jlarremore

I bought a kids guitar like the one below to play at my office ... at lunch ... of course. Not a bad paint job Problem is, it doesn't really stay in tune very well. It does have a compensating bridge, but I really can't see a trussrod in it. And no fretboard. Frets and neck are all one piece.

I'm going to put on .008's for strings, because that's the lightest I can find. Any other suggestions for trying to keep it in tune?

Is it possible to buy a neck that length with a trussrod? Is it worth it?

I have an old Rockman X100 personal amp. Anyone know where I can get it repaired?

That's really interesting. How do you tell the difference if the bottle isn't marked?

Jef

Thanks Todd. That's good. I didn't want to have to wire two different pots. I wanted to keep my design clean.

Jef

A while back I asked about wiring for a single coil a hum and one volume control with a three way switch. It's basically a tele, but with a hum and a single.

I found a diagram here

http://tclutherie.hypermart.net/wiring/1hb1sc2p.jpg

but what concerns me is that the single coil needs a 250K pot. Will this wiring scheme work using a 500K pot only?

Jef

That's really interesting. I'm still curious. Are all lacquers the same? Considering that we are only talking about clear coats.

I was consulted on an interesting project last weekend. A kid wants to strip a teacher's guitar down, paint it white and have his students sign it then put a protective coat on it.

Time was of the essence. He asked my advice and I said, sand lightly, rattle can paint, sand, sign, then use a poly to coat the guitar. Remember time was REALLY important. He didn't have time to wait a month for lacquer to cure.

The question going over in my head all this time has been, why don't we use poly to do the final coat on a guitar? It sure would cut down on the polishing later on and be a much more protective coating.

Jef

Some people do. Keeps the nitro from sinking back into the grain as it ages. I'm having that done to a guitar as we speak, in fact.

BTW, this topic shouldn't be in the 'in progress and finished work' section.

I'll post it to a different forum next time.

Jef

I was consulted on an interesting project last weekend. A kid wants to strip a teacher's guitar down, paint it white and have his students sign it then put a protective coat on it.

Time was of the essence. he asked my advice and I said, sand lightly, rattle can paint, sand, sign, then use a poly to coat the guitar. Remember time was REALLY important. He didn't have time to wait a month for lacquer to cure.

The question going over in my head all this time has been, why don't we use poly to seal a guitar? It sure would cut down on the polishing later on and be a much more protective coating.

Jef

I was looking for that same thread not too long ago. I was wondering what king of wood it was.

Jef

I think Hiscock's book is good there is another out there as well you may wish to invest in. If you go to Amazon and find one the other follows close behind.

I started last year on the same quest, different goal. I didn't have a Tele in my collection but wanted something a little out of the ordinary. So I started with a kit guitar from Saga. Very affordable for a starter. I modified it by placing a veneer on the top .... long process. I learned a lot from it though. That's a great way to start. Saga's are meant to be opened, finished and played. Not a lot of customizing is needed or required.

Thing is, unless you are fairly experienced with woodworking it could be daunting. I had some basic tools - bandsaw, router, garage tools - and it still pushed my limits. Of course I'm not a woodworker by experience.

I think the hardest part of the whole thing is the finish. Learning the finish part is an art in itself. It's more like autobody finishing than wood finishing. Wood finishers stain then slap poly on and guitar people just don't do that. I'm still trying to understand why lacquer is so great even though it's been outlawed in Texas.

Point being I would work up to it because mistakes can be EXPENSIVE. Start with a throwaway guitar made of pine if you want to just do a quick guitar. It doesn't have to be playable, just something you can experiment on. Buy a neck on Ebay and make it fit the body you build. Look, $4 of wood is a whole lot cheaper than $400 of mahogany in a pile on the floor.

Another route is to buy a used guitar and customize it. I like this route. Really, there are only so many common shapes of a guitar. Fender or Gibson. The rest are variations.

Before you get started plan it out. What do you REALLY want? And try to stick to it. My last build was just a finish change. I wanted a crackle finish. That alone probably cost me $200 in products and time to make it work. But I got it. I hate it but be patient. It takes a long time. Like I said my first one took a year. Of course I put it down for a couple of months, but it can take a while. Research your parts and see what you like. Play some guitars and see what you like and don't like about them.

And I hope I never have to build a neck.

Jef

I have used both Aircraft stripper from Autozone and I've used citristrip. Aircraft is HARSH, but works great. You have to be careful or it eats through the protective coat underneath. What I didn't realize was that the first thing it eats through is the lacquer. Then you can apply another coat to get the paint.

The last color change I did was this weekend. I followed some excellent advice. If all you want is a color change. Use a pretty fine grit paper like 600 or higher and then a palm sander. Go over it pretty well and use a lubricant like water. You'll have to get the nooks and crannies by hand, but all you really need to do is scuff the finish. What's underneath acts as a primer.

Then clean it pretty good with naphtha or a tack clothe to remove the tiny particles.

Start spraying. I went from black to red in one day. I'm already applying lacquer. That takes a long time. One thin coat per week and hanging in an unused closet inside to take advantage of the temp and humidity.

I haven't done a finish in poly, but I guess it could work and it comes in rattle cans. The advice given to me is that lacquer and poly don't mix so don't. The theory is if you start with oil, stick with oil. It has something to do with moisture coming out and being trapped.

Jef

Awesome work.

Jef

I thought I would add some pictures of the project. I was inspired by Avenger63's attempt to do a crackle finish on a guitar. Little did I know that it was going to consume me. I decided to post some pics of the whole process.

I started with a free guitar a former relative left in my mom's garage. Specifically a Peavy Predator or Raptor or something. It was made in Korea. it was like all the other guitars I have found at a low price, black and a white pickguard. There are tiny deposits of rust on the pickguard screws probably from it's time in Pascagula where they lived before Katrina. I'm guessing it was left there and then collected later. Still don't know if it plays.

I decided to try a heat gun to strip it, then thought again after leaving a burn through the sealer under the wood. I went with aircraft stripper. Worked much better but left tons of pock marks in the sealer. Hey, it's a cheap Korean guitar.

Then I put wood filler in it to smooth it out. Love/hate that stuff. It's like clay but does a great job. I did a better job just using my fingers to smooth it in.

After a coat of poly to seal it all up, I used Krylon red and black to do the solid colors underneath.

Now here's the most important part. I couldn't find the crackle combination in the colors I wanted. Most mediums are for water based paints. I found one from Rockler Woodwoking called General Finish Crackle Medium out of Wisconsin that would work with enamels. It was VERY specific that it had to be enamel paint. I have no idea why. I tried with the Krylon - which must have some kind of latex in it, and it only worked with cheap black enamel paint.

So I need to get the pickguard right so that it will blend in well with the finish.

Jef

I thought I would add some pictures of the project. I was inspired by Avenger63's attempt to do a crackle finish on a guitar. Little did I know that it was going to consume me. I decided to post some pics of the whole process.

I started with a free guitar a former relative left in my mom's garage. Specifically a Peavy Predator or Raptor or something. It was made in Korea. it was like all the other guitars I have found at a low price, black and a white pickguard. There are tiny deposits of rust on the pickguard screws probably from it's time in Pascagula where they lived before Katrina. I'm guessing it was left there and then collected later. Still don't know if it plays.

I decided to try a heat gun to strip it, then thought again after leaving a burn through the sealer under the wood. I went with aircraft stripper. Worked much better but left tons of pock marks in the sealer. Hey, it's a cheap Korean guitar.

Then I put wood filler in it to smooth it out. Love/hate that stuff. It's like clay but does a great job. I did a better job just using my fingers to smooth it in.

After a coat of poly to seal it all up, I used Krylon red and black to do the solid colors underneath.

Now here's the most important part. I couldn't find the crackle combination in the colors I wanted. Most mediums are for water based paints. I found one from Rockler Woodwoking called General Finish Crackle Medium out of Wisconsin that would work with enamels. It was VERY specific that it had to be enamel paint. I have no idea why. I tried with the Krylon - which must have some kind of latex in it, and it only worked with cheap black enamel paint.

So I need to get the pickguard right so that it will blend in well with the finish.

Jef

Yep zyon, that looks like the way I'm headed. I got the basic shape but not exactly what I was looking for. Problem is protecting the crackly finish on the pickguard may require at least a thin plexi sheet.

Jef

Ok, don't mix poly and lacquer as far as coloring goes. I'm using poplar right now as a practice. I didn't want to invest in an expensive wood and screw it up. I've never worked with dyes, but it looks a lot more forgiving and easier to work with.

Jef

I'm not really sure I understand. If I guess you are asking how many coats of lacquer do you need on top of straight wood? I would not go with less than 6. You could go with however many you want, but think about the next step of polishing. You could polish right through the thin coat straight to the wood unless you do multiple coats. If you just HAD to do as few coats as possible you could use ne coat of gloss polyurethane. One thick coat would do, but you may get a dull sound.

Jef

Hiscock is an expert and I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, but I don't agree. I think you can get a polished finish without a clear coat, but I'm not sure how durable it will be. I was looking at a guitar that I'm repainting today and it's a traditional poly underneath, paint and then lacquer and there is a ding by the jack. Don't know how it got there. In my opinion, your toughest clear is going to be polyurethane. However, that's not what a lot of people like. I'm guessing it deadens the sound. Lacquer in multiple thin coats is preferred. Poly can be put on and is almost instantly gloss, but could be polished more. Heck just about anything can be polished to a mirror finish. It's the polishing that causes the shine or sheen of a finish. I'm amazed at how well 3M Machine polish works and all that is a paste with ultra fine particles. With a chuckle I wonder how well toothpaste might work as a polish. It's the same principal, a medium to hold an abrasive.

The poly or lacquer is there to protect the paint from minor bumps and also to give it a shine. It's like a football helmet. Sure you can play without one, but the skull isn't as tough as the helmet.

Jef

I think I may have found the solution with 2 pieces of plexi. The thicker piece will go on the bottom and will have the same crackle finish as the guitar. The second piece of plexi will sit on top of the first and act as a small cover to protect the bottom sheet with the finish. Screws will hold both in place. Since I don't have a bevel cutter for my router yet I'll use a grinding wheel set at an angle to create a small angle to the edges. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Overcoming how to cover the crackle finish and not leave it exposed was my biggest issue. Using a plastic paint will work and the same crackle technique on the guitar will help. It won't be a perfect match, but from 20 feet you won't be able to tell that much.

Any thoughts?

Jef

Yes, solid, and thanks for chiming in. I'm going from black to red. I've found I really like Krylon's colors. Say what you want about lacquers, a good old can of 3 dollar spray paint is great. I'll give the 600 grit a try and then go down to a simple red. Should be a quick weekend re-finish.

I tried aircraft stripper and it worked well, but it ate through the sealer under the pain. Yikes. But I liked how well it worked.

Jef

Well, Jef, I've done different methods. I think sanding down to the original color is a good idea. It should act as a primer and won't leave you with pock marks or holes like a chemical stripper. A heat gun may go down too deep for a quick color change. So maybe sanding is the way to go?!?!?

( chirp ) ... I've resorted to talking to myself.

Jef

It seems every guitar I own is black for some reason. After I'm finished with my two in-progress guitars, I want to paint one of my black guitars red.

Should I just go over it with lacquer thinner until the lacquer is gone then pain and apply lacquer? Or should I strip it down to the color, repaint and lacquer. Or should I sand off the lacquer and then paint and lacquer?

Jef

Well, Brayn, looks like I know what I have to do. Thanks!

Jef

I wish I lived some place where they had wood other than pine and oak!

Jef