Hey mate,
I got the AGM-3F Mahogany!
Hey mate,
I got the AGM-3F Mahogany!
I'd be dubious using grain filler on veneer because of its very thin nature. My concern would be possible sand-through when removing the filler. Also I wouldn't imagine flame maple really needing any "enhancement".I got the AG With Mapel Flame. I'd like the grain to stand out a little but not as much as it does in yours. Do you think it's still necessary to ebony timbermate it?
I think I mentioned this in another post, but wipe the veneer down with methylated spirits and it will give you an idea of what the stained grain will look like. The metho evaporates quickly so it won't hurt the veneer or affect the glue.
I used wipe-on polyurethane that I mix myself. You can buy poly that is "wipe-on" but it's 3 times the cost of making your own.Also, what did you use as the topcoat and how're you finding it?
It's just 50/50 polyurethane and mineral turps.
I wipe it or spray it and it works great. I do prefer spraying it nowadays.
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Using the same stain for the maple top as for the mahogany will result in very different colours, with the top a lot brighter. A reverse version of this 2020 Epiphone SG.
This kit is really a good candidate for a dark back and sides and a sunburst finish around the edges.
Maple veneer so you won't need grain filler on that, though you will on the mahogany.
You can use a dark stain first on the veneer, and very lightly sand back a bit to pop the grain, but it will make the overall finish darker (though that might help match the mahogany body if you use the same main stain colour all over). Use P400 grit at coarsest, though I'd try P800 to start with. You really need to be careful as you've only got about 0.5mm of veneer thickness to start with.
Do first check for glue spots using metho, as these will need to be dealt with before any staining. Wet the veneer and the top of the mahogany body with the metho, then check for any light areas that the metho hasn't penetrated, This will be due to excess glue left over from sticking the veneer on. The centreline join and around the edges are the most common places to find it. The glue needs to be removed before you'll be able to stain it properly. Goof Off rubbed on with a soft brush seems to work for most people.
Thanks mate! I thnk I'll get a better Idea of what I'm dealing with when the kit actually arrives. Honestly I thought the wiring bit was going to give me the most headache but I stand corrected. Haha!Originally Posted by McCreed
Thanks again for all your help. I'll keep you posted!
Hey mate!Using the same stain for the maple top as for the mahogany will result in very different colours, with the top a lot brighter. A reverse version of this 2020 Epiphone SG.
This kit is really a good candidate for a dark back and sides and a sunburst finish around the edges.
Maple veneer so you won't need grain filler on that, though you will on the mahogany.
You can use a dark stain first on the veneer, and very lightly sand back a bit to pop the grain, but it will make the overall finish darker (though that might help match the mahogany body if you use the same main stain colour all over). Use P400 grit at coarsest, though I'd try P800 to start with. You really need to be careful as you've only got about 0.5mm of veneer thickness to start with.
Do first check for glue spots using metho, as these will need to be dealt with before any staining. Wet the veneer and the top of the mahogany body with the metho, then check for any light areas that the metho hasn't penetrated, This will be due to excess glue left over from sticking the veneer on. The centreline join and around the edges are the most common places to find it. The glue needs to be removed before you'll be able to stain it properly. Goof Off rubbed on with a soft brush seems to work for most people.
Thanks for all that info. I had to read that about 4 times before it made sense to me only because I'm so new to the terminology! Like I mentioned to McCreed, I think I'll get a better idea of what I'm working with once I get the kit. I can see what you mean though about the light vs. dark. Honestly, I was hoping to replicate Dan_B's kitout https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...hlight=tumeric but thank to your explanation, I now see why that might not be possible. I like the dark out light in look of the Epiphone SG though.
Care to elaborate on your tips for the dark edge + sunburst effect in layman's terms? When you're talking about dark stain on the veneer, how dark are you talking? Black black or a deeep red?
Cheers, mate!
You'd probably need to use a spray can to get a solid enough colour to hide the edge between the maple and the mahogany. Could be black, or a dark brown. Some people here have made a cardboard template mask to help get a good sunburst when spraying the sunburst, though it is pretty simple to do by hand after a few practice tries.
But if you like the light/dark contrast on the body you'll get with staining the same colour throughout, then go with it. I'm just trying to point out what will happen so it doesn't take you by surprise.
There isn't an all mahogany 3-pickup AG kit, so if you wanted the all-mahogany look, you could sand off the veneer (it is only a thin layer), but (and that's a big but), there's no guarantee what you'll find underneath the veneer. It should be pretty similar to the back of the guitar, so have a look at that, but the veneer may possibly be hiding some dings or gouges, which makes things awkward if there are any.
When finishing wood, there are two basic wood types, open and closed pore. Closed pore woods such as maple, basswood, sycamore and ebony, are smooth and don't need grain filling (no pores to fill). Open pore woods, such as mahogany and ash, have quite deep pores and grain lines which need filling if you are ever to get a flat finish. Sanding these just opens up more pores, so you need more than sandpaper. Which is where grain filler comes in.
A bit left of field, but I have been using Angelus Leather Dye and I have found the dyes to be really affordable and functional, easy to find on Ebay and they work. There is a bloke on Youtube called BigDguitars and he has hundreds of video dedicated to dying guitar bodies with this kind of dye. The colours are not as precise as some "guitar wood dyes", but it can be fun mixing and playing around with them. My purple T has turned out with a deep royal purple tone which is not what I expected, but looks great. Just a suggestion as I haven't seen many others try them out.
Chris
Thanks for all the feedback guys! Look what arrived in the mail today like clockwork for the birthday boy! Now the question is, which one do I start with?
No point saving that 12 year old until it's 17!
Scotch first.
Guitar kit second.
Keep the lego for a backup project. You will need something while waiting for paint and finishes to dry.
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