Well this is the first post of my build diary. I've made a few posts in the "welcome" section and read a tonne of other diaries and posts on here. First of all I'd like to say that the community here seems amazing. Really helpful posts and replies from all over the world and, although I feel like i'm taking a huge step in this build and feel apprehensive about it, I'm also feeling very positive that I will be able to overcome the obstacles, learn new things and build an instrument that I will be proud of and be able to use.
Secondly I just want to apologies in advance for my rambling and writing. I like recording things like this (I often do this sort of thing for my job (i'm a designer for a jukebox company and I also handle all the custom design builds and projects so documenting things like this is not new to me) - I try to make myself feel like Mark Watney in the Martian book (or film) by Andy Weir. I have a long commute form work everyday so I do a lot of audio books.. this is one of my favourites and I'm sure others out there will agree - (yeah.. ya big nerds..!!) I'm sure building this guitar will be JUST like being stuck on mars. lol.
Finally, working where I do I have lots of advice on woodworking, electronics experts and best of all - a spray booth. And lots of people here are musicians. On the down side, this means I have lots of people telling how I've done things wrong! I'm sure I can cope with this though.
SO to the build.
I have still yet to receive the kit. I originally ordered this back at the beginning of December but due to the lack of stock it didn't actually arrive with PitBull until Christmas eve 2018. Also, due to the lack of basswood the sides (only I think) is made from mahogany which I see as a free upgrade.
I have record of the kit leaving Australia on the 1st Jan (Perth WA) and the status as being"enroute to the United Kingdom" so presumably they have just been flying around in circles over heathrow for a week now. I hope the kit has some good inflight movies to watch...
In all likelihood's this probably means its just not cleared customs yet. From ordering carparts before from the U.S something has not "officially arrived" until its cleared customs however Ive not had a card, ticket, email or carrier pigeon to let me know that it has actually arrived... It's a waiting game and with it being the new year there is probably a backlog in the good inwards to the UK. Or its lost... and someone's grandma in Tijuana is building a really nice kit to play mariachi classics on. I'm trying to stay positive (just like mark watney on mars see...) and I'll drop pitbull a mail in a day or two if I've not heard anything further. In the meantime its about research and planning.
So here is my vision. About 15 years ago I restored a 1962 vw beetle. it was stock when I bought it and needed a lot of work. I daily drove this beast for about 2 years up until the point where I started the long commute to leeds and back to sheffield everyday. At which point I bought a boring car and took the beetle off the road to fix up... I say fix up... I kinda went a bit nuts. It took me around 3 years to totally transform the bug. I tried to do most of it myself and I learned a LOT! but some things I left to others. I restored pretty much every part but also slammed it really low and built a new 1641 engine and painted it house of kolour pearl cocoa. (there is a point to this story) to cut a LOOOONG story short, I drove the car to shows and pretty much won a tonne of things, and when it became time to sell it (a sad day but i really needed the money at the time with small children and needing to move house) I secured the front cover of volksworld magazine and a feature on the bug for the new owner....
I miss that car and it's still a very proud period of my life. I learned a lot about patience and what value actually means inn terms of learning skills and its value in money. (deep huh?) I would like to pay a little tribute to "cocoa" as we named her with this kit.
Cocoa was painted by an amazing painter in the UK called Ashley Markham. I'm no where near up to his level of skill but I have painted things myself too. My lovely supportive wife Charlotte picked the colour and I loved it. Ive painted quite a few things in metal flake and candy etc. I have quite an extensive record collection (I dj 50's and 60's R&B too) so i build a load of record boxes and custom painted them so Ive learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work on wood. I've also followed @sonny's thread on here about his atomic orange build (AMAZING) and he's given me more advice on finishing the paint too.
Although the car was finished in HOK cocoa pearl I want to go a little different on the GS-1 I want to give the top a flake and then a brown candy coat. Either brown or "rootbeer" it all depends on compatibility of products. The sides and back I'd then like to stain to match or even contrast. ( a honey colour) but I want to top to feel like it feels part of the guitar as a whole rather than me really "blingy" straight off.. so tests are in order.
When I talk about compatibility the reason for this is that for the past few paint projects I've done i use a company in the UK (actually based in my home town on Sheffield) called specialist paints. They make custom paints for the car industry. Their products are great and you can even get rattle cans of their products for small projects - although you will always get a better finish from a gun.. I have some left over bits like reducer and flake etc but I also would like to combine this with products I can get here at work. All our jukeboxes are hand built from wood (yeah go figure) we stain them and then clearcoat them. we have wood sealer and primers etc etc...So i'd obviously like to use as much stuff as possible.
This might be harder than I thought. From doing tests before i think the work stufff is all cellulose. Easier to paint and doesn't contain cancer causing vapours like 2K. the vapours don't REALLY concern me (well they DO but...) I'll be suing a good air mask and the booth I'll be using has a commercial extractor hood.. However it will cause problems when I use any of the custom stuff. this is 2K so the basecoat and candy topcoat. I really want to use works celly clearcoat as (a. i get it for FREE) and its going to be sitting in a gun all the time for work so i can just rush in and do as many coats when I can (Ill only be able to use the booths when they are free)
Ive done tests before with a celly topcoat over 2k and I got crazing.. (ill find a pic) this is because 2k dries in a different way to the celly. It needs to release its vapours to dry (or something like this - shit, watney would kill me for my vague science description) but maybe if i leave this to completely cure before clearcoating this might solve this issue. The flake itself is in a 2k carrier - but I could just add this to the celly clearcoats. I'm going to have to do some tests. Even though I have not got the correct colours yet. I have some previous colours I can test with. So my plan is.
work celly sealer
work celly primer
silver course basecoat 2k
silver metal flake in carrier 2k
candy top coat 2k
work celly clearcoats.
If this doesn't work Ill just buy the whole lot from specialist paints. making it more expensive but ultimately compatible.
I have thought about using a gold basecoat and gold flake. once I know the process Ill then get in the colours and do some tests. We have a TONNE of different wood stains here at work so I'll maybe able to use one of these that will work...
So thats my plan at the moment.. I just need the kit to turn up now!
The only other thing I have bought is some tv jones Magnatron pickups. I'g going to change the bridge to a roller type affair once the kit arrived and I can measure how wide I need it to be.
Anyway. Thanks for allowing me to waffle on for a while. I'll be back with more thoughts and info at some point.
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