First build - PRS-1H

[kuanjb]

Finally getting back into this build.
Started on finishing the neck which up until now had been masked off near the body join as I wanted a satin finish on the neck, not a gloss like the body. But I then read somewhere that it was better to use multiple gloss layers first and then just do the satin for the final one or two coats otherwise it was possible for the finish to become cloudy.
Off came the masking tape and some of the stain with it. So had to sand and restain the neck. Decided to do a sort of burst for this too so it's black where it joins the body, which is also black on the sides, lightens in the middle and then darkens for the headstock.
Once it was stained I then put a coat of sanding sealer and sanded that once it was dry. According to the can I probably should have done the sanding sealer first before staining. I did have to touch up the stain in a few places on edges but seems ok.
So now I've put on a couple more coats of poly over the whole body and neck. I'm really liking the colour of the back and neck especially with the black flecks in the grain from the timbermate I originally put on.

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[Bakersdozen]

Looks mint dude! Can't wait to see this getting closer

[kuanjb]

Done a couple coats of wipe on poly. Bit frustrating as each coat seems to have something wrong with it. Either have fluff or something else stuck to it while drying or a drip which has formed.

Previously I'd tried sanding the spots out but that would often lead to sanding too much in the surrounding areas. I was also having problems with sanding between coats. I tried sand paper with the grit specified for the PU but I must have sanded too much as the white binding would sometimes show through on the edges requiring me to spot stain. Went to steel wool instead but that then had problems with small metal flakes.

So I'm now mostly leaving the imperfections, hoping that they'll come out when I wet sand and buff. I do remove some of the spots though but instead use a craft knife to scrape the small spots flat. For sanding between coats I switched to a sanding pad and even tried a scourer pad too, the later being a bit too rough.

Anyway I think I'm almost ready to start wet sanding. I have 10+ coats on the body (I lost count a while ago) and 4 coats on the neck. The neck I'll put maybe one or two coats of satin PU. Not sure if that needs wet sanding. It will need some sort of sanding but obviously not buffing.



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[kuanjb]

Almost forgot that I'll need to do the frets too. I didn't do it earlier as I was waiting for tools and things to arrive by post. I'll do the frets before doing anymore on the neck just in case I make a mistake and so I can get the edges of the fret board nice. There's not not much more which needs to be done on the edges though as I've already sanded the fret ends and fretboard edge to give it a comfortable rounded worn feel.

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[Bakersdozen]

Nice work. Can't wait to see further progress on this one dude.

[kuanjb]

Couple more pictures of the front, with and without flash to show the colour when it catches the light.

Was going to put another coat on tonight but it's still a little too sticky so I'll wait until the morning before I go to work.

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[Bakersdozen]

Nice nice! I still love playing mine. Although working thru some minor saddle rattle/buzz here and there that is intermittent. Nothing major, but could be simply string guage etc. You going stock electronics?

[kuanjb]

Nice nice! I still love playing mine. Although working thru some minor saddle rattle/buzz here and there that is intermittent. Nothing major, but could be simply string guage etc. You going stock electronics?

Thanks man. It's very dark but you can see the colour a bit even without the flash when you see it in person.

I got a replacement wraparound bridge with individual intonation, selector switch and pickups. The pickups are Dragonfire H90 pickups (humbucker sized P90s) which apparently sound pretty good. Being two single coils that keeps the electronics pretty basic with no need for additional switches.

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[Bakersdozen]

Thanks man. It's very dark but you can see the colour a bit even without the flash when you see it in person.

I got a replacement wraparound bridge with individual intonation, selector switch and pickups. Got some Dragonfire H90 pickups which apparently sound pretty good. Being two single coils that keeps the electronics pretty basic with no need for additional switches.

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Ooohhhh that's exciting! Great choice will be keen to see/hear how the 90's work keep rolling mate

[kuanjb]

Realised I hadn't actually put up a picture of a mock build. So here a photo showing the hardware. Still need to drill holes for the screws and shape / sand the pickup rings so they fit better.

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