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My second go at a kit, first was an LP-1s to learn on.
Came with holes for a saddle which were filled with dowel.
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Front finished with Wudtone Carmine Gypsy and Black Magic Woman mix with BMW burst, back and neck BMW with Wudtone gloss.
Mock up with black knobs to go with surrounds, gold seemed to look better.
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nice one Grant, I hope you are going to enter this in February GOTM, this will be hard to beat. Is that an original Bigsby tremelo ?
I agree the gold knobs look better than the black
Followed the ES 335 wiring diagram and used shielded vintage wire, orange caps and tone circuit mods.
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Earth wire for tailpiece
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HOLY FREEKIN' SH*#TBALLS!!! That thing's an absolute stunner. Furthermore, I'd go so far as to say if that doesn't win GOTM (whenever that may be, and assuming it's entered) I shall eat my hat.
You should be proud Grant!
very tidy wiring there Grant, looks great
Assembled and set up with roller bridge and Bigsby B70 tailpiece.
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looks excellent Grant and BMW is one of the harder wudtone colours to get right
Added tortoise shell pickguard and truss rod cover, diy - didn't want to cut up the 335 pickguard I bought.
Changed bridge for a Bigsby aluminium one because the action was too high and I mangled the wood base trying to get it low enough, other option was to unglue and shim the neck.
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nice save then Grant
Last of the pics I've got that aren't blurry
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I think I've found a new hobby and must say this project would not have worked out as well if it wasn't for all the combined wisdom of the forum.
Thanks
Grant
nice one Grant. Yes the forum is a massive help and there should be a big disclaimer on the website saying building guitars is addictive !
Thanks again Wokka. It is a real Bigsby. When I plugged up the holes, didn't allow for the stain to take to the end grain of the dowel more than the top. Searched for an inexpensive tailpiece that would cover the patch, but only this one would reach far enough.
Was hoping the back and neck would come out darker. After many coats it just wasn't happening.
Thanks Bargeloobs. I've seen the work that goes into your (and other's) guitars and this is pretty tame by comparison.
yeah Grant the maple necks don't take the stain as well as the bodies do. BMW is a difficult stain to get right and its not as dark as some other black stains I've used
Looks amazing Grant. I really love how your ES has turned out! Great burst that just works spectacularly well with the Bigsby and chrome pickups. It's just stunning! Great job.
cheers,
Gav.
Wow! That's up there with Dave Haens ES-2V.
Wow. Gorgeous. That's some very tidy work. Very impressive first build.
Looks like a true rockabilly beast!
What Pablo said!Quote:
Originally Posted by pablopepper
Thanks for the comments everyone. Should clarify that this is really my second build even though I didn't share the first.
Here is a pic of my first, an LP-1s, all standard kit in wudtone BMW
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Wow, love the lp!
Grant that is very slick, nice job
Muzza, you asked how I got the colour and how to apply the finish.
I had a look for the ratio of Carmine Gypsy and Black Magic Woman I used for the main colour but couldn't find the bit of paper with it written on. From memory - and I wouldn't trust this too much - it was four parts CG to one part BMW. I suggest getting a piece of timber to use as a test piece and start by adding less BMW to the mix (adding more if needed) and seeing if that gives you what you're after. If the kit you want to put the colour on is basswood, same as this one, applying it to a piece of pine will give you a reasonable idea how it will come out.
I bought the Wudtone from PBG and still have a copy of the instructions sheet they sent out with it. I have scanned it and needed to reduce the size so hopefully is still readable. Also Adam and DB did at least one 'applying wudtone' vid, it's probably still on YT, nothing ever dies on the internet.
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You asked about "mix with BMW burst". Read that line as 'CG and BMW mix' with 'BMW burst', ie main colour of CG and BMW mixed together to get the desired colour, followed by the BMW applied around the edge to give the burst.
I used an airbrush for the burst - don't remember needing to thin the colour - but there is a two-part vid on YT titled 'Wudtone - How to Burst' which shows how to do it by hand (with cloth swabs) if that is a better way for you. ( I'd put a link to it if I knew how). Just remember to lightly steel wool between coats.
Probably not the precise answer or tutorial you were looking for, but hopefully some help.
Grant
Thanks mate. It's a good start. I couldn't work out what BMW was as I couldn't find BMW on their site. Then the penny dropped...
I was more interested in the technique than the colour ratios. I'll probably go with more of a brown for the centre colour anyway to emulate my Maton BB1200JH. But I must say, when I saw your guitar for the first time it jumped out of the screen at me.. Well done mate.
Did you win the GOTM that month? I'd be surprised if you didn't.
I found the two vids you mentioned, but they're a bit quick/vague. He doesn't like hanging around on YouTube, does he...
The vids that Adam and Dingo did were very informative, but I'd like to see them do a burst 'how to' video.
I just had another look at the 2 'How To Burst' videos and I'm not convinced it's as easy as he says...
You say you used an airbrush. How? Did you put the base coat on first, let it dry then spray the darker dyes?
Did you have to dilute the BMW for the airbrush, or did it go through neat?
Sorry about the barrage of questions.
FYI, this is the finish on my Maton BB1200 that I'm trying to copy, or get close to. You can probably see why yours jumped out at me.
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Originally Posted by neverwas
Hmmm... This concerns me. The ONLY thing I don't like about your build is the colour on the back. Is that where you mixed the CG with the BMW, or is that straight BMW?Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy
For putting the burst on, first get the main colour on to where you're happy with it, let it cure, gently steel wool, apply the burst by hand or spray, let cure, then apply your top/clear coats. There may be variations on this process but that's what worked for me.
Seem to remember using paint thinner (acrylic lacquer thinner) for cleaning up the airbrush so may have put a little in the BMW to help spraying. I see elsewhere you have got in touch with DB about DingoTone, he knows more about these products than I do so you're on the right track there.
The back and sides were straight BMW. In hindsight, pretty sure I over sanded them trying to get as flat/smooth a finish as possible. Think I sanded to 600 grit (before applying the first coat of stain) instead of stopping at 320 or 400, which would be why the stains didn't take as well as they could have.
Think that covers about all I can help with.
Love your Maton.
Grant