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yeah no such luck with building two the same I've always wanted a jazzmaster/ Ibanez roadcore style shape whereas his is something more like a strat or mosriite shape, so totally different templates and we can't agree on pickup config either. building pedals you say, I've never thought to try, is there much involved?
Building pedals - depends on whether you have done any soldering or electronics before. If you've soldered up a guitar, you can probably do a basic pedal without much stress.
To make a basic boost + distortion, you are looking at 1 transistor, a few resistors, 2 capacitors and 2 diodes. A couple of potentiometers for volume and gain. That's it. If you want a fuzz pedal then add in another transistor, take out the diodes. It gets more complicated for things like delay, chorus, vibe, etc, but start out simple and see how you go. Some of the pedals require vintage parts to get the true to the original sound, but you don't have to go to those lengths to start with.
I have run a few pedal building workshops and intro to electronics workshops before. At the moment trying to get a regular (paid) workshop going here in Canberra to teach guitarists how to build pedals.
Here's most of the ones I've built so far: http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/category/pedals/
Here's some of my workshop notes - we build this one on breadboard (no soldering) in the workshop. Pretty simple if you already have some electronics background. http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...distortion.pdf
Let me know if you have any questions about pedal building. If so I'll start another thread somewhere perhaps?
Great pedals! I love the can pedal :)
Nice collection and great names too, did you build all of these? I wouldn't mind having a go at a fairly basic( he says without having a clue what's involved) overdrive pedal to start with. have you done anymore on the beast yet?
Thanks, yep I built all of those pedals. Started out thinking "how hard can it be" and then got hooked.
If you want a good one to start on, with a guide to walk you through it, I'd recommend you have a look at this one: https://www.premierguitar.com/articl...r-own-stompbox
There is a PDF download of instructions that goes through everything. Read through and see if it looks like something you can do.
If you want a good pedal building forum, check out http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php
We did a bit more work on the primer coat. Sprayed more on the back, this time going nice and slow. It made the world of difference. I'm much happier with the coverage now - it has covered the wood, rather than made little gritty bumps on it. The can ran out before we could redo the front, so back to SCA tomorrow to pick up more primer.
I've also had a read through the build diary from Phrozin about how to do spray finishes, that was helpful. I'll be picking up some more clear coat as well, as it looks like it is going to take a lot more clear coats than I expected. But that's getting ahead of myself... :)
That's great to hear that the painting is starting to go your way, thanks for the pedal link, I will definitely give that ago but I should probably just concentrate on my build for the moment and leave that for my next project.
Thanks for all the advice so far people.
We've done a few more passes with the primer, and let that dry for a few days. Sanding has now started. It seems to be working OK, it's coming up smooth, with scratches from the 400 grit paper. I got some white paper and used it dry. Wiped off the residue with a cotton rag as we went.
I'm assuming that I'm trying to remove all traces of the 'orange peel' look from the primer? See photos below...
We've managed to sand through to the wood in a few places, does this mean another coat of primer is needed? Or is it OK to spray colour over this?
I guess with much more practice this gets easier, but for now I'm struggling finding the balance between removing all the orange peel, but not cutting through to the wood. Doing around the edges is pretty fiddly too.
Anyway, if more primer is needed, I'll be able to spray more later in the week once it stops raining. Might need a 3rd can at the rate we are using it.
Before sanding:
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...3-1024x768.jpg
After sanding - these scratches are only visible viewing from a really flat angle. This photo makes it look worse than it looks by eye:
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...8-1024x768.jpg
Some of the 'orange peel' near the centre of this photo. I assume this has to go?
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...3-1024x768.jpg
And some more photos... can only include 4 per post apparently?
Whoops and more whoops. etc. Does this need more primer all over now? Or can I just say 'stuff it, let's spray colour'. ;)
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...2-1024x768.jpg
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...9-1024x768.jpg
I think most of the places where we have sanded through the primer are either on the edges, where it is tricky to work out the angles, and also a few places near the middle of the guitar. The piece of wood in the centre of the guitar had a very different grain than the bits on the outside, so the sanding cut down more in the middle before I worked out what was going on. So there are slightly lower bits near the joins of the wood, and when sanding the primer down there it is cutting through to the wood nearby on the higher piece. Lesson learned.
Sand it, spray it, sand it, spray it, etc,etc,etc. Preparation is everything!! Put the colour on only when you are happy that the prep is perfect, otherwise you will be sanding, spraying, sanding, spraying all over again...only in colour.
looking good so far, those scratches from the 400 are fine and will give the top coat something to bond to. where you have cut through will need to be recoated so that your colour will have a uniform base colour underneath it otherwise your topcoat will always look a touch motley( and not in the crue way). the goal is to use a sanding block and remove all the orange peel, if you hit timber in any spot before the orange peel is gone it means you have high spots and low spots. as soon as you hit timber stop sanding and apply another couple of coats of primer then sand again, it sounds painful but it is the only way to get a dead flat surface to lay your top coat on, the good thing is that primer dries fairly quickly so within a few hours you can start sanding again. this is where you get a whole new respect for the quality of some of the finishes you see on this site, they must have heaps of patience that's all I can say. Sorry hope I haven't rambled on too much.
Yes, more primer. The high spots on the flat surfaces are where the wood wasn't flat enough to start with. I believe Phrozin advocates first spraying a dry 'mist coat' onto the wood when doing solid colours (spray from further back with a light dusting so it doesn't go on wet) so that you can then sand the wood and the mist coat will show up any high/low spots which you can then sand flat. Repeat the process until there are no bumps. Then spray the primer properly. This makes it far less likely that you'll get those sorts of issues, apart from maybe on edges and round surfaces where it's hard not to apply too much pressure in places.
Likewise, he then sprays a couple of light dry mist coat gloss sprays after doing the colour coat, so that it's easier to see the effects of sanding and whether any high/low areas have been created whilst spraying. It's very important so sand with a flat pad on the flat surfaces, and the larger the pad the better it is for getting it really flat.
And pay attention to the small details. In that last photo you posted, there's a lot of orange peel around the corner of the pickup cavity. Yes, it will be hidden by the pickup ring (if you are using one) but you really want to get the whole surface flat for the best results.
Cool, thanks. I'll keep at the sanding/spraying then. It is certainly looking better than the first effort... just surprised at how many cans of primer I'm going to use.
It has given me a whole new appreciation for a glossy paint finish... and I'll probably just stick to natural wood finish for any future builds! ;)
Thanks Simon, yep I knew that I hadn't got all the bumps out around that pickup (and a few other places), but I stopped at that point as I wanted to confirm I should keep going. When in doubt, stop sanding and ask the internet. :)
Yeah I feel your pain. I rushed into colour on an SV-1 without reading up and found all of the problems you have run into. I actually stripped it right back to raw wood, fixed up the surface dings i hadn't noticed and then made some wide sanding blocks to do the whole guitar surface in a pass. It is sooooo easy to ding the basswood, that even dust build up will mark it if it clogs on the paper. For now its sand, clean, spray, sigh and repeat. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by mjg
MJG, let me know if you get that peddle making workshop up and running - I'd be super keen to join (depending on finances), and I suspect my bro and a few of our friends would be too.
Thanks JohnH, I'll let you know if it gets off the ground. Trying to set it up with the place where my kid learns guitar. They're keen, but it is a lot of work to get it organised and running smoothly.
No worries, I know how slow those kinds of things can be to get rolling.
So, finished off the sanding from previous primer spray. It looked pretty good, apart from the few spots where I've sanded too much off or hit a low patch.
Did another primer spray today. Finished off the 2nd can of primer, and it was going on beautifully - nice coverage, wet but not running. Grabbed the 3rd can of primer, shook it for four minutes, started spraying... and it comes out dry and a little like spraying silly string. WTF? Kept shaking it and spraying on some cardboard, I think it took about 10 minutes of shaking before it started to come out wet. It's still covered the guitar in really obvious bumped primer, kind of like a hammered effect.
I'll let it dry and see how it looks tomorrow, then spray some more on to thicken it up and even it a bit before sanding again. Hopefully the rest of the can will come out a bit more smoothly. :-/ Definitely a real difference between the cans though. Or maybe I didn't shake it enough.
Hey MJG, what brand of primer is it ? I would say the 3rd can has a blocked nozzle or is a dud. Try one of the other nozzles on it and if no luck I would take it back for a replacement. I usually stop spraying if something isn't right.
It's the super cheap auto primer filler. The one with the light blue cap.
I'll give it another go tomorrow and try the nozzle trick, thanks.
no worries Matt. I find I get quite a few dud can's if they are in the cheaper range. When you finish spraying you should turn the can upside down and give it a squirt clears debris in the nozzle.
Also if it's cold worth soaking the can in warm water for about 15-30 mins before, then shake
I waited til about 2pm to spray today, what with our lovely maximum temp of 16. I had pre warmed the cans in the sun for half an hour. So yeah maybe it was a bit of a dud, or maybe I'm not shaking them long enough to start with a full can.
That's another question I have...the guitar is drying in the garage between coats. Anything bad going to happen if the overnight temp is getting down to -2 or so? Should I be bringing it inside at night? Wrapping it up with a hot water bottle, etc? ;)
I think it would be the best to keep it inside with those temperatures...
hey Matt, yes if the temp is dropping below zero I'd hang it from the shower curtain rails inside
I forgot you are in Canberra !
Looks like we have some warmer weather for the rest of the week - only getting down to 4 or 5 overnight. Lol.
OK, attempt number 3 at the primer sanding has started. Not sanding through to the wood yet, so that seems to be progress.
I'm getting it nice and flat, and removing the obvious orange peel pattern. I am working on it in the sunshine today, so I'm seeing a lot more detail on the paint surface. It has a pattern of tiny microscopic bubbles on the surface, which don't seem to go away no matter how much I sand. Is that normal, or do I need to get rid of them too?
I suspect I need to keep sanding.
Zoomed right in with the camera to show the detail...
We've flipped it over and had a go at the front. It's come up beautifully, nice and smooth, and no sign of these little bubbles.
If my memory serves me correctly (and it might not, I have been spraying paint lately...) I think that the back copped all of the dry spray yesterday, while the front got nice wet stuff. So maybe the dry spray hasn't mixed properly and there were bubbles? I'm only guessing, as this is all new to me.
Time to respray the back again?
Anyway, at least it is progress - the front of the guitar may actually be ready for colour now... just need to fix the back, and then sand the sides.
I'd respray the back. There's no reason that it shouldn't be as smooth as the front.
Thanks Simon.
What I did yesterday was to keep sanding on the back. In the end I had to sand it basically back to the previous coat before those bubbles disappeared. But the good news is that it now looks good on the back (and front). Just have to carefully sand the sides now (and the sides don't show any of this bubble effect. It was just the back).
My guess is that I didn't have it mixed enough when spraying the back... it seemed to have those little gas bubbles all through the paint. Or did I put too much on, trying to compensate for the weird crap it was putting out? No idea.
I'm a bit hesitant to spray more primer now... I can't work out what I'm doing wrong to get such variation in the result. If I don't pick up another can of primer in my life, I'll be happy. :)
If it's coated and it's flat, I'd leave it there. It's being used to fill the wood and provide a thick enough coat so that it can be sanded flat and provide a smooth surface for the colour coat to spray on to. No point making it thicker than it needs to be.
Some more progress on this build... it's chugging along slowly.
After the 3rd attempt at primer, showed it to a friend who builds movie props. He knows his primer. He said to try again.
So, 4th primer spray went well. It ended up looking really nice and smooth, nice coverage, and none of the dry gritty stuff. The difference is that this time I shook the buggery out of the can for about 6 minutes before spraying, and sprayed onto cardboard first, then shook, then sprayed more onto cardboard, etc, until it was coming out right. So *that's* what it's meant to look like. Huh. More lessons learned.
Then moved on to the red colour. It's going to be red around the edges, black on the front and back.
I think I got 5 coats out of the red can. I think it looks OK? It's certainly covered all of the bits. Realised about an hour later that I meant to save some red paint for doing the knobs. Dammit.
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...2-768x1024.jpg
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...9-1024x768.jpg
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...4-1024x768.jpg
Some more photos. I'm now waiting a week to be really sure the red is dry, before doing masking and spraying black. (When testing on scrap, I found that the red got marked by the masking tape if I pressed it on within 24 hours, so I'm leaving it for much longer, just to make sure)
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...2-1024x768.jpg
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...7-768x1024.jpg
http://graybloomfield.com/guitar/wp-...1-1024x768.jpg
looking great so far, your young fella must be stoked.
red looks great MJG. What's happening in the centre you doing a burst ?
Thanks guys. Yeah the kid was blown away by the red.
Going to be black up to the bevels. Something a bit non traditional! No bursts! (Mainly because that would depend on me controlling a spray can with some level of finesse. I ain't there yet)
Yep. I am a card carrying member of that club also. No shame in that.Quote:
Originally Posted by mjg
Yeah i agree that red has come out great. Looking good mjg
I'm still puzzled why the area near the bridge pup and trem cavity are still primer grey, did you run out of paint ?
The top is going to be black. All the red on the top surface is simply overspray from spraying the edges and the bevels.Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy