First Build - TLA-1F

Hi everyone,

I have posted a few questions on the forums and received some responses, which I am very grateful for, so I figured it would be a good idea to start a build diary of my first build.

I have previously taken a Stagg S-Type guitar and dismantled it completely replacing everthing apart from the neck and body so I have some experience in guitar building but this will be my first kit build, a TLA-1F.

I swapped out the standard neck for a Maple one and had to do a bit of sanding to get it to fit, and have pretty much ditched all of the hardware upgrading the tuners and nut from Pit Bull, and everythng else except the bridge plate from various other suppliers.

So far the control cavity and bridge pickup routing have been widened to accept teh new electronics and I have shaped the headstock.

I've got to say that there's a few niggly issues (neck pickup routing is off centre, bridge plate mounting and neck screw holes are not square, some frets are cut shorter than others) but I guess that's part of the deal with these relatively affordable kits.

The neck is fitted, I have measured teh scale length and check the string alignment along the fretboard.

I am now trying to work out how to approach preparing the body and taking plenty of time to research and learn from others. The plan is to use the DT Bondi Blue body finish kit on the flame Maple top, DT Colourless body finish kit on the back/sides and DT Neck finish kit on the neck and fretboard. I also have the DT guitar wax.

But I am taking my time as I am learning a bit about Ash bodies, etc.

So far, am having a good time. If this works out ok, I am looking to try a hollowbody kit next.

Wish me luck.

I like your headstock design. It's reminiscent of G&L's (sort of inverted?) but still it's own thing.

So over the past week I have been taking my time sanding and grain filling the ash body. Today I applied three coats of Dingotone Colourless Body Finish. I'm really pleased with how it looks so far. Next weekend I will look to apply the Dingotone Bondi Blue stain to the flame maple veneer and then finish the whole process with the intensifying and final coats.

Attachment 39427

I understand that the veneer tops should not be sanded as it is very thin. If anyone has some helpful suggestions on the best way to prep the flame maple veneered top I'd appreciate your input.

Here's my first attempt at staining the Flame Maple top with DT Bondi Blue:

Attachment 39486

I put three coats on and while it darkened overnight, it just didn't take to the wood like colourless stain did on the Ash body. PBG says not to sand the veneer as it is too thin but I am pretty certain, around the edges, that it needs sanding to remove glue residue. You can see where the stain has not been able to penetrate. I used acetone as best as I could to clean the top but this was not enough.

You can also see where one side of the veneer has clearly taken more stain than the other.

I'm thinking that a veneered topped guitar was probably not a great idea for my first build :(

So my plan now is to let the stain cure for a few days before lightly sanding with about 320 or 400 grit sandpaper and then reapplying the DT Bondi Blue. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.

You could try and remove more of the glue first. Most of the guys on here use a product called "goof off". They carefully apply it and use a soft toothbrush. Its definately worth the try.

Thanks Nitroburner.

I actually went ahead with a light sanding a second application of DT Bondi Blue. It's getting there in terms of depth of colour but there are still some issues. Once this coat has cured I will try to sand back a bit more agressively and apply a third coat of the stain before finishing the rest of the DT process (Intensifying coat and final coat).

In hindsight I would have done this differently but I have learnt quite a bit for my (hopefully) next build.

Attachment 39591

It has been quite a while since my last update. I have now completed staining the neck the DT clear neck kit and have applied the final coat of the DT Bondi Blue Intensifying stain to the body. It takes an awfully long time to cure and, to be honest, I am not sure if have allowed to cure properly. Before I apply the final coats to the body I will leave it another week or two.

I am not sure, after that, what the buff and polish process is meant to involve so if anyone has experience in what to do after finishing the DT process please let me know.

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Attachment 40181

Never used DT, but once it's dried hard, then I assume it's like any other finish. You sand it flat, starting with P600 and working up to maybe P2000 (all wet sanding), and then you put the shine back by using a polishing/buffing compound on some cloth. A lot of people use car polishing compounds like Meguires. Scratch X 2 is great for final polishing.

No need to go mad with the sanding, just enough with the P600 to get the surface level with no pits, and then straight on to the next finer grit up.

Beware of water getting into screw holes, expanding the wood and cracking the finish, so its a good idea to try and fill the small holes with wax first. Wipe off the water as you go along.

If you are unsure about how dry the finish is, I'd sand it back and wait another week before polishing. Sanding gives significantly more surface area to the finish, so it does help it dry faster. But the surface won't take a good polish it it's still not fully cured.

Thanks Simon.

I took your advice re sanding and got to work on the neck finishing with 2000 grit. It feels fantastic. Will apply some polish later in the week.

This gives me confidence that the body will come up well when it is time to do the same.