Gavs JR1-DC

hi guys,

Today I received my eagerly awaited Jnr DC kit from Adam who kindly replaced my previous kit due to a set of misplaced bridge post holes. This one looks good and I'm eager to get started on it. All in all I now have 4 separate Pitbull builds in the works. The man cave is awash in open kit boxes! If I'm not careful my year's building will all be done by the end of January!

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2791_small.JPG

Inspired by Jase's efforts, I'm planning a classic butterscotch finish, but with a little something different for the scratchplate. Hey, I know we've seen a butterscotch Jnr before, and therefore I'm not likely to win GOTM for my efforts, (especially with Andy on the case too ;) am I right!! :P) but *man* I just had to have a butterscotch Jnr hanging on my wall - maybe even cruching out few slabs of Green Day 8-).

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2794_small.JPG

Anyway, the project is off to a flying start. Since I'm using Wudtone for this one it might even take precidence over the others. Wudtone is just so perfect for the hobby builder - easy to prepare and apply - that it really is a joy to use. I'm really looking forward to it - and that's coming from a Colortone dye and Tru-oil stalwart from way back!

cheers,
Gavin.

Methinks you have your Christmas break well and truly covered Gav.

Ahhhhhh... TV Yellow Jnr DC... Nice to see another Green Day fan amongst us all! I suspect you might attempt the 'Adeline Skull' on Billie's Jnr, or something different?

Hey Callum,
Yeah I had considered hand painting the skull, but I'm not sure I could do it the justice it deserves. Would be great to get a vinyl decal for the scratchplate like the signature models have. Might try to look into that :).

Cheers,
Gavin.

Hey Gav, I have had two scratch plates engraved at Labels Extreme and they are great. Have you thought about having that done?

Oh Gav, ya going to Soundwave in Feb or March of ya live in Perth? Green Day are headlining the whole thing, I'm going!!!

Yeah, doing that kind of stuff on guards is a bit tricky, Gibson use heat to transfer their designs

@Lawry: thanks for the tip! That sounds like a cool idea. Even if I can't get the logo done i might be able to think up a cool title for the build :)
@Callum: yes I'm going in Sydney. Should be a blast!

Cheers,
Gav.

If you are after the logo as a vinyl sticker, I know just the person who could do it ;)

@Andy: you are the man! Can I just supply it as a png image?

Sure can.
By looking at the signature model, it seems to be in a chrome vinyl.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Elec...Cut/Specs.aspx

But of course, it can be in any colour you want.

@Andy: do you have a required/preferred DPI for the image?

Thanks,
Gav.

The higher the better. 300dpi is nice, but anywhere from 100dpi up.
I will then convert it to a vector graphic format for cutting.
Glad to help...I love the Butterscotch / TV Yellow Juniors as well.
Should look fantastic hanging on your wall.

Do you have an email address Gav?

@Andy: my email address is: gturner.au AT gmail DOT com

hi guys,

today I did very little coding, and quite a bit of guitar building. I should feel guilty but I don't. I managed to get my headstock shaped into the classic Gibson scrolly look (I kinda did ok but I'm not 100% satisfied with it). Those curves are tough to get even!

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2810_small.JPG

I also created a custom pickguard from 3-ply tortoiseshell. I ended up creating two versions - firstly one with a little of the white middle ply showing at the edges, and one without. Unfortunately I think I like the plain better, hence the re-do. What do you guys think? which looks better?


http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2809_small.JPG

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2802_small.JPG

I think this tortoiseshell is going to look really good with the butterscotch. I alreadfy like the look of it against the bare basswood body. I think I'll go wild and make a truss-rod cover too. Sounds like a job for the weekend.

cheers,
Gav.

looks good :)

@AJ: thanks man, I think it should add something :).

So much for weekend work. I went ahead and created a truss rod cover too. Only took 15 minutes. It really ties the room together. Ha!

cheers,
Gav.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2815_small.JPG

Hey Gav that tortoiseshell pickguard and truss rod cover look the goods, I'd go with them for sure, bet you can't wait to get some butterscotch on !
If I worked from home I'd be in the workshop 90% of a working day as well ! haha

Agreed. That tortoise shell with a butterscotch finish around it will be an awesome combo.

@Lawry, @Wokka - thanks guys. I'm really hoping this one will turn out nice. I'm thinking of adding just a splash of white to the base colour to make it just a tad lighter than Jase's awesome axe. More towards TV yellow perhaps. I'm still thinking about it.

Cheers,
Gav.

Definitely go with the classic TV Yellow, Gav.
When you say your customised truss rod cover "really ties the room together"...
don't tell me your another "Big Lebowski" fan.

Its looking great Gav, can't wait to see the final product. I am really starting to like these Juniors, classic uncluttered beauty.

rob

@Rob: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm hoping it will all come out ok.
@Andy: You got the reference! Hehe.. awesome movie. Hey man, I got a beverage here!

cheers,
Gav.

hi guys,

Well the first coat of Wudtone is on. I gave the neck and the body a really good sand with 240 and 360 grit papers, filled the grain with Timbermate slurry, and took it back off with 360 grit. After that I lightly sanded with 400 grit, raised the grain with water, and then applied the 400 again. It's pretty smooooth!

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...2-18_small.jpg

I am using Butterscotch Wudtone for the body and Vintage Amber for the neck/headstock. The Wudtone went on well although there's a couple of bog spots on the body that have now been highlighted, and I'm not very happy with those. I guess these will blend in as the colour deepens (i hope so anyway).

I mixed about a third of the white into the Butterscotch to try and get a lighter golden colour. It's looking more like light amber at this stage, but I'm hoping that it will golden up with subsequent coats. Either way, the grain is looking quite nice at the moment.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...1-05_small.jpg

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...1-57_small.jpg

I do plan to put quite a deep colour on the body, so more than likely the grain is going to all but disappear under colour coats.

cheers,
Gav.

that's coming along nicely Gav

Hey Gav. That's looking great. I'd be tempted just to go straight to clear coats . That grain really looks great.

That said. From what I've read and experienced with Wudtone, sanding the body to a fine grit like 400 can inhibit the penetration of the finish into the timber. I think 240 grit is recommended.
As you are going for more of a solid colour, you would need the best penetration to achieve an even solid coverage.

Might it pay to hit it with some 240 now before you get any more coats on? I don't know.
DB, you reading this. Is my thinking correct on not sanding too fine. Someone with more experience, what do you say.

Gav, I'm not doubting your methodology, it just crossed my mind and I thought it was worth a disscusion.

No worries Dan, thanks for the heads-up!

I have read that only sanding to 240 is recommended for Wudtone, so I've probably gone too far. Trouble is, 240 just seems so coarse to me, that I just can't stop there. I did sand to 400 on my last Wudtone build (the strat) and the colour built up eventually, so it may be ok. I did get some streaking though in later coats and the sanding may have been a contributing factor. Anyway, I'll see how it goes. In the end it might be another issue chocked up to experience. Thanks for the quick advice though. I appreciate the way forum members speak up not only when they think something is right, but also when they see a potential problem and a fix. That kind of support is one of the great things about this community!

thanks dude.

cheers,
Gav.

I sanded to 240 on my LP and the colour just went on like a treat! nice to have a close-looking BJA Junior DC on the wall, they are INCREDIBLY rare!

hi guys,

The fourth coats of Butterscotch and Vintage Amber Wudtone went on today. That will be all for the headstock and neck - it is now ready for the decal and clear coats. The colour on the body is deepening slowly every day. It really isn't as golden as I expected, but it is looking nice all the same. I do think the colour will change a little when the clear coats go on. I reckon 2 or 3 more colour coats will see it finished. Here is a look at it out in the sun to try and get an accurate representation of the colour.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...6_wudtone4.JPG

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...7_wudtone4.JPG

cheers,
Gav.

love the colour Gav, it should look a bit deeper after clear coats, think you meant to say 2 or 3 clear coats it should be finished. Look forward to next pics

@Wokka: thanks dude. No I did mean colour coats. I think i'll add a couple more on the body before I go to clear. Then again, I may change my mind in the morning. It does look pretty good as it is now..

cheers,
Gav.

sure Gav, can't hurt to apply more colour coats, the wudtone should be a little darker. Are you planning highlights ?

@Wokka: No, never even thought about highlights. I guess of all the Wudtone colours, gold highlights might have worked really well here to increase the golden sheen. An opportunity missed perhaps?

Cheers,
Gav.

it will look fine with just clear coats Gav but if you had gold highlights in stock I'd apply them after your last colour coat.

The custom headstock decal went on today without a hitch. The decal was bought online and is the same as for previous builds. When my current supply of decals is exhausted, I'm going to be sourcing them from a company here in Australia. Here it is out in the sun to get a better idea of the colour..

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content...873_decal3.JPG

Now that I look at the headstock and neck, I think I went a bit heavy with the Vintage Amber Wudtone. I honestly think 2 coats would have been more than enough, not the 4 that it finished up with. Next time I think I'll try the Vintage Yellow instead. It doesn't look anywhere near as dark as the amber. Oh well, you live and learn - I thought it looked awesome on the Stratocaster build, but hey. Hopefully when the tuners and strings go on it won't look as, well, orange!

cheers,
Gav.

looks awesome Gav the logo and colour of the headstock is quite orange, reminds me almost of the wudtone burning sun colour

@Wokka: yeah too orange. It doesn't look as severe in real life, but still a little much unfortunately.

cheers,
Gav.

I'm sure it will look fine Gav, unless you try staining the headstock with a more lighter yellow colour if it bothers you that much.
I've found with my builds it's almost impossible to match the body and headstock colours as the maple headstock doesn't take the wudtone as well. I'm not too bothered if the colours differ a bit

@Wokka: yeah for me it really has to be a flaw (scratch etc) for me to re-do. If I make my choices and that's how it 's going to look as a result then so be it. It makes each build different and each new build is a learning experience. It may well tone down once the body is on.

cheers,
Gav.

yer it will look fine Gav. So thats butterscotch on the headstock ? normally I've found the headstock colours come up much lighter in colour than the body, thats strange, plus you can't put any more colour coats with the logo on.