JM-1 First ever build by Ado

Hi everyone,

Attempting a first ever build and have decided to tackle the Jazzmaster/Mustang hybrid, JM-1. Here's an unboxing pic:
Attachment 15912

A quick fit together to check it actually was a guitar:
Attachment 15911

2 things to note whilst unboxing:

1. there was a small indentation around the base of the body. Don't think this will be and issue as it should sand out. May have to get a bit exuberant to shape it but I see this as too much of a problem

2. One of the screws on the bridge has been stripped and is still not sitting flush:
Attachment 15909
Attachment 15910

I'm not sure this is going to be a huge problem though. The unit looks to be fairly sturdy and secure. Guess we'll see as we go along.

My next stage is, of course, lots and lots of sanding....

I am currently thinking of finishing this guitar in a Daphne Blue Nitro Lacquer and having matching colour headstock.

Hope this is a lot of fun..... and it doesn't take too long before I get to play it!!!

Mm lovely offset goodness.....good score. Look forward to your diary.

cool project
The hardware can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, find some quality wood screws of the same type and replace the lot

It's not a wood screw, Stan. It's a short machine screw. It's going to be awkward getting that out. Can you undo it at all? Try a bit of oil or WD40 in there before you try.

I love offsets! :D

If you get stuck with the bridge let me know, I've got that exact one laying around I didnt use from a JM-1 kit

Locktite Freeze & Release is the gift from the gods when it comes to removing stubborn nuts & bolts, mainly corroded rather than cross threaded or stripped though.

A can in the shed is always good to have around for general maintenance stuff anyway.

Hi Ado welcome to the forum and cool kit and plans to start your new hobby (addiction haha)
Can you get some locking pliers on the stripped screw head and try and remove it after spraying down the thread with WD-40 or Locktite Freeze and release ? Give that a go and if no luck Zeromick has offered to supply another bridge or email Adam @ PBG should be able to replace it.
With the dent in the body please post a photo might be able to use a hot iron/wet cloth to remove it. If it's more than 1mm deep then it will take alot of sanding to remove it !

As Ado is currently going for a solid colour finish, if it's too deep to steam out, he could simply fill the dent and paint over it.

OK So the steps I have taken so far are:

1. Sanding the bejesus out of the Body 180 grit to get some machine marks off, 240 grit down to 400 grit
2. Filling the grain with timber mate (made into a slurry and let harden for more than 24 hours)
3. More sanding to 400 to make nice and smooth
4. Painting with a spray primer (2 coats)

Issues I currently trying to solve:
After I sprayed on the primer I noticed cracks starting to appear in the edge(see photo). Before spraying I had thought these just lighter scratch marks in the wood.
Attachment 16283
Attachment 16284

Currently I am thinking of trying to scratch off the primer and filling these cracks with timbermate (maybe trying a bit harder to force the paste in) then sand and primer again.

Actually the primer I was given ended up being orange as well (thought it was going to be white but didn't think to check before given it a good old spray). Am not sure if I will put up with this and change colour (I was thinking a yellow before I started) or strip back and get the correct colour primer for Daphne Blue.

Looks like it needs a bit more filler and reckon you probably just need to sand back those areas a bit, apply timber mate, sand that back and then reapply more primer rather than sand everything off. If you don't like the primer colour what difference will it make to subsequent top coats? Seems like a lot of work to sand back and go again.

Yes. Certainly sand those areas down and fill again. I'd avoid making the mix too wet as being water based, it could shrink a bit. Don't try and do too much at once. Several thin layers rather than one thick layer.

Before changing the primer colour, why not try spraying some scrap wood with the primer and the daphne blue topcoat? If it comes out the colour you want it, then leave it as is. Most Fender colours were simply sprayed over initial heavily thinned clearcoats, sometimes over undercoats (there was very little consistency over the years), some over stained bodies, but in the pre CBS-days (and probably for a while after), finishes often got sprayed on top of other finishes - even sunbursts, sometimes to quickly turn around a custom colour order, sometimes because the original finish was flawed. The prime colour is the topcoat, underlying colours (unless very dark) will have a very small effect on the final colour. There is no one defining 'daphne blue', as the paints often came from different manufacturers and even DuPont's shade varied slightly depending if it was nitro or acrylic paint. Some finishes have faded a bit, so they are more like a sonic blue, whilst others have not (depending on both the paint type and the clearcoat used) and are significantly darker than what would be called daphne blue today.

Long time no update but here is where I have got so far....

Took all the awesome advice from the fantastic Gentlemen of the forums:

Sanded down just the area, filled with more timbermate, let dry and sanded it back for a nice smooth finish.

Painted with more primer (yes the awful orange stuff).

Let dry for ages and ages (Weather in Tasmania was not exactly conducive to 1. working outside or 2. spraying)

Eventually got to put on the Daphne Blue. I used 2 fairly light coats but got good coverage with no runs and I was actually pretty chuffed with myself at this stage as it looked awesome...........

Unfortunately I was so chuffed I did not take a pic at this stage :(

Waited again for ages and ages (3 weeks) and got to start putting on the Clear coat. As I am going to go for a gloss I plan to put at least 4-5 coats so I can polish back.

Was going pretty good too until I noticed this....
Attachment 18265

Yep some runs.

So I've got a question.......... As this is the first clear coat (I'm using Mohawk Clear Gloss) do I
A) Just put the rest of the coats on top and worry about sanding / polishing later or
B) sand now between coats to get rid of the run

Cheers in advance guys!

Hey Ado, it would be best to wet sand the clear run now. Don't worry too much if you sand through the clear layer, just be careful not to go through the colour coat. The flatter the finish is before the next coat the less sanding later on. Make sure you give the clear coat a few good days to cure first.
Nice colour by the way

You may find it easier to use a razor-blade scraper to scrape most of the run off to avoid over-sanding (though the method is better on a flat surface than a curved one). Refer to Frank Ford's 'razor blade trick' in this StewMac video.

http://youtu.be/rTVScFJoe24