Jarrods STA-1M (Sambora)

[jarrod]

Well to tame my new found addiction of building guitars I have added a STA-1M to my rapidly growing collection. I have my new Tone Rider pups already arrived and my Emerson hand made pots and switch are still on there way.
Being one of Mr Richie Sambora's biggest fans (did I say that out loud) I have decided to base this one on his sunburst strat

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/38019-Fender-Richie-Sambora-Stratocaster-copy.bmp

[Fretworn]

Are you going to do those stars?

[wokkaboy]

Jarrod, if you can pull it off looking close to this axe should look sweet. I never knew there was a maple neck ash strat available. What colours you got in mind for the burst ?
That neck fingerboard and headstock look quite yellow

[jarrod]

The Neck will go vintage amber as well as the inside of the burst and being as I can the slight red to black burst will be sprayed. The star inlays I'm still thinking about because on his original the stars actually have silver in side so I'll get my head around that one.
Yes Wokka Pit Bull does the STA-1M M for maple. His other sun burst Strat also has a Pearl pick guard and I just happen to have one laying around so the option is there and I do love my pearl sratchy plates

[wokkaboy]

Thanks Jarrod, I knew the 'M' stands for maple, I just don't look at the new kit pages very often as I know I will get sucked into another sale ! haha

[gavinturner]

Looks like a sweet build Jarrod! I'm going to enjoy seeing this one come together!

cheers,
Gav.

[jarrod]

Well sadly im away for a month on monday so i will see how much i can do till then. Grain poping goop on already. Head shaped

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/y6vqi-1389853711759.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/01s99-1389853753657.jpg

[wokkaboy]

looking good Jarrod, whats the grey grain popping stuff you use, is that a timbermate ?
Headstock shape looks good, whats the marks on the fingerboard on 4th and 5th fret ?

[jarrod]

Marks are a knot in the wood grrrrr.
Well epic fail in the Sambora burst im afraid. Theres just too much grain (never thought i would say that) so back too another plan of mahogany

[wokkaboy]

can you please post a pic of the grain Jarrod before the grain popper was applied ?

mahogany stain will look excellent on the ash !

[jarrod]

Dont have one Wokka
But here is what we have upto now

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/y983v-1389866719096.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/23078-1389866779342.jpg

[jarrod]

And with the scratchy

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/6e9pw-1389867159383.jpg

[jarrod]

And another
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/s96sk-1389867597984.jpg

[jarrod]

Not a million miles away from what i wanted really. See how it looks with clear coat :D

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/riun7-1389868198001.jpg

[gavinturner]

Oh my god - beautiful tobacco burst Jarrod! Love it. Looks sweet with the pickguard. This is one awesome strat build!

Cheers,
Gav.

[jarrod]

Thanks Gav, Not quite as I had planed but still happy as I have found a Sambora model more to this color scheme anyway , so the name stays lol.....
Now plain or pearl scratch plate this is the question.

[wokkaboy]

wow nice burst Jarrod, is that done with an air brush ? The plain pickguard makes the grain the hero I'd say, don't want the pearloid one to take that away !

[jarrod]

I'm hearing ya Wokka

[lawry]

Wow Jarrod 8O . That is sooo smokey. It's just dripping with class.
Man, I'd be stoked over how that's turned out!
I agree with Wokka about the scratchplate.

[crundes]

Looks amazing Jarrod and still very close to the Sambora model. I personally think it looks better than the Sambora with that nice grain coming through. I agree with Lawry and Wokka, the plain white pick guard looks the best.

[Gavin1393]

Classic! Loving the quality of your finishes Jarrod!

[jarrod]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Gavin1393 on January 17, 2014, 11:18
Classic! Loving the quality of your finishes Jarrod!


Wow coming from you Gav that's a huge compliment Thankyou

[jarrod]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from crundes on January 17, 2014, 10:12
Looks amazing Jarrod and still very close to the Sambora model. I personally think it looks better than the Sambora with that nice grain coming through. I agree with Lawry and Wokka, the plain white pick guard looks the best.



Thanks Crundes and well it's looking like the scratch plate decision is getting unanimous

[stan]

wow Jarrod, that came out really well.
I agree with the plain pickguard mob, although I think an antique white would look better than stark white...
Either way- your finish looks very slick

[jarrod]

Well a little bit of an update.
I have put a sealing coat on, not sanded back yet but it gives a good indication on how the colour will look

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/480r4-DSC00049.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ip60g-DSC00050.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1sbxy-DSC00051.JPG

[pablopepper]

Gorgeous.

[Gavin1393]

The finish and depth of the gloss is perfect! Very well done. Can you give our curious forumulites a hint as to your process to get such a great outcome? Airbrushed? Compressor used? Spray booth? Stains, etc.? I think many can learn from you!

[jarrod]

You will find all of this info in my sv build gav

[gavinturner]

Awesome Jarrod. Perfectly executed. Your finish is about as beautiful as a strat can get. Love it.

Cheers,
Gav.

[jarrod]

Thanks Gav.

[jarrod]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Gavin1393 on January 19, 2014, 07:25
The finish and depth of the gloss is perfect! Very well done. Can you give our curious forumulites a hint as to your process to get such a great outcome? Airbrushed? Compressor used? Spray booth? Stains, etc.? I think many can learn from you!

OK Sorry Gav you mean a run down on this guitar.
right well as much as I love the colours that Wudtone do , they are sadly not compatible with the clear coats I use and as much as that Wudtone finish on natural wood is stunning I like a very high gloss that's like a mirror. So if your kind of thing is that Les Paul or Strat that are hanging in the shop window that has that dive into the gloss look, here is how to achieve it.
On this particular Guitar I wanted (like my SV) what we call the rock pool effect . Imagine looking into a crystal clear rock pool at the beach, through the water the bottom has this kind of 3D effect.
That is the effect I try to get with the grain on my guitars. Through the clear coat you can see the grain in a 3D-ish manner. Unfortunately photo's just cant seem to show this but trust me you could dive into my SV-1 . Any hooooo's enough gabble and here is the process for my STA-1m.
First the usual sand,
then our good friend Timber mate (in this case Ebony)
A good sand and try sand out as much of the Timber mate as possible but leaving colour.
At this point I want the grain to be un even and not smooth.
Next I gave a coat of color tone vintage amber then red mahogany.
The reson for this is so I can get a glimps of the amber through the mahogany on the high peaks of the grain, achieved with a light fine sand when all is dry. Color tone is the only dye I can find that is compatible with clears.
I then airbrushed the black burst with wicked paints transparent black. Easy to do as long as your airbrush is either pointing directly at the surface or into the burst. You must never go with the burst or you will get unsightly over sprays that you wont see until the clear goes on.
Once this has all dried over night is best , We start the clear sealing coat as shown in pics above.
This was two thin coats or mist coats of clear Acrylic laquer.
I have sinced put 7 heavy coats on (with 600 grit in between to flatten the peaks and It has only just filled the grain. Clear coat will always follow the lumps and bumps so if you think it will fill on it's own with out cutting back each coat your kidding yourself.
Ok I am now at the stage that I call the beginning of the proper clear coats. The 7 grain fillers only took a day by the way with infra red curing in between. Already I am starting to see the rock pool effect in the grain. I use an Iwata air brush gun and 50 liter 145 psi compressor I spray my clear coats at 28 psi and mix thinners to manufacturer instructions , I then adjust that mix to weather conditions IE: hot days more thinners. If you look in my Aces High build diary you will see my home made spray booth.
By the way no disrespect to anyone but these kind of finishers are truly not possible with an aerosol can as you just don't have the control of mix and pressure . It's a small investment if you wish to have show room guitars with clear coat finishes .
Air brushing is a different kettle of fish , simple bursts are easily done but art is gonna take a lot practice and a different kind of knowledge to learn.
I now unfortunately have to go to work for 3 weeks and shall continue this build and progress reports when I get back from sea.
Hows that Gav.

[Gavin1393]

Sensational! I am inspired....and running towards the naughty corner to start and finish my Sentance early!

[wokkaboy]

@ Jarrod, thanks for sharing your technique - helps to have all that equipment !
@Gav you never got released from the naughty room. Don't worry I'm still padlocked to the bench too. It's about AJ's turn for beer and pizza isn't it ? Still waiting for DB to put the damn wifi on !

[gavinturner]

@Jarrod - great information dude. Many thanks! I'm procrastinating about doing my first Acrylic spray finish, but advice from you and Andy has emboldened me. Time to hit the spay booth (ie. the back yard ;) !

cheers,
Gav.

[Analyst69]

Great information Jarrod. Thanks for sharing.

I am curious what your home made spray booth is made of. I built a "portable" one from Melamine (as I have to paint outside), but like the look of yours (appears to be ventilated and lit?).

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to learn from your experience at setting up your workshop (you've given us some good insight so far...such as infra red lights which I am now hunting down :) ). Any other insights you can provide us are greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Darren

[jarrod]

Well this is gonna put me in the naughty room and DB will throw away the key.
The spray booth is made from a 1000 litre Poly water tank. The kind that have steel frame work around them. I cut the frame to the height I wanted and turned it upside down to sit the tub on the base. I then put simple good old bunnings caster wheels on it. The whole tank cost me $50 from a place in Kenwick for those who live in Perth. I cut a hole in the top and cut up a bucket for the extraction flexi tube to fit around. I then just put 4 angle brackets on to hold it in place. The extracter unit was $150 from bunnings .I then cut a whole side of the tank out leaving 6 inches at the bottom to hold water. I then fitted a fishpond pump and ran the pipe around the walls at the top of the tank. I simply put retic sprinklers aiming directly at the walls of the tank to form a wall of water running down the sides. It's important to have just a gentle trickle with no splashing or spray. For $350 you have the ultimate mobile spray booth. Please remember to still use the correct spray paint masks and not just dust masks, your health is far more important then any guitar.Now the power of my extracting fan is powerfull enough to suck up any mist and overspray but well chemicals is chemicals. You may ask why the wall of water? well water is a fantastic solution for dust etc.... It attracts to it like a magnet and keeps it off your project. I set this system up for my airbrushing Motor cycle tanks etc... but now is now my guitar manufacturing machine lol.... If there is anything else I can help with please do ask, I get great results with this system and for the what is really a small investment (if you like painting things).

[jarrod]

This the tank I used.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/gop1x-tank.jpg

[Analyst69]

Wow. That is awesome Jarrod.

Really impressed with how you were able to see a water tank and decide you could turn it into a spray booth :). I like re-purposing things, but that is pretty damn creative.

Thanks for all your info. Really is quite useful

Cheers

Darren

[jarrod]

Not a problem Darren.

[maxaxe]

I've been paying a lot of attention to your builds and also your pointers along the way.
There is much to be gleaned from your latest posts which should be of benefit to all.
Sometime further down the road I want to do a "glossy" guitar and your information etc. will, Im sure, be a huge help.
Love your ingenuity with the tank too 8-)

[jarrod]

Hey thanks max, many have given me great advice on this forum regarding builds so its nice to pass things I have skills with. Im usually a bag of useless information so its nice i have some people can use and get results they want.

[AJ]

Ty Jarrod for sharing your knowledge, every one has some special skills in different areas.
(pity I cant get an IBC here in Vic for $50, most used ones here go for the $150 mark and they usually have had some nasty chemicals in em.)

[Bass Guy]

This is gorgeous, Jarrod! Kudos!

[jarrod]

Back from work now so got stuck in to it today.
Final coats of clear going on now and nearly ready for its cut back and polish.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cugp5-20140208_151716.jpg

[adam]

Hey Jarrod, you're producing some stunning finishes mate. Keep it up!

[Gavin1393]

Speechless - pure quality. I'd buy that. In fact is it for sale!?? ;)

[jarrod]

/<\\/p>[/<\\/p>[/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/]<\\/p>/]<\\/p>/Quote from Gavin1393 on February 8, 2014, 16:09
Speechless - pure quality. I'd buy that. In fact is it for sale!?? ;)
Thanks guys and no Gav this ones a keeper lol... :D

Well gents if you follow my techniques above, when you cut and polish this is the finish you will get. Yes that is all reflection
/www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cw7od-20140208_183838.jpg[/img]
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/6750l-20140208_183747.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0lob4-20140208_183720.jpg

[jarrod]

To tell the truth im pretty dam happy with that.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tdrf4-20140208_202443.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/h9t26-20140208_202427.jpg

[adam]

Ok, now you're just showing off Jarrod. Damn, I could shave in that reflection. Do you know anyone with a video camera and editing skills... a video on how you achieved this finish wouldn't go unwatched. Pit Bull Guitars will happily sponsor, of course.

[adam]

Hey, you're in WA, aren't you? I have a video camera and some very basic editing skills... do you see where I'm heading with this, Jarrod?

[jarrod]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from adam on February 8, 2014, 22:22
Hey, you're in WA, aren't you? I have a video camera and some very basic editing skills... do you see where I'm heading with this, Jarrod?

Hey Adam no worries,
I work off shore and I'm often called out for jobs so it may take a few weeks to do . editing video is a small part of my job so I can put you a video together no problem .
Send me the body of a guitar you want doing and I will attack it with pleasure with a step by step progression video with tools used and techniques used and of cause the products I use. Oh and a rough idea on what colour's you want it too lol....
Would be my pleasure mate.

[lawry]

Hey Jarrod. The shine is truly amazing.
Having a video resource like this would be fantastic for people like me who have no idea. If you do post a video of your technique I shall light a candle to your prowess and look at it in the reflection of my guitars (wearing dark glasses, of course) 8-)

[gavinturner]

Wow Jarrod - your finish is unbelievable. Your video is now much anticipated :) !! Awesome work dude.

cheers,
Gav.

[adam]

Hey Jarrod, that would be great, I'll organize another STA-1 body for you. I'll email you the details. Thanks.

[Andyport]

Hey Jarrod, amazing job mate...just superb.
Looking forward to the video...we could all learn a lot from you.

Cheers
Andy