Dedmans build 4 ES5-V

[wazkelly]

Is it sprayed through a stencil? Maybe you could sand back, add more black and then go again?

Sneaky way out that I would do if ever contemplating a black faced headstock is to use decal transfer paper reversed out in that the background would be all black and the image reversed in colour. Easy if all you are doing is text. Alternatively you could just do your image in the desired colour and then cut the sections out individually and affix to headstock that way then clear coats over the top.

[Dedman]

it's brass inlay

[wazkelly]

OK, lotta shine around the edges made me think it was sprayed on through a stencil.

[Dedman]

yea, if it was paint I'd just sand it off. I'm just leaving it alone and doing other things and will come back with a fresh outlook hopefully

[Dedman]

I intend attaching the neck before clear coats, mostly so I can fill or do touch ups around the neck pocket before glossing. I don't think there is a right or wrong way, just different. On my GD-1 I attached after all painting staining.

[Andy40]

I think also the paint can end up cracking in the heel join over time if you spray with the guitar put together. Also if you needed to remove the neck for whatever reason, it definitely will crack the paint. Conversely if you paint them separately the join shows a lot more.

Thats my 2 cents

[wazkelly]

At the end of they day they are hand built and not production line models. Any imperfections just add to the hand built vibe.

To digress briefly, I was reading a book on the history of Rickenbacker Basses last night and for the Lemmy Tribute model it said that due to the intricate carving no two were alike.

I provided this example to remind ourselves that we are indeed building a 'one-off' and not some generic cheap factory spurned oversized tooth pick with wires attached. That being said I too have obsessed with similar finish issues around neck heel joint and made more of a mess of things trying to get it looking perfect which ended up taking way longer to rectify.

[FrankenWashie]

At the end of they day they are hand built and not production line models. Any imperfections just add to the hand built vibe.

To digress briefly, I was reading a book on the history of Rickenbacker Basses last night and for the Lemmy Tribute model it said that due to the intricate carving no two were alike.

I provided this example to remind ourselves that we are indeed building a 'one-off' and not some generic cheap factory spurned oversized tooth pick with wires attached. That being said I too have obsessed with similar finish issues around neck heel joint and made more of a mess of things trying to get it looking perfect which ended up taking way longer to rectify.

Yeah, I found that same point trying to make a seamless transition between neck and body. It's either let it consume you, or make your mistakes p, ask questions and learn some stuff from it. You learn nothing if you get everything perfect every time.

[Dedman]

Waz, you hit the nail in the head. Today I decided I was just going to live with it and started sanding and filling and scraping ready for clear coating.

[wazkelly]

Sometimes we can sweat the small stuff just a bit too much and had my wife tell me as much when fluffing around trying to get the finish just right on a couple of builds. She reckoned it wouldn't take me long before they got a few dings and marks on them 'so get over yourself and get on with it' she said.

I reckon that piece of advice/reprimand saved me weeks on those builds.