TD's STA-1

[Trevor Davies]

Another work build! The body was stained with Ubeaut blue water dye (diluted to 25%, 2 coats) (the ash colour turned the blue to aqua!). Given 3 brushed on and 6 wiped on coats of Tru-oil. Sanded along the way up to 2000 g. I wanted to keep the grain texture on the body. The neck was given 9 coats of Tru-oil, and the fretboard given 6 coats. The headstock logo and body sign are Cricut vinyl stickers put on after coat 3. The serial number is stamped on, filled with ebony Timbermate and sanded flat before the Tru-oil.

[Simon Barden]

Very nice. Stock hardware or upgrades?

[Trevor Davies]

Thanks Simon.

All stock parts.

With the ground wire that is connected to the trem claw; there is a cut-out slot on the claw that I assumed was for the ground wire. Is it expected that the wire is soldered, or is it OK to simply clamp the wire in the slot?

I did use a thicker gauge wire than the kit wire. I also do not think my soldering iron would be able to heat the slot in the claw to a high enough temperature so as to melt the solder, and therefore I expect it would produce a dry joint. So, I clamped it in place! I do have a low resistance between the string and the ground at the jack as measured with a multimeter.

[Simon Barden]

It’s really meant to he soldered. The hook gives you something to wrap the wire around to make it easier to solder. If you can solder to the back of a pot OK, you should manage to solder to the claw. There aren’t any electronic components to damage. If not, it’s probably about time you got a more powerful soldering iron, or a temperature adjustable soldering station. You can turn the temperature up for bigger items, though too hot and the tip will wear out a lot quicker.

[fender3x]

With the ground wire that is connected to the trem claw; there is a cut-out slot on the claw that I assumed was for the ground wire. Is it expected that the wire is soldered, or is it OK to simply clamp the wire in the slot?

I did use a thicker gauge wire than the kit wire. I also do not think my soldering iron would be able to heat the slot in the claw to a high enough temperature so as to melt the solder, and therefore I expect it would produce a dry joint. So, I clamped it in place! I do have a low resistance between the string and the ground at the jack as measured with a multimeter.

I worried about this too, but just did it for the first time recently. I have a pretty cheap soldering "station" (Velleman VTSS5U) that has a variable wattage dial that goes up to 50 Watts. I turned the dial to about "40+" I also sanded a spot on the claw with 320 grit. I tinned the wire, and the sanded spot on the claw. I got the solder molten on the claw, and then attached the wire. The trick that you need to leave the iron on the claw considerably longer than you would with a pot. The good news is that you can't fry the guts of a claw like you can the innards of a pot ;-)

Cool looking guitar! Love the color. I also particularly like the name you gave it ;-)

[Trevor Davies]

I worried about this too, but just did it for the first time recently. I have a pretty cheap soldering "station" (Velleman VTSS5U) that has a variable wattage dial that goes up to 50 Watts. I turned the dial to about "40+" I also sanded a spot on the claw with 320 grit. I tinned the wire, and the sanded spot on the claw. I got the solder molten on the claw, and then attached the wire. The trick that you need to leave the iron on the claw considerably longer than you would with a pot. The good news is that you can't fry the guts of a claw like you can the innards of a pot ;-)

Cool looking guitar! Love the color. I also particularly like the name you gave it ;-)

Thanks fender3x and Simon.

I will give it a go.