Printable View
While the Telecaster clear coat is drying I thought I would try to make a Jazz guitar for a friend who has just decided to start playing again. Received the ES-3 kit and in general looks quite good except for around the neck join and the rear where the sides join. The pics illustrate the issues which I know others have come across with this kit. I am open to solutions and the gaps may indeed lessen when the clear coats go on, but what is the consensus on how to fix such gaps?
Oh boy, is that neck all the way in?
I thought I had some dark wood knots on my ES-3 kit, and some of them are...and some turned out to be something like black glue smeared over some kind of patch up job. Makes me laugh every time I see them. I post a photo in my diary one day.
Good luck with this kit.
Might just need some sanding in the pocket corners?
Possibly, maybe a very sharp chisel to square up the corners, and the shoulders on the tenon?Quote:
Originally Posted by ILRGuitars
Test clamped the neck on and did a bit of sanding and the gaps were a lot smaller. Once the final finish is on it should be acceptable. Stained with Colortone vintage amber and had the usual problems with glue especially around the f-holes. Tried acetone, sanding, turps but could not get rid of the glue. May have to live with it. Colour is OK though.
A friend of mine at work is a great believer in shellac as a finish and many use it as a sealer. Tested shellac before adding dye but the colour did not develop as much. I assume shellac sealed the wood and prevented the dye from adsorbing into the wood. Applied shellac after the stain (about 9 thin coats and sanding with 400 grit after each 3 coats). It slightly altered the colour but the glue stains disappeared! The photos show both the front and neck with wipe on poly on the front and tru oil on neck. No final finish is on the sides or back as yet. For people with glue problems shellac may be worth trying especially for lighter stains. I assume that shellac may be able to coat the glue stains.
You had a win! Do you think the shellac picked up some stain and carried it over the top of the glue?
Now that is a useful thing to know! :)
To Dark Mark - No I had already stained the guitar and unless the shellac in alcohol moved some of the dye I didnt add any more dye to the guitar. Shellac itself has a slight amber colour to it and perhaps the combo of its natural colour and spreading some of the dye resulted in covering the glue. Dye can be added to shellac so that is another potential way to cover glue stains.
Times up for the poly and time to sand and polish. That turned out OK so decided to glue the neck on as well.
Turned out really well. Out of curiosity may I ask what poly you’re using and how you plan to apply it?
This was treated with about 15 coats of Feast and Watson’s wipe on poly. Very easy to use just wipe on with a cloth, wait 6 hours, a light sand then recoat. Goes on thin and builds up gradually.
Put on the hardware including a floating bridge I made (it is a jazz guitar after all) out of tas oak stained with black stain and a tune o matic bridge I had spare. Needed a lot of sanding to the body profile as the profile of the bridge is quite low to get the action right.
Looks OK except there is some gaps in the neck joins. I am tossing up filling it with superglue gel or mixing wood dust with some wood glue. I think superglue gel would be easiest as I think a clear finish would look like the poly coating. The wood dust would probably need some dye and finishing. Any opinions would be appreciated.
Nice work on the floating bridge, I know what you’ve gone through to get that action usable. I have re-angled the neck on my 3rd build based on my previous two set necks.
Something to consider...will the solvents in your super glue react with your poly? I don’t know, but I would test it first.
Me, I would embark on a very slow and painstaking journey of filling the gaps with more poly and/or wedging in some veneer.
Is natural timber mate wood filler followed by stain an option?
Superglue shouldn't react with polyurethane - you can use it to fill-in chips in poly finishes. But if you then sand it down and smooth and polish it, then it can become very clear. So you'll probably see the gap lines underneath the superglue. I think you're best trying to fill the gaps with a suitably coloured filler and then poly over the top.
Thanks for the advice guys I think natural timbermate stained with the amber dye to match the colour, followed by careful poly finish would look the best.
Please let us know how that turns out. I may do the same with my GR-1SF if all goes well for you.
I had some pine timbermate that was very close to the natural colour of the basswood body. I mixed some vintage amber colour with it until it looked about right. I then pushed the timber mate into the gaps using a small spatula I had and smoothed with my finger. I waited until it was dry and because it shrank I filled it again and then smoothed with a cotton buddy dipped in water. I had to do it one more time to make it smooth and completely fill the gaps but the end result I think is quite good. Next I will put a few coats of wipe on poly over the timbermate to complete the job.