Body finish/build up help needed.

B

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
All these awesome build threads. making me so wish I had the three T's to do one myself.. (tools,talent and time)

It has got me fired up to put build up a body Ive had for years. (gonna take a long while to fund all the parts though..

Anyhow. I have an 80s Kramer body. Hum/single/single. Its black and has some dings and scuffs, but IIRC nothing thru to wood..

First question. I think I already know the answer to this, but Im going to ask. Id like to refinish it so it looks new again. If I strip it though, my refinish options would be either a stain or rattlecan right?

Next, what would be the best way to make the middle pup route disappear? Im guessing from a previous thread I saw, cut a piece of wood to fill it and then some kind of wood filler? Id love to make it hum/single, but back to question one, if I cant refinish it, then Ill have to leave it as is..

And, when trying to order a neck, whats the proper way to measure neck pocket? from inside edge to inside edge? Im worried I wont order the right thing. Do I need to figure depth too? (wouldnt think so) Also, the body has a slanted heel, I dont think that would have any bearing on the neck. ?? Nah, cuz the wood is removed from the outside.... Sorry, just thinkin out loud on that.

Any other input or tips would be appreciated.. thanks
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

Gonna pipe in here although I've never done a refinish personally, where there is a will there is a way. I would say if you get the right tools and stuff you can take the finish off to the wood...the amount of work involved depends on how thick and what type of finish was used (I'm gonna assume poly, which can be a bear to remove.)

Are you wanting the same finish as is on it now?

I don't see how your only options are to stain or rattle can...unless you don't have the tools or don't want to pay someone to do the finish. I love staining wood, looks awesome to me but some folks don't like it.

That would be the best way to fill the gap but if you go with a stain it will stick out...might look cool though especially if you get some cool wood grain to fill in. Another option if you wanted to have fun is to put and LED/light strip in it ;) otherwise you leave it hollow or just put a dummy pickup in it without wiring.

Here is a link from Warmoth that shows how to measure to see if their necks fit your body. Hope that helps!
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

Thank you! Yeah, pretty sure its poly. Id like to keep it black, just wanted to make it look new again. Hate to pay for a refinish for black.. plus, I dont know of any good sources to have it redone. Ill try to wax out some of the blemishes and see how it ends up. It isnt abused, just has some issues.. If I had the $$ Id go with a custom paint job.. But, dont at this point. Just building it up is going to take awhile. The only things I have at this point are pickups and strap buttons.. (and body of course)

Muttz,

Next month when I go to Jax, Ill get it out of storage and post some glamour shots.. haha
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

once you strip it, yeah, you will need to fill the middle pickup route to make it "disappear". Make sure you leave a channel for the neck pickup wiring to go through, if necessary.

And if you want opaque black, yeah you can do that with Rattlecans. I would avoid staining if you really want to cover up the route.
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

CTN said:
once you strip it, yeah, you will need to fill the middle pickup route to make it "disappear". Make sure you leave a channel for the neck pickup wiring to go through, if necessary.

And if you want opaque black, yeah you can do that with Rattlecans. I would avoid staining if you really want to cover up the route.
Click to expand...

Yeah, wouldnt have thought of that. Thanks!!
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

It's a *lot* of work to fill a cavity and not have it show. Just put a dummy pickup in there. (Pull the magnet off.)
 
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

If it was my project and i didn't have much gear i would do a material finish front and back and then finish the rest off with tru oil.

Sand paper
Glue
material
stanly knife
sanding sealer
tru oil

Will get you a great finish


This one here i did is completely paint free.



Damn i need to finish that guitar,
 
Last edited:
Re: Body finish/build up help needed.

Pretty much the only way to truly make a plug dissapear is to veneer over the top of everything. I plugged a neck pup route on a guitar, and after a while the finish "sank" or shrunk or whatever and the line stuck out visibly. Being black didn't help... I tried wood putty, Bondo, epoxy, nothing kept it from coming back. If you just want a solid color, scuff the poly with 220 or so, fill gouges/dings in with filler (or thick super glue), prime and paint (and use a dummy pickup) and you'll be just fine. If you HAVE to have wood grain showing, plug the pickup route with any hardwood, sand the top down real good and flat, veneer it with what you like, and it'll be a whole new guitar.
 
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