Drummerdude's first build.. TLA-1Q. Wish me luck

[ILRGuitars]

Water is fine mate. Just don't use too much or the veneer may become unstuck and cause more problems. Just mark them with a pencil and go from there.

[wazkelly]

Bit late catching up with this one but that is a very stunning quilted top.

Presume there is no binding and that will make life easier for you too. May need to be careful sanding the edges where veneer joins the body and if there are any bits of the veneer already missing at the edges some close up photos may help with suggestions on how to fix or offer a work around solution.

Cheers, Waz

[Drummerdude]

Sorry have been so busy this week haven't got much bench time. There is binding on the front and back. I will try and post some pictures of close ups I just have to resize all of them to get them to post on here. And haven't taken the time. I have been waiting on a lot of the parts that I will be replacing. I did get a new bridge with the separate saddles for better intonation and new locking tuners made by wilkinson. Still deciding on pickups not sure on the neck pickup - humbucker or standard tele. I ordered some timber mate to fill voids in the quilt and to grain fill back and sides. I will be trying Keada dyes on this guitar. I am going to do complete mock build this week so I can get to sanding... and sanding ... and sanding some more..

[Andy40]

Mate, that quilting is beautiful. any glue spots?

[Drummerdude]

I found a few and work with some good off and and brush and think I got them. I have dampened the top lightly two times looking and don't see any that stand out I just hope when the stain starts flowing they stay gone.. I have seen others think they had them and the stain shows all.

I started the mock build and have some pics I will get on in the next day or so. I have been reading and reading all of the posts trying to avoid any pitfalls it seems like I am doing more reading than working.. but it is so nice to have all of you sharing your experiences for us newbies...
thanks

[wazkelly]

You can never do to much research but there comes a time when you just gotta take a leap of faith and get stuck in. Plenty of help is never too far away.

[Drummerdude]

[Drummerdude]

Well I have been sick and haven't posted in a long while but here is the progress.. I completed setup and mock build to layout bridge and then sanded for what seemed like days and then my first attempt at staining using Keada water based dye. Very cheap like 16.00 usd from amazon and they worked pretty well. I have a couple small spots that I have to address and then on to clear coat. I think I am going to use nitro lacquer to really level out the finish and make it pop. I have spray equipment and some experience so I think I can pull it off. I am going to be having a friend do an inlay on headstock instead of decal... I think.. I have upgraded pickups from guitar fetish and upgraded bridge. I have some control knobs with inlays that are blu green abalone and a white pearloid pickguard coming with humbucker cut out. I did have to enlarge the bridge rout but could not quite get it deep as the original job. It is plenty deep for the pickup and not sure if I should take the time to flatten it out on bottom since it won't be seen. I cut the headstock out with a coping saw and sanded to final shape. Overall I am very pleased. Any thought?

[Drummerdude]

Here are a few more pics. Sorry about the lighting the flash made it look blotchy and no flash made it look dark. The only complaint about the kit is the veneer tops are just too thin and they are not really flat there were scrapes and dings in it that cannot be sanded smooth. I grain filled to help them but you can't sand it down very well without going thru top. I wish they would just use a thicker veneer and the kits would be fantastic for the money. I am going to spray nitro lacquer so I can build it up and sand back flat and hope that it hides some of the imperfections. The Ash back and sides finished great sanding back to 400 and grain filling. I will finish scraping binding tonight and then I am going to do another mock build and shielding of the cavities and check neck and setup. Then tear it down and get ready for lacquer.. any suggestions or things I may be missing would be great..

[Drummerdude]

Here are a few more pics from when I was checking scale length and marking out for bridge placement. I did realize that the factory is not very good at getting the veneer seam right down the middle of the body. I have seen several posts with that issue but I guess at this price you can't expect too much. I hope that it is not very noticeable after it is finished. Some I have seen have been pretty bad mine is just a little slanted..