Djp-fs1

[DJP]

In reality. It really is crap.

[DJP]

Sanded back.
Have not taken right off yet.

There is a tiny sliver of cap left. You can see the glue at the edge where the cap was thin and saturated.
Before I sand any more I am toying with the idea of trying an Indian ink finish for the top. I did one on a build before and noticed that the ink - which unlike a dye sits on the surface - preserved the grain texture. Like this ...

So - am wondering if it could rescue a bit of texture in this top.
I guess I have got nothing to loose. Can always just flatten and spray black if does not work.

[kman42]

Can I suggest that if you like how the back turned out, you could fully sand the veneer off the front and stain the wood you find underneath. Its pretty much a lucky dip on what the grain looks like, but if you're willing to roll with it, you should end up with a great looking guitar. Here are two projects of mine, in which the veneer stain ended up no good so I sanded it off and worked with the substrate grain instead:

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=12020 - started life as a spalted maple veneer.
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=12001 - was originally a flame veneer.

I can't guarantee that you'll be happy with it - all I can say is that its paid off for me 2 out of 2 times. Again, I had to be flexible and willing to accept whatever grain was underneath the veneer.

[DJP]

Thanks. Those are lovely results. If the wood is decent beneath the veneer I'd be hoping I could achieve something similar. They really look great. Removing the cap completely was exactly what I planned originally and suspect I will actually end up doing. But first - I'm thinking its probably a chance to experiment at no real cost other than time. Might be something in it.

[DJP]

Never done one of these before. Really pleased with result.

Just hope I do not mess up the painting !

[DJP]

Next job ...might replace fret dots with abalone ones.

[Simon Barden]

I’ve replaced abalone dot markers with back plastic ones in the past on a maple board because I found the contrast too low and they were very hard too see at a playing angle.

[DJP]

That is a very good point Simon. Thank you. I will have a look at them and if they are a bit light will probably save them for another build. I am pretty sure they are regular and not dark abalone dots. The fretboard is pretty bland though - no flame in it - just a bit of horizontal grain (in my last maple fretboard project I was lucky enough to get a kit which had beautiful flame- which looks lovely).

[Simon Barden]

Flame looks nice but in reality a straight grain maple neck is stronger. It certainly won’t make it dangerously weak, but a flame maple or birdseye maple neck won’t be as rigid over time as a straight-grained neck will be. Whilst not the most aesthetic choice, it is the better engineering one.

[Trevor Davies]

Never done one of these before. Really pleased with result.

Just hope I do not mess up the painting !

Looks great.