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Post by LVF on Dec 11, 2020 12:48:25 GMT -5
I've been wanting to do this for sometime now and so, the build begins. Ordered a Strat body from Warmouth to begin. I plan on concentrating on adding the electronics first. It will be standard fair as far as a Strat goes in hardware layout familiarity but, I'm going the 'rear route' control cavity direction with no pickard added. Hardware will be gold with knurled knobs, 5 way selector and a vintage 6 hole trem. Standard routing for single coils of which will not be standard. Cool Rails Strat - Bridge, middle and neck (SCR-1b) by Seymour Duncan are a leading choice at the moment. Not sure about pots yet but, probably 500k's. When I have all the above sorted out, I'll be ordering the neck which will be roasted maple, some kind of locking tuners medium jumbo stainless frets and probably a Graph Tech nut. Black pearl dot inlays with the neck being either unfinished or with satin finish. This is going to take a while to build and it is the first guitar I have attempted to build. If any of you 'builders' out their have any tips or criticisms, it would be much appreciated. It would seem the link did not go to the place I expected of which would show the body I ordered so, I'll need to take a pick of it and post it in another post. However, some basic specs are in order here. The body will be chambered and is Alder with a Padouk laminate. Pic coming...
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 13:23:08 GMT -5
Nice looking body! I’ve done this wood combo and like it a lot. There will be more.
Caution about the Padouk. Wear a respirator while sanding, etc. you don’t want *that* sawdust up your nose and in your lungs. Once it’s sealed, you’re golden.
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Post by LVF on Dec 11, 2020 13:54:49 GMT -5
Nice looking body! I’ve done this wood combo and like it a lot. There will be more. Caution about the Padouk. Wear a respirator while sanding, etc. you don’t want *that* sawdust up your nose and in your lungs. Once it’s sealed, you’re golden. That's good advice to know, Lefty. I don't do wood work generally. What kind of sealer do you recommend? Did you order yours from Warmouth and how long did it take to receive? I'm so stoked to get this going!
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 16:46:01 GMT -5
They seem to be 3-4 weeks for bodies. That said, I haven’t ordered one since Oct.
I sanded the top with 400 just to get more color to pop. This wood oxidizes and darkens.
After sanding I rubbed in a coat of Danish Oil and let it dry for a couple days. Then a cot of clear Shellac followed by four coats of clear gloss nitro. I didn’t sand or polish after the nitro.
I didn’t grain-fill either.
I have a P95 mask that I use for wood sanding and also spraying shellac and nitro. Works well.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 17:01:47 GMT -5
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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 11, 2020 17:54:40 GMT -5
Most of my guitars are the result of me putting them together piece by piece. I have three that are heavily Warmoth inspired or influenced. All of the three are stellar performers. The green one in the middle was a complete spec build. Every aspect of it was at my request. Though none are Strats. DSC_2418 by Larry Madsen, on Flickr I have built two Strats from parts, but both are fairly strictly Fender. The advice I have for you is this ... Have a blast building exactly what you want!
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Post by LVF on Dec 11, 2020 19:10:54 GMT -5
Lefty, I was thinking that after sanding, I would use tung oil for the sealer and not go with any lacquer. Got plenty of Minwax tung oil. I have a Ric 380L in walnut that is sealed with tung oil. However, your suggestion may be the better route after I see what I have. I gots lacquer too. I was looking over the neck selections and I will probably spring for the roasted flame maple Strat version set up to accept Schaller lockers. Miles to got before I sleep. Hey Larry, those are some fine examples. Hope mine turns out just as good.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 19:33:50 GMT -5
I like the Danish oil better for displaying the wood grain. Tung Oil always seems a bit thick.
I guess I’ve migrated away from tung oil. Tung oil will work fine. Different strokes...
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 11, 2020 20:08:50 GMT -5
Have fun!
A few tips:
The builds where people avoid the temptation to add EVERY bell and whistle usually come out better. Some bells & whistles are cool, but it can be easy to over do it.
A chambered alder body is going to be nice and light. If it was me, I'd stick with light tuners to get a good balance, but that isn't something that is important to everybody. Warmoth necks tend to be a bit heavy (thicker fingerboards, chunky truss rods, slightly thicker pegheads) and it could be neck divey. You didn't mention fingerboard material, but that could be a consideration as well.
Padouk is nasty when you sand. I've had plenty of bright red boogers to prove it. If you're not using power tools, then I wouldn't worry. I'm not saying don't take precautions... it just isn't going to be all that bad. It will oxidize no matter what you put on there as a sealer I'm afraid. Some might slow it down, but it'll happen.
If you change your mind and go with a pickguard, you could have an order-of-operations issue: before screwing on the pickguard, have the bridge in place. It'll help you make sure the guard is in the right place. Sometimes there is more wiggle than you'd think.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 20:18:38 GMT -5
Good points!
Re: Warmoth neck weight
I’ve found their roasted maple necks comparatively lighter than unroasted.
It might be unnecessary, but I don’t inhale any sawdust these days. Especially exotics.
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Post by LVF on Dec 11, 2020 20:59:44 GMT -5
I don't count out any suggestion, lefty. I just have the tung oil. So, I looked up Danish oil and found Watco Danish oil on Amazon. Since there seems to be Danish oil for different types of wood which would be the best for the Padouk/Alder?
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 11, 2020 21:38:46 GMT -5
It might be unnecessary, but I don’t inhale any sawdust these days. Especially exotics. Oh, definitely. Especially since we now know they can be carcinogenic, and the finer/oilier it is, the worse. I had some very hard times from working in a shop with awful dust control and it got ugly. Lately I've been doing okay keeping a vacuum handy and just using a Covid ear loop mask, since the N95 dust masks I used to use are now such a hot commodity. If that is all that was available to someone I'd say that should be just fine and dandy. I use NeilMed sinus rinses fairly often, and make sure I get a swish at night after a lot of sanding. Pearl and ebony are the two that will really bug me. I'll invest in a real dust mask one of these days, but for a while the entire market got nuts with covid that it didn't make much sense.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 11, 2020 21:45:31 GMT -5
With RA I don’t want to take any chances. It’s bad enough that my immune system is kicking my ass.
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Post by LVF on Dec 12, 2020 18:41:38 GMT -5
I've ordered all the hardware and pickups for this build so, the only thing that needs ordered is the neck. I would guess sometime in early spring this project will be completed. Many things to look forward to until then.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 12, 2020 19:26:41 GMT -5
It’s a ton of fun. Take your time and ask questions. There’s lots of smart people here.
And me.
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Post by LVF on Dec 14, 2020 12:56:20 GMT -5
Let's talk neck selection, shall we? OK, I have in mind to get the 'very high grade roasted flame maple' neck. I don't want to cheap out on the neck and this one ain't cheap. It's not the #1 neck they have as that one starts off with 'super high grade, etc. I've always had a tendency to pick '#2' with most anything I purchase for some reason but, I digress. Now, with this neck choice, I will have it loaded with a graph tech nut, SS 6150 frets and drilled for Schaller's. It will be ordered in the future. I have a question though because this kind of thing I have never done before. Fret wire. What fret wire do you choose for your guitar and why? I have no clue as to why I'm choosing the 6150 other than it's the 'modern style'. That and I have no idea what my other guitars use but, I'd say, they are not all the same and it's never been an issue or consideration with me but now, since I'm loading a neck, maybe I need some insightful advice here. Also, I have changed my selection of pick ups I mentioned before to the Classic Stack Plus Strat for all the positions. The other selection I had previously selected were humbucker style I changed my selection because I realized that most of my guitars are loaded with single coils and I guess I'm a single coil kind of guy, That and the other selection I made didn't have all the positions available. Anyway, this part is just an update. Oh and, thinking about the body I ordered that is the Padouk/Alder, I was thinking of the color combination of the two woods together and how there may be too much of a color contrast and thought that maybe I could stain the alder portion to a darker hue. I have a ton of 'weathered antique oak' stain that I will think about using for this. I got a lot of furniture in this color which I like. Since I haven't seen the Padouk in person, is this a bad choice? What would you use?
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 14, 2020 14:07:32 GMT -5
The A-number-one thing to remember when assembling a finished body and a finished neck with hardware, etc., is this: if you have to force anything, you're doing it wrong. This applies to the neck fit in the body, screws going into holes, etc. Everything should slip together. The only force used is when turning screws into wood--and that includes making sure to drill the screw holes to the correct size.
Case in point: the little screws that go through the tuning machines to secure them on the rear of the headstock. This bites a lot of first time buiders because they drill the holes too small and break off (or strip) the little screw heads. These are teensy screws, and it takes very little force to break them in the wood. Rub each screw on a wax candle or a bar of soap before driving it in. Old-time woodworkers used beeswax for this. I keep a cake of surfboard wax for just this purpose.
Another common "gotcha" is drilling these little holes too deep and going all the way through the headstock. This also applies to screw holes for string trees on the face of the headstock. Wrap the drill with some tape to serve as a depth gauge so you'll know when the hole is deep enough for the screw.
If the screwdrivers you have are old/worn, take this opportunity to buy a new set because a worn screwdriver bit is an invitation to a stripped screw head.
It is normal to want to rush and finish the guitar so you can play it (I know that feeling well), but do not cave in to this temptation.
Take your time, think about each operation--no matter how simple--and methodically and slowly approach the task. There really are no shortcuts to a fine result. Do not use a powered screwdriver for any assembly, because (1) it's too easy to use too much force and break the screw or strip it out, and (2) if the bit slips out of the screw it will dig into the wood or hardware and ruin the brand-spankin'-newness of your guitar. And you will hate yourself for getting in a hurry. Take your time. It will be worth it.
Regarding fret wire: do you have a guitar that just "feels like home" under your fretting hand? If so, get yourself an inexpensive digital caliper...about $15...and measure the frets on that guitar for height and width. That is the size fret wire to order on the new neck. And because you're going new and ordering the wire size you want, spring for the additional--and measley--$20 upcharge and go stainless steel. It is worth it. The guitar will never need a refret.
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Post by LVF on Dec 14, 2020 14:43:08 GMT -5
Thank you for these words of wisdom, Peegoo. I plan to spend a lot of time on finishing the body alone. Taking my time will not be an issue. I haven't built a guitar before and when it come right down to it, it's merely assembly. But, it will be the details that will need absolute attention and I'm pretty good at the details but, your advice as well as everybody else's advice in this thread is duly noted and appreciated. I'm going to try and include the process in pics in this thread when I begin. Maybe it can become a tutorial that features folks like you contributing your knowledge and experience as has already been displayed. This is the planning stage before I begin and the notes will be right here for reference. I need a few guitar related tools I don't have but, aside from that, I've got good tools.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 14, 2020 15:07:36 GMT -5
Cheers, Ludwig. You have the right attitude to succeed with this project and the result will be a guitar of your dreams, because you dreamed it into reality. That is the real beauty of building these--whether from good parts, or whether you're going all scratch-built. And it's habit forming. When this one's completed and you've played it for a few weeks, you may start thinking about the next one. This Is Normal. Do Not Adjust Your TV Set.
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Post by LVF on Dec 14, 2020 18:46:39 GMT -5
Thanks, Peegoo. If I didn't have so many guitars already, I think you could be right about 'the bug'. As I said in an earlier post, I ordered most of the hardware required for this build. Warmoth must be excited for me to get these parts because they all arrive tomorrow. Now, that fast service right their!
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Post by Leftee on Dec 14, 2020 21:28:31 GMT -5
I’ll post more about staining tomorrow from my computer.
I also did a Padouk/alder body and, yeah, staining the back would be a good idea.
I’ve been doing a lot of stains lately. I’ll take some time and post about that.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 15, 2020 9:42:28 GMT -5
My own personal take would be that I wouldn't stain unless I had some good scraps to practice on. Stains that are readily available to the public at hardware stores tend to be pretty dark and are usually intended for lighter, softer woods.
Having a crisp line at the lamination for the top would be tricky, too. I'm not sure if fine line tape would be up to the task... maybe brush on a sealer to the padouk with a fine brush first?
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 12:32:41 GMT -5
Wow, had to take a pause with Ms. Lohan and her 'twins' staring at me. ...Now, back to our regularly scheduled post...Since I will not be receiving the 'body' for several weeks, making a discussion about staining, do or don't, will be good. However, I think I pretty much set on doing this if only to change the basic contrast of the two woods. As far as doing any staining, I'm not without experience in this area. The aforementioned weathered antique oak stain was used on a faux ceiling beam in my house that I built out of poplar. As you know, poplar is an almost white wood and the stain I used took care of that feature and even brought out the grain very well. However, because I have this stain only means it is an option. What I'm really in search of is a stain that will appeal to the Padouk color and it will be darker in shade to the alder. Fortunately, I have some samples to compare in some of the other guitars I have. The only reference available at the moment to envision such a match would be the pic in this thread. Other stains I'm thinking about are walnut, mahogany and cherry wood. A Smokey kind of stain might be nice as well. What would you all choose to contrast with Padouk?
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Post by Leftee on Dec 15, 2020 13:23:45 GMT -5
I wouldn't go with an oil-based stain as found in stores. Rather, you want an Aniline dye - as linked: www.kedadyeinc.com/You want to mix with isopropyl alcohol as a water mix will raise the grain, requiring sanding as the wood will feel rough after. With alder you can get away without grain-fill, if you like. It is a pretty tight-grained wood. The experience I've had with Warmoth alder has been pretty consistent - and good. Other body sources, ya takes ya chances sometimes. You can use the neck pocket and the pickup and control cavity routs to test your color-mix. That way you can see exactly how it will turn out on that piece of wood. You can actually mask at the line between the Padouk and Alder and stain the alder and get a nice line. Just ensure your application vehicle, (cloth - whatever) doesn't carry a lot of color for this area. The seam between to two woods seems to help keep the line straight too. This is the last one I did - Padouk and Mahogany. I actually free-handed the dye on the mahogany. Padouk is a relatively oily wood any ways. I don't know how successfully you *could* dye it. The mahogany took the dye (cherry red) nicely. For application, I've come to use these. They are lint-free and disposable. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T2MBZ3W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1As mentioned above, practice is a great thing. You'll want to practice how much (or little) to load the wipe. Blotting the wipe to reduce its load. How much of a load is possible before the dye bleeds under the tape? All that should be practiced.
Here's the gallery for that gee-tar:
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 16:14:29 GMT -5
Thank you for this info, Lefty. I have found The Woodcraft site for the types of dyes you recommend complete with swatches for comparisons. Should make it easier to choose the right dye I'm looking for. I'll be buying a box of those towels you linked as well. I'll begin the process of choosing a dye when the guitar body comes in. Thank you also for the pics of your guitar. It's beautiful! This planning process is coming along nicely.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 15, 2020 16:39:54 GMT -5
I've not used them before. Bookmarked!
There are others, here who are more adept a this stuff. I'm early days in my journey. I started down this road 2 years ago. Remember? When wearing a mask in public would likely get your arrested and questioned.
StewMac sells colors, too. It's a bit pricey and a little goes a long way.
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 17:31:47 GMT -5
Looky here, the boxes...it begins... Let's find out what's in them, shall we?
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 17:40:20 GMT -5
What we have here are most of the parts for this guitar build. A few more items are needed but, this is most of them. Gold hardware to go with the 'theme' of this guitar. That little bag next to the jack plate is the string tree. The jack was supposed to be loaded in a little bag and they made an effort. Only problem was, the bottom of the bag was missing as it looked like it had been cut by a knife so, the jack, washer and nut was loose in the box. The washer disappeared to oblivion and I was sure I saw it on the bottom of the box when I opened it. I got spars though.
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 17:44:23 GMT -5
The Tuners came nicely packaged and I thought for a moment, it was missing the rest of the parts but, they were underneath the foam...of course.
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Post by LVF on Dec 15, 2020 17:50:27 GMT -5
I've not used them before. Bookmarked! There are others, here who are more adept a this stuff. I'm early days in my journey. I started down this road 2 years ago. Remember? When wearing a mask in public would likely get your arrested and questioned.StewMac sells colors, too. It's a bit pricey and a little goes a long way. I remember that. I've never used StewMac but, I'll give them a look for other things.
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