The Clueless German got herself a GR-1SF kit

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Sooooo, it's finally time to get started with my GR-1SF kit. Ordered in April, arrived in June, have been marveling at it for almost two months, now it's time to ruin build it!

The kit itself looks really nice, had a few tiny dings that I steamed out with a moist cloth and a soldering iron. A few tiny spots needed filling, but most were around the neck pocket and get covered anyway. No glue stains so far. I *think* one of the pickup routes is slightly off, but I think it won't be too obvious when finished. At least this is what I hope

The neck looks really awesome, quality wise. There are two knots or birds eyes in the wood, but I think that's really going well with the look I have in mind.

As the body and neck were already very smooth, I didn't have to do much so far. Lightly sanded it with 400 grid, filled and steamed a few spots, removed the nut and test fitted the neck.

The only tiny "problem" is that I didn't dare to glue the neck yet, as I have no idea how much pressure I can apply to the body while clamping the neck. It is so light, I'm scared to just squish it. I peeked inside and I THINK the neck sits firmly in a big block of wood, so it should take some pressure, but I still need to convince myself it's gonna be okay

[Simon Barden]

That pickup rout is very off indeed. However, if it can be covered by a correctly positioned pickup ring with the neck in position and you have enough wood underneath it to screw all four mounting screws in securely, then it should be OK. You''ll probably need to sand or Dremel off some of the wood so the pickup fits in when it's all squared up.

You'll be able to clamp it securely. I've just done the neck on my ES-3 and that's very similar construction. You will need good firm pressure, but don't overdo it as you can squeeze out too much glue and make the joint weaker, not stronger. However, given the rough nature of the neck pocket wood, I don't think that will be an issue here.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

For the finish, I want to stain it a darkish brown. Pretty boring, right? Probably yes, but I really love finishes that shows the wood grain.
As it's going to be my fourth build (one build every month so far, LOL!), I have gained a little experience about which products work well for me and which don't. I like Minwax products (which I need to buy from Poland as they're not available in Germany... meh), and I have a few tins of oil based penetrating stains that I want to use. Still haven't made up my mind if I want "Dark Walnut", "Ebony" or "Espresso".
After staining, I want to use an oil based wipe on poly for the final topcoat. Either the Minwax poly, or I'll use up a product I tested which is actually for sealing wood on boats. It's most probably very similar to a polyurethan lacquer, it takes a little longer to dry but it looks very nice.

For the hardware, I'll upgrade the tuners to something more vintage looking, and I'll switch the pickups for Gretsch Broadtrons.

No idea what I'll do with the pickguard and trussrod cover yet. I actually planned to get the gold hardware and then make a pickguard and trussrod cover from brass, but I was too impatient to wait until the gold hardware was in stock. So I got the silver instead.... maybe make a pickguard and trussrod cover from steel? Or aluminium? Not sure yet... Let's see

Edit: Thanks Simon! I think I'll take the risk and glue it now =))

[Simon Barden]

Make sure you put some masking tape around the neck join area before gluing to stop any excess glue squeezed onto the wood.

[DarkMark]

Four builds in four months? You’re a machine.
I’ve squished all my necks on and they’ve been fine.

[Simon Barden]

With those tall sides, you've got a huge amount of gluing area, so the neck certainly won't come off in a hurry. Compared to the neck join glue area on an SG, its massive!

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Make sure you put some masking tape around the neck join area before gluing to stop any excess glue squeezed onto the wood.

Nice trick, thank you. I usually use the straw trick. Steal some straws from McDonald's and use them to remove excess glue. The straw will follow the wood if you give it some light pressure, and all of the excess glue is getting pushed inside. Very clean results so far. I did, however, make a huge mess on the inside of the guitar. Luckily, my arms fit into the pickup holes and nobody looks inside of the guitar later, anyway. I hope

Four builds in four months? You’re a machine.

Well... I used to be self employed in my pre-covid life. Now, I need something to do.... It's getting sliiiiiiightly better now, with a few jobs coming up, but infection numbers are rising and if there is another lockdown, I will have absolutely zero work again. Have 2 more kits stored away just in case ;-)

[JimC]

and then make a pickguard and trussrod cover from brass, but I was too impatient to wait until the gold hardware was in stock. So I got the silver instead...

The custom car/motorcycle game should ensure that there are chrome platers in your area who are used to small jobs, so its probably practical to fabricate parts from brass and get them chrome plated, which ought to be the best match - that's assuming by silver you mean chrome, and not real silver! I don't think I've come across genuine silver guitar parts.

[Simon Barden]

I bought one of these for my EX-1.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1, you may find something similar looking around.

Make a mirrored scratchplate? https://www.wdmusic.co.uk/pickguards...-x-15-1-2-p618

[ThatCluelessGerman]

The neck is glued in and I filled the gaps with wood filler. After drying and sanding, I applied Minwax Pre-Stain.
Never used this product before, but it seems to give a nice even surface (that's what it's obviously for, d'oh!). However, I'm not sure how well the stainable wood filler will work with the actual stains. It's also Minwax brand, so I HOPE it will work. Right now, it's sticking out too much for my taste. BUT, that stuff has warning labels all over it and it smells very bad. All windows open, dogs can't get in until in the evening.... Not sure I'm gonna use that again.