First Build, ATL-1SB

Hello internet,

I've started my first build on a gorgeous spalted maple thinline tele. The kit is absolutely beautiful and I've had such a good time so far! I bought it in anticipation of being told to stay home, and managed to get a few things I'd need before society started shutting down. I'm also a teacher, so my two week break starts next week and I'll be pouring many hours into the guitar. I also haven't done much woodworking ever, so this is a whole new adventure for me.

A few things:
1. My plan is to dye the guitar blue, and then use a gold Rub'nbuff wax to fill the wood grains. I'll use teak oil to pull of the excess wax, then tung oil to finish/seal the whole thing. I am quite confident this will look incredible on the sides/back due to the open grained ash, but am less convinced on the front with the veneer. Will the effect still work on the maple veneer?

2. I've spent about 8 hours sanding so far, and have told myself at the end of each hour that it isn't enough so that I follow the advice that is everywhere on the forum. The back and sides are now much smoother than when I got it, which is quite pleasing. The veneer is super thin so I haven't sanded the front at all, but it is quite rough. Is there any way I can make the front smoother without saying goodbye to the veneer? Or will this happen naturally when I finish the guitar with tung oil?

3. During my dry build, I took note of the style of bridge I have and was moderately perplexed as to how it works. My other electric has a Tunomatic bridge, so this is new to me. It is the same as is pictured with the kit, and has a saddle for each string. I saw on Fatboy's build diary that it is personal preference if you want a string through or top loaded bridge. If I wanted a string through, I don't really know how to do that, and I only have access to a handheld cordless drill. Can anyone recommend a good guide? If I top load it, how on earth does that work? Can I even top load?

I think that's all for now. Thank you in advance for your helpful comments.

I've also bought a vintage 60s Japanese guitar that I plan on concurrently trying to tidy up. Is there a forum for that?

Hi and welcome.

I've never done that style of finish, so won't comment on that.

You can 'drag sand' the veneer lightly, with something like P400 grit. You can probably just feel some loose fibres, which a very light rub over should remove. But literally really just let the weight of the sandpaper do the work and just pull it across the surface. Water based dyes will raise the grain, so best to do any sanding until after dyeing. Spirit/alcohol based dyes won't do that, but they do get into the near-invisible stress cracks in the binding (from bending) which are impossible to get rid of, so definitely mask the binding. 3M do 3mm and 6mm pin-striping tape which is ideal for this. I know the bindin's black, so it will be far less visible than on white binding, but better safe than sorry.

Whilst you want to get the rest of the body as flat as you can before applying finish, the veneer is one area which should already be smooth enough. You''ll achieve the really smooth finish with the tung oil.

What you don't want to do is sand the finish too smooth and 'polish' the wood before staining. Otherwise the stain take-up can be very patchy. So once the surface is flat and you've got any machining marks out, I'd go over it with P180 at most, maybe just leave it at P120.

If you haven't read about it already, you'll need to check the veneer for glue marks, as any of these will stop the wood taking up stain. Wipe the body over with turps, turps substitute or metho/meths as these will wet the body but not raise the grain. Any glue on the body will stop the wood taking up the fluid, so show up as lighter areas. You'll then need t use a glue remover such as Goof-off. to get rid of the spots.

Top loading, in this instance, means that the strings are passed and anchored through the rear of the bridge, rather than passing through from the rear of the body like most standard Telecasters (some Squier Teles use top-loading bridges). To have a string-through bridge, you'll first need a bridge with holes in the base plate for the strings to pass through. The hardware with the kits varies, so you may have a bridge with both top-loading and string through holes, or one with just top-loading (which obviously limits your options unless you buy another bridge).

It is relatively easy to drill the holes through the body for a string-through bridge, but you really need a drill press or drill stand to keep the drill vertical to do so. Not all cordless drills are suitable for fitting into a drill press or stand. I ended up buying a cheap corded drill to ft the drill stand I used for the job. Ideally you'd use a pillar drill, but you need one with a 'throat' big enough to fit the body into, and they aren't that common. You'll also need some rear-mounting string ferrules, which are cheap and can be readily found on Amazon or eBay.

But first decide on whether you want to go that route or not. Most people are happy with the top-loading bridges. Either way, you'll first need to locate your bridge position (which is covered in countless build diaries for Teles).

This is the best forum for posting on non-Pitbull guitar builds and refurbs etc. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...splay.php?f=53

Thank you Simon for your insights; they've been very helpful! A couple of updates:

I spent the last few days working on the finish. I did about 3 coats of blue dye, and then used the gold wax/teak oil to highlight the grain. I got a bit too keen before I posted this on sanding it, so the dye was a bit more stubborn than I was expecting. A few extra coats did the trick, and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I love the way the grain is highlighted, and there are so many spots that have a little extra character. I'm hoping to pair it with some gold hardware and maybe even a black pickguard.

Attachment 34540Attachment 34541

Turns out the bridge has holes for either top loading or string-through, and I think for simplicity sake I'm going to go with the top loading.

The next job is finishing off the frets. They're levelled, but I did a very poor job at crowning them. Once that is done, I'll begin finishing it with tung oil.

I am actually thinking of starting a ATL-1SW kit, so I will be looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

P.S. I love that finish!