Greg's Second Build - STA-1 Ash #234

[McCreed]

Good work Greg!
When you shield the cavities, be sure to run the shielding tape out of them and onto the top of the body a wee bit so there is continuity from the pickguard shielding to the cavity shielding. You can do it in just a few places or all the way around the top of the routes.

On the strat below, I ran the tape right under some of the pickguard screw holes (on body and pickguard) so when I put the screw in, it makes a solid contact between the two.

[GregLane]

Finished the copper shielding today and attached the fretboard while I wait for some black pickup covers.
When I was oiling the fretboard I noticed a fine crack in one fret as per the photo.

I would appreciate some advice how to fill the crack. I was considering just dropping in some super glue.

I don't think the fretboard is rosewood. I seems a bit darker and softer than rosewood. The original advertisement for this SR1-Ash body read as follows:
- Maple neck ("C" Profile) and Rosewood Fretboard
- *Blackwood (Engineered Rosewood) Fretboard for international orders.

I think maybe I have scored the engineered stuff from Adam in error. I am aware of the international rosewood issues.

[GregLane]

I have just done search on PB on Blackwood and from the results I got make me think I was lucky to get away with just a small crack.
Does anyone know anything about the stuff, how it wears how it plays?

[McCreed]

Hi Greg.
Sorry to hear about the crack. I'm so glad the CITES reg's were reversed fairly quickly. I have no experience with the engineered stuff, but like you have read some no-so-great comments about it.
Despite being worked on already, it might be worth talking to Adam if the kit was supposed to be real rosewood for domestic sales. He's a very reasonable dude!

As far as a fix, I agree CA is the way to go. This would be a perfect job for Stew-Mac's tinted CA, but probably cost prohibitive atm with exchange rates in the toilet.

You can do it with clear and it will probably come up reasonably unnoticeable.
I would wick a bit of thin in it first, let it dry then do a sort of drop fill with a medium viscosity.
Run enough medium CA along the crack that it sits proud above the fretboard. Leave to dry, then scrape it flat with a fresh safety razor blade, followed by sanding with a light grit paper 600, then 1200 and buff with steel wool of synthetic pad. Once the the fretboard is conditioned, sanded area should disappear.

[Simon Barden]

I'd use very thin CA and first fill up the crack and once that's filled and level, then rub it all over the board. You could get some black CA for the crack, but I've found that it's rather translucent, so not that much better than clear.

I've got a neck with the original (terrible) engineered Blackwood and had to do that, just to fill the cracks and help keep it all together. I then scraped the board back level with a sharp box-cutter knife blade and it's now a lot smoother and more robust. You need the thin CA (or extra thin if you can get it - I used Glue Boost stuff which doesn't fume) so taht it wicks into the board. Normal medium CA will tend to just sit on top.

[GregLane]

I can't believe it is that long since by my last post.
Since then I have done 50 coats of Tru-oil and lost of levelling and sanding off. The Ash took a long time to fill.
The last two coats were a 50/50 mix of TruOil and turps. Gives a nice shine. Then a final polish with the last 3 microfibre pads.

Then I must have been waiting a month for a few bits I had to get shipped through virus infected Aus. The black pickup covers from the standard Pitbull Black upgrade did not fit the Tonerider AC2s. And I decided to fit roller trees because of the roller Babicz bridge.

Then I wired it all up and went to the guitar room. Sounded great on the neck pickup. Sounded great on the bridge pickup, Middle pick up - dead.

Had to pull the pickguard off again meaning unstringing the Grover lockers. Two locker did not unlock and just broke the strings in the hole. I was unimpressed and thought the lockers were rough on the strings.

Then I spent two hours with the multimeter on the wiring and could not find a problem. Suddenly a little birdy must have whispered on my ear "SHORT to the copper foil". Sure enough there was a couple of little scratches on the foil where the switch is located. It is one of those switches with the 6 soldering tabs sticking out a the top. One was touching the copper. 3 layers of gaffer tape on the copper and another new set of strings for the hungry Grovers and then tried again.

All worked perfectly.

Later I was sitting and drooling over my latest creation when I noticed the knobs were sitting far too high above the pickguard. I had put Bourne minis on not realizing that they are long shafted. I then spent some hours on the internet trying to find a solution. I noticed that the Bourne specification sheet said that the pots had two sets of nuts an washers. Just like the good old days when we used the inner nut to set the knobs height. I hadn't noticed the additional nuts "but they must be there".

So the pickguard had to come off again. Errr! What about the hungry Grovers? Well I did have my last set of strings ready.
This time no strings broke. But there are are no additional nuts on the pots either. I had a mental image of somebody at Bourne screwing two sets of nuts and washers on each pot in the factory and then somebody in the guitar parts industry busily taking one set off again.

Then I tried to locate some nuts on the internet. 10mm, 9.5 mm, 3/8" and what about the thread. I was getting very frustrated by this time. I gave up and went to Bunnings and bought 10mm washers and hoped they would not short the pots.

Put it all together and finally I am happy.
The guitar intonated well.
I am very happy with the finish and tone. Where do I learn to dive bomb?

The photos have been added to the June guitar of the month

[DarkMark]

50 coats! It looks quite striking with the grain and scratch plate. Nice.

[McCreed]

Very nice Greg!
You've got to be happy with that. I like the way you customised the pickguard.

btw, you kept referring the "finger board", I'm pretty sure you meant pickguard.
At least I hope you didn't repeatedly remove the fingerboard. That would be a lot of work!

[GregLane]

Whoops Thanks mcCreed. I’ll fix it up

[jugglindan]

I'd use very thin CA and first fill up the crack and once that's filled and level, then rub it all over the board. You could get some black CA for the crack, but I've found that it's rather translucent, so not that much better than clear.

I've got a neck with the original (terrible) engineered Blackwood and had to do that, just to fill the cracks and help keep it all together. I then scraped the board back level with a sharp box-cutter knife blade and it's now a lot smoother and more robust. You need the thin CA (or extra thin if you can get it - I used Glue Boost stuff which doesn't fume) so taht it wicks into the board. Normal medium CA will tend to just sit on top.

This scraping, was that before or after the glue sets? Of course, if it was before then it's too late for me. But I did smooth the CA during application using the folded printer paper applicator.