Tele with Bigsby style bridge build

Hi all,
After much messing around, today I starting putting things together. It took a lot longer to do the measurements and make sure everything was centred and stuff. Also it seems this kit's bridge is a too far behind. It might be ok, but I get the feeling I will have to move the saddles as close to the neck as they can go.

The only thing I replaced is the jack plate because I wasn't too keen on the one that came with the kit.

One thing to notice is that you have to be very careful when you work with basswood, the wood is really soft. For the small screws I didn't even need to pre-drill the holes.

Tomorrow I'll start having a bit of fun with the neck, see if I can get a decent shape out of it.
Thanks
Christian

nice look! What finish type/colour scheme are you shooting for?

Very nice, looking good

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chrisp250

Hi all,
but I get the feeling I will have to move the saddles as close to the neck as they can go.

Christian

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I had the opposite issue with mine. I had to get the saddle as far back as they could go to get the intonation right. Including flipping some of the saddles around to get more distance.

Nice job with the mock build Christian. yeah basswood is ultra soft...don't drop it!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement :)
I'm going to use Uluru red Dingotone for the body and amber for the neck. I thought that would be a good match for the gold hardware.
Yesterday I saw the neck. Man, that maple wood is a b**** to cut. I'll upload some pics later.

Cheers
Christian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chrisp250

Thanks everyone for the encouragement :)
Yesterday I saw the neck. Man, that maple wood is a b**** to cut. I'll upload some pics later.

Cheers
Christian

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wait until you have to start planing it, there's a reason they call it Rock Maple.

Headstock
Sawing, filing and sanding of the headstock.
This is how it started
Attachment 16360
After much sweating with a hand saw
Attachment 16361
After filing and sanding
Attachment 16362
Attachment 16363

I'll be away for a week, when I get back I'll get started with the sanding of the body.
I was going to use Uluru red for the body and amber for the neck. I'm not sure whether I should also do the face of the headstock red or it would be a bit too much. Suggestions?
Thanks
Christian

Nice work on the headstock Christian! My only tip would be that while basswood is soft enough to screw into without pilot holes (although I still do pre-drill), make sure you still put a dab of wax on the screws before finally screwing them in.

As far as staining the headstock, I'm firmly in the school of keeping headstocks natural - but it's such a personal decision rather than a right or wrong thing. Go with what makes you happy!

I would use same colour that you use on the back of the neck in preference to body colour on headstock face.

Nice clean profile there Christian, simple and elegant, great work.

Print some paper with a section of colour on it approximating the red you want to use, cut it to the shape of the headstock, step back and see what you think. It won't be the same as the actual stain, but it may help you decide.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chuck

Nice work on the headstock Christian! My only tip would be that while basswood is soft enough to screw into without pilot holes (although I still do pre-drill), make sure you still put a dab of wax on the screws before finally screwing them in.

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Thanks Chuck. What's the purpose of the wax? Does it make it easier to remove the screws later on if I need to or is it something else?

yup, stops em from binding if/when the wood contracts over time as well as making it easier to go in (that's what she said). I keep a block of bees wax on the bench top when I'm assembling and just run the thread against the side of the block before screwing it in

Hey Chrisp well worth doing especially for the small tuner screws, less chance of snapping the screw head off and causing much bigger headaches !

A cake of soap works as a screw lube too...

The face of the headstock is a purely personal opinion and decision; many here like the natural maple look, and I often do too.... sometimes, however, I prefer the headstock to be body coloured - herein, Corsair Avenger in original trim, with waterslide decals..

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...pse01cebcb.jpg

and now, painted body colour with airbrushed medal ribbons.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...psstnpufo4.jpg

Now, I know the tuners, string tress and TRC have been changed, but the overall effect is much stronger, at least to my eyes.

Scotts suggestion of colouring a headstock shaped piece of paper and affixing it to the headstock seems to me to be a great wee idea!! You could then showow us what you're planning...

Headstock has come out nice. Personally I would keep the same as the rest of the neck

Sent from Android Nougat

I would probably agree with Andrew. If you are staining, how do you stop the stain from leeching into the sides of the headstock? Nice headtock shape too...well worth the effort

Thanks everyone. I'll just leave the neck and headstock all amber.
I'm back from my trip, so now it's sanding time. Not much to show, but when I get to the dingotone I'll upload more pics.
From I understand I only need to sand to grit 400 before straining, but once I finish with all the clear coats I can go use Micro Mesh to give it a mirror effect. Is that correct?
And with the maple neck I should leave it at 240 or the wood won't take the colour and then once finished I can go all the way to 2000. Right?

Cheers
Christian

Normally 320 is the maximum grit recommended here to go to on bodies before applying DT. Above that and people feel that it polishes the wood too much and prevents the stain being absorbed. But certainly once it's all on, (and you may need to do some intermediate sanding on DT if you start getting lumps) you can certainly go up through the micromesh grades to 12000 (preferably wet sanding).

First coat of Uluru Red.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c00e190d9d.jpg

Everything they say about the smell is true. Makes you want to drink the stuff.

looks very nice Chrisp, the good news is looks like there's no glue marks on the top !

Do I have to wait 48 hours before another coat of Uluru Red or that's only when I move to the intensifier?
Thanks

It always pays to wait. You will get better results.

Invest in an infra red heater/lamp. It speeds the curing process .

The red looks great.
As the others have said,let it cure. A lot of issues related to the use of DT seem to be around letting it cure

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Originally Posted by stan

The red looks great.
As the others have said,let it cure. A lot of issues related to the use of DT seem to be around letting it cure

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...or rather, not letting it cure.

No worries. Thanks for all the comments. It's amazing how much help you get here.
Christian

First coat on the neck. Wet seems it took the stain well. We'll see how it dries.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5012e3d184.jpg

Cheers

All looking good so far.

Hi all,
I went back to my guitar and found that the Dingotone stain on the neck is not very smooth (see photo)
Should I worry? I used 0000 steel wool to smooth it a bit but I'm not sure how smooth it should be before I apply the first clear coat.
Also should I let it cure completely before applying the final coat?
Thanks everyone for your help.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f942eefbeb.jpg

Chris how long since the last stain or intensifying coat ?

I usually give it a light sand with about 400 or 600 grit paper to remove the lumps and apply the next coat.

Allow at least 3-4 days after an intensifying coat to cure

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

Chris how long since the last stain or intensifying coat ?

I usually give it a light sand with about 400 or 600 grit paper to remove the lumps and apply the next coat.

Allow at least 3-4 days after an intensifying coat to cure

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Last coat was about week and a half.
Since this is the neck, I wasn't planning on using intensifier.

Thanks for your help.
Christian

Chrisp, I don't use steel wool on DT. I also do not go heavier than 600 grit when smoothing, otherwise you'll rip into the colour, and my preferred grit is 1500.

I always wet sand in one direction between each coat of DT to smooth out bumps etc. The final coat is thin so if you dont fix it now it will compound to be a large bump later.

Up to you if you use intensifier, I prefer it as it really brings the colour to life.

Good luck

Thanks Andy.
I went over it with 600 and it's much better now. The stain came off a bit, but I gave it another coat, very thin this time, and it looks a lot better. After doing the basswood body, I think I got carried with the stain on the neck. Because maple is so dense, if you don't go very light on it, the coat will just sit on top of the wood and become lumpy.
Christian