Olympic White Strat is what it should look like...

Yep, thats me :) As for the top, it's going to be blacked out. I'd like to go with a laser etch style but a brand with hot metal is probably the method at this stage - because I know how to do that and I don't have that much $$ for laser etching!

nice personal touches Andrew, love the Red Swan idea

Attachment 4256Attachment 4257 Here's the end of my late nights researching the best way to burn a maple headstock with some degree of accuracy. What I ended up doing was transferring the design onto baking paper (next best thing to tracing paper) with a Sharpie and then transferred that onto a sheet of flattened corrugated iron. I then used tin snips to cut around it, filed away sharp pointy bits and I was done. All I then did was use the lowest setting on a creme brulee burner (mmm...creme brulee) to blacken the headstock. Here's something I did learn whilst practicing on pine before moving to the maple - pine burns much faster. Next up, rubbing Dingo's stuff all over it.

looks good Andrew, so the iron protected the rest of the headstock while you burned the swan shape ? clever idea!

That's exactly right Wokka. Here is a pic of it.Attachment 4258

nice one Andrew, you may be able to use the template on future builds

Attachment 4366Attachment 4365 Here are the last two photos of my guitar until September. I've sprayed on two cans of acrylic lacquer and now I just wait till it cures. In the mean time I'm deciding between saving for a left handed Strat, a JK-1, or the Rick 330 that's on sale. Decisions, decisions.

looking nice and white Andrew, how come the wait till September, you away or funds ?

No, I just thought acrylic lacquers took that long to cure. What's the general consensus on curing times?

3-4 weeks dude. I've been told to go by smell. As soon as all traces of smell have gone, you're good.