I have got to stop looking at specials and customer returns.

[ozzbike]

I have not had the Entwistle pickups for the Tele before (I think) so I am keen to hear them at play. The grovers, bone nut, treble bleed and some mini CTS pots with an Orange Drop cap to round it out.

The Jack socket and bridge from Real Parts is already waiting this kit arrival.

I took the pickguard off and this is the hole underneath....very light this one.

The fingerboard is real ROSEWOOD. The neck looks straight to my eye....and the normal paddle headstock. The holes are drilled okay....will check as I go.

[ozzbike]

I am nearly certain now that the spalt is in a veneer. I can see (second last photo) some body filler on the left side of the neck pocket....somebody made a boo boo.

The double binding is extremely rough and dirty...but that is my job to clean up. With a metho rub down I can only see glue on the sides.

I think I will do a more thorough metho rub down and note the glue and sap spots and get at them with a nylon brush and some goof off.

The binding will need a clean up before I seal it....the sides and the back will need a sand. I am honestly tempted to not sand the top at all....maybe a wax and grease remover wipe over...but then to just hit it with a few coats of CA glue and seal it up. Then wet sand and recoat until we have a smooth finish.

I think I will leave the back and sides to have some grain and figure and will cover them with timbermate. (Cedar which is my favourite to highlight wood grain.) Then I will do the kids paint brush trick with the water based poly on the binding....then I have to decide which way I go. Full natural...or whack some colour into it with a stain??????

The white binding is extremely white DarkMark.....but dirty and having rough marks in it.

[dozymuppet]

Looks like fun!

[ozzbike]

I took a jump and decided to forget my worry about veneers on kits. But...I did only use light pressure when sanding.

I have hand sanded the body from 80 grit, 120 grit, 180 grit, cedar Timbermate, 240 grit, 320 grit, to 400 grit. Then it has had a serious wipe over with Wax and Grease remover, then a dust down with a tack rag.

Now three coats of Cabot's marine grade satin aerosol polyurethane ten minutes apart. I am liking the finish colours and tones in the wood. The binding has come out seriously good, no water based poly required as I did not use a stain.

[ozzbike]

Even though I have been lucky enough to be working from home....I am still stuck here. So I finished this one in the early hours of today.

This is it for me now. The Dragons Breath p Bass will have to wait for my new house. I have to leave by 18 July, and must dump stuff and move stuff now.

Anyway here she is......the entwistle pickups are really smooth...not as hot as the Tonerider...but I think they are fatter...especially on neck and middle position. The bridge twangs like a breaking fishing line.

[ozzbike]

The finish is really smooth and the spalted top really sets off the red pickguard. I like the colours.

Hint for me:- Binding is not the devil. But it is if you want to do tricky stuff with colour changes. Treating the whole body as one and just sanding and then spraying the polyurethane all over has done well. If you look on angles at the binding you can see some slight amber from the poly. I decided to not scrape the binding and leave it sealed like the body.