DST-1 American Ash Strat build (1st time)

Haven't got it yet, should come around Tuesday/Wednesday. I have got myself 5 sheets of 120 grit sandpaper and 5 sheets of wet + dry paper with grades from 120 to 600 grit. I have also got about 1/2 a bottle each of crimson guitars' stunning stains red + amber and about the same amt. of crimson guitars finishing oil.

Questions: - Not sure whether I have enough sandpaper/ wet + dry.
- Not sure whether to finish the maple fretboard and neck or not, and how I would do this. (would the crimson
guitars finishing oil work, or do I need specialty stuff for the fretboard.

Thanks in advance!

I used the fonts Brushscript MT (regular) and Helvetica Neue (medium italic.)

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Originally Posted by JWGourlay

Haven't got it yet, should come around Tuesday/Wednesday. I have got myself 5 sheets of 120 grit sandpaper and 5 sheets of wet + dry paper with grades from 120 to 600 grit. I have also got about 1/2 a bottle each of crimson guitars' stunning stains red + amber and about the same amt. of crimson guitars finishing oil.

Questions: - Not sure whether I have enough sandpaper/ wet + dry.
- Not sure whether to finish the maple fretboard and neck or not, and how I would do this. (would the crimson
guitars finishing oil work, or do I need specialty stuff for the fretboard.

Thanks in advance!

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Looks good mate. Look forward to seeing your build.

I'm sure others will jump in and add their thoughts as well but here is what I've learnt on my first kit build. In regards to sandpaper, check out the pitbull guide. Usually most people go through the grits from 120 to 400. I used dry 120, 240, 320 and 400. Not sure what your planning to use to finish the stained body. If using lacquer then usually 800 through to 2000 or 3000 grit wet sanding followed by polishing. I've used 1000, 1500, 2000.

On a Fender maple neck they usually spray the whole neck including fretboard with lacquer. Up to you how you want to finish yours. I tried tru oil which a lot of guys use but it's not for me, I wasn't happy with the finish. I've sanded back the neck and will spray with lacquer instead.

I used crimson water based stains and oil for my kit (this was before they sold two types of oil, so I think it was the same as what they call the penetrating oil now). Half a bottle of stain for each should be enough if you are doing a burst or something. I did black all over, sanded back, then blue all over, then black around the edges. Still have half a bottle of each left over.

I used the oil on both body and neck, it can pull the stain out with the first couple of coats, so make sure you have let the stain dry for a while before oiling. I also found that using the wet dry sandpaper while applying the oil, like the crimson guy does on YouTube, made it very easy to sand through the stain particularly on the edges, so I stopped that after a while.

Also don’t sand above say 240 grit before staining, maybe even less for the first coat, because the stain will be less likely to penetrate then. I was really happy with how the oil went on the neck, it turned out nice and smooth. Be sure to wipe any excess off around the frets, I missed a couple of frets on mine. It will obviously be less durable than a lacquered fretboard but you can always clean it and add more oil in the future. I used a full bottle for my Tele, so I don’t think half a bottle will be enough. Even then my Tele is a very matte finish, so if you want it glossy, you will probably need one of each of their oils.


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Thanks guys!
This is the stuff I have lying around from my previous partly-successful attempt at making a ukulele.
I might use the amber on the neck and the cherry red on the body. Will make test pieces.
https://i.imgur.com/A1eKysv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RxUSqtW.jpg

Get yourself some 80, 100, & 120 grit sandpaper. You will need the coarser grain to deal with any machining marks, especially around the sides. Make sure you have a decent sanding block too. 240 or 320 is the max you usually got to with staining as there has to be some open pores left in the wood to accept the stain.