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.