Custom Guitar Talk

Zombienosh

So I got myself an old ****ty beat up guitar to start with, I didn't want to dive straight in an build one from scratch yet...

Just some quick questions because I know a lot of people here are into custom building etc.
Whats the best way to go about finish and paint? I stripped off the old paint whats the next steps in bodywork?
Wheres best to buy parts online?

Thanks

pinksoir

I'm building two at the minute, one painted and one natural.

There's some great resources here and check out TDPRI for builds.

All I can say is be very patient. Sand right down to the wood and prep it properly. Use up to 240 grit sandpaper to get a nice smooth finish before applying primer. Leave the primer plenty of time to dry (~ 1 hour) between coats. Then leave it dry overnight before applying your first colour coat.

Go slow with the colour coats. Lighter is better to start with. There's a knack to spraying that I haven't quite mastered yet. You must move the can slowly enough so as the paint appears wet when it lands on the body, but not so slow that you get runs. It's better for the paint to be too dry than too wet though, so err on the side of caution and don't move too slow or be too close when spraying.

Other than that, allow enough drying time between coats. I didn't allow enough time before my last coat yesterday and it resulted in the paint bubbling slightly, which means I have to sand it down a bit and get another can of paint. which is annoying.

On ReRanch the dude says to always use the rule of threes. A coat is three passes with the can, you should allow three hours between coats, and aim for three coats a day.

I can't really help you on the lacquering yet as I haven't gotten that far. As it is, I'm pretty happy with how it's going. But as I said, it takes a LOT of patience. Be prepared to spend about a week on the guitar before you even get to the clear coat. Then the clear coat will take about a month to properly set.

Pretty good fun though.

Doc_Savage

the only thing i can add to the above is polishing the laquer... foam pads and compounds are on order for me from stewmac, i'll let you know how they turn out!

as regards parts, allparts in the uk, stewmac in the us, and ebay are your friend, if you're after pickups, thomann have a decent selection!

Zombienosh

Thanks for the replies, I'll get crackin on more sanding.

damonjewel

I have mahogany tele body on the go (bought it with some vouchers I got at christmas for Guitarfetish). I sanded it to get it smooth, filled it with rustins mahogany grain filler, gave it a shellac sealing coat and have spent weeks french polishing it. Its come up a lovely rich reddish brown and its nice and even however french polish is not very strong so I have given the body a few coats of Rustoleum Polyeurathane. I'll buff it out in a week or so

I ordered a neck from USA custom guitars, you give them exactly what you want in the dimensions. I have a rosewood, soft c, with a tele heel but a strat headstock etc. Its being shipped at the moment but these guys get high praise on tdpri.com. Cost of neck 170€ incl shiping

I have ordered schaller locking tuners on ebay. Also a set of seymour duncan p-rails pickups, and push pull pots for coil tapping the rails. I'll post up some picks when its getting assembled.

pinksoir

Also axesrus is your friend for hardware etc. UK based. Good selection of pots, pickguards and other stuff.