First build advice

Hi all, apologies as I'm sure you get a lot of these posts! I'm reading as much as I can but as someone who doesn't even own tools I really want to make sure I'm doing the right things.

I've got a pitbull ST style kit with an Ash body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. My plan is to sand the body and neck starting with 120 grit, going through to about 320. I want to use a dark grain filler (I bought ebony), then use a pink acrylic paint mixed with water to stain the body. I've seen this done on a number of YouTube videos and think the dark grain will work really well with it. For the neck, I wanted something darker than what would typically be used, so I was going to try either walnut or mahogany water based stain.

To finish off the body and neck I was thinking of using a number of Tru Oil coats, and sanding to 400-600 grit between coats, then eventually polishing up the body (I've seen automotive polish suggested). However I'm not sure if this is the best option as I've also seen wipe on poly, tung oil, and other things suggested. I'd like to have the grain and stain look but with a nice shiny coat on top, and for the neck I just want to seal it without affecting the feel too much.

All this before even worrying about how to drill and solder everything! Just hoping to get any feedback on my plans in case I've missed something or made a major error here.
Thanks

Welcome aboard!

Sounds good so far, I haven’t used true oil but I’ve seen some great results on here. Patience and Preparation are the keys to a good finish.

Don’t worry too much about lack of tools and experience- some of the best builds I’ve seen here have mostly been done on the kitchen table. Strat a build diary. Ask questions, there are a lot of helpful regulars on here who will answer. We have specialists for every aspect. Most of all have fun, you’ll likely make a few boo boos, but there isn’t much you can’t fix.

Hi Zakkary123 and welcome!

Ash is a great looking timber and great for guitars. It is a very open pore grain though, and needs to grain-filled if you want to go for a smooth mirror-like finish. You'll be able to finds heaps of info this process here and around the interwebs. There are a few ways to accomplish this and after a bit of research, you can decide what is the best for you.
FWIW, you do can skip grain-filling and get a more rustic look. (It's a thing, and there's no right or wrong there!)

As for sanding between coats of Tru Oil, everyone has their own sort of process of applying it, but for me, I don't touch it with any abrasive until it has started to develop an even gloss, which can be 4-6-8 coats depending on the type of wood and how the TO is applied.
And when I do start to use an abrasive, it is a very light going over and a fine grit. Just enough to smooth out any dust nibs. I prefer synthetic pads to sandpaper or steel wool. (personally, I avoid steel wool like the plague)

The key is multiple thin coats, not a few heavy coats. In the right conditions (temperature & humidity) I can get 3-4 coats on in a day.

Best of luck. Look forward to seeing your progress. Lots of helpful folks here to get you through it!

Cheers,
Mick

edited to add: Good advice from Sonic there!

Tools, who needs them, if you cant do it with a butter knife it doesn't need doing...:-) Seriously though your local hardware store will be on first name terms with you before you know it.

Tru-oil is fantastic, I do a few coats and give a quick rub down with 0000 steel wool., then go again, dries really quickly if the weather is nice.

Enjoy your build, don't fret about it, (pun intended).

Cheers guys! I have invested in a few tools, particularly for doing the frets. So I will have them, just no experience using them yet. I think I may grab one of the real cheap ebay necks to experiment with before starting the real one just to build some confidence. McCreed, I definitely intend to use grain filler, I'm going with something really dark to try and really show off the figuring and contrast the stain. Will be interesting to see if it works out.

Has anyone had experience staining the maple necks? I've seen some people say it can be a bit splotchy but that can actually look pretty cool I think.

Anyway I'll probably take it pretty slow at first, but I'll try to get some photos of the process and start a diary when I get into it!

I stained the maple neck on my ‘steampunker’ bass build. It came up really well, I just used feast Watson brown Japan. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...t=8122&page=16

That neck looks awesome, mine isn't flamed maple, just plain, is yours flamed? Or is that cool pattern just how it settled in?

Yeah it is flamed, was an unexpected bonus with that kit. That fret board is maple as well, stained black and sealed in satin poly.

Un flamed maple should still look nice. It's a good idea to stain, sand and reapply to make it nice and even.

Awesome, looking forward to it.
Cheers guys, will start a diary thread once I get everything started

Tru-Oil has a slight yellow tinge. This will alter your pink colour, so you need to be prepared this will happen.

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Originally Posted by Fretworn

Tru-Oil has a slight yellow tinge. This will alter your pink colour, so you need to be prepared this will happen.

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Good point Fretworn. I can't picture what that might look like, but we've all seen examples of blue turning green with Tru Oil.
Worth doing some test pieces if you can get some scraps of ash. If not, Tasmanian Oak might work as a readily available substitute.

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I have invested in a few tools, particularly for doing the frets. So I will have them, just no experience using them yet. I think I may grab one of the real cheap ebay necks to experiment with before starting the real one just to build some confidence.

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An excellent approach. That's how a lot people get started (myself included).

Good point about the Tru Oil colour, what would a clearer option be to go over a stain? Would just wipe on poly work for that?

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Originally Posted by Zakkary123

Good point about the Tru Oil colour, what would a clearer option be to go over a stain? Would just wipe on poly work for that?

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Yep, poly has a more neutral effect on timber colour.

Thanks mate.

Quick question, I assume with ST style bodies I can upgrade pots etc. to full size CTS without issue? I know there can be issues on other styles because of the routs but there's no specific pot rout here is that correct?

The width of the route should be fine for full size (24mm) pots.
However, check the depth if you're going to use any push-pull pots or a non-import blade switch (Fender, Gotoh, CRL, Oak Grigsby). I think the kit routes tend to be shallower than "licensed" bodies like Warmouth, WD etc.

I've only done one strat, but I think you'll be alright, there is a fair bit of cavity space. I'd also probably give the kit gear a go before upgrading. The one I built sounded great.


Looks like plenty of space to me
https://i.imgur.com/QpD85VT.jpg


Finished
https://i.imgur.com/2ir61xx.jpg