unfunk's EX-5 build diary: Beauty Omega

[unfnknblvbl]

Thank you!

It turns out I can't get out of sanding, so what I'm doing now is sanding, scorching, rubbing back, and more sanding.

Mock build #2:



The phoenix is made from copper tape on a paper backing, since I haven't gotten my hands on a jeweller's saw yet (weirdly, Bunnings don't carry them...). I now have a vernier though, so I can order the correct mountings for the gemstones.

I decided that the pickup cavities were too shallow, so I deepened them (by hand!) by 2.3mm, and also opened up the wire channel a little:



...and after the most recent round of scorching & sanding tonight:



Now, unless my stains arrive tomorrow (today?), this is where it'll have to stay until the new year. I obviously don't want to start with the shellacking until I have the staining (and inlay) done.... although it's mighty tempting...

[Andy40]

Interesting blotchiness....

[unfnknblvbl]

Well, my Crimson Guitars Stunning Stains arrived (but not the finishing oil...), so when I got back from Radelaide yesterday, I got to work. A little more scorching, and a lot more sanding later, and I have this:





Now I just need to wait for the oils to arrive before I can do terribly much more.

[JB RETRO]

You've obviously got a vision in mind. I kinda liked it just the burnt effect without colour, but I'm looking forward to the finish coats going on. Good stuff JB

[unfnknblvbl]

Yeah, I think just the scorched patina effect will be worth exploring on a later build, as in my experiments (on pine, anyway), it comes up really nicely under a few layers of shellac.

[WeirdBits]

No bass-shaped dents on the car... that's working without a net.

[JohnH]

The introduction of the colour is intriguing. Looking forward to seeing how it comes up with the oils. Kind of reminiscent of one of those amazing galaxy images from NASA and elsewhere

[FrankenWashie]

First time I've seen an MR2 used as a drop cloth....

I like the effect Unfunk, I thin JH is on the money about it being reminiscent of Nebulae or cosmic gas clouds.

Really intrigued to see where this one goes...

[unfnknblvbl]

Thanks, guys!

I got a little impatient while waiting for the oils to arrive (they still haven't, sigh), so put it all together to see how she sounds.

First, I stained the neck though:



Then, I realised that having so much red with a blue body wouldn't go together terribly nicely, so I redid the heel portion:





I plugged her into my guitar amp, and holy hell, those pickups are awful. Noisy as all hell, and as soon as I have the tone turned anything but all the way down, it's a hissing mess. I tried plugging into my recording setup through a DI box to see if it was just my amp, and nope. Still a noisy hot mess.

I added more shielding to surround the pickups, but still nothing fixed it. All the connections are soldered correctly, and I haven't gotten ground and live crossed over anywhere.

I then made a really quick inductive coil and hooked it directly into my amp to see if it was just my amp. No noise whatsoever (beyond the ambient EM field sounds). Picked up the bass strings perfectly fine.
So, these pickups are getting junked, and I'll make my own inductive set using method 4 from here.

Of course, I managed to slice my hand open while trying to get at an old wall wart transformer last night, so that'll have to wait.
In the meantime, the jewellery for my guitar build has arrived, and well, it's just too pretty not to share:



<3

[Sonic Mountain]

Is it earthed to the bridge?

I dig where you are going, I agree with the guys above its got a bit of 'Nebula' look about it now.