Number 36 is happening.

[blinddrew]

And I pretty much knew who would take the set up!

[ozzbike]

I had looked over the pics from the original online posting and had a couple of concerns. The bottom left bout of the body had a slightly different shape to the right side, and a hole or gouge or something appeared on the fingerboard.

Well upon arrival I see that the difference in roundness is due to the belly cut....phew.

The fingerboard mark is a knot.

A really close inspection of the neck shows it to be to me a proper Rosewood fingerboard. I have a couple of the engineered ones and this looks nothing like it.

The neck pocket has a split and a tear. The tear is along the bottom side of the neck pocket. It appears that the broken piece has been glued back in. I shall inspect further. The split appears to have been glued back together in the bottom of the neck pocket starting at the top down to the first neck screw hole.

The veneer feels really thin and the edges of the pickup routs show no depth of wood at all. So, I am not really interested in sanding the top at all. I don't think I will even fill the timber, which it needs. But, I think I will spray a pile of the polyurethane by Cabots....then sand flat and repeat until it is sealed and level.

The neck appears flat and not really having much in the way of grain to highlight. I am going to strip the headstock metal end off and put it away safe. I think then tape up the finger board and sand, pore fill, stain, oil, then wax. That gives a nice depth to wood and a satin smooth sheen.

[ozzbike]

more nice arrival piccies....and no headstock shape to cut and fine tune.

[ozzbike]

Neck pocket. I think this is doable and will go well.

[WeirdBits]

The infamous 'Overlord of Music' bridge... it's where the forum title came from.

[ozzbike]

The infamous 'Overlord of Music' bridge... it's where the forum title came from.

Well that explains a few things. Ha ha.

It is really heavy.

[blinddrew]

Yeah, what it lacks in precision it makes up for in mass!

[ozzbike]

I am really stumped with this one.

I have seen a number of other builds with veneers that did not go well. I am seriously considering just laying on heaps of spray polyurethane and sanding it level.

Now that accounts for the front, but the back is an issue.

The body is three piece Mahogany. I have been tossing up sanding up the grades to 180 grit...then pore filling with mahogany timber mate...and then I have no idea what to do or where to go.

Well, not no idea....but no clear plan.

I have not had a good result with trying a burst....hard to get the colours of water based or alcohol based stains to smoothly transition between each shade.

I have drifted of late towards the use of the Prooftint range from Feast Watson. I have a number of shades of this stuff with me.

One idea was to just run a darker colour around the edge of the body and just over onto the flat of the back. I was thinking the Japan Brown shade for that. Then to leave the middle section natural.

Then to use my go to finish of late, of Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil...applied with steel wool for at least one coat. (I have had some issues with the steel wool stripping colour out.). Then a few more coats applied with cloth.

Then let the Body hang for about two weeks and then a number of coats of Gillies Cabinetmakers Wax buffed to a satin finish.

Another option I had thought about was to lay out a colour wheel style of pattern to use the different colours of stain I have on hand in a wagon wheel style pattern on the back of the body.

Or, to just stain the whole back of the body with the Brown colour....and then seal with a finish of choice....maybe the spray Polyurethane all over the body.

I really don’t know what to do. Any ideas will be happily received. 😎

I will do the neck tomorrow....sand to 180....timber mate for some grain grabbing...then sand to 240. Depending on rear of body finish....may follow up the neck with the back of the body colour.

But I do like the satin feel of the buffing oil and wax finish. So I think the neck will be oil and wax.

Of well time for some rest. Please drop in some ideas.

Thank you all in anticipation.

[Cliff Rogers]

Black back & sides, pale yellow or amber or clear on the front, call it Tigga.

[blinddrew]

They do look like quite nice bits of wood on the back, feels like it would be a shame to hide them completely.