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kells80aus
25-01-2014, 03:07 AM
I've started tinkering with the build of my strat. I had a HSS FL pickguard I am seriously thinking of using instead of plain white.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/9675u-STA-1-003.JPG

kells80aus
25-01-2014, 03:29 AM
Now planning the headstock. Plan to use a neck off one of my other guitars as a template

stan
25-01-2014, 06:23 AM
nice start

gavinturner
25-01-2014, 06:28 AM
Looks great Paul! :) If you are going to trace a headstock from a Fender/Fender copy it might be even easier for you to find the desired shape at the following location and just print it out:

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/fender-headstocks

Just download the PDF, find the page with the headstock you want, and print that page 1:1.

Anyway just a suggestion. These have worked great for me in the past!

cheers,
Gav.

kells80aus
25-01-2014, 09:02 AM
Hi Gav, I have an ibanez style neck spare atm so will probably use that as a template. :) If I could upload a pic of it I would.
Cheers PK

kells80aus
25-01-2014, 08:44 PM
You can see the headstock on this pic(if you can get to it) https://www.facebook.com/PaulWKelly/media_set?set=a.10151494308816538.1073741826.58040 6537&type=3&uploaded=2

kells80aus
25-01-2014, 09:59 PM
OK, Plan B. I just cut a card template off the long scale neck I have, and it is about 25mm too long for the pitbull.
I've copied Gav's fender plans although they are for a tele, I will print one of them and oe of the strat ones I have and see how they fit. :)

Oh I have been watching a few vids on sunbursts. most have been done on flat tops, so doing one on a Strat body creates a challenge. My thoughts are to Amber the whole body first, or at least to the start of the edge curve. then over spray a few coats of clear and then oversprey with the cherry red to get a Sunburst/Cherry Burst.
Messing up isn't an option so any feedback will be greatly apprieciated.
Cheers PK

Cheersd PK

Gavin1393
25-01-2014, 10:16 PM
Always start with the lightest colour as you appear to be doing, and provided your colours are solid and not transparent colours you should be fine.

kells80aus
25-01-2014, 10:50 PM
Hi Gav,
I have just been looking at a Vid as these guys seem to know what they are doing, they are saying the same as you sart with light colour first. Having watched it It seems my concerns about how far to do the centre yellow patch is unfounded as long as I keep the yellow to the top all will be good. I had thought I might need to do the whole body in Yellow/Amber, But apparently not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_JrN9_VTR8
Cheers PK

kells80aus
26-01-2014, 07:27 AM
I've created a Amber/Yellow colour with U-Beaut water based dye. 2:1 mix of 7 part water, 6 part yellow, 1 part orange, and 1 drop of cedar. I have painted a tear drop shap on the front. But now will do the whole body in this colour. ontop of wich I will doa about 3 coats of White Shelac, followed bye Cherry red all ocer the back and thin coat over the yellow patch, this will hopefully result in a Cherry burst.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/07n49-STA-1-001.JPG

kells80aus
26-01-2014, 08:00 AM
OK, now it is all Amber coloured, well it looks more like Golden Syrup. I'll have to wait till it dries now

kells80aus
27-01-2014, 05:56 AM
Ok, Did a full on Reset. sanded it all back. and I have to say @%#@ waterbased dyes. my hands my arms everything is %$@#$%^ yellow. Why sand it back, well I hadn't managed to get off all the glue overruns and spills. Had to use the De Walt sander to get rid of the glue, bit heavy handed for my preference though.This time around I have stuck with what I know. Shelac. U mixed up a 50/50 35ml batch of shelac and metho(my favourite drink, NOT). into this I tipped a small amount of Feast Watson Golden teak, then did a test dip ion a piece of ply. Not strong enough so a little more golden teak. Wow yeah back to the Amber colour.I've sprayed the centre patch allowed it to dry, flash off if you like. then a couple of coats of plain 50/50 120ml shelac no colour all over the body. Now I just have to wait for the Stewmac Cherry Red. Of course all this was done while listening to Gary More Live at Moneterey 1990 somthing.... used the 7cc airbrush to do the colour, and the 120ml touch up kit for the full coat. the 7ml airbrush I used the .5mm tip. the touch up is a .7mm tip

stan
27-01-2014, 09:26 AM
sounds like a nice warm colour Paul - we need some pics!

kells80aus
27-01-2014, 07:52 PM
Ok, here is a pic.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/3fvq9-STA-1-002c.JPG

kells80aus
28-01-2014, 12:22 AM
Damn. I was just routing the headstock and took a couple of little chips off the edge. Lucky I'd already painted the face golden teak Or I would never have found the little chips. Glued them back in place will now have to take extra care in sanding in that area lest I rip it out again. :)

kells80aus
28-01-2014, 06:21 AM
I can't actually believe I managed to do this headstock. it is the first actula headstock I have done. I have built a few guitars, but always bought premade necks. You can still see where I chipped the edge of the headstock but hopefully the colour will hide that.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/7hm86-STA-1-006.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hqapg-IMAG0260.jpg

gavinturner
28-01-2014, 08:13 AM
Headstock looks great Paul!

cheers,
Gav.

pablopepper
28-01-2014, 08:49 PM
That Wedgetail is ringing some bells. Did I see that on the Guitarnerd group?

kells80aus
29-01-2014, 12:58 AM
Yep that would be her, and probably her two yonger sisters. Now son Chris wants me to make an eagle 11 for one for his mate. Bwhaaaa. I think I put 50 hours in to shellacing the last one. It's not a profit making hobby I can tell you.
The wedgtail is very likley to get a refirb with a 24 fret neck. which means moving a pickup and the bridge and tailpiece. or I could just make a new body for it. :)
this pic is the number 2 build that I spent so much time coating in tung oil then shellac over the top of that. the colour is 100% natural. the pickguard is hand cut. at this point it has the p90 and a scummbucker, but the scummbucker has a replacement comming in the mail in the form of a Seymour Duncan P-Rail for the bridge location.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/i69r3-IMAG0360.jpg

pablopepper
29-01-2014, 01:28 AM
Do you CNC these bodies yourself? They look spectacular.

kells80aus
29-01-2014, 02:43 AM
Hi Pablo. No CNC here mate, this is hard yards.
First up is to use me mates thickness planner and bring the blank down to the right thickness.
Then I cut a template to the shape I want, then mark the blank up and jig saw it out.
Next is to actually screw the template onto the blank.
I put the screws in where the pickup hole would go.
I then run around the template with the router and cut shape the blank down to the design shape.
After this comes the neck pocket the pickup slots and the control slot.
Last but not least is routing the damned binding slot with my Dremel.
Once all that is done it's lots and lots and lots of sanding.
Then the task of getting the binding to sit nice.
I've learnt through trial and failure to put the binding on before you put any colour on, as you need to be able to scrape off any bulges in the binding.
It is something that is to hard to do if you already put colour on.
In the pic above these is no colour at all, but I had applied a lot of tongue oil to it before I cleaned up the binding, so the binding does rid a bit high i a couple of spots.

Cheers PK

AJ
29-01-2014, 03:12 AM
I just realized,that you live in the neighborhood Paul.. (i'm in Hoppers)

kells80aus
29-01-2014, 04:17 AM
Hi AJ, I suppose your related to Paul Johns around the corner here too. Just sent you a FB friend thingy. If you need a hand with any thing, give me a yell. I got a few specialist guitar tools. not a lot and no fretboard stuff. but I got plenty of the right router bits and a Stewmac, binding router tool for my dremel. In fact i got two. I wouldn't recoment the litle one though, it's a bit suject to hand wobble. Got an airbrush kit and dinky little compressor.
So if you want some help opening a beer then I am right here. :)

Cheers PK

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 12:03 AM
Ok, I'm back from Singapore and my Cherry Red from Stewmac has arrived. I've applied two coats of spirit based colour. May need a couple more to get it real dark red. But I intend to give it a couple of coloured coats of shellac or Tung oil before finishing it with a Gloss coat. At this point all I have is PolyU/Varnish but am trying to find a local source of clear Laquer. When I opened my workshop on Saturday I found the Body had opened up along one of the joins, so I masked it up and drizzled superglue into the crack.
I found a couple of nice pickguards on eBay. one is a Cinamon ssh, the other was an Orange Marble. I bought the cinamon one, and if it doesn't suit I'll get the orange marble one, but it's from UK and 3 times the price of the cinamon one.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 01:31 AM
Things are not going well. Even after I repaired one crack in the body, that crack has opened up again and two more have appeared. Not 100% sure If I can fix this or not. Should I glue them up with tight bond, or should I bog them with wood filler....
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/m2izn-Strat-Cracks-004.JPG

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 01:32 AM
next crack
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/f794a-Strat-Cracks-006.JPG

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 01:36 AM
Third Crack
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ar95o-Strat-Cracks-007.JPG

WeirdBits
10-02-2014, 01:55 AM
Ouch, looks like the recent heat has left its mark with each of the Ash joins opening from one end or the other. I think this requires the expert eyes of DB and Gav B for assessment.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 02:10 AM
I've massaged tight bond into the cracks, but the one at the top of the neck socket has a ridge. Still not sure if that will hold it. It's put paid to my translucent colour scheme. If it survives it will have to be a solid colour now.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 04:14 AM
OK. I've made a decision on this. I hate imperfection, so If no-one is able to Help, I will push on regardless. If the Body cracks further I'll replace it, and this one will end up as kindling. There are several options open for replaceing this body, so I will vigorously pursue them.

Cheers PK

Brendan
10-02-2014, 04:31 AM
Paul,
Titebond should be the glue of choice - see if you can get as much in there as possible. Having seen someone glueing a back of an acoustic with Titebond (3mm wide join along a 50 odd cm length), then wanting to pull the two halves apart and ending up breaking everywhere apart from along the join, I can't see why it won't hold. Difficulty will be getting the glue in. In terms of the ridge, you could go with a gentle sand? Titebond should hold and you should be right. Should being the operative word. Given you're in Vic and all I'm hearing on the radio at the moment is about the fires in Vic as it's so hot, is there somewhere else you can store the body for a couple of days / weeks to stop it from cracking? Long term, once it's a guitar it'll be stored inside, so should be right - that's assuming it's being stored somewhere hot at the moment...

Hope that helps.

Brendan
10-02-2014, 04:36 AM
Paul,
Other thing. If you get stuck and need some help urgently try dropping DB an email at dingobass@pitbullguitars.com. He's a good bloke and will try to help, but may not have seen your post as yet. He does check emails though and generally is pretty quick to get back to you.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 05:42 AM
Hi Brendan, Yes I worked the tight bond in with a bare finger then cleaned up with a wet rag. I hope I got enough into the cracks to hold. I've moved it out of the garage and into the family room. Not sure how the missus is gunna react to the giant lolly pop sitting on the couch. but hey, you have to do what you need to do, in order to get it done. :)
Still might try to win that Dr. Parts Body on ebay though.
I am hoping I can cover the cracks with my planned cherry burst colour scheme, I'll try cover it first with some water based wood filler to fill any short fall on the tight bond, if I can't fix it, it'll end up as a distressed looking Cherry Burst. :)

Cheers PK

Brendan
10-02-2014, 07:30 AM
PK - good luck on eBay. Titebond can take some stain, otherwise Timbermate as a filler. If you're doing that - get some saw dust through sanding in a cavity and work that into the Timbermate - will get it closer to the original colour and stain better.
Really do hope it all works out - ash bodies are beautiful and I am looking forward to getting into my first Ash build - an IB-5.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 07:44 AM
Hi Brendan, I've got some Pine coloured Timbermate, but I'll head to Bunnings Tomorrow mornin and see if there is anything closer to Ash. If I go by Timbermates online colour Chart Pine is the go, But half the colours don't show through on their site.


Cheers PK.

Gavin1393
10-02-2014, 08:40 AM
Hi Paul
I posted a response to your question hours ago and after being alerted to your ongoing problem via e-mail, i stopped by and discovered my post just doesnt exist anymore. So i am going to repost and hope this gets you a better result.

The best way to tackle the cracks is to know something about the humidity when gluing. Humidity needs to be in the 40-55 range. Too wet or too dry when gluing up and you run the risk of the crack opening up due to the wood giving way or the glue being pulled off the wood when the opposite extreme is reached. Hence if humidity is in the 80's, should it become dry and drop into the 20's, big problem! Wood continues to 'breathe".
So try and work in a controlled environment or only when the humidity is right, ie, 40-55!

Now, to the fix.

Because you have coloured the wood, i would get 320-400 grit sandpaper and rub a throw-away piece of wood over it to make sure any sandpaper grit particles that may be loose will not end up in your finish. After doing this clean up the sandpaper and it will now be ready for use.

First, apply some superglue, stewmac 20 or 30 superglue is preferred as it will take a bit longer to dry. Fill the area of the crack with the glue, then gently sand in small movements around and across the crack. The sanded particles will mix with the glue and create a natural filler. You may have to repeat the process, but you should end up with a very natural looking finish.

Hope this helps.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 09:59 AM
Hi Gav,
I know for a fact the humidity in Melb was down around 20% yesterday and today would have been the same. we have just gone through a few days of 40 Deg C heat. I am thinking maybe because of the low humidity, and the fact I used a spirit based colour that it may have dried the wood out to the point where it has cracked.
I am pretty much resigned to the fact I'll have to take the colour back on the areas around the cracks and try to fill them up as best I can. I've already applied some Tite bond to them. but there is a still a little filling to do on at least one of the cracks.
Cheers PK

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 10:05 AM
Watchin INXS right now.

Brendan
10-02-2014, 10:16 AM
PK we've all been there for one reason or another - check out my PB build (http://www.pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=280.9) ended up dropping my P Bass 5 minutes before I was going to put it all together... In the end it turned out schmick - people can't tell that it was ever dropped. Hopefully your fix will stick and all will be well. If not - DB's mantra is "There is always a work around to solve problems, mistakes and other guitar building gremlins....." so there will be a way to fix it. The way I look at it, imperfections add character. We're playing with wood and celebrating the individual character of that wood. As a living thing, it's imperfect - grains go in weird direction, you get knots, worm holes, dings, etc. all of which add to the character. When you get down to it, spalt is just a form of fungus that makes wood look amazing.

adam
10-02-2014, 11:09 AM
Hey Paul,

Sorry I'm late to this thread. I wanted to confer with Dingobass, our resident Luthier, on your kit. He thinks it's faulty and should be replaced. We don't want you to persevere with something if you also think it's faulty. Of course, we'll be happy if you push on and try and resolve these cracking issues, but, if you do decide that it's just not up to scratch, we'll arrange to get the whole kit back and send you a new one.

kells80aus
10-02-2014, 07:42 PM
Hi Adam,

There is going to be two issues with these cracks, one will be trying to hide them under colour. the second is that one of the craks is perilously close to the neck pocket with the wood grain trailing towards the pocket. I do feel that it is likely that that section of the body will eventually fail. It is also likley that the cracks will reopen. I had sealed the body with shellac, before I went off on my holiday to Singapore, but that was only a few sprayed on coats. I have no problem with doing a full reset and swapping this for a new kit.

Cheers PK

adam
10-02-2014, 10:00 PM
Ok Paul, we'll get Bones to ship you a new kit, with a Return Postage label inside. When you get it, just pack the complete kit up and send back using that label.

Brendan
11-02-2014, 12:07 PM
Bugger Paul. Sorry to hear that there's a bit more of a setback for the build. That said, can't complain about the customer service! Hope you have more luck with the new kit.

kells80aus
12-02-2014, 07:12 AM
Hi Brendan
Yep happy with the guys replacing the kit.
More than you will get from some other kit suppliers.
I have a RAW kit that is absolutely Abissmal. In fact this little set back on the Strat, has allowed me to do some work on that.
With that kit a 335 copy, the Guy at Guitar Makers Emporium recommended putting a sealer coat on before putting colour on. now I can't get the colour stain to stick with any uniformity. But I'll keep toiling at that till the Strat Arrives. :)

All is good in the world. Got a possible job offer this morning. Hope to get an interview later in the week. Back into IT for a six month contract. should see my hobby go on for another couple of years. :)

Cheers PK

Brendan
12-02-2014, 10:49 AM
Good luck with that - what area of IT?

Sorry to hear about the 335 - they're a beautiful guitar - keen to start on my 335 bass one of these days...

kells80aus
12-02-2014, 09:37 PM
Hi Brendan
I am what is called an Operations Analyst - Production Scheduling. Mainframe or Midrange . can do both.

I am slowly getting the colour done on this es335. Good thing I am using Shellac, cos It just wipe off again.

kells80aus
12-02-2014, 09:48 PM
Pic of RAW es335 build. you can see the ridge lines across the back. The ply is too thin to try and sand them out. the Frets are sitting 1/2mm high in the middle of the fret board. the neck was cut wrong so I could not improve on it being 10mm out of alignment with the body centre line..... I'll get a PB later and revist the es 335 theme.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/8jmkk-20140212_093230.jpg

kells80aus
12-02-2014, 10:47 PM
Just worked out why I am a little light headed after spraying Shellac.... It's mostly Metho.... woo hooo.

wokkaboy
13-02-2014, 02:53 AM
Paul where are RAW kits based ? Thanks for the lowdown, won't ever purchase a kit from them, sounds like its a nightmare !

kells80aus
13-02-2014, 03:35 AM
Kits From RAW are produced by Reid and Son Vilolin Company. The kit was in an open auction, so I suspect it was dodgy, but when I challenged them they just replied that there was some luthier work required in any kit.
They are USA based. the kit was $127USD at Auction, but ended costing another $75UDSD in freight so in the end it simply was not worth it. the quality of the item and the service you get from Pitbull is unsurpased at this stage.
the body looks to be a very thin(about .5 mm) layer of maple over what appears to be a .75mm layer of white plastic. So any sanding is not going to be an option. This kit would take a pile of woodfiller just to get the back of the body to a uniform smooth level. It's just not worth the effort. I have learned a lesson here. Local products can be a damn sight better than OS.

Cheers PK

wokkaboy
13-02-2014, 03:44 AM
thanks for all that info Paul, yes its possible an auction kit could have been dodgier than a standard RAW kit but hope its a lesson to everyone on the forum who reads this not to go near a RAW kit with a 5m bargepole !

It's just a bummer some people have to go through this learning process the hard way.
Stick with Pit Bull Paul and you won't have any dramas.

Brendan
13-02-2014, 10:56 AM
PK - looking sweet. Hope the work situation sorts itself out. Downside is less time to have fun :(.