Looking forward to starting my build on the spalted maple ES1-SG spalted maple guitar! Just arrived. Unbelievable how quickly it made it here. Only 5 days to Canada!
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Looking forward to starting my build on the spalted maple ES1-SG spalted maple guitar! Just arrived. Unbelievable how quickly it made it here. Only 5 days to Canada!
Good luck and enjoy. 5 days is excellent. Takes longer than that domestically in Aus. Such a good service we get from AusPost nowadays!!
Yeah, I really wish I could get things that quickly from AusPost! Enjoy the build, look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Welcome to the forum Paul_B
Processing on the build. After much research on options for finishing spalted maple I have elected to simply Tru-Oil the veneer on the top face. I have sourced the Tru-Oil at Lee Valley in Ontario and also found they stock Red Aniline dye that am using for the rest of the wood work (sides/back/neck). I put a few coats of Tru-Oil on the face (after masking off the sides with Fine Line tape to prevent oil bleeding through onto the sides). This protects the top from any accidental staining when I use the Red Aniline dye.
Super happy with the red dye, it produced a beautiful cherry red that will offset the ivory binding and spalted top. Once I figure out how to post a picture I will.
There was a great deal of experimentation on some maple veneer samples I purchased to make sure colour / grain would look good since you only get one chance with stain. I can say that I am not dissapointed!
Attachment 24866. Here is the test fit.
The first coat of Tru-Oil revealed the grain nicely. As additional coats are added the sheen improves gradually.
Attachment 24867. This photo shows how nicely the red aniline dye has coloured the sides of the guitar. The raw spalted top is set off nicely by the cherry red dye on the sides.
Attachment 24868. I have finally set the neck. With all of the discussion about different glues I am relieved that I purchased the neck set glue from Pitbull. I had no idea of the controversy and issues with various glues. I want the neck to set and stay put without worrying about creep or weakness of the joint. I admit I would be more comfortable if I could drive a few screws in there to bolster the connection, but I am going to trust the glue supplied by Pitbull. I trust that 24 hours is sufficient to set it up so I can get back to Oiling!
I also made good use of the Copper Tape to create an emblem for the headstock. A razor knife cuts it easily and if you place a printed image over top you can trace the outline and it will mark the tape. Then it is quite simple to cut out the parts you don't want and then peel and stick. Using a roll of masking tape to "iron" it out gets rid of the wrinkles easily. I Tru-Oil over top and eventually it will be buried under the hardshell coating and protected so I can Polish without worry of pulling up the transfer.
Attachment 24869. The wiring was upgraded slightly with a push pull pot so I could adopt the Jimmy Page bridge pickup mod. I am interested to hear the Tonerider Rocksong Bridge pickup when I pull the trigger on that and engage the phase shift!
Can't wait until I can pull the clamps off tomorrow and get back to the Tru-Oil. So far so good. I will definitely go about 30 or 40 coats so she is well protected and gleaming.
Looking good so far Paul.
Build is finished! This red-lady turned out great, and in my humble opinion plays as good as she looks!Attachment 25709
Thanks! I am so happy with this build. The kit was great and the ToneRider pickup upgrade was worth every penny!
Nice work Paul, it looks great! How does the phase shift sound?
Thats come up really nice paul well done
Mighty nice!
Nice colour scheme. Looks great.
I have been experimenting with the phase shift as I have played the guitar more. I would say it sounds best when used for the rock-a-billy type riffs. I can't say it "quacks" exactly, but it definitely alters the tone. I am thinking of going with a rebel p90 at the neck to upgrade the stock humbucker there. The upgraded bridge bucker (Rocksong) produces an amazing tone. The scatterwound design is definitely more akin to a PAF type sound and produces a "vintage vibe" that complements this axe well.