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2019 FV4 Build
Received my FV4 kit this week! I had been checking this kit out for a while. When I saw it was available in mahogany, I finally pulled the trigger.
Attachment 29778
I'll be upgrading the pots, switch and jack. The jack has a radius to it for a rounded body, not flat like the wing of a V. Not sure about the pickups yet. I'll test them first, but will likely go with ceramic humbuckers like the ones in my old Thunderbird.
Impressions out of the box:
I could have sworn I opted for the bone nut and copper shielding, but I can find no evidence I did. I can live with the plastic nut and have ordered shielding, because you just can't not shield.
There's some inconsistent routing, but nothing I can't deal with:
Attachment 29779
Here's something, though:
Attachment 29780
The channels for the pickup leads are so high, I'm going to need action of ~1.25 cm above the fretboard on the G string:
Attachment 29781
Or I will just drill new channels.
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For the finish, I am using Keda wood dye (www.kedadyeinc.com). It's a powdered dye, I'm using an isopropyl alcohol/distilled water mixture.
I'm testing on a few woods, as the mahogany of the body is much lighter in tone than any of the pieces I have been able to get my hands on.
Red:
Attachment 29783
Blue:
Attachment 29784
Once dyed, I will use a water-based grain filler (AquaCoat) so I will be able to get a smooth finish.
I haven't been able to locate any polymerized tung oil - which would be my first choice - because I can't get it shipped to my state. I will be testing tung oil finish (not pure tung oil), Tru oil and Danish oil. Will post pics when those tests are complete. Unfortunately, it is -6°F/-21ºC today, so that's going to be delayed a bit.
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Nice man, look forward to seeing how this turns out!
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Shame about the minor issues from the factory, but nothing you can't work around. Looking forward to seeing it come together.
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Looking forward to seeing this.
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And the winner is... Red dye with Tung oil finish.
Attachment 29845
Next up: working through the body issues. I discovered the stock pickups are somewhat unique and I can't seem to find any after market pups that fit in the cavities without adding a pickguard. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them. Or let me know if I'm nuts because the stock pups are actually good.
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"Dyeing" to show my progress. Pickup lead channels routed, body sanded and application of dye has begun.
Attachment 29864
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10 coats Tung oil + 2 coats slurry
Upgraded pots, switch, Jack and orange drop cap
I surprised one if my bands at a show. They were blown away. It sounds as badass as it looks.
Attachment 30035
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Looks killer! Love the surprise of the blue neck and it seems like it came together really quickly for you.
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