Couldn't resist making a start on the ST-1

[JD Latter]

After umming and aahing on how to tackle the TL1-TB, I decided to put it aside for now and have a go at the ST-1.

Today I sanded for what felt like an eternity before finally trying out a 3 colour burst using furniture dyes.

It didn't turn out exactly how it did with my tester yesterday, but overall I'm pretty happy with the results!

Let me know which colour pick guard you like better!

[kuanjb]

Looking good. I prefer the black one for sure.

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[Simon Barden]

That's a very acceptable stain burst indeed.

What fretboard do you have? I think I'd go with white for rosewood and black for maple. But both will work for either type.

[Bakersdozen]

Great burst work there. Black lends itself better to the colour work you've done on the body I rekon.

[Fretworn]

Burst looks great.

It looks like you did grain fill beforehand? It might make it harder to get a smooth top coat.

[JD Latter]

So this project has been put on the back burner for far too long. I finally had a week to myself! No work, wife is back at work, kid is at Nans for the week and the band is on a break too.

So I was back in the shed. This time I started work on the neck. I sketched a rough outline and cutout and carved the headstock. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but half way through I grabbed a carving knife and started to bevel the edges at the base of the headstock. Then I sanded the absolute shit out of it before giving it a once over with some Dingotone Neck Stain. I went with the Vintage Yellow colour. It's now hanging up until tomorrow drying and waiting for the finishing coat! Looks pretty good to me!

Let me know what you think!

[JD Latter]

I now realise after some more research that I did not grain fill... is this going to be a huge issue? Is it too late now? Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

[jonwhitear]

Your burst looks good. I believe the ST-1 is basswood, so you should be OK without filling the pores, because it shouldn’t really have any. What sort of finish are you putting on it?

[robin]

Great looking burst JD, you can't go wrong with either pick guard. Make your decision when you can see it with the fretboard unmasked.

[McCreed]

Your burst looks good. I believe the ST-1 is basswood, so you should be OK without filling the pores, because it shouldn’t really have any. What sort of finish are you putting on it?

I would usually agree with the statement, but having a closer look at that body photo (open in new tab and zoom) and there is some significant open grain grain on that IMO. Certainly the most open I've seen on basswood.

I don't have any advice that's not not going to involve sanding it back, grain filling then re-staining. The only way forward from here that I could see is an absolute s**t-tonne of clear coat until it's filled and then levelling the clear.

Whilst that is doable, it's not without its pitfalls. A clear coat that thick will take ages to cure, and could get expensive with the quantity it may require. Maybe a UV-cured poly would solve the cure time issue, but UV-cured poly ain't cheap.

Hopefully someone else will have a different opinion and/or better advice.