New Stratocaster build!

[kramersteen]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

You should of done a nightburst.

This thread is good i love that grain. I have a white cedar build that has very wide growth patterns and i want to do a similar style stain but with black and yellow. I like how the growth lines are sunk in i did something similar on that ash jackson body of Beer$ but in all black.

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Yeah, I'll go for the black anyway sorry to disappoint ya Jeff! It just screams more 'bad-ass' to me. I might put a black cover on the 'middle' pickup to get a faux zebra going on there. I like that idea a lot actually.

Today I sprayed another can of clear over the body, now it has a nice thick coat of poly and pretty much all of the grain looks sealed. I got 3-4 good wet coats on top of it all around with 10 minutes in between and sprayed some extra on the horn areas to give me a sanding margin later.
I am confident I can sand it once its all dry and hardened up without risking a burn through anywhere. I'll keep it semi-gloss, it looks right to me but I'l polish it until it also feels right. Can't wait to finish it but should give it at least a week, maybe 2 before I start sanding.
The lower horn fix I did earlier turned out great, you can barely see that it ever happened.

In case anyone was wondering, I did not scuff up the body before I sprayed another can on the body. This is a recommended procedure normally because the poly is supposed to 'mechanically' stick to the surface. Well the body had enough pores for the poly to adhere to, can't tell there was 2-3 days between the 2 cans. I doubt it will cause any issues but you never know of course.

@kramersteen: that reminds me that I should really change my forum name to something else, I picked this name when I joined in 2004 because I was gassing badly for one of those SG's.
Would love to see your project once you start going for it! Wood grains are like flames, you can look at it endlessly and not get bored.

[kramersteen]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

I like the name its cool.

The cedar was last seen here scroll down to the bottom thats how far i am, I well get back to it soon i have 3 necks i need to fret. sigh. https://forum.seymourduncan.com/show...-stuff!/page52

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Wow that thread is a huge one. Pretty cool you build your own body shape and all! Thats a lot of work.

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Now it looks like this.

[Synapsys]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Now that's awesome! Congrats on the work so far!

[Jeff_H]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

It looks really great Nightburst, even if you're going bad ass black on it. I like the way the body looks and it will be great to see it once you've done the final sanding/wet sanding. Great work.

[MetalManiac]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Not one for unfilled grain ,sorry. That said, I have a few guitars with gloss Poly I really do not dig also.

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Hey it's been one year already since I started working on this project. Time for some updates!

To do: when the conversion bushings arrive I'll install the vintage tuners. I don't remember the brand, probably Gothoh?
I really wish they would make these in chrome too but the ones I did find are probably ping quality, I'll stick with the Japan one's for now.
Once thats done, string trees and headstock decals are next. After that I'll finish it off with True-Oil. I wonder if the decals will like that?

Already did all the wiring but the first test was unsuccesful, need to troubleshoot it. Bummer. I might need some help with this. Artie still around?

Installing the bridge was an interesting process... more like nerve wrecking as I feared ruining the whole project. I really took my time to carefully think over every step had to take and measured many times before drilling.
I think I did it right but I can still slide it sideways slightly because the knife ends are much wider spaced than the posts are wide, is that bad? lol I hope this will resolve when I get the tuners in and all the strings at proper tension. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Any tips on this part are greatly apreciated!

Well, close to completion. Check out the pics below.

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

[ehdwuld]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Love tha transparent red

[Nightburst]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Finished!

[Mincer]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Wow! That looks great! Sound?

[I NEED HELP123]

Re: New Stratocaster build!

Looks really cool man! Like that angled humbucker. Great work

Where did you buy the body and neck? I'm also looking for a supplier for bodies and necks. I live in the Netherlands, just like you I see! I know Voxhumana sells good stuff, but that stuff is quite expensive.