Tbo’s new idea

[Tim Rattigan]

Folks,

I think it’s past time I post a build diary.. I’ve got the building itch again, fueled by some things I’ve found lying around the warehouse.
I’m a Strat man at heart, but I find myself basically never using the tremolo… so hardtail it is!
I’ve also never built or played an ash-body guitar, but people love them, so there’s got to be something to that heavy body feeling. Maybe I’ll put some power strings on it when I’m done and get a full body workout!
I’ll post some photos shortly of how it’s all coming along.
There will be a lot of firsts for me .. I’m going to put a decal on it, which I’ve never done before, and I’m going to use Tru Oil for the ‘clear’ coat… I’m just going to try to do a subtle burst with some light staining, just to really exemplify that beautiful ash timber figuring.
Wish me luck, and any advice welcome!

[Tim Rattigan]

Keen observers will notice that I've thrown out the traditional wiper-blade selector switch in favour of a three-selector panel.. that's something I found going through the misc pile, there's a dozen or so pre-fabricated plates, and they fit the two-position DPDT selectors perfectly!
I'm using an ancient SSS ST loaded pickguard I found... and first thing is that the hardtail bridge won't fit in the tremolo slot, so I've got that to try and get square!
I've shaped the headstock to the 'Pit Bull Guitars' shape, but that's all I've really done so far.

[Trevor Davies]

Nice work. The cream pickguard will look great with the natural tint from the Tru-oil!

Take care with widening the pickguard to fit the hardtail bridge as the lower screw hole gets in the way. I had a similar issue with my STA-1HT kit.

Good luck with the build!

[fender3x]

This should be fun!

My first non-bass build was a hard-tail strat (albeit with Tele electronics and bizarre switching). I found that there are a number of different widths of hard-tail bridge on the market, and that I was able to find one that was narrow enough to fit inside the rout without interfering with the hole TD is talking about, but it took a bit of shopping to find one.

I really like your switching idea. I really like the feel of a strat, with a couple of exceptions. I have more or less made peace with the fact that the northern volume control is just too close to the strings, and even see how it could be an asset to people well enough coordinated to use their pinky to do volume-swells and wah-wahs without a pedal. I have never gotten to like the blade switch though. I still occasionally change the pickup settings if I strum aggressively. Your switching solves the problem and maintains the vintage vibe. Nice!

[Trevor Davies]

For the Tru-oil: I would normally brush on the first 2 coats (using a cheap brush), and then wipe on the successive coats (20+) using a cotton cloth with a tissue ball (as used with French polishing!). The brushed coats reduce the movement of any stain, and you get a thicker start. Every 5 coats I would lightly sand with progressively higher grit (600g, 1200g, 2000g).

For the decal: I would also recommend adding a few coats of Tru-oil to the top of the decal before adding/removing the decal in water. This will help reduce the chance of crinkling the decal when sliding it off the backing.