Jarrods SV -1

[jarrod]

Well in between doing the PRS and my Father inlaws TL-1 I have purchased this little baby as well. I have Set up the neck and given it a light coat of burning sun and three coats of the oil we never speak of. I have also put F-one oil on the fret board. I can not begin to explain the quality of this kit. The inlays and the whole neck are just flawless and body once sanded to 400 grit is markless.
My plans are to go with color tone blue and then acrylic clear over the top. Not used acrylic before as I have always been a 2pk man so this should be interesting. ;)
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/1sec0-sv-neck-2.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/spe3w-sv-neck.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/7nxs4-sv-body.jpg

[Brendan]

Jarrod - joy - looks a beaut!

[gavinturner]

Wow, nice kit Jarrod! That fretboard is awesome. Blue will look great on this bad boy. Interested to see how it looks with the dye on!

cheers,
Gav.

[jarrod]

OK Guy's finally through the Christmas post etc.... my colortone arrived so I have put three coats of blue on and a mist coat of clear for the start. I was surprised there was this much grain for bass wood.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/lel18-sv-1.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2ym1s-sv-2.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/h48mo-sv-3.jpg

[Brendan]

That's looking great Jarrod! I like the blue... I think it will go well with that fretboard.

[stan]

nice blue, these types of guitars need to be colourful!

[lawry]

That colour is awesome Jarrod. When you said you did a mist coat of clear first, why? You'll have to excuse my ignorance in most things painty and woodworky.

[jarrod]

Hey Lowry, when clear coating a very light mist coat seals the wood. And no matter what your painting really using 2pack or Acrylic clears a mist coat helps the following coats stick and bond better rather then a heavy first coat. I`m using Acrylic on this one and its kind of new to me. Im normaly a 2pk man but 2pk is a very dangerous paint to work with, it is not healthy at all. So i have decided to give Acrylic ago as it`s a water based product. Just a lot of cutting back and polishing whilst 2pk flows nice straight out of the gun. Hope this helps brother

[jarrod]

Here is a shot with the pick plate on. I have orded a gold floyed rose bridge and gold hardware for it, thought it may look nice with the blue rather than the black that comes with it. Also have generator tonerider pups on there way for it. Getting excited with this one.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/t6440-20140104_133804.jpg

[lawry]

Thanks for answering my query. Jarrod. Makes a lot of sense when you hear it but I wasn't aware before.

Cheers

[AJ]

You should find the acrylic easier to work with Jarrod, highly thinned final coats generally come out really smooth thus reducing the amount of cutting back required. (it does take a little longer to harden right up tho)

[jarrod]

Thanks AJ , I feel like I'm learning to paint all over again lol... I was surprised to see the mix was 1 clear to 1.5 thinners though but that's what it says on the tin.
I have infra red for forced drying so hopefully it wont take too long. :D

[gavinturner]

The blue looks awesome Jarrod! It's amazing the figure that can sometimes appear on these basswood bodies once the dye gets down in there. This is going to look killer with the gold hardware. Can't wait to see the finished product!

cheers,
Gav.

[jarrod]

Thanks Gav, Im pretty happy with it.
Stained , clear coated , and buffed all in a day and a half , gota love infra red curing.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/8503i-20140105_002155.jpg

[MetalMatt]

Holy crap that's a beautiful shine! Can I ask how many clear coats you laid down and how/what you buffed it with? CHeers

[lawry]

Ditto to Matt.

[jarrod]

AGHH the deep dark secrets of the painters world.
Ok here we go , First I lay down a mist coat to seal the wood and let that dry for 15 minutes.
Then I lay down a a fairly thick coat, force dry it under infra red for about 10 minutes per side but make sure you put your axe about 3 feet away or you will burn the paint. I then give that a light rub with 1200 grit to flatten it of a bit ( take any dust or lumps out).I repeat that process for 5 coats and that does take all day.
My last coat gets baked under a lower infra red for about 30 minutes a side and your body is now ready for cutting.
I start with 1200 grit wet and dry on a piece of foam . Change the paper regularly as it can pick up and sore the paint and use clean water. Gently rub in circles until all shine has gone and there are no shiny dimples coming through as these will stand out when you polish.
Next you need to now cut it back further with 2000 grit wet and dry and take out the sanding marks that the 1200 left behind.I then use the cutting compound on the top right of the picture ( be gentle with this it cuts the paint and can cut right through). With the cutting compound only go one way (with the grain is a good indicator) and be gentle , you will feel it cut. wipe off all excess and look to make sure there are no other sand marks in there except the up and down very fine lines you just left. At this stage the clear coat will be shinning up. Now the secret formula which is pictured top left. $20 a bottle but the best $20 you will spend. this is called Scratch X20 by Meguiar's and it is the best in my opinion and as you can see by my axe it works.
Now this can be machine buffed on or by hand. I usually machine buff but I started this by hand and well the finish was amazing so I carried on by hand. Clean soft cloth ( I use micro fiber cloths for all polishing ) and rub with pressure in small circles and wipe off and repeat until your happy with your finish , twice is usually more than enough. A buffer is quicker and less elbow grease but is also not delicate so I recommend doing it the hard graft way. Next post is pictures of my Infra red dryer and all the clear and polishers used.
cheers
Jarrod

[jarrod]

here are the tools I use . They are the brand for me and I get my best results with them in either 2pk or now Acrylic clear too.Lso there is a picture of my infra red heater , these can purchased from Bunnings for about $90 a pop and are the best investment for someone who paints.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/zq82y-clear-coats.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/23f8l-infra-red.jpg

[jarrod]

Wow just did a bit home work and found out Fender switched to Acrylic clears from Nitro quite a few years back .

[Analyst69]

Thanks for sharing your secrets Jarrod...committed to memory :)

I really like the idea of the Infra Red lamps. Being in Canberra where it is pretty cold in Winter, I created an elaborate mini spray booth set up and used my halogen lamps to maintain some warmth. This worked fairly well, but those infra red lamps look much better. I also like the accelerated drying time idea...less time for dust and other stuff to stick to the paint and an improvement on the weeks of waiting for long curing times.

Cheers

Darren

[jarrod]

Thats right Darren, stained and painted and buffed is possible in a day.

[stan]

great result jarrod, and thanks for sharing the finishing tips!

[pablopepper]

Seeing the post about infrared curing got me a bit excited, waiting weeks for the clear coat to cure has always been the hardest part for me.

I was seriously thinking about buying a lamp, so I thought I'd talk to my brother (the painter in the family) to see what he thought. His reply: "dude, we've got one already." Our business bought a former smash repair shop as our workshop a few years ago and this thing was sitting in the corner. We had no immediate use for it, so it got locked away and never thought of again. Needs a good clean up, but, yeah, pretty happy. :D
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/04r5w-20140107_113433.jpg

[jarrod]

Now that's an infra red lamp dude

[wokkaboy]

@ Pablo --> nice score the infra red lamp setup, I'd love to have a big workshop with all those goodies and enough space for a spray booth !
@ Jarrod --> that SV1 looks stunning, the clear coats have come up a treat and in such a short time !

[Gavin1393]

Looks like I'm in the naughty room already so I might as well make a trip to Bunnings....

[MetalMatt]

top score Pablo, and yeah I like the look of those B******gs infra red lamps too ;)

[AJ]

pretty much what I do Jarrod, except I don't have the infra red lamp, and I use the McGuire #2 non silicon with a final wipe after with the showroom finish. ( as an experiment matey, try going to 3k final wet sanding with a drop of dish washing liquid in the water.. you'll be surprised.)

[jarrod]

OK well finally all my new hardware arrived.
what we have upgraded is -
Genuine Gold Floyd Rose trem
Genuine Gold Gotoh Tuners
Gold scratch plate and trust rod cover screws
Gold jack plug plate
Gold Fender knobs
Tone rider Generator pups 16k and 8k and a USA strat bridge pick up in the middle.
and I have finally settled on my head Stock logo for my builds.
I cant say enough about these Tone rider pups , I have had Fender pups , EMG pups , Semours and these Tone riders as cheap as they come are my preference and that's not due too price.
any hooooo's here is my SV-1 and yes it pounds like a beast. She is now known as
(BAD BOY BLUE)
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/r77e9-ssv1.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/77ol2-ssv3.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/m270y-sv.jpg

[jarrod]

and some more
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/4v6vu-sv1-back-2.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bue6n-sv1.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/fi365-ssv3.jpg

[wokkaboy]

Wow that looks very nice Jarrod. Love the gold bling goes well with the blue body and pearloid pick guard

[jarrod]

Thanks Wokka , I'm very pleased with this girl. It is true what the add says " It shreds like a Bast@#d

[gavinturner]

Awesome job Jarrod! She looks amazing. Love the blue against the perloid and the gold hardware. Really great. Definitely a GOTM contender!

Cheers,
Gav.

[vh2580]

Jarrod love that finish
looks better than the genuine.

[pablopepper]

Very tasty. Did you have to make any adjustments to get the new floyd rose in?

[jarrod]

Thanks guys, yup pablo i had to router the trem recess out a fair bit. Im glad i did it as this thing just dont go out of tune at all. Well worth the money, infact it was the most expensive part and that includes the guitar lol... Or well the price we pay for a great set up

[stan]

looks a million bucks!

Is it just me or does the front pup need to be turned around the other way?
Normally the adjustable poles would be on the bridge and neck sides of the pup, so in this case the white sides - so should the neck pup have the white side closest to the bridge?

[jarrod]

Well Stan thanks for the education coz i really didnt know. Shall change it

[stan]

Welcome, that's the standard anyway, but as with many things, nothing is set in stone - it's about the tone you like afterall.

here is a discussion on it:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/custom-shop/104312-humbucker-orientation-does-matter.html

[AJ]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from jarrod on January 5, 2014, 18:50
Thats right Darren, stained and painted and buffed is possible in a day.

Would infer red lights help true oil dry hard enough to buff inside a day?

[jarrod]

Good question AJ . I can't see it doing any harm as long you don't burn it. I'll give it a try on bit of wood tomorrow and get back to you on that one

[Brendan]

AJ - check Robin's posts - from memory, he was saying you could do a couple of coats a day. Personally - I'm not in this for the short game, so if I have to wait 4-5 days for my BMW to cure, then so be it... Likewise with Tru Oil - if it takes 1-2 days for a coat to cure is that a bad thing?

[wokkaboy]

agreed Brendan if you take your time each layer will cure and harden better than using less curing time.
I don't know enough about infra red light curing but sure it's fine - time will tell I spose.
I'd never apply more than 1 coat per 24 hour period with any type of stain/clear.

[AJ]

I only get short periods of time where I can be productive, I cant see a problem if it does the job in less time with the same high quality expected finishing standard

[jarrod]

some more shots

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/67z4p-DSC00039.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/q0359-DSC00047.JPG

[jarrod]

and some more

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/p9d7a-DSC00040.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/n694w-DSC00046.JPG

[jarrod]

one more , I love this pic
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vmz29-DSC00043.JPG

[adam]

I really like this one Jarrod, I've taken the liberty of sharing on our Facebook page.

[jarrod]

Thanks Adam , I must say It's come out better than I had ever hoped.

[stan]

i like that blue the more i look at it, great work

[MetalMatt]

Fantastic result Jarrod, what a stunner!

And thanks for the hot tip on the clear coating technique and secret weapon Mequiars Scratch X20 - I went over my Les Paul as you suggested and am VERY happy with the result. (pic doesn't show it that well but it's pretty shiny) Thanks again

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/oldval/lespaultop.jpg

[jarrod]

That's awesome Matt and I'm only too glad to help mate. Man that color is dam awesome , so glad it worked out for ya . If you read my latest post in my STA-1m diary I explain how to get a rock pool effect with your grains and clear coats.

[markee]

I'm refinishing an old Alder wood Mia Strat and after seeing how nice that Tone Blue worked out for you I want to try and follow your technique and see if I can get similar results.

Jarrod Could you tell me how you mixed and applied that tone blue stain ?

[maxaxe]

Aha, that's what a really nicely built SV-1 looks like . . .
Studying a beautiful result like yours I am racked with guilt about hacking one about (soon)

[markee]

Jarrod Could you please post how you mixed and applied that blue tone stain ?

I read through this thread and you don't say much about what you actually mixed the stain with and how you applied it ?

I have some of that Blue Tone here and I want to try and follow your technique hopefully I can get similar results