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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:47 am
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LawFlow wrote:

..... Very subtle. The gold hardware and black pickguard is the way to go. Don't get hung up on the grain. It looks very good after the color was applied. Can't wait to see the final outcome.


Thank you for your comments. I am really pleased with the results so far.

I have seen similar bursts referred to as "Iced Tea". This is certainly more prevalent on Gibson and traditional guitars. I can only find one reference on a Strat which has a quilted maple top; it looks beyond stunning.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:32 pm
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I gotta say, John.
That does look mighty fine.

I'll be following.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:51 pm
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Ya know, until you mentioned it again, I had completely forgotten about the "fish face" grain pattern.
It's really not something I think anyone would notice unless you point it out.
You can always put a graphic of some kind over it.....



....or maybe a lure :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:54 am
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CB91710 wrote:

....or maybe a lure :lol:


LOL. It is one of those "Once seen..." things. On the plus side I already have a name for the finished guitar - Fish Face.

If I can find an appropriate feathery lure looking adornment I may well have to hang it on the strap button in respect of your outstanding suggestion. :-)

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:09 am
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Looks mighty fine, how many clear coats have you applied? Getting ready to try my hand as well, though I'm just gonna try an aged clear finish over vintage amber stain on spalted maple.


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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 9:18 am
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sfceric64 wrote:
Looks mighty fine, how many clear coats have you applied? Getting ready to try my hand as well, though I'm just gonna try an aged clear finish over vintage amber stain on spalted maple.


I wouldn't use aged clear as the clear coat unless you want to show a worn look. You really want the upper surfaces to be sacrificial to allow polishing. If you polish an aged clear you will reduce the aged tint as you polish it thinner. This could look cool, and was what I did on Odee to represent how nitro stains when in contact with sweat, but it is difficult to control and I didn't really use enough coats of clear to protect it.

On Fish Face I think I applied 3 to 4 coats of clear (the first coat was the end of a can and didn't give good coverage).

As to how many you need is a bit difficult to say and is a bit down to judgement/guess. I tried to lay down thicker coats than I did previously on Odee and, by leaving 24hrs between coats, you get more of a feel for how much the material is shrinking.

My finish has turned out pretty darn smooth so I don't anticipate having to polish it down much, I hope. As such I am hoping 3 coats of clear should be enough.

In your case I would stain and then coat with tinted clear, amber or tobacco. Tinted clear is very subtle until you start to rub it away so may not be dark enough. Once you have the look you are after then go for 3 or 4 coats of clear (about a cans worth) to protect it and give you depth to polish.

This also depends on how much grain filling you do. I thought I had done pretty well but I am not convinced I have done enough to achieve a mirror surface when I come to polish it. I am fairly relaxed about it though as I don't think that is too much of an issue when you can see the grain below. It would different with a solid colour.

Staining is quite ballsy (I stained my neck) as it is much more difficult to get back from if you aren't happy with what you did. At least with tinted lacquers, if it goes wrong, it isn't too difficult to sand it back to the wood. On the plus side for staining, you are less likely sand through the colour and it can pick out the grain better.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:34 am
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John Sims wrote:

Staining is quite ballsy (I stained my neck)..


I bought a packet of powder stain which you mix with water. One packet would have made about a pint so I only used about 1/3rd of the powder.

I choose amber which was a bit too orange for the neck in an ideal world and would have been better with a brown added. Putting amber and tobacco lacquer over the top has helped to tone it down.

I mention this as, if staining, you might want to get several colours in order mix up to achieve the perfect colour you are after.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:51 am
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First bit of hardware arrived today and was promptly sent back :-(

I ordered a 005-3275-000 bridge (Gold US spacing vintage style) and received 005-9561-000 which has a light weight block and the wrong screw spacing.

The 005-3275-000 is made in Taiwan and the base plate is obviously not as nice as the 099-2049-200 American (I assume) bridge.

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As the American one is £/$100 more this is something that may get changed in the fullness of time subject to how good the guitar is or isn't and how much it annoys me.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:15 pm
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John Sims wrote:
I mention this as, if staining, you might want to get several colours in order mix up to achieve the perfect colour you are after.

For the LP "Solo" kit build, I bought a plank of Mahogany and a sheet of spalted maple veneer so I will be able to work up stains and finishes on the actual materials before committing anything to the actual build.
I needed the spalted maple anyways... the kit used a bookmatched veneer, but the joint on the headstock is pretty rough and a little off-center. I found a piece of veneer that is as close to a natural bookmatch as you are going to find... similar to the fish without the eye and mouth.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 6:55 pm
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John Sims wrote:
sfceric64 wrote:
Looks mighty fine, how many clear coats have you applied? Getting ready to try my hand as well, though I'm just gonna try an aged clear finish over vintage amber stain on spalted maple.


I wouldn't use aged clear as the clear coat unless you want to show a worn look. You really want the upper surfaces to be sacrificial to allow polishing. If you polish an aged clear you will reduce the aged tint as you polish it thinner. This could look cool, and was what I did on Odee to represent how nitro stains when in contact with sweat, but it is difficult to control and I didn't really use enough coats of clear to protect it.I'm gonna try in this order, Front/Headstock: stain-seal-aged-clear Back: same except 2x stain Neck: stain-seal-satin

On Fish Face I think I applied 3 to 4 coats of clear (the first coat was the end of a can and didn't give good coverage). Thanks

As to how many you need is a bit difficult to say and is a bit down to judgement/guess. I tried to lay down thicker coats than I did previously on Odee and, by leaving 24hrs between coats, you get more of a feel for how much the material is shrinking.

My finish has turned out pretty darn smooth so I don't anticipate having to polish it down much, I hope. As such I am hoping 3 coats of clear should be enough.

In your case I would stain and then coat with tinted clear, amber or tobacco. Tinted clear is very subtle until you start to rub it away so may not be dark enough. Once you have the look you are after then go for 3 or 4 coats of clear (about a cans worth) to protect it and give you depth to polish.

This also depends on how much grain filling you do. I thought I had done pretty well but I am not convinced I have done enough to achieve a mirror surface when I come to polish it. I am fairly relaxed about it though as I don't think that is too much of an issue when you can see the grain below. It would different with a solid colour.
No grain filler on the Front/Headstock, maybe a clear medium viscosity glue for Back filler
Staining is quite ballsy (I stained my neck) as it is much more difficult to get back from if you aren't happy with what you did. At least with tinted lacquers, if it goes wrong, it isn't too difficult to sand it back to the wood. On the plus side for staining, you are less likely sand through the colour and it can pick out the grain better.
Gonna pick up some pieces this weekend to test with

Appreciate the reply...

CB91710 wrote:
John Sims wrote:
I mention this as, if staining, you might want to get several colours in order mix up to achieve the perfect colour you are after.

For the LP "Solo" kit build, I bought a plank of Mahogany and a sheet of spalted maple veneer so I will be able to work up stains and finishes on the actual materials before committing anything to the actual build.
I needed the spalted maple anyways... the kit used a bookmatched veneer, but the joint on the headstock is pretty rough and a little off-center. I found a piece of veneer that is as close to a natural bookmatch as you are going to find... similar to the fish without the eye and mouth.
Which LP kit did you buy? I just recieved my Stewmac kit today, posted a few pics in the lobby.


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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:20 pm
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sfceric64 wrote:
Which LP kit did you buy? I just recieved my Stewmac kit today, posted a few pics in the lobby.

The "Solo" Spalted Maple glue-in-neck.
Overall, it is pretty nice, and the hardware isn't half bad.
Brad Angove painted one like it for Darrell Braun and it turned out pretty nice. The build was completed with the supplied hardware to show how inexpensively it could be done.
I'm going to be using Gotoh Triad locking tuners with keystones, Tusq nut, Switchcraft and CTS electronics, and Duncan pickups.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:42 pm
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I guess you can tell I didn't research kits before ordering, thanks. Solo, Precision and others out there. It seems degree of spalting is quite different across the makers.


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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:57 pm
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sfceric64 wrote:
I guess you can tell I didn't research kits before ordering, thanks. Solo, Precision and others out there. It seems degree of spalting is quite different across the makers.

I wasn't picky... I mainly wanted a mahogany body. Most of the kits have basswood.
I've seen a few reviews that complain about excessive amounts of glue causing problems with staining. It's certainly a concern, as the body veneer is 4 pieces, and though the cap is maple, the spalted veneer is extremely thin. We'll see how it takes the stain, if it doesn't look good, then I'll go with a solid color, or maybe sand the veneer off completely.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:18 am
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sfceric64 wrote:
I'm gonna try in this order, Front/Headstock: stain-seal-aged-clear Back: same except 2x stain Neck: stain-seal-satin


Without filling the grain is likely to be very prevent on the surface. If this is the sort of effect you are looking for you might be better oiling the guitar rather than lacquering it.

https://youtu.be/CElGDRrUrQg?list=PLED05B3AC9BA76C93 Once you get the hang of this guy he is quite good and does have some solid tutorials. Some good stuff on staining as well.

Brad Angove is definitely your man for spraying though.

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Post subject: Re: Strelicaster Build
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:45 pm
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Appreciate the link to Brad Angove, a good watch in his 8 part series and the Darrell Braun video. It appears the kits are all from the same friendly manufacturer with slight differences depending on woods/hardware. Guess I should have shopped it around some before ordering all the finish rattles. I will make do and come up w/ the best look I can. Probably gonna use some type of filler after viewing all the possibilities. That way if I end up re-doing the thing, I wont have to go all the way to the wood.


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