Good stuff! Thanks for the continued updates!
Good stuff! Thanks for the continued updates!
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Just a bit more on the finish. An odd thing happened on the last coat of Aqua Coat filler and some of the coats of top coat (General Finishes High Performance Satin). I got this weird sort of cloudy sheen from them...
You see it on the back and even more so on the side. [Edit March 13, 2021] I just realized than when I originally posted this, I forgot to mention that after about an hour with the topcoat and about 30 min with the Aqua Coat, there was no more cloudiness. It had turned crystal clear.
That said, the top and back are really well filled. There are a couple of places where there are some natural grooves that follow the figuring of the wood at the bass of the cutaways, but I decided I sort of like how they looked, and the filler has made them quite smooth.
I have now used up all but 1 or 2 ml of my Top Coat. It seemed pricy at $32/quart (.946ml), but I was able to do 3 bodies and necks with this amount. I have just 1 or 2 ml left. I suspect that someone with spray equipment or a steadier hand could do better. The mfg recommends 3 coats with a brush. I brush on 6-10 coats in order to be able to safely sand out any imperfections.
Likewise the Aqua Coat people recommend about three coats, I used 4-5 because paulownia is so porous. There is plenty of that left...enough to do 3 or 4 more bodies without being stingy with it. That was around $25 US for a pint (473 ml).
I also got a pint of General Finishes Dye Stain... $18/pint. I barely used any of that, even with the tests. A pint is enough for 10 guitars at least. I can't imagine what else I will use it on, but I am sure my wife will think of something. Still, cheaper than the rattle can color I have put this project's brothers and sisters.
Now the waiting... Mfg recommends 3 weeks. I will take at least 4 weeks since I used more coats than they recommend.
Did the neck too. Not exactly like the old Epi batwings, but an homage nevertheless ;-)
Won't be much action on this thread until then I suspect.
Last edited by fender3x; 14-03-2021 at 07:59 AM.
I have "played" it every couple of days and banged it around, stretched the strings, ets. The low E string is tuned to C, and the other strings in 4ths above that to put higher string tension on. I have to tune it every few days because, while the paulownia seems OK, the 5/8" plywood that it's screwed to has warped a bit. I am feeling better about the structural integrity of the paulownia tho...Originally Posted by fender3x
The finish has now cured for about 5 weeks, so I took it out off the rotisserie, and popped the neck on to see how it would look. One of my daughters suggested 86'ing the white pickguard in favor of a black one. I think she's right.
Light's not great in my garage at night, and the pics are not that sharp, but you can kind of get a sense of it. It may cure for a bit longer until I have a few hours to sand (and sand and sand).
Pulled the bridge off the paulownia testbed. No issues after a month, even with 3+ weeks of that strung on top rather than through.
Looks good!
It will look even better once you get polishing. Not sure about the pickguard thing. I like the black, but would need to see the white for a fair judgement!
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
I have seen similar color schemes from Fender, but usually black with a maple neck. Echoed by my aesthete daughter ;-)
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Hmmm... I think they both work, but def favour the black. It may be the lighting difference between the two photos, but the black seems to focus the grain more.I have seen similar color schemes from Fender, but usually black with a maple neck. Echoed by my aesthete daughter ;-)
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I should learn to never argue with youth!
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Yep, black wins for me.
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Kit builds: JBA-4M | STA-1M | AIB-1Q | TL-1 (in progress)
Side projects: Artist TC59 | Sheoak Dreaming | Spalted Marri Metal | Randy Vs | Sassafrassin' | St. Vincent
She'll be happy you guys agree with her. I am happy not to have a dillema ;-)
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This was the 2nd post when I started this thread, and as I put the hardware on, I increasingly see the wisdom of it. Paulownia is plenty stable enough to make a guitar body. Neck and bridge seem to attach fine and the softness of the wood does not seem to be an issue. It takes finish reasonably well, at least after a lot of pore filling...
...but it is really soft. I have managed to scratch and dent in a number of places even before getting it completely together. I tried to fix it in a couple of places, but that just made it worse. Won't try again. Surrendering to the "inevitability" as Jim said.
My plan, at the moment, is to finish the build, and see how it is as a player. It's super light, and it *seems* like the combination of Hipshot Ultralite tuners and a high-mass bridge may just sufficiently balance it...but I won't know that until I complete the build.
My minimum goal was to build a P-bass, with a Jazz neck that was as light as possible without being too far out of balance on my shoulder. It may achieve that. We'll see. But I think it is just going to collect dents and scratches like nobody's business. That may not keep it from being a good player, but I don't think it's going to win any awards for looks. At least I won't worry about the first scratch or dents...it's already got those.
I think it's great as the core of the ES's bodies in kits, and maybe that's the best way to use it--as a light core with something harder laminated to its exterior.
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