually in very good shape, but there are a few small dents I should probably fill before dropping it off. After reading old posts, I've decided to leave the old finish and just have them paint right over the old clear coat. But I'm assuming I should still sand the old clear and was wondering what grit to use. Also, I'm wondering what type of product I should use to fill the small imperfections with. I have some wood filler, but I'm wondering if I need to sand down to raw wood before applying the filler. It seems like if there's old paint+clear in the gash, the filler might not bind well. So to recap my questions: 1) What grit wet/dry for sanding the old clear? 2) How to fill/repair imperfections in the old finish before repainting? Advice? Thanks much, Bert

Right -- it seems like he really put some work into assembling all that info and it's a fun site. But which of those code numbers would be the best one to pass to someone else -- the DUCO number or the other number that appeared on the color code charts (that is, DUCO 2461 vs. DAL-42068-DQE for Surf Green)? Actually, there's even a third number on the auto paint sheets -- it gives "797A" for Surf Green under the Paint Code column. So I'm confused which of these multiple numbers is the one that a paint guy would need to mix the correct paint. By the way, I just finished with one rattle can job, so I thought that rather than try another one myself, I'd see how the auto guys do. It's quite a project for me to clear an area for a dust-free spraying area and I don't have a good respirator (only a dust mask). If these guys screw it up, out comes the sandpaper and I'll start over. Cheers, Bert

Hi, I'm planning on having a local auto body shop paint a guitar body for me. I'm still debating whether to go with Seafoam or Surf Green, but I figured that the best way to specify the right color would be to give these guys the Dupont color codes -- does that seem like a good move? I could give them a picture, but the images I see are all over the map between those 2 colors and there is a lot of variation among cameras, screen depiction, and so on. What they see on their computer screen might not be what I'm after. I wanted to verify that I'm giving them the right information. Awhile back, someone here posted this helpful link for Vintage Fender colors: http://www.curtisnovak.com/restorations/Fe...ors/index.shtml That site has all the old Fender color samples. I believe they also used to have links to the auto color sheets, but I can't find that link anymore. Fortunately, I saved the color sheet images, which have a different color code than the DUCO codes given for each color. From that site, it looks like Surf Green is associated with the 1957 Chevy, DUCO 2461 (or from the Chevy color sheet, code DAL-42068-DQE). The Seafoam is apparently associated with the 1956 Buick, DUCO 2253. However, on the Buick color sheet, it is called just "Foam Green" with color code DAL-41940-DQE. I'm suspicious of the one from the chart because the color shown as Foam Green doesn't look much like the Seafoam I'm accustomed to seeing. Could someone advise me as to which numbers to provide the paint guys (DUCO numbers or the longer ones from the color sheets), and whether I have the correct numbers. I'll probably wind up going with Surf Green because I like the looks of the surf green Jeff Beck strat. Thanks, Bert

Wow -- more great tips! I appreciate it! Southpa -- love that truck. I have a soft spot for old GMC's. Bert

Thanks for all the responses. I definitely won't go any lower than 800, and will probably see how I do starting with 1200 first. It's also good to know that I can give it some more time before polishing. Pariah223 -- the lacquer I used was Duplicolor "Truck, Van and SUV" acrylic lacquer in a rattle can. Probably not the finest stuff, but it seems to have worked well for me. I only paint about 1 guitar every couple of years, so I haven't made the move to a good spray gun yet. Take care, Bert

Greetings, I recently finished applying the clearcoat to a body I've been working on. I've been following the directions found here in the tutorials and forum threads, but I'm concerned about blowing it at the last step. The body looks pretty good except for some minor orange peel and some areas that don't appear to have as much gloss as the surrounding areas. Basically, I'm terrified that I'm going to screw it up when polishing. My first question is this: In the threads, some people have talked about letting the clear coat cure for a month or more. However, the can says to apply a rubbing compound after 48 hours. So... is it possible to wait TOO long to polish? I was planning on giving it the full month, but now I'm wondering if that might not be a good idea. I read somewhere that the heat generated by polishing can help a partially-cured lacquer to smooth out. 2nd question: I've come across a lot of conflicting thoughts on what grit sandpaper to use for final finishing and polishing. ReRanch says to go all the way from 400 up toi 2000 before polishing. But here, I found some threads that said anything lower than 1200 would remove too much clearcut and/or cause fine scratches that would be nearly impossible to remove. I assume that some of these different opinions result from different paint types (lacquer vs poly, etc.), but it's not always clear from the threads what paint type is being referred to. Because I'm petrified of messing it up by going through to the color coat, or causing scratches and imperfections, I'm inclined to start very fine (1000 to 1200). If anyone could help to clarify what grit to start with for this Duplicolor acrylic lacquer, I'be be grateful. Thanks! Bert

Not sure about the material you printed your logo on, but I have used Tru Oil over vinyl decals, which are also pretty thick, with good results. However, it takes a LOT of coats to eventually build up so that the edges aren't apparent. First few coats were thin with no sanding, then a minimum of 4-5 heavy coats with light (~800 grit if I recall) sanding in between. Bert

There are some travel guitars that have behind the bridge and other weird tuner arrangements (like lateral to the strings). One model I've seen on Ebay recently is listed as "New 2008 Collapsible Electric Guitar" (for example, item #260261803068). They appear to have normal style tuners mounted to the rear of the bridge. Wonder if it works...

OK -- I'm getting confused here... From reading many other posts, I thought I understood that you needed to sand lightly after the first few coats of clear, and between coats thereafter. But here, it sounds like you guys are saying that you shouldn't sand the clear at all until a month or so after it has cured, regardless of whether you're using acrylic lacquer or nitro. Do I understand that correctly? By the way, I'm using acrylic lacquer from rattle cans. Thanks, Bert

Thanks for the info, guys! It's very informative listening to you folks discuss the potential issues. I think I'll play it safe and go with the DupliColor clear. I'm really in no rush to get this project done, so it's not a problem if it takes some time to cure. I'll try to keep the coats reasonably thin so drying time is within reason. I was also considering taking the body to a woodworking place to have the pros spray the clear, but based on your input, that's probably not a good idea since I have no clue what they'd use. I love this site! Bert

Hi, Over the past few weeks, I've read over a lot of old posts, but I'm still a little confused about this --- I used Dupli-Color acrylic lacquer spray cans for the color coat on my project. It's been drying for a couple of days and I think I'm about ready to start the clear coats (to be sure, how long SHOULD I wait before clearing?). I read a few posts here or maybe at ReRanch that said the Dupli-Color clear took forever to cure so I might want to avoid that product. I also read Jeremy's tutorial in which he spoke very highly of polyurethane. Can poly be used over acrylic lacquer with no compatibility issues? If so, what brands would you recommend -- Deft? Minwax? Other? I'm mostly concerned about combining products that might react together in some undesirable way. Thanks much, Bert

Hi, I have a project in which I am installing a vintage style, 6-screw trem (Wilkinson 5+1) on a generic strat body. After installing, I found that the front edge of the trem block was butted tightly against the forward part of the trem cavity (no clearance), thus preventing the trem from operating properly. It appears that I need to enlarge the cavity slightly by removing ~1/8" of wood from the top of the guitar along the front edge of the cavity. The scale is correct, so it is not a case of needing to move the trem further away from the neck. Here's my question. On a vintage trem route, there is a small "shelf" of wood along the front edge of the cavity. That is, the cavity is smaller on the face of the guitar, and then gets bigger as it gets deeper into the body. I assume that the primary purpose of this is to leave more wood behind the 6 mounting screws. Would it be risky to remove this little shelf of wood (about 1/8" by 3" long) along the front of the trem route? After removing this area, I would still have about 1/2" between the trem mounting screws and the leading edge of the trem cavity. Hopefully, someone will understand what I am trying to describe here. I appreciate your advice. Cheers, Bert

Hi Frank, I figured if anybody answered it would be you! Well, I diagnosed the problem some more, and it turns out that the threads on the thumbscrews of the lower tuners are bunged up. If I substitute a thumbscrew from another tuner, they all work fine. I emailed TK Instruments who seems like the main dealer of custom Sperzel tuners and parts, and was told that they probably don't sell the thumbscrews separately. So I may try to clean up the threads, but I expect they're an oddball thread and I may not be able repair them. Oh well, the moral is that whenever I buy used hardware I should immediately check it out thoroughly. Bert

Greetings, I bought a set of used Sperzel staggered height 6-in-line tuners for a project guitar awhile back. I just got around to putting them on, and I have a problem with the 3 lower ones. On all 3, turning the gnurled knob all the way fails to drive the little internal pin up far enough to lock the string. In fact, the knob doesn't turn far enough for the knob base to lay flush with the housing like they usually do. Turning the knob all the way, you still can't see the pin enter the hole in the post (the hole where the string runs). Bummer... So it looks to me like somehow the thing the knob threads into (the gizmo inside the housing) must have gotten backed out too far. The question is, how on earth would you get the internal parts back deeper into the housing? I'm guessing that I've diagnosed this right, but I may be way off. Anybody got any suggestions? One thought was to make a new pin longer than the existing one (cut a finish nail or something), but that's a pretty lame solution. Thanks, Bert

Hi, I was working on a couple of material finishes. I'm basically following the material finish tutorial from Project Guitar, but there are a couple of things I was wondering about. The tutorial says to strip the guitar to bare wood, but I was wondering whether some of the new heavy-duty adhesives, specifically 3M P-90 (a spray-on adhesive), might allow you to skip the laborious stripping/sanding operation? The only disadvantage would be that once you put the material in place, there would be no adjustment possible. Anyone tried this stuff? My other question concerns the "sanding sealer" described in the tutorial. I can't find any Lacquer Sanding Sealer (seen in the picture on the tutorial) around here except in 5-gallon buckets. Could someone recommend a specific product that might be easier to find? A local furniture refinisher said that whatever I use, I had best make sure it says "dries water clear" or else it's apt to yellow over time. He also said that anything with lacquer in it is VERY hard to work with (dries almost instantly) and if I used that, I should plan on loading it in a sprayer, which I don't have. So I can't figure out what to use. Thanks! Bert