JayT

I want to paint a guitar kit solid white with some small graphics under the final clear coat. Is there any paint/finish combo I should avoid? I've never done nitro so if I go that way can I lay down the white, let that dry then hand paint some graphics, let that dry, then nitro clear on top? Not sure if that's too long and the clear coat won't "melt in to" the color coat. Also will the nitro work with say acrylic paint under the clear or will that have some problems? I plan to hand brush on the graphics but want the cllear coat surface to be as flat/smooth as possible. Considering getting an airbrush but would rather not if possible. Going to do some tests first but I always appreciate expert advice (or at least advice from someone with any experience)

Question, should I seal & grain fill the back of a neck (set) that I'm going to paint same as the body & headstock? I've seen that to improve playability of a painted neck you can/should sand it down (1500 grit) to a mat finish. Also that "perfectly smooth" necks have less slide than one with a slightly uneven surface -- less surface area=less friction (oddly claimed to be proven out in one case by a guy painting/sanding the bottom of a racing boat) So, if I skip the sealing and pore/grain filling on the back of the neck only - then paint along with the rest of the guitar wouldn't that have the same (or similar) results as sanding back after painting?

Very cool! This really has a lot of great layers to it, both in construction and aesthetics. Love the hidden pickup switch too, goo idea. What's this puppy weigh in at?

I see boxes! Mac Chrome & iOS

I've got 2 builds going on (hey, that's a lot for so don't judge!) and my shop is turning into a sandpaper graveyard. My current sandpaper storage is a mess -- I tried making a sort of file cabinet type system with a fooler for each grit/size and that works OK for new stuff...but once used they end up all over the place. Doesn't help that I tend to not throw them away even after I think I should, the good stuff isn't cheap! I did start marking the back with the grit all over incase I cut them in smaller pieces, that helps at least with identifying the scattered pieces. Are there any tips on what helps makes your sandpaper issues less abrasive? Thanks in advance!

She turned out stunning! The attention to detail is top tier IMO - super stellar job! ,,, wait, no strap yet? How are you going to do that "spin behind the back" metal move?

OK, I admit when I saw the first renderings of this I comment something like "Wow, this is an amazing design!" but was definitely thinking "we'll never see this in reality" --- well, thanks for proving me wrong. Mind blowing and its not even complete!

@ScottR Same here, they are awesome ... I'm for sure going to shamelessly work one into my current build that has a teardrop shape featured - perfectly fits coincidentally for form & function

Interesting idea...the one power tool I didn't try (yet) but wish I had ... you're getting amazing results BTW. Love this one

Wow, such great work - I envy your skills so am taking notes.

@RonMay Thanks! I've used a slightly simpler version this shape on my first build(s) - people either really like it or flat out hate it @MiKro -- yeah, that's an excellent idea --- and I may even try to remember to clamp down the piece when power buffing so it doesn't fly across the room and crack... To mitigate this I'm thinking about making the front face of the teardrop have a sharp/semi-sharp point then a smaller, more rounded teardrop from the back--carving to an angled slope, maybe paint the inside black (does that make sense?).

So with summer winding down I've officially started a bass build, pivoting from a guitar design I have. I was going to hold most of the pics & updates until I was close to finishing -- but I find that having updates to post and feedback to read keeps me working more consistently. In other words: I've been watch TV too much lately. Figured I push the difficulty a little more and try an angled heads (with scarf joint) and a truss access at the body. Was going to try a set neck, but maybe next time -- I chickened out on that. So original design looked like: But I've decided save the standard picks-ups for another bass project (something with a more traditional body design) to go with a single pickup on this one: I got the neck materials - maple with a maple fingerboard, I got some walnut to make the teardrop fret markers. I resawed this maple, saving half for a guitar neck Notice the head design is kinda squished in the 2nd design - I made a mistake on the scarf joint...I cut it short, leaving me about an 1.5 inches short on the head It was challenging cutting the angle. The 9 inch bandsaw didn't have enough clearance ... and my tablesaw blade wasn't big enough to make a single cut and I wasn't sure I could cut 1/2 way then flip it over and cut the rest lining up the cuts. Seemed risky. So I got a Japanese pull saw and practiced a bit...worked great, until the actual job I needed it for (of course...) I couldn't keep it on the line, ending up with a crooked angle... But with a bunch of sanding I got it pretty good I think, almost ready to glue it up ...not happy with this new shape and I'll most likely rework this a bit more once I get to actually cutting the shape. Wish me luck, I'll need it!

Also - and probably a newbie comment - but be sure to check the level across the full fret radius. In other words I had same issue even after I checked & leveled but really was only checking down the center line of the neck.

Ooo...this thing is looking very nice

Turned out awesome! Great job from soup top nuts, looks like it'd be fun to play too

Maybe a newbie question, but wouldn't carbon reinforcements hinder (or completely eliminate) truss rod adjustments?

@Bizman62 I see now what you mean by laminated- thanks! Great info - But this'll be 1 solid, scarf jointed neck.

I've read that scarf joints are stronger than one piece ... due to the grain length If I understand what you're saying by "laminated neck" You mean a piece of laminate glue to face of headstock? Although I think that ship has sailed as I already re-sawed and planed the thick piece of maple I have so I can get 2 necks out of it (one guitar & one bass) Yes I would -- this is a good idea, I've decide to shorten that tail/body length too. Thanks to the idea! Some kind soul on here (sorry, not sure who) tipped me off on not really worrying too much about it until the build is finished (minus button installation) then use duck tape and a rope to test different locations. Low tech, easy to adjust and worked like a charm! Tamo is what I used for the mockup - got the grain pattern from some online picture. I like it very much but I think this'll depend on if my local lumberyard has it in stock & at a usable size. I'm open to something else as long as it's pretty. Excellent tip, thanks! So you do this after radiusing the fingerbard? Why not do it pre-radius and avoid the need for shims? --Also I've refined the body dimensions, shorting overall length by just over inches. Originally the tail length was same as my previous builds but after playing them for a while I think this is unnecessarily long. And on top that I'm incorporating the orginal/longer design into a bass build. I've thickened up the horns a bit, lost most of the contours and made a few other tweaks...but basically the same. My son took back the the only bass I had and I miss playing that more than I thought this is what I have so far with that idea: Since I already made cuts on neck materail maybe I should add this to the "in progress" forum

So much goodness this month -as usual- I think I agonized and flip-flopped more on this contest than I did naming my first born! The second 2 kids was way easier as I just agreed with what my wife chose...maybe I should've called her in on this vote...

This is looking amazing! So clean an precise... I would swear made with cnc if there weren't pictures

I think "Him" misspoke .. he probably meant "guitar bazooka"

Well, that would be obviously suggestive to an immature mind ... I like it!

"beauty spots" ... that's a good way to spin it positive and I will now steal this phrase

Huh, interesting fact! https://claescaster.com/tag/greco-sg-400/ And a pretty good deal starting @ $225 USD!

Good idea! Last night I did a deep search this and found a pretty cool implementation of this by Stephen Strahm Guitars out of California. Doing an image search I found an old Facebook post from 2012 mentioning it and then followed that to some pics deep in his gallery (on a guitar style he may not even build anymore - looks like mostly focusing on acoustics.) While this is way cool, probably beyond by carving skills. I'm thinking of something more flush. But now I have something to strive for EDIT: Also this PG thread had some good information as well!