True Rose

[kanelangmaid]

Well thanks to an eBay win here is my next build.

LP-1P paulownia.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/24uzd-image.jpg

Man this thing is light. Custom pickup wind will be a very interesting thing.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/k61c1-image.jpg

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/6zb0f-image.jpg

[kanelangmaid]

Here is the vision. It all comes down to the stain option and how it takes to the wood.


http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/b9cj6-image.jpg

[adam]

I'm surprised these kits haven't sold better considering how good the grain looks. Congrats on your bargain buy.

[WeirdBits]

It's a great looking kit Kane, you got a bargain... I was interested in that auction too, so it was YOU! If you've got a set of scales (kitchen or otherwise) available and a spare minute, I'd be keen to know exactly how much/little the bare body actually weighs.

Adam, if you want them to sell just drop the price to $50 for a couple of days, I'm sure a few of us will be happy to help you out ;)

[adam]

Ok, I can't do $50 off, as that is well below cost, but $155 (incl. Free postage) is a pretty good price.

Our first "Community Forum Special".

http://pitbullguitars.com/?product=pit-bull-guitars-lp-1p-electric-guitar-kit-2

[kanelangmaid]

Man, Adam.
This is a steal. Get in quick guys.

WeirdBits - sorry, I needed something to get me through my holiday break, keep watching, I won't be getting all of them. Especially if Adam drops the prices like this.

Ok, the body alone weighs 1150g and the neck comes in at 650g (but feels heavier) so all up 1800g or 1.8Kg.

[WeirdBits]

Thanks for doing the weigh-in Kane, much appreciated. They're even lighter than I thought.

Ok Adam, you've sold me. "Community Forum Special", what a guy. For my next wish...

[kanelangmaid]

Been a while had some other jobs I needed to square away before starting this one.

Done some research into what my pickup wind will eventually be and playing with stains and paint.

Here is my colour choice, two coats of proof tint both in mahogany and Japan black. Will be adding the black stripes.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/54ex8-image.jpg

I was pleasantly surprised when I sanded this back from the grain filler. Can't wait to see some colour on this.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/7usw9-image.jpg

[wokkaboy]

stain colours look great Kane, which one are you going for on the cap ?
The cap looks nicely sanded ready for 1st coat, is that glue on the right edge near the pot holes?

[kanelangmaid]

Wokka,

The plan is at this stage is to go the mahogany on the body and neck and the japan black on the headstock. That is unless I can be convinced otherwise. I just think this grain needs to be shown and the black might hide too much.

This stripe segment has two different stain layers and tinted grain fill, wasn't happy with either but was just testing.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1474p-image.jpg

Mock up.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/l9coj-image.jpg

Comparison before and after grain fill.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/j51ik-image.jpg

[gavinturner]

That grain looks awesome Kane! That cap is going to look sweet with some stain in it. Great colour choices!

Cheers,
Gav.

[kanelangmaid]

Thanks Gav,
I am excited just to throw some stain on it to see what it will look like. However, I will make sure it is ready first. I have sanded to 400 grit ready for the stain but I will drill a few holes firstly such as the strap screws and possibly the bucker mounts. That way all the sanding is totally done before applying the finish.
The fun part will be trying to keep the binding clean with tape then also taping for the black stripes. My test piece pulled a little of the second coat of stain away. But then again I didn't really let it dry for a few days either.

Anyways - stay tuned.

[stan]

awesome looking kit - this is going to come up nicely

[pablopepper]

Really digging the colours you've gone with. Looking forward to further updates.

[gavinturner]

Hi Kane,
I would totally recommend the 3M 471 vinyl tape for masking with stain/dye. It produces nice neat lines so long as you dont slosh the stain around too much and is much better than the blue painters tape you get at bunnings etc. I use the 6mm tape to mask off all my binding and it works pretty well. You may need to be prepared to scrape the binding afterwards though - a little always gets through, but nowhere near as much as with the other tape (or no masking). A razor blade is all you need and a little patience. You can get the tape on ebay if you are interested..

Cheers,
Gav.

[kanelangmaid]

Probably a little late now but thanks anyway Gav.

Was planning to do two coats but this is only one and will be way too dark with 2 coats.

Came up alright.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/9u50h-image.jpg

A few seeps to fix later on. Now add a few black stripes and some clear coats.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/7z499-image.jpg

[gavinturner]

The colour looks great! Awesome job.

Cheers,
Gav

[WeirdBits]

Nice colour.

[Bass Guy]

That looks edible!!

[wokkaboy]

colour looks sensational Kane. That must be dreaded glue on the top near the pot holes

[kanelangmaid]

Yes Wokka, it isn't the only spot either.
The more I sanded the top one the bigger it got. Like they had filled an edge with a chunk of wood and filled it with glue.
I have sanded this guitar heaps and seems to only reveal more glue. So I am stopping and concluded that the only way to get a better guitar body will be to build one from scratch.
I have almost got all the bits aside from the wood. I will be hitting up a local saw mill in a few weeks. All things going well I will then start the templates. That is after "True Rose" is complete.
Have also noticed a few small shallow cracks have appeared after the stain has soaked in - anyone shed some light on this?

Lastly, I am trying something different with the next part. The tapes I have to use all remove some stain if I use it. As I am adding some black GT striping I need to mask off the lines.
My plan is to add a quick clear coat now (acrylic lacquer) then tape off and spray the black lacquer and finish with 6 clear coats.
Has anyone had any experience in this "reverse" order? Does the colour burn in and run/bleed into the clear. What I mean is that the colour not holding it's taped off shape.

Cheers. I am so interested to see the final colour as it appears a bit "too" purple for me. Hope more red comes out.

[kanelangmaid]

Wow, how quickly does your post edge to the bottom. I think Wokka and Gav are hogging the thread counts... ;)

Here is some progress picks. Keep in mind there is some light sanding to be done on the top surface then final 4-6 clear coats and polish.

I was so glad none of my purple fears arose. Nice deep red.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/w3kf0-image.jpg

A quick mock up including my GT stripes - something different.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/48g1b-image.jpg

[adam]

Hey Kane that is sensational. Great colour choice, it's going to look amazing with the clear coats.

[gavinturner]

Awesome Kane, just awesome. Came out almost exactly like you first imagined it (well, to my eye anyway). Is going to look even better with the clear. Top work!

cheers,
Gav.

[pablopepper]

The stripes came out nice and clean. Well done.

[kanelangmaid]

Thanks gents. Yes pretty much what I planned.

I do have one dilemma though. Do I stain the fretboard the japan black to make it nice and dark for the black to continue?

Thoughts?

[pablopepper]

I think it would suit. You've got me thinking about doing that now.

[jarrod]

I don't what to say but WOW!!! and yes black on the fretboard , dare to be different makes an axe stand out . Love it man just love it.

[maxaxe]

I do have one dilemma though. Do I stain the fretboard the japan black to make it nice and dark for the black to continue?

Thoughts?

Providing that speccy grain is not too obscured, I reckon that black could work very well with the rich dark tones of the body and those cool stripes.

Interesting dilemma . . .

[stui]

Hey guys, haven't posted here in a while, been busy with the new bubs so guitar building has had to be put on the back burner for a while (kids are expensive :( ).
I felt compelled to post here though. I've been scratching my head wondering why the LP1-P's haven't been more popular given their grain, weight, and the reported tonal qualities of paulownia. Now I am even more confused because this build looks like it's going to turn out to be bloody sensational!

Hopefully I can convince someone to get me one of these kits for my 30th in Feb ;)

[keloooe]

Hey Stui, good to see ya back! Kane, that thing is just beautiful!

[robin]

Hey Kane, that's going to look amazing. I love the colour, and although I don't like losing any of the grain in the neck I do think that a black stain would set of the theme of the guitar so well.

Whatever you choose, it is going to look good.

rob

[kanelangmaid]

Bit of progress of the past few days. However being in the high 30's prevented me from spraying until later in the evening.

Added a few coats which came nice out of the gun.

Drilled a few holes and aligned the neck
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/8c14y-image.jpg

Then hit the polish a bit earlier than expected - not quite as sweet as I would have liked but anyhow.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2u60g-image.jpg

Then I wired it up last night. Just need to sand and finish the headstock. However I might put some strings on it today to see how it sounds first.

[phloggy]

That's a very pretty guitar. Nice job.

[kanelangmaid]

An evening of fixing my humming guitar and finishing the neck.

Some sanding, staining, then clear coats. Somehow I think this will be more than just tonight.

Just a quick snap of the past few months on the bench.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/n5f5e-image.jpg

On the bench - need it sorted by Christmas Day so my brother can test drive it in stock form.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/eol5p-image.jpg

[stan]

love the colour and the stripes, well done

[wokkaboy]

the build has come up a treat Kane, well done, good to see some nice refreshments on the bench too

[Brendan]

Make sure it goes in for Feb's GOTM - don't want to come up against that one! Looking great!

[kanelangmaid]

Thanks for all your comments. Gave the frets a polish tonight and started the sanding. Amongst a Kilkenny here and there.

Still haven't sorted the humming out. Wired it 50's style but will start from scratch again once the neck is complete.
Even thinking of giving it another few coats of clear as a few spots have sunk into the grain and is no longer "flat" or should I say smooth, even some of the grain fill has shown right on the black stripes. So a little white dot. Will dab it with some black lacquer and see what happens.

Need it finished by Christmas Day, or at least complete and playable. Will fine tune it after that. So may not make the Jan GOTM.

I also have a tusq nut on the way along with pickup bobbins and more wire. I can see another custom pickup wind after Christmas depending on when they arrive. Will make it a goal to post some audio at least so you can hear my guitars sing or screech depending on how I play on the day.

More pics in the coming days as I progress.

Another choice I have is to stain the headstock japan black or paint it the same black lacquer?

[kanelangmaid]

Just put down a coat of stain after a couple hours of sanding. Really interested to see how it looks with some clear. That will be tomorrow.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/i3056-image.jpg

My pickup gear should turn up Monday :D

Have decided to put it all together for a week or so in stock form (record it) then disassemble it totally so I can add a clear coat or two and my custom pickups whilst re-soldering everything to remove the hum.

I see there are a few pitbull kits under the Christmas tree already by a few of the signatures getting around - have fun & post pics.

[kanelangmaid]

Added 3 clear coats today after a 2 hour search for another litre of acrylic - not much seemed open today.

Happy to say it matches nicely with the back of the guitar.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/4uhjy-image.jpg

Ended up with 2 coats of japan black + a run (ah well), sort that later. Seems to have done the trick.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/gf8wy-image.jpg

Ended up staining the fret board with one coat of japan black then quickly tested some beeswax polish which darkened it that little bit more.

Should look alright - pics on assembly in a couple of days once it has dried properly.

[stan]

looking good, want to see the finger board, i have similar ideas for a coming project

[kanelangmaid]

Stan,
Will finish the beeswax tonight & try a get a pic tomorrow with real sunlight.

[gavinturner]

Love the back of the headstock and neck! The grain hghlighted in black looks great. I am also interested in the fingerboard stained and waxed. How do you think it will play?

cheers,
Gav.

[kanelangmaid]

Gav,

I used one of those market stall home brew "leather conditioner/furniture polish" blah blah blah. Used it on my bike jackets a bit seems good.
Once it has had time to soak in, should play slick. All done now. Might assemble it tomorrow for a pic on the lawn.

Anyone help my with type of decal paper to use for a white logo? My cream logo on clear decal paper wouldn't show through the stain.

[gavinturner]

For white decals, the best option I have found is to get a vinyl decal printed at a commercial printers. It usually doesn't cost too much. Our very own Andyport does this kind of stuff and can definitely sort you out. I can highly recommend him - his work is awesome! You can contact him at City Signs and Print in Port Lincoln SA - email address is: citysigns@internode.on.net.

cheers,
Gav.

[kanelangmaid]

Thanks Gav. Will send Andyport an email.

Here is the guitar. 3 coats of clear & 3 just completed now.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1h5j1-image.jpg

Couldn't get a great shot of the fretboard. Once it is dry will try again and then show a comparison. It is nice and slick.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/0e7y7-image.jpg

Yay, my presents just turned up. Pickup winding in my spare time waiting for clear coat to dry.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/o6p6e-image.jpg

Lastly - does anyone know how to get rid of stain from fret dots? I have lost a few of the top ones from 12th down. Metho didn't remove these ones.

Also I noticed that a few of the frets have been hammered in so hard the fret board is cracked in a few spots. I was going to tap a few of the high ones down as there are gaps but not when I noticed this. Anyone else have this issue.

[jarrod]

Kane it looks truly stunning, My question to you is with your acrylic clear do you use anything to seal the wood before you apply it. I use 2pk but due to the health hazards I am seriously thinking of moving to acrylic clears so I was curious to know if the wood needs to be sealed or does the clear do that anyway.

[kanelangmaid]

Jarrod,
I normally seal with timbermate after the first batch of sanding on new wood. The timbermate seals and fills the grain. Although I am starting to think once I have sanded it flat filling it with timbermate again. With this guitar I had a few spots where the clear coat seemed to have sunk in a few spots leaving a couple of grain holes. For me it just wasn't 100% smooth. Still considering wet sanding an adding another clear coat or two yet.
Once I have the timbermate sanded flat and happy with the sanding I used the feast and Watson stains. Once they had a day or two to dry I hit them with a light clear coat, followed by two heavier coats on the first day. After 24hrs I give them another 3 coats. From here is usually some levelling work preparing for final clear coats.

[kanelangmaid]

Almost there, playing it a bit before trying to get it setup right. Small adjustments here and there.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/3x659-image.jpg

[jarrod]

OK, so the stain obviously still shows up the grain after the timber mate is applied , and although now sealed you can stain over it?

[kanelangmaid]

Yes Jarrod. Go back through my pics and you can see where I added the timbermate then sanded it right back to make the surface smooth. The timbermate will take on the stain as well.
You can also colour the timbermate with the stain to give different finishes.

[jarrod]

Thanks Kane I appreciate the advice . I do a lot of air brushing but wood is very new to me.

[kanelangmaid]

No probs Jarrod - happy to share what I know, which isn't much.

Here are a couple of pics from late this arvo. Better ones once I have completed it.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/s1g44-image.jpg


Colours aren't quite right, couldn't find the right angle with the sun.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2t0bu-image.jpg

[Brendan]

Just beautiful Kane. Just beautiful. Your bro will be stoked!

[kanelangmaid]

Here are a couple of pics better showing the colour of my past couple of months of work.

Just because I can.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/qau4l-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ggl2v-image.jpg

[Brendan]

Beautiful work Kane...

[kanelangmaid]

I have placed some audio demos over in the demo section of the forums.

This is because I have some custom pickups going in tomorrow and wanted to record the sound prior to changing them out. Have a listen and see what you think a paulownia body sounds like using Garage Band to record.

Brendan - My brother was stoked with the guitar and thought it was awesome, this is what he wants when I progress to building from scratch.

[Timsan]

That's a stunning grain, mate. Some of these lesser-known timbers come out really well, and they're worth the gamble at the price of a kit.

[kanelangmaid]

Here is an upcoming GOTM entry. More pics to follow.

Can anyone tell me why my clear lacquer top coats can still be scratched with a finger nail?
It has been cured for weeks, is it just not thick enough?



http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/59n07-LP-edit-5.jpg

[wokkaboy]

Kane, could be a number of reasons why the clear hasn't fully hardened, maybe sub coats weren't given enough curing time. Looks a treat though ur LP, well done

[adam]

I've been admiring this one for a while now, very tasty. Look forward to seeing more photos.

[kanelangmaid]

Thanks Wokks. Really been scratching my head of the prep on this one compared to my strat. 3 coats on one day followed by 3 on the next. Mind you this was only a few weeks ago in WA when the weather was warm. Waited until late so temp was around 28deg. Keep thinking maybe not quite heavy enough coats but not that much lighter than the strat. Maybe just not as many, only went 6 coats of clear total so by the time of some light fine sanding and polishing it wasn't enough. It more like 8+ with my strat.
I have also considered the timber. Compared to my test pine piece the paulownia only needed one coat with stain where the pine needed two to have same colour depth. Maybe this wood absorbs the clear coats different as well.

Adam, you now have the first Feb GOTM. Cheers.

[wokkaboy]

Kane I think the answer is what you just told me, 3 coats of clear per day for 2 days in a row seems a bit too frequent, I'd think each coat of clear needs more time than 8 hours to cure. That would explain why the top clear surface is still a little soft. Unless you are drying these coats with an infra red system ?
I would personally give it at least 24 hours between single coats.

[kanelangmaid]

Just posted some updated sound files over in the demo area