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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 14, 2020 17:34:11 GMT -5
Finally getting some progress on this little beast. Queenie picked up this little touch-up gun for me at Harbor Freight many months ago and I had never used it. It is perfect for spraying a guitar project.  DSC_2107 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Here is a first coat of epoxy primer on the body and head stock.  DSC_2104 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2105 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2108 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr It's a start. I'll spray a little more epoxy then once it flashes off good I'll hit it will several nice coats of polyurethane high build. That will give me a surface to sand to a smooth finish surface for paint. It's not far off from ready right now actually. I might have made a shift on color choice though. |
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Post by LTB on Apr 14, 2020 18:43:54 GMT -5
Looks like it does a pretty nice job there! Be sure and show photos as you go, or at least when complete
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 14, 2020 18:50:06 GMT -5
Looks like it does a pretty nice job there! Be sure and show photos as you go, or at least when complete Oh, I'll take photos.  DSC_2109 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Here we are coated in urethane surfacer. I'll let this flash, then hit it with guide-coat … just like I would a car. I'm intending to treat this just like it was a Fender on a car  *pun intended* … even though it's not a fender of any sort.  One thing I learned very quickly … It takes very little material to cover a guitar body. I mixed what seemed like a very small amount of epoxy, it was three times too much.  |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 14, 2020 19:11:23 GMT -5
With guide coat.  DSC_2110 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr From here I sand off the guide-coat without getting to the epoxy coat. I'll be doing that with 360 grit on (what amounts to) paint sticks. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 15, 2020 11:01:48 GMT -5
That is looking good!
There are a whole lot of folks that rush the finish job, and it shows later on.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 15, 2020 17:20:21 GMT -5
That is looking good! There are a whole lot of folks that rush the finish job, and it shows later on. Thanks Geno. I'll show a little tutorial for anyone not knowledgeable how this process I am using works. First PIC here is where I have some problems.  DSC_2112 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr You can clearly see where I have broken through to the grey epoxy coat AND if you look closely you can see around the control cavity to the left, right and below there are still visible traces of the guide coat. If I keep sanding I will blow completely through the epoxy … technical term for that is "BAD". This tells me I need to run the process again on the back of the body ... urethane, guide-coat, sand. One more run will certainly give me the dead smooth surface I am looking for, based on what I see here. On the front I have a near perfect result at the forearm cut-away  DSC_2117 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Keeping in mind I have not tried to sand the round and side edges at all … the flat surfaces have come completely clean of guide coat and no breaking into epoxy. This is what I want to see all over. Here on the front down around my volume pot hole.  DSC_2115 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr there is still some guide coat around the hole and to the left. If you look closely at the bottom edge I am coming ever so close to the epoxy. With the guide-coat above that (and no other breaks into epoxy) I will likely be able to sand this guide-coat off and I don't expect to break into epoxy in the process. With what I see here I will probably have the top of the guitar ready for paint now and I'll have to make a judgement call on making another surfacer run OR just painting the back and try to sand and buff the paint to a glassy smooth finish. Real world experience tells me that an extra coat or two of paint on the back will give me the material I need to make that happen. |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 19, 2020 9:58:49 GMT -5
Update … I made a second run at the body yesterday and it's pretty well prepped now in terms of flat and smooth. I mentioned a color change earlier in the thread. I had intended to paint this project red using the remaining paint I had from my Camaro back when it was red. That material is a base-coat/clear-coat system. I discovered that while I have the clear, I don't have the reducer and hardener for the clear. I do not want to go spend money of those items knowing I have no other use for it. Couple that with how little material is required to paint a guitar and it's a real deal breaker for me. With that in mind, I can paint this guitar a couple of other choices. I am thinking I might go with this yellow. It should be durable since it's Machinery and Equipment paint. An additional plus is, I have absolutely no use for this paint now anyway. The date on the can indicates I bought it in 2005 for use on aspects of my (now gone) 73 Mach1. Edited to add a PIC of the headstock in my *Zinc Yellow*  DSC_2124 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2118 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 19, 2020 13:35:30 GMT -5
Paint is on. I have to admit that I struggled a bit getting a wet enough coat on at the end. I think I have the top in good shape and hopefully the back will be good as well.  It's a lot of coats. Probably about five or six, so I should have some room to cut and buff.  DSC_2125 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Edited to add: No crazy runs or any other real problems. |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 19, 2020 20:30:18 GMT -5
The paint I used is acrylic enamel, in a *fast dry* formulation. I was able to wet sand it this afternoon. Started with 1200 then went to 2000. It really cleaned up nicely for me. I am now rubbing it with some polishing compound I have hanging around. This thing is coming out glassy smooth. It's going to exceed my expectations regarding the paint process.  Very excited and I should be able to start assembling this guitar tomorrow.  DSC_2127 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Now to get my butt back out there and finish polishing this paint! |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 20, 2020 11:43:55 GMT -5
WOW WOW WOW That is looking good, Larry. Your experience shooting cars really shows in your work. Not telling you what to do...but if that were my guitar, I'd stencil this logo on it and call it The Dozer  |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 20, 2020 12:33:31 GMT -5
Thanks Peegoo. Once I got to polishing I came to realize once it was glassy smooth I could identify the faintest hint of my finger prints in the surface. It's still just a tad soft. I'll be giving it some additional cure time before I get too deep into assembly. I am starting to contemplate where I'm headed with assembly though. Looking at the tuners that came on the guitar. They were not working well, but some of the screws holding them on were in hogged out holes and could not be secured. Technical term for that: BAD! I doweled in all the screw holes. I'll be able to work from a solid surface now.  DSC_2139 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr I am trying to determine whether to go with the existing tuners or get something better. I have typically used Schaller locking tuners on all my builds and I like them a lot. Then on the other hand … no matter how I slice it, this is a cheap guitar and a set of Schaller tuners would cost me more then the guitar and the new hardware I purchased for it all combined. (The fact that it's a 4X2 combination of machines doesn't help) It would boost the cost of this guitar project to a whooping $250.00! Pretty much just kidding there. But then if the existing ones might be fine, why spend the money.  Here is what they are:  DSC_2134 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2138 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2137 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Any thoughts?  This will be the extent of my electronics in it … very simple. Humbucker (the one that came in it) - 500K Volume Pot (new) - Output Jack (the one that came in it) - new ground wire  DSC_2140 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2141 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr  DSC_2021 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 20, 2020 13:17:41 GMT -5
Those are not bad tuners at all--despite them being cheepies with stamped steel shells. Unless they're excessively worn they should work fine. The difference between these cheap no-names and other similar tuners is yours have removable buttons and Nylon bushings. This takes them up a notch. Usually these cheepies have a one-piece knob/shaft/worm gear, with metal-on-metal bearing surfaces like this:  If you completely disassemble the tuners and give them a soak in some WD40, Hoppe's No.9, or Ballistol, followed by a light scrubbing with a toothbrush, they will work even better. Reassemble and lightly lube them with a dot of gun oil on each bearing surface and the gear teeth, including the string posts. After applying the lube, hold the tuner in your hand and use a string winder to spin the knob about 10 times to distribute the oil. Wipe them dry and they're ready to go. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 20, 2020 13:40:16 GMT -5
A note on tuner construction: many tuners that have removable knobs include a plastic/Nylon washer and a Belleville ("wave") washer. This springy little washer adds preload tension to the shaft to allow control of tension in the gear lash based on how far you snug down that little screw in the end of the knob. If yours has Belleville washers, make sure to put the 'hump' side of the washer against the plastic. This helps prevent premature wear of the parts. This really is nitpicky attention to detail, but washer orientation does affect the speed at which parts wear out. Looky:  |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 20, 2020 14:00:07 GMT -5
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 20, 2020 15:46:02 GMT -5
Oh yeah, that's common too...but these split-ring washers are non-directional.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 20, 2020 16:42:31 GMT -5
Here's the body with the basic frontal hardware installed.  DSC_2145 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr I guess I can install the jack/plate and get to soldering things up. Edited to add: jack installed.  DSC_2146 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Time to solder. I'm sure I won't be competition against Pinetree, but I'll see what I can do.  DSC_2147 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr I guess I should verify the plan here. It's been quite a while since I wired a guitar. Top tab = grounded to the pot casing. … Center tab = out to jack. … Bottom tab = hot lead from PUP. … Grounds wires from bridge, PUP and jack = pot casing Did I pass the test? |
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Post by LTB on Apr 20, 2020 21:34:23 GMT -5
The paint I used is acrylic enamel, in a *fast dry* formulation. I was able to wet sand it this afternoon. Started with 1200 then went to 2000. It really cleaned up nicely for me. I am now rubbing it with some polishing compound I have hanging around. This thing is coming out glassy smooth. It's going to exceed my expectations regarding the paint process. Very excited and I should be able to start assembling this guitar tomorrow. DSC_2127 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Now to get my butt back out there and finish polishing this paint! Boy, I'll say ! that is looking very good. Like the color too! |
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 20, 2020 22:12:06 GMT -5
Well, all I can say is 10-2  DSC_2151 by Lary Madsen, on Flickr This thing is Loud and Clear. Wiring came out just dandy, no issues what-so-ever. The Carvin half stack suits it just fine for a first run. As of now I am very happy that I kept the PUP that was in it. Per prior post it reads 9.13 on the multi-meter. Not sure how that compares among other PUPs. Just have to color the tonal qualities to satisfaction at the amp. |
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Post by LTB on Apr 20, 2020 22:45:36 GMT -5
Well, all I can say is 10-2 DSC_2151 by Lary Madsen, on Flickr This thing is Loud and Clear. Wiring came out just dandy, no issues what-so-ever. The Carvin half stack suits it just fine for a first run. As of now I am very happy that I kept the PUP that was in it. Per prior post it reads 9.13 on the multi-meter. Not sure how that compares among other PUPs. Just have to color the tonal qualities to satisfaction at the amp. That one little volume control looks soooo lonely |
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Post by Tinkerer on Apr 22, 2020 10:19:34 GMT -5
Looks great!! Well done!!
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 22, 2020 12:27:38 GMT -5
Thanks guys. I adjusted for intonation and the saddles, it's looking like a slight truss-rod adjust is going to be in order. I'll probably be tweaking on it for a while. It feels pretty good hanging over the shoulder on a strap. That forearm cutaway is certainly a welcome modification. I think all that stuff was left over on the old site. Here's a couple of PICs of how I went about that. I masked off the area I wanted gone and cut it off flat with a surform tool  DSC_2001 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Left some material to create a rounded corner  DSC_2003 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr Here is what it was when I brought it home.  DSC_1993 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 22, 2020 15:35:58 GMT -5
Using tape is a great way to do this! Cool!
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twangmeister
Wholenote
Posts: 349
Formerly Known As: Twangmeister
Age: 72 and fading fast.....
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Post by twangmeister on Apr 24, 2020 11:17:52 GMT -5
Hey, a First Act. I had one I modded about five years ago. When done I gave it to a friend. Nice progress, by the way.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 24, 2020 16:34:52 GMT -5
Hey, a First Act. I had one I modded about five years ago. When done I gave it to a friend. Nice progress, by the way. Thanks. It was all of $35.00 at the pawn shop. Then another about $78.00 for new hardware I thought it needed. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Apr 24, 2020 18:42:08 GMT -5
These days you can take just about any "cheap" guitar, give it some TLC, and it will play and sound fantastic.
Handwork (less of it) is where the makers save huge on production costs.
That FA came out great!
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Post by Larry Madsen on Apr 27, 2020 23:23:57 GMT -5
Well folks, I decided to attempt that slight truss rod adjustment tonight … I ran into a couple of problems.
It seems the truss rod nut has been stripped out to where my allens can't get a bite in it. Then as I looked more closely I realize something else.
Looking down the fretboard on the side of the high E string I am seeing an irregularity. The edge of the frets run dead straight down to the 6th fret then between the 6th and 7th fret there is a jog where the 7th fret and on down is visually lower than the 6th fret. It's like the two sections are on different planes. I got out my make-shift fret rocker and there is a definite fulcrum point on the 6th fret rocking 7 to 5. I am actually finding a slight fulcrum point at the 3rd fret rocking 2 to 4.
I don't see that presumed truss-rod adjustment helping me much here. On the low E side of the neck I am not getting any of this. It seems to be impacting the playability on the G, B and high E stings only. I'm thinking I might get to wet my feet on a fret leveling project. I've never ventured into that territory before.
I'm thinking the first fret needs to pretty much stay untouched then leveling off 2,3,4,5,6 and maybe some feathering on below that is going to be in order.
Any advice here from those who know what this is all about?
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*pun intended* … even though it's not a fender of any sort. 
