I wonder if people might chime in, and let me know if these are acceptable levels of poor finish - I realise it's not a rolls royce, but I'm not totally happy with these issues, nonetheless...
Marks (sorry the photo is blurry, and I should take another one to enhance it, but I can't ascertain what these three marks are - I don't believe they're a natural part of the wood's appearance, and if it is, surely it shouldn't have been used for the top?!
End of neck finish below fretboard - I don't know what to do here - get it replaced, or could I try to tidy it up?
It's not like I can hide it...
Binding alongside neck joint, front to back - poorly finished, binding not even fully going to edge of joint...
Gap at rear of neck/body joint - maybe a bit of sanding to underside of neck heel will bring it down?
Another view of poor binding alongside neck/body joint, plus the neck block not even joined to top all the way
The other side of neck block not touching the top, plus a visible crack in the side, near neck/body joint
Photo limit reached - I'll add that pic next comment...
More pics, then I'll think about getting the Goof off, and having some quality sanding time with the body
Here's a couple of pics of the kit body, alongside the Silvertone 1385 (aka Black Beauty), essentially the same guitar as the Harmony H62, to check body proportions. The Silvertone is 3 1/2" thick, and the kit is 3 1/4" thick. The Silvertone is a bit rounder in the bottom bout, and the kit is a bit wider in the upper bout, making the cutaway a bit bigger. The Silvertone neck is substantially wider (60mm at end of fretboard), and the kit is around 55mm. I don't think that the neck will be suited to the extra wide pickups, which are 56.5mm bridge, and 52m neck. Maybe all is not lost, as pickup maker Curtis Novak has just (literally last week), mentioned he's in the process of making reproductions of the P13s, with a 50mm polepiece spacing. At $175USD per pickup, I not about to buy something I don't need, but if I can't get the string gap right, I may have to fork out (ouch)...
The marks look like oily fingerprints to me, so may come off with naphtha or isopropyl alcohol.
The poor binding alone for me would be a reason to reject it.
The end of the neck would normally be hidden by a pickup ring, so less care is taken. But on a custom order like that, it should be perfect. With a solid colour or a sunburst you could fill the gaps and cover it up with the solid part of the burst. But with a natural/slightly tinted finish, then it's not going to look good.
I always say it's best not to decide on a finish until you get the kit in your hands, and then let that decide how you go. If you want a particular clear finish,then it really is best not to go for a Chinese kit guitar, but often that's the only affordable option. You can normally make a good guitar from these kits, but you need to allow for some failings in the cosmetic side of things. But basic failings like wrong neck angles or bridge post holes in the wrong place shouldn't happen, but do, and tend only be found out right at the end of the project when you've invested a lot of time and effort and probably materials into the finish.
I've filled cracks like the ones between the top and the neck pocket with glued-in slivers of veneer. Structurally it doesn't make much difference, but it does a lot for your peace of mind.
Small non-structural gaps that won't be seen I wouldn't worry about. Fill them with glue if necessary, but if it can't be seen, don't spend too much time on it.
There's almost always going to be small gaps around neck joins, especially on glued-in necks, on these kits. Clamping hard when gluing can often reduce them to much smaller apertures, but some small amount of filler is normally required. Another reason for so many of this type of guitar having sunburst or solid finishes by the big manufacturers.
Thanks Simon - interestingly, those marks (I agree they look like that oily fingerprints), weren't in the original pics sent to me by Ben, so it must have happened when it was being packed up to send to me, from the warehouse.
I really am not interested at all, in making this a burst, or painting it a solid colour.
I'll send the pics him, and grumble about those things, though he has already helped me out a bit, when I questioned him about other finish marks, so there may not be much more help on offer....
Cheers, Ian.
Last edited by HarmonIser; 17-12-2020 at 04:04 AM.
Reason: update comments:
After much deliberation as to whether to go ahead with this build, (it's amazing the number of things you notice that are wrong with something when you start looking, as opposed to seeing the things you want to see that are right, when you first contemplate a build), I have a plan B, so I'll push on, and make the best of it. Beats waiting for another custom kit....
Anyway, I'm not sure yet how to make the end of the neck work, but I'm going to cut some tortoiseshell to replace the binding alongside the neck joint from the front to the back. I just can't come to grips with the timber showing along that edge, where it should be covered by the binding, and I have no idea how they could've finished it like that. The tortoiseshell material I have is thinner, and not as dark, but if I cut two strips, and make it double thickness, I reckon it'll look better than it currently does
I've never done binding before, but I understand superglue is a good choice for fixative. What's the best method of removing binding? I have to buy some acetone for ensuring glue free top and back prior to sanding, and staining - would that deal with removing that small section ok, or is there a better way?
Also, with the staining I get that some combinations of finishing materials won't work. I'd like to use shellac, over a hint of dingotone Coolangatta Gold stain, although I'm wondering if it will be too full on for what I want - I'm aiming for a subtle amber, to look like an aged natural finish. Being these are both spirit based, they should be ok, I think...
Could I dilute the Coolangatta Gold with something to make it a subtle stain?
Any finishing advice gratefully accepted!
Last edited by HarmonIser; 01-01-2021 at 10:38 AM.
Here are a few pics of Coolangatta Gold on some scrap pine stud, (closest I had to the shade of the guitar body), and as you can see it's pretty strident. Pic one is the stain, second is just the intensifying coat (a bit darker), and third is both of them next to the guitar body.
So, I decided to come back to the build, after getting disheartened at my missing key points about the kit, and thinking I wouldn't be happy with it at all, once it's done. Now, after more than enough time of getting distracted by life, and otherwise just sitting on my hands thinking about this build, (and a bunch of other things I'd like to kick off), I pulled the bits out today, and had a crack at sanding the neck heel, and pocket, to get things lined up and fitting better.
The heel slides into the pocket nicely now, still nice and tight, but doesn't need a ridiculous amount of heft to get it in and out, as it did originally - I think a much better fit for when it's glued in. I also had a crack at cleaning off visible glue marks from the front, using acetone, and filling tiny rough patches near the binding with natural putty, mainly near the bottom on the front. I tried filling the shocker of a gouge at the end of the neck with it also, but the end grain of the maple there is much darker, so I'm thinking I'll have to redo that with stained putty, and if that's no good, I'll probably cut a piece off the end of the headstock, and make a thin wedge to cover it up somehow. There's also a decent gap between the end of the neck, and the top. which I need to make disappear, so this idea may solve both problems. Overall, it's a much better fit, and once I replace the small section of tortoiseshell binding alongside the neck heel, there'll only be the small gap under the heel to fill.
I bought a small bottle of F&W Golden Teak stain from the big green shed today, when I went to buy some shellac, which I plan to use on the body after staining. Rubbed a little onto the heel of another maple neck I have, and it's just as yellow as the Dingotone Coolangatta gold I got. Bleah... The sample at the store (on a piece of pine), looked a nice honey hue, nothing like this!! I realise it depends on the type of wood it's applied to, but this was nothing at all like the sample. I'm going to put some rusty nails into some isopropyl alcohol for a week, and from that, add some red/brown stain to the yellow, to get an amber stain.
Next will be straightening the neck, and levelling and recrowning the frets, then shaping the headstock. Not sure whether to chase up a rosewood veneer for the front of the headstock, or maybe another veneer I have here will do - maybe myrtle, or silky oak instead?
some pics showing the improved fit, and work still to do around the neck/pocket, which will also include re-shaping the bottom of the heel a bit.
Finished sanding back filler, and rest of body - I think the sanding is done for now...
Only pics I'll update are the tortoiseshell binding alongside the neck-pocket, front to back. I was tossing up between simply re-using the piece of binding, and fixing it 1 mm away from the veneer in the cutaway to get it flush with that corner, (meaning I'd have to use natural putty to fill a gap on either side of that strip), or make a replacement strip 1 mm wider out of some tortoiseshell I have here. It's much thinner material, so I cut three strips of required size, and used acetone to stick them all together, and make up the same thickness of the original. Now of course, it's really dark compared to the rest, with none of the light tort patches lining up together.
I'm not gonna stick it on just yet - what do you guys think? Fill two thin gaps, or fill one, and put up with the darker home made replacement strip?
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