That day I did so much...

OK, here's part 2... So my eldest son was sick all last night and as a consequence, my wife and I were up early. I don't really know what she got up to, but I went to my newest girlfriend ;) I finished the headstock off by about 9am. This involved sanding with some 320 grit, moving to 400, to 600 to 800. Then I went to Axe Wax the rosewood fretboard. All was good till I turned it over to make sure none dripped over to the curved neck bit (does that have a proper name?). Well the stuff dripped over there, so instead of slightly tinting the neck, which was my plan, I just rubbed the stuff all over it. Came out OK too. I set it aside to soak in and later today I did 1 coat of Tru-Oil. I'll sand and Tru-Oil the neck at least 2 more times.

Then came the body - cause I was on a roll. I started sanding the thin veneer (it looked like it was 1mm thick in the neck pocket) with 600 grit. I used a whole sheet before moving to 800. I then thought, this is smooth enough for some dye. I went with a really light pink. 2 coats of that, then another sand at 600 to try and bring out the chatoyance above the spalting (near the horns).Then I hit it with some light grey (black diluted with metho) and did 2 or 3 coats. Then another sand. This time 600, then 800. Then a darker grey, followed by a darker grey and a sand at 800. Then I mixed the small amount of reddy/pink left over with the grey/black and gave that 3 coats. Then I sanded 600, 800, 1500. Admittedly, I couldn't feel the difference between 800 and 1500 but I still did it anyway. Lastly, when the metho had evaporated etc. I gave it a thin coat of Tru-Oil. The photo you see is with out sanding after the Tru-Oil coat. The camera colours are reasonably close. The main thing is I can see the pinky hue at the top (although in the photo it's almost non-existant) and the oldish colour at the bottom. I can also make out some striping at the sides and I think the colourisation process has accentuated the spalt marks really nicely. I'm hoping that with a few more Tru-Oil coats and sanding in between the stripes will come out more.

Yet to find a better name than PRS-1S.

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to my second PBG Build Diary. I have just finished off another ST-1 this week (one that I call the Flash*), so to keep me off these Queensland country streets and out of trouble, I have begun the process of bringing out the latent beauty in this factory 2nd. I am kind of travelling without a map on this one - there is no great plan for it. I am leaning towards an aging process like Kenfu did for his LP-1S for November 2015 GOTM (still scratching my head how he did that black mirror finish on the back) but instead of a black tint, with a bit of pink like Silky Oak wood. If I get the funds approved from the Minister, I think I'd like some Zebra Entwistles in there too ;)

So I thought I'd start at the top this time (normally I go straight into sanding the body) and I have decided that unlike Wokks PRS-1S demo headstock (which is great btw, but similar to the original PRS headstock shape) on the PBG website, I would use another curve (I've used one on a LP-1MQ, called '39').

The photos of 39s' headstock so you can see the curve, the Flash I just finished (with a crazy SSH setup**) and the PRS-1S headstock with the marking for the curve and the finished product are below.

This is so that I am a good PBG Forum citizen and don't take up too much space on Adams' servers with my ordinary photos. =D Google can afford it.

Now I can't promise that this will be a quick build, but I will do my best to make it interesting. ;)

PS: If in the travels of this build anyone gets an idea for a name for this baby, let me know. So far (I suspect because I have 4 kids who are all loving the Superhero movies/TV shows out atm...) I have other electrics named the Ghost Rider, Booster Gold, the Black Widow and the White Lantern.

*Not as in Flash Gordon, but as in Jay Garrick, Wally West, Barry Allen etc.
**The unique pickguard was wonderfully cut by Pablo Pepper. Much thanks to him.

Necking last weekend

So this post comes sometime since the last. I've been a bit unwell on and off. But I have been able to finish three necks recently - The Flash, 39 and a neck I ripped off an Ashton guitar that looks very similar to an Ibanez headstock.

Below are the three of them.

Starting from the top:

39 - Grover mini-locking tuners, brass nut replacing the original plastic nut and a gold plated truss rod cover with "39" engraved on it, replacing the plastic original.

The Ashton/Ibanez neck - Black/gold roller nut replacing the plastic nut it came with.

The Flash - Shaped and burned Red Swan headstock onto it. Imitation MoP (Mother of Pearl) vinyl stickers of lightning bolts added and a bone nut, replacing the plastic original.

All three necks are coated with Tru-Oil.

Now, further to all this, I have purchased a black Strat-like body to modify so I can put the A/I neck onto it. My plan for that is to have two humbuckers and a three way switch to make it look and hopefully sound, Metal.

The Flashes' pickguard was accidentally broken by one of my kids, so I'll need to buy a new one from a mate who custom cuts them.

The 39 just needs me to save up enough money now for the pickups - two custom hand wound Mick Brierly's and for the tail piece/bridge.

Till next time =D

Slow and Steady wins the race. Maybe.

It's really getting to quite a slow pace these days. This is because whilst paint can be touch dry, it can take some time to cure. This is especially true when you continue to have rain. So, the guitars production cycle is slowly getting pushed back, but atleast the water tanks are full.

Below are some photos that prove we have had some sunny days. Not as hot as some as my luthier colleagues in Perth, W.A., but warm enough to start on the last stages of the body. The first one is the Flash with one coat of lacquer. I did notice that there is some pinkish colour on one of the horns from a touchup I did, so I will have to get that re-sprayed before I start lacquering again.

Next is the neck of the Flash. I have coated it in Tru-Oil. Also known as gun stock oil. I use the good quality one that doesn't yellow or crack with age. And if it does, then a yellowed maple neck is going to look good anyway. It might be a different story if it was a white or clear body though. I haven't been using it for 20 or 30 years to tell.

NB: My luthiers' mark of the Swan Head. Mass=Sustain. Excuse my mess on the front veranda. Atleast here the necks and body can cure without worrying about rain getting on them.

Lastly, 39. She is in a full sun position - while it lasts. This is her second final coat.

Gorgeous pale lemon colour. When I get to save up enough money for the gold pickups, tailstop and bridge it's going to look so sweet.

My plan now is to work on the electronics for the Flash. It has a humbucker in the neck position and then two singles (middle and bridge). All of these pickups are Entwistles. I have found this brand of pickup to be very good quality and at a reasonable price. You should really give them a go if you ever get a chance. I'll also put in two 0.022uF Orange Drop caps and the tones will be for the middle and bridge. I could go on, but if it all goes pear shaped I will look quite the fool as it were. So let's just see what happens.

Disclaimer: I don't get kickbacks etc. for saying such stuff about Entwistle pickups.

Now that the (Carnival) Silly Season is over...

At this stage there really hasn't been much to write about. It's just been a few coats of paint here and there.  We've had large quantities of rain (ie: days) interspersed with very hot temperatures (35+), so I have had to pay close attention to the forecasts, because, as we all know, painting and staining doesn't mix with high humidity.

I did manage to somewhat learn how to use a project manger and come up with something that looks like a Gantt chart for the Flash. Less that a week in to the charts schedule, I'm already behind - I bought the wrong neck. D'oh. For the record, the neck I did buy was for the Muddy Waters tribute guitar I put off last year. I now have a wonderful looking piece of Ash and will soon have a 9 1/2" radius Maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. Photos of that baby will be up soon :D But it does looks like the Flashes neck will have to wait till next pay day :(

Now, enough with the chit chat, here's the photos. First up is the Flash. I will have to do a few touch ups with the red colour, mostly around the curved sections, but by and large I am very happy with the result.

And now for 39. She's looking quite shiny - although my photography skills don't show it. I have added a water dragon to the design. It's my tip-of-m'hat to Led Zeppelins' guitarist Sir James Patrick Page, Jr. and his famous dragon pants.

Here are some extra pics. Here is a shot of what The Boss will look like once I've routed out some of the bridge pickup cavity, plus a close up of said cavity.

Now I'm off to learn how to use a plunge router...

Sometimes it's a breeze, but sometimes - it's a...

Welcome back blog readers! I trust you had a fun and wonderful Christmas and New Year. Now, straight into the action! 39, the LP copy, has been a bit boring really. I'm using DingoTone, an all natural stain on the quilted maple veneer. It takes about 5 - 7 days to cure (with temperatures 25 degrees or higher mind you - something that hasn't happened too often around here in S.W. Queensland). So this picture looks remarkably like the last posts, but I have darkened the outside with another colour viz:gold. So when I get the shiny coats on, it should turn into a nice gold to yellow burst.

Now for the Flash! Exciting news at last. The red paint has cured and so I masked up the guitar and gave the centre stripe the once over with "Diamond White" a DupliColor colour. Never mix and match. I'll probably end up giving it at least three coats and then I'll move onto the thinner stripes.

Now for the bad news... I had a guitar called the Boss (named after Bruce Springsteens nickname, obviously). I wanted to improve it by replacing the plastic nut with a bone one. In retrospect, I probably should have read abit more on how to do that. Instead when I got the plastic nut out, a chunk of maple came with it. So I did something really stupid. I took out a chisel and tried to fix the problem. Then I hit the truss rod. Then I got really mad. Realising that I had effectivly broke the neck (which I thought looked really cool), I started taking the guitar apart. I will not show you the 'neck', but I will show you the body. I think I'm just going to make it into a clock (One of my good friends over the interwebs, 4DGuitars, does this, and they look cool.) If you want it now, as is, or when it's a clock, make me an offer.

Days 4, 5 and 6.

It's been a busy few days since the last blog. I blame the silly season. But to much fanfare, provided by yours truly, here are the photos of the progress so far...

Here is 39 with 2 coats of acrylic lacquer over the top of some ColorTone Medium Brown.  I just rubbed the Medium Brown on top of the TimberMate mixed with Medium Brown. Then a day or two later I started on the lacquer. I'm using a brush just to be different. I think the strokes of the brush hairs nicely highlight the wood grain. Another couple of coats of lacquer and the chocolate brown finish shall be, well, finished. Next is the Flash...

Here are 3 coats of Duplicolor Marinello Red spray. There are a few runs under the tape, but I'm sure I'll figure something out when the time comes for the white spray.  Now, it's just a matter of waiting for more cash to get it - like everyone else at this time of year.

Lastly and unfortunately, a low note to finish on.

A broken headstock. I know that no-one touched this (read: mucked around with - ie: kids). The only thing I can think of is the extreme heat we've had lately weakening the glue (Selleys Liquid Nails of all things) and the tension of the strings lead to a catastrophic failure of the bass-side ear (I don't know what else to call it). Looks like I'll be re-designing and repairing the Rego-Plate bass over this holiday period. What will you be doing?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Red Swan.

Flash, forward to 39.

Today was day 3 of the dual build challenge. I started off with sanding down the Les Paul copy that I have named "39". This is because it was a present for my 39th birthday. Boring, but it's better than "the Fire Blaster" or some such rubbish and it's meaningful to me.
In the post today I also received a major piece of the decorative artwork to be placed on this guitar.

I plan on it going in between the four knobs on a 45 degree angle.
After sanding down the back of the beast I rubbed in some ColorTone medium brown. See photos below. Unfortunately I had a little of the brown on my glove and it came off on the front of the guitar near the top pickup cavity. See photo for this epic fail/fix up. Firstly I rubbed it down with water as ColorTone is water soluble. Then I went mad with 60 and 80 grade sand paper. Now you can just see it. The bottom stain I'm not too worried about as it will be covered by the humbucker cover and ring.

So I think it's looking good so far. Here's the dark brown I was aiming for.

 This is one of Billy Duffys' (from The Cult) custom made guitars in the factory.
Actually, it's a little too dark for me. It's the deep red of the Mahogany I wanted to minimise. It's just a quirk of mine that I think quality heavy woods should look more brown than red. When lacquered over, my 39s' backside should look nicely dark, but not so dark the grain disappears.

The only other thing I did today, besides watch the cricket, was tape up the Flash. It's now ready to be sprayed red. I'm a bit nervous, having never sprayed stuff this expensive before. I guess the worst that can happen, is that I end up having to sand it all back and start again. Not really looking forward to that - damn those Fender curves!

Hello World

At the moment I have two (solid body) guitars being produced at the same time. They are a Stratocaster copy and a Les Paul copy. Two very different guitars and I've never built a Les Paul style before. This is going to be an adventure! Below are the front and back of the Stratocaster copy, that I've named "The Flash". Also, there is the draft of the Flash in it's final form. Note that the two single coils will also be gold and the headstock will be the usual swan head. To those who say it looks ugly, I say, get used to seeing more of it. That is one of my 'makers marks'. (The other being the engraved neck plate on guitars that have one.) Besides, it also serves a musical purpose. From my basic knowledge of physics in music, Mass = Sustain. Therefore, the more headstock wood (than say, a Fender headstock), the more mass, the more sustain the guitar has. It's not so much wood either, that neck droop is an issue. You can't argue against science.

The pickguard came from a mate on the guitar forum I choose to participate in from time to time. He did a great job, for a really good price. The Flash will also have Entwistle pickups in it viz: HV58 in the neck and two AS57's. I plan on drilling out the plastic fret markers and replacing them with red Abalone.  The switching is as follows:

1. Bridge Single Coil
2. Bridge and Middle (series)
3. All (series)
4. Middle and North Single Coil (series)
5. Neck Humbucker (series)

Lastly, (at this stage) I will put in a brass trem weight (I buy these from Guitar Fetish) and roller saddles.

Then the only thing left to do is get the neckplate engraved by the good Canadian folks at Greasy Groove. When I receive that, I number stamp it (this will be "00000003") and then she will be for sale with her matching artwork.

The next post should be all about the Les Paul copy - "39".