Daves Custom 3 pickup Les Paul

Hi All
I have started the build and decided to keep a record on here so if any one wants to know how I have done some thing feel free to ask.
Head stock customization.Attachment 22149

Neck Paint
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Body Paint
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The primer is 2k 360 grey primer filler as this guitar will be black with silver pearl inlay. the body and neck need one more coat then a final fine sand with wet n dry 600.
Then on with the black base coat. I have decided to paint the bead as it is to thin to achieve the desired bead effect and it is the wrong color.

Nice headstock shape.

Why didn't you mask the area where the neck and body will be glued? Now you have to sand of the primer to get bare wood again...

Look a bit closer, Kick. It has been masked and then sprayed over (but it was worth pointing it out as it's easy to forget).

You're doing fine so far, Dave, and you obviously have a clear idea what you are trying to achieve. Hope it continues to go well.

Oh darn, I need to put on that glasses my wife is always nagging about...

black beauty humm interesting build did you get it with the 3 pick ups, the beading is a bitch to keep when using paint if you spray your black base spray it with super thinned black try not build up around the breading, prick of a job to do to keep it

shame you painted it you could have done a Ace Frehley Budokan which is a awesome guitar had one years ago would have been easier to do i'll be watching how this one goes


http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les...om-Outfit.aspx

I'm a massive fan of that headstock shape

Project update I am about to do the final 2k HS Clear coat but first some of the issues I came unstuck with when spraying the black base coat. Unfortunately I was stuck with spray cans the black base coat went on great but the silver pearl I was using to spray the front and headstock decal was a disaster the can would spit and with the silver pearl or any trick paint it stuffs the whole finish you cannot fix it. I stripped it back but could not get the finish I wanted so I sanded and sprayed the black base coat again.
The binding agent in the silver pearl causes the base coat to lift when it meets an edge. It looked like a capillary reaction. so I gave up trying to spray in a decal on the headstock.
At this point I had purchased a 0.3 mm air brush a 50ltr 6 hp compressor and a HVLP 0.1 mm gravity fed spray gun. Watched a few videos on how to set up the HVLP spray gun and Airbrush correctly then set to work.

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and ready to Finish tomorrow Attachment 22698

Awesome man!!!! :) Gonna put black hardware in it?

Yes Pitbul had it made special and shipped with the 3 Humbuckers routed out and you get 3 pickups as well black outers and chrome covers
black knobs and a black pick guard. I have not decided on the final wiring yet that will be next week. I am thinking maybe 1 tone control which I tend not to use and 3 volume controls but then what to do with the switch. I suppose it could be a quick tone change eg turn off the upper pickup. Or the middle pickup to go back to standard setup.
To many options but not very adventurous with a spdt switch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phrozin

black beauty humm interesting build did you get it with the 3 pick ups, the beading is a bitch to keep when using paint if you spray your black base spray it with super thinned black try not build up around the breading, prick of a job to do to keep it

shame you painted it you could have done a Ace Frehley Budokan which is a awesome guitar had one years ago would have been easier to do i'll be watching how this one goes


http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les...om-Outfit.aspx

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Yes 3 pickups the bead was ivory in colour and extremely thin on front edge there was no way in hell I was going to try to keep the bead unpainted.

Cool finish.

Here is the finished spray job. 2K HS clear acryl The temperature was lower than I wanted to spray so it will take longer to cure.
So It will be strung up for the weekend then I will build it up. I hate spray cans they produce so much over spray. HVLP spray guns are so much better. No More cans for me. Sounds Like I will be sanding back my strat and respraying with 2k HS clear real soon.
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OH LAWDY! That's NICE! Fantastic job there DaveC, a really lovely look!

nice paint job Dave. That's going to look unreal with the hardware on

Can't wait to see it with the hardware on it :)

Ooooh... pretty!!

That is some fine work there. Very nicely done.

It is still to soft to finish but here's a shot whilst it is in the evening sun drying and one mockup with the pickups on.
The chair left a mark that looked like it was going to need some severe rubbing down. Then it just magically disappeared when I rubbed it lightly-medium pressure with a glasses cloth. Fingerprints also magically disappear when rubbed lightly if you accidentally touch it.
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Dave if the paint hasn't fully cured it should be hanging somewhere and not be touched till it has cured !

Looking great but I wouldn't risk messing up the finish

I have it laid flat now resting on the neck frets and the bridge studs when I leave work I will hang it back up in its place in the basement.
The 2k clear is amazing stuff it just takes a long time to cure.

no worries Dave, remember never rush the curing process and you will end up with a much better clean finish, minus fingerprints and chair marks !

While I wait for the finish to cure I will start work on my SG when it arrives in the next couple of days. Did I say I hate spray cans I must have put the clear on a little too heavy. At least I have time to setup my Peavey VIP3 Correctly now. I only bought it because it had the pedal with it. for the same price as a vip2 off gumtree.

I sorted out my Peavey Amp It sounds awesome with my old ST with the flanger on. I worked out the looper laid a loop down and then how to save the presets. When I build up the LP I will have a jam session. I hope the sustain is as good as my ST hoping is is better based on the wood.
I will upload to you tube my ST then do The same session with the LP
It will be in drop D Tuning. COZ I LIKE IT.

Assembly almost complete wired the 2 regular pickups waiting for a 500kA pot from PB for the third.
Absolutely no noise from the pickups. The Neck needed a tweek and the strings are way to high at the nut so filing and lowering . Still in the setting up stage. It sounds much fuller than my ST and has a rich tone.

Here are a couple of shots of the wiring I used screened cables throughout. The 3rd volume pot (middle pickup) not installed yet. I ran a stereo screen up to the switch for front and back pickups and then a single core screen back to the tone control then out to the jack. I will tie wrap them neatly when the 3rd pot is installed.
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Id give him a least a week to cure when you do 1st polish don't get to carried away as the paint will shrink back after a few weeks what i do is do a bit of a light sand then a quick polish and when its full cure i repolish it as the paint gets hard and you get a better shine, becareful putting it in direct sunlight if its to warm it can blister it, have had it happen a few times to me but nice job so far don't rush it

Yep it's out of bounds now just letting it dry for another week I reckon at least. Sun does blister the finish I put it in the sun for 5 mins and I could see the edges around the back plate holes start to bleed. So no direct sunlight.

I am afraid this Guitar has dodgy Clear 2k it is still soft. I am going to have to sand it all off and respray with my favorite hard as nails Baslac clear 2k after Xmas. I will do it the same day I spray my ES-3 and P Bass and My red candy Strat which has the same issue it has been curing for 4 years.

So you all know what I am talking about. The finish is cured but if you leave it on a guitar stand it marks the finish where the foam touches the finish over night. If the clear it is not rock hard in 2 days after spraying it will probably never completely cure.