robs ST-1L (Lyn #9) The Lefty

Hi Guys,

Why a Lefty, I hear you ask? Because this one is for my brother. He has never played guitar before but he wants to give it a try.

I decided not to do a detailed build thread with this one as it will be a stock standard build with the only changes being a bone nut and roller trees. Of course I have done all the usual things like level, dress and polish the frets.

I grain-filled the Basswood body with (watered down) Jarrah Timbermate with the intention of attempting my first ever burst. As per usual with most of my builds it didn't go quite to plan. lol.

I was using Feast Watson spirit based Proof Tint and I was trying to get a nice "soft" transition with the blend line and was not having much luck so I tried to fudge it with some Methylated Spirits. As I kept working at the blend line it kept moving toward the centre and this is how it turned out. Not really a burst and definitely not as I had planned but I am really pleased with how it turned out.

The Pics show the 1. plain body, 2. with stain and 3. after 20 coats of T.O. (Darn, I'm just going to move into the Naughty House and stay there).

There are still some rag marks on the Oil, but I hope to reduce them a little bit with a cut and polish.

cheers guys
rob

Nice colour Rob. White pickguard arrangement?

that body is schmick. Love the colour

nice one Rob looks excellent. It's harder to do a burst on the basswood bodies as some parts don't take the stain as well as others. Feast Watson have a reducer which makes blending a burst much easier and effective than metho.
What colour FW is it ? Oak, Jarrah, Japan Brown ?
20 coats of TO you must have forearms like Popeye !
Look forward to seeing it assembled

That looks fantastic, Rob.

It may not have gone to plan, but it still looks stunning.

Love the colour rob, and the grain has popped beautifully. Another fantastic strot, i mean stret, i mean strut!!!

cheers,
Gav.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gavinturner

Love the colour rob, and the grain has popped beautifully. Another fantastic str@t!

cheers,
Gav.

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@ Gav you better edit your post and not use the S word in case of copyright !

Thanks Wokka, I just can't get enough of struts!!!!

Mmmmm. Your finishes are to die for Rob. So refined.

@ Nick, Fretty, Scott, Gav and Pabs
Thanks guys. This means a lot coming from you guys.

@ Tony
Yeah mate, keeping it white for now. It will be his Christmas pressie, if he wants to change it I can always do it later.

@ Woks
Thanks Warren. I did the whole guitar in Golden Teak then "tried" to do a burst with Jarrah. Because it was a stinking hot day up here (over 40 degrees) I think the Golden Teak dried too quickly, that's why I had to resort to metho to try and lift the Teak and blend in the Jarrah. There was a bit of yellow left in the middle but as TO turns everything a shade or two darker its not that noticeable.

Applying the TO is easy mate, just smear on a little at a time. When sanding I apply no pressure and just let the steel wool or paper do the work. Its just time consuming is all.

Thanks again guys, the encouragement is really appreciated.

rob

nice one Rob, think DB will give you at least 2 months in the naughty room with those products hahah
Think I'd delay the staining if it was above 40 degrees, sit down and pour a cold beer instead in the aircon !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

Think I'd delay the staining if it was above 40 degrees, sit down and pour a cold beer instead in the aircon !

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Yeah in hindsight you are probably right. But it's a bit of a rush to get this one finished. Before I give it to my brother a mate of mine (another lefty), who I used to be in a band with, has asked if he can check it out first.

Over the years I've known him he has owned many Strats (the real ones), an EBMM, even a neck-thru Jackson, so I am keen for him to have a look at it and give me an honest opinion of our humble kits. And being a lefty this is probably my only chance.

rob

Well guys, its finished, but unfortunately this one might end up a wall decoration :(.

Somehow the truss rod has slipped about 10mm down inside the neck and has now become stuck fast and will not allow any neck adjustment at all. It was OK when I straightened the neck to level and dress the frets, but now has become stuck fast. The neck is pretty straight at present and has very little relief. I am hoping that with the tension of the strings it might develop the desired relief but only time will tell.

It is a beginners guitar for my brother, so I decided to finish it and give it to him for Christmas as originally planned and we will keep an eye on it over the next few months. Unfortunately he lives in Sydney and I in Brisbane so there is little I can do. Hopefully he will get some use out of it.

Its all standard except for a bone nut and roller string tees, so in terms of money there is no great investment there. But I spent about 50 hours on it. Ouch, that hurts. lol.

Anyhoo here's some piccies:

That's pretty unfortunate Rob. I had a similar thing happen with my pbh4. The neck has held up incredibly well, but eventually string tension will get to it. When that happens, I'll replace the neck altogether or consider steaming the fretboard off.

But, what a stunner! Absolutely beautiful finish. Once again, you've produced a strat that I really like, even if it is backwards.

excellent finish matey!:cool:

@ AJ
Thanks mate

@ Pabs
Thanks Pabs.

I had considered both of your suggestions, but not having the guitar in my possession makes it a bit of a bumma. I will probably opt for a new kit for him next Christmas. At least that way he has something to play, until it ends up "U" shaped. lol.

rob

Rob that is a stunning str@t, but what a bugger about the truss rod. Hopefully your bro will get 12 months use out of it before the neck is unplayable. You have also extended the elbow and tummy cut on this ?
You are still the king of mirror finishes with naughty oil mate

Rob, amazing finish as always. Was the truss rod completely loose when it slid in and jammed? I imagine you've tried this but I wonder if you hold the neck vertically, heel up, and give it a few taps on the butt of the heel with a rubber mallet if it would jolt the rod free or at least move it into a semi-useable position.

yeah worth a try Rob, I'd remove the neck and give Weirdys idea a go, got nothing to lose

@ Woks
Thanks Warren. Yes, I did exaggerate the tummy cut (or in my case, a belly cut), and I have used that extended elbow/forearm cut on two of my guitars now. You know me, it's all about playability and that cut seems to make it really comfortable to play.

@ Scott
ta mate. I hadn't thought of the hammer in the butt thing!! I had a golden opportunity too when I broke a string while setting it up the first time. It just goes to show that you shouldn't try to work on guitars when you are tired and frustrated.

Thank again guys,
rob

oh well Rob, worth de-stringing and removing the neck and have a crack. Let us know if it works, might save a neck.
My bar display guitar had a broken truss rod but I think thats not saveable, hence its a bar display guitar, you never know might be worth the same treatment with a mallet

I should add that when I say hold it vertically, I mean just hold the inverted neck free hanging in your hand and don't have the headstock resting on anything... you want the jolt to tranfser through the neck without risking damage to the headstock (just in case of misinterpretation).

thats what I assumed Weirdy, unless you want a cracked headstock !

Robin, that looks amazing. If all else fails, a replacement neck shouldn't be too hard to organise - couple of measurements and contact Ads to see if he has anything the same size. Should certainly be cheaper than a whole kit. You can then replace it next time you do see him. That said - the tension on a guitar neck shouldn't be that massive that it should affect it dramatically if it's all good at the moment. Pabs finished his PBH-4 ~12 months ago and if it lasted that long, you may be lucky...

Thanks again Scott and Warren. I knew exactly what you meant Scott, I will give it a try either tomorrow or Friday and let you know how it goes. As you said, I've got nothing to lose.

@ Brendan
Thanks mate. Seeing as the kits come with "matched" necks and bodies, I was not too sure how a replacement neck would go. If it was for me I wouldn't care too much, and would be prepared to "butcher" it a bit to make it fit, but seeing as it was made for someone else I am a bit more particular.

The only good thing is that, right now, the neck is just a tad too straight, so a bit of string tension MIGHT produce the right amount of relief. As you said, I might be lucky.

Cheers guys
rob

Woohoo :)


Thanks Scott! It was a brilliant idea, you just had the ends mixed up.


I removed the neck and tried hitting it from the heel end and although hard to tell it seemed that the truss rod went further into the neck. So, still figuring I had nothing to lose I protected the headstock with a few layers of clothe and, holding the neck vertically, I gave the headstock a few LIGHT taps with the mallet. Voila! It moved. A few more LIGHT taps and the rod was sitting perfectly. Slipped in the Allen key and it was moving freely. No damage to the headstock. Brilliant.


I'm not sure but if I had just released the string tension to nothing, I might have been able to do this with the neck still attached to the body. Just a thought for anybody else with the same problem.


So once again this marvelous Forum saved the day. You guys, with your help and encouragement are my Luthier brothers.


I can't want to email my brother, as right now he still thinks he's getting a dud for Christmas.


Thanks again Scott
rob

awesome outcome Rob, well done. I might pull my bar guitar down and have a crack at this method. My truss rod hasn't moved, it just spins freely so I suspect it has snapped somewhere or the end has come out of the thread. Might try tapping the mallet toward the heel end may place the rod closer to the thread maybe

Definitely worth a try Warren, I hope it works for you. It seems more likely that the rod has become unscrewed rather than broken.

But if you fix this guitar, you'll have to find something else to hang over the bar.

That's fantastic news Rob, well done. I was wondering which end would work best and figured the heel would be the safest place to start. Tapping from the heel you're relying on your hand to arrest the neck's movement in the hope the truss rod continues slightly. Tapping from the headstock it would be the initial blow moving the neck and not taking the truss rod with it that inches it out... and obviously that's the one that works. Did you hold it with the headstock up or down? Tapping up with the headstock pointing down should give you a slight gravity assist.

Well, now you've got a happy brother and we've all got another technique for our 'Oh no, what now' repair & recovery toolbox. Good times.

Weirdy you are fast becoming the Mr Fixit on the forum, well done.
@ Rob if I do fix the truss rod on the bar guitar I'll still leave it up there, just means I can pull it down now and then, tune it and play it although strings maybe a bit rusty haha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WeirdBits

Did you hold it with the headstock up or down? Tapping up with the headstock pointing down should give you a slight gravity assist.

Well, now you've got a happy brother and we've all got another technique for our 'Oh no, what now' repair & recovery toolbox. Good times.

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Hey Scott, I held it with the headstock up. I guess that the inertia of rod when I tapped the headstock just let it move up a bit. Yep, you can store that one away in your little bag of tricks for further use.

Thanks again mate
rob

Great rescue Robin - great support guys! Great to see this one restored to it's rightful beauty.