rob's TL--1 - Lyn #10

[wokkaboy]

sure is Barge, Robin has got me motivated to modify my next tele build a similar way with a nice veneer cap and control cavity from the rear with the tummy and elbow cuts

[bargeloobs]

sure is Barge, Robin has got me motivated to modify my next tele build a similar way with a nice veneer cap and control cavity from the rear with the tummy and elbow cuts

Yeah man, inspiring stuff.

[wokkaboy]

sure is Barge, shall we thread jack this one or lets move over to yours ? haha
I'm under 200 posts to the big 5k !

[Fretworn]

modify my next tele build a similar way with the tummy and elbow cuts

Sacrilege! You should know better Wokka. You will get moved out of the naughty room in to the very naughty room!

[wokkaboy]

Sacrilege! You should know better Wokka. You will get moved out of the naughty room in to the very naughty room!

Hey Fretty, is it sacrilege to put a tummy and elbow cut on a tele ? Makes sense to me to make it more comfortable to play. I presume the VNR - very naughty room has no luxuries like pizza, beer and wifi ?

[Fretworn]

Hey Fretty, is it sacrilege to put a tummy and elbow cut on a tele ? Makes sense to me to make it more comfortable to play. I presume the VNR - very naughty room has no luxuries like pizza, beer and wifi ?

That's a furphy. Leo Fender added the tummy & elbow cuts because his favourite guitarists (who were overweight Western Swing guys) needed room for their paunch. The none carved Tele hangs in a better position ergonomically when you play standing up than any other guitar. Leo got it right the first time.

And yes the VNR is the equivalent of solitary confinement - no contact, no luxuries, mouldy food. Like "The SHU" in Orange is the New Black.


(This, of course, all my own opinion. It's just the older I get the more important ergonomics is to me.)

[robin]

In line with the “full disclosure” of this thread here is my first attempt at a Wipe-On Poly finish.

I have never used a gloss poly before so didn’t know quite know what to expect, but thought it would behave similar to Tru-Oil. It turned out to be similar but not the same. I think that the poly has hardened more than the TO so getting a good gloss was a bit more problematic for me.

The final finish after “lots” of coats seemed to be a bit better than TO but getting rid of the wipe marks and the dust nibs turned out a little more difficult.

I didn’t want to start on the body so fortunately I decided to do a trial run on the headstock, which was a better piece of veneer and had a better finish than the body to start with. The wise chat on the web said wet sand up to 2000 then polish. Sounds simple enough. So I started with 1200, soaked in soapy water, which scuffed up the finish. Expected. Then up to 1500 and the finish was still very scuffed. Not so expected. Bravely on to the 2000, and still badly scuffed. Totally unexpected!

Out with my secret weapon (Brasso) and I could still not cut it back to the state of the original “untouched” finish. I hated doing it but I had to resort to Meguiars Scratch-X 2.0. Now I know it contains silicone but I was being very careful not to mix polishing rags. I know the dangers of cross-contamination but it was all I had and I was very disappointed in the finish as it was so I had to try something. The Meguiars did the job, but at what future cost I don’t know. I believe that silicone only becomes a problem if you have to re-finish the guitar, so I will worry about that if/when that happens.

So today, for the body, I decided not to sand first and go straight to Brasso, my usual method with TO. The result was much more how I expected. Because I didn’t grain fill the front of the guitar and all the problems I had applying the veneer, it is quite uneven so getting a good finish was always going to be difficult. So after over 2 hours of hand polishing here is the result. I think that the uneven finish might suit the general look of the guitar. No, scrap that. I love the finish on the guitar. Rather quirky and beat up, but somewhat appealing.

The back turned out how I originally wanted the guitar to look. It doesn’t match the front in any of the important features of colour, texture or finish, but hey, it’s the back, so who cares!

I really wanted the guitar to be finished on the 13^th but as I missed that date there is now no hurry to get it done. So over the next week or so I’ll do the shielding, wiring, nut and assembly and final setup.

Cheers
Rob

The Pics

#’s 1 & 2 – Showing how uneven the finished veneer is. Looks like crap but I love it.

# 3 – The back – Subtitled, this is how the top should have looked.

[wokkaboy]

that looks awesome Rob, I love the look of the uneven veneer. How many coats of wipe on poly has the body got ?
Next build would you use WOP or TO ?

can't wait to see this beauty assembled and strung up, will it have chrome hardware ? should look an absolute treat

[robin]

Thanks Warren,

Totally NOT the look I was going for, but the more I see it the more I am liking it. The finish is perfect for the faded blue jean colour. If only I could say that either one of those things were intentional. lol.

I ended up laying down 22 coats of Poly. Which sounds a lot but I was knocking it back with 000 Steel wool between every coat and wet sanding with 800 grit after every 3rd coat. So I imagine that I ended up with nothing like the amount I put on.

Not sure what I will use next time. I only use WOP this time because I wanted to keep the guitar blue. They are much of a muchness really. When this one is finished I will see how it "feels" to play. Seeing as I only play for my own sanity that's probably more important than tone to me. I've got to WANT to play a guitar.

All the hardware will be chrome except for the output jack which I decided early on would be black to go with the black edges.

The only decision now will be black or cream P90 covers. I will decide when she is together but I am leaning towards cream to match the maple fretboard and for a more vintage look.

Cheers for the encouragement mate, always appreciated.

rob

[wokkaboy]

wow 22 coats, but as you say, you have rubbed a fair bit off. Is the 000 steel wool much harsher than 0000 super fine ? Think the cream pup covers will look good, could be worth posting a pic of cream and black and the forum will have a vote.
Its always a pleasure to follow your build diaries Rob, you always end up with a beautiful axe and love some of the mod ideas you do. I can't wait to start a tele build with a veneer and reverse the control cavity.
Keep up the good work mate !