Flying V build

greggreg66

A little bit more on the build today, it was really great to get back on it. I reshaped the neck as it was just too big before. It's now 20.5mm at the 1st fret and just shy of 22mm at the 12th. Definitely feels better for it. 

I then started on the pickguard template, and just before I finished the template the pickguard blank arrived. Huzzah! So I got it done straight away. I appreciate it's a bit of a marmite choice, but I'm pretty happy with it. I've kept the template so if I decide I don't like in time time, then I can always change it. 

I couldn't make my mind up with the knobs when I bought them, so have both black and amber... though I only bought 2 amber ones.... which then made me ponder a master volume & tone, though I'll most likely go 3 knob in black. 

I purposefully didn't chamfer the pickguard where it goes under the bridge, but in hindsight it looks a bit odd this way. 

Roland

To my eye the guitar is better without the additional white line that chamfering the last section of the pick guard would bring.

greggreg66

Roland said:

To my eye the guitar is better without the additional white line that chamfering the last section of the pick guard would bring.

I think you're right tbh. I got to the workshop this morning and took another look and decided that in the flesh it still seems right. 

Kinda feel too soon to be moving onto the finishing, but here I am anyway. First seal coat gone down just now after doing a "mix and fill" coat with sapele dust and a sand to 320. First time spraying nitro, and a high gloss for that matter too, so it's fun to try new things.

My plan is to seal it all with 2-3 coats, do my trans colour on the top tomorrow + black the headstock, then wait for the transfer logo to arrive before sealing it all in with further top coats. Will see how I feel tomorrow about doing a stinger. Fun!




Seems silly, but I'm loving the back of the neck, the 1/4 sawn sapele adding a nice stripe down the back of it. 

PeteC

WOW that has really come together - great job.   What pickups are you planning for it - and I agree ref the pick guard better without the additional bevel.   Envious of your spraying facilities ! 

greggreg66

Ha! Cheers Pete! They're Bare Knuckle "Old Guard" P90's.... chosen at random one evening from their website 

Definitely getting exciting now we're onto spraying. 

SteveRobinson

That's a gorgeous colour. 

Sarge

Looking great!

Jazzthat

That's a helluva good work ! Nice colour too 

greggreg66

Thanks guys! The colour at the moment is just the sealer coat, but I'm loving the retro vibe. Hoping to get a colour down today, but I'm now really unsure of my choice..... wanted a dark chocolate brown, but got seduced by a "smoked cherry" colour, which is basically purple.... and I'm not a fan of purple. Will see how it looks as I can always start over!

I must add that a couple of the snaps I've taken almost give it a walnut colour, which has started to solidify in my mind that guitar No.2 may well be made from walnut. And might be explorer shaped. Maybe. Hmmmmmmm 

MLten80

Excellent build mate
 Some really tidy work

This is going to look amazing with the red on!

(My effort at a v for her > https://imgur.com/a/X2Ma8S5 )
 All these build threads are well inspiring me lately 

greggreg66

MLten80 said:

(My effort at a v for her > https://imgur.com/a/X2Ma8S5 )
 All these build threads are well inspiring me lately 

That looks great! I'm looking forward to getting a bit more done on the V in the next couple of days. Have just got a new spraygun for added fun too!

greggreg66

Really not enjoying the nitro finish. Keep getting solvent pop from the colour coat, no matter how thin a coat and even after 24 hrs drying. 

Definitely will be the first and last time using it I think. 

I put a Dartfords clear coat nitro down first to seal. 24 hrs later I cut this back and put Dartfords tinted clear from an aerosol and it just comes up in a rash of pinpricks immediately.

I do a lot of spraying, but use A/C and PU, not nitro. Don’t like how fickle nitro is.

MattNovak

Funny you should say that @greggreg66 , I'm using Dartfords on a build and have experienced the same. Not slagging them off, but I've sprayed (different brand) canned nitro a good few times before before without this happening.

 

greggreg66

I share your pain. It’s undoubtedly the worst paint I’ve ever used. 

A friend is currently burnishing an SG he’s made and just discovered a boat load of bubbles under the surface. 

Good to know youve had had better experience with other paints. 

I do have some black nitro in a tin that tin that I may use instead with the gun so I can thin it and get better atomisation. Just didn’t want it to be black. 

MattNovak

I'd send you some of my leftovers to try out, but I think the royal mail take a dim view of Joe Bloggs sending aerosal cans through the post! 

greggreg66

Ha! That’s much appreciated. 

Will get onto Rothko & Frost and get their opinion. 

SteveRobinson

MattNovak said:

I'd send you some of my leftovers to try out, but I think the royal mail take a dim view of Joe Bloggs sending aerosal cans through the post! 

Anyone sending aerosols. If they spot it, it will be destroyed.

greggreg66

Some photo's of "progress", mostly going backwards and of boo-boo's, but, it's all I've got!

Not enjoying the nitro. The pigmented lacquer I have from Rothko & Frost keeps pinholing. My intention at the moment is to keep going and get some clear over it to see what happens.... I will accept the loss if I need to start over. So I have some photo's of that.

I put the logo on. This took a long time to show up, and had 2 printer marks across it, which I'm hoping will disappear when I seal it in tomorrow. If not then I won't be too happy! This came from Rothko & Frost also, and I was expecting it to be bigger and the intention was to put it in line with the neck like a '58 plastic logo V, but it's too small for that so it's had to go at the top. Not too fussed, think it looks hilarious! 

Next boo-boo was the binding scraping... that's a lot harder than I expected haha! Absolute nightmare when I slipped with the blade and put a dirty big scratch right in the middle. Idiot. I've filled this by wicking in some of the lacquer in the hope that by the time I clear over it it might not be so noticeable?! Might dodge that. Maybe. I also over-scraped on the face and exposed some wood. I ended up brushing on a bit more of the colour and re-scraping after these pics were taken. 

It might be that with the pinholing and the big scratch I have to sand this all off and refinish it, so there's a lot riding on this clear coat.... although I guess I could always turn this into a relic'd guitar 

The good news? I bloody love the way it looks..... if you squint and turn the lights down low. All in all, not great, but it's my first build so that's the excuse I'm going with 

Pics....

Pinholes / solvent pop. Also surprising how much the colour sunk into the top.... it'd had two clearcoats under the colour coat!


Really bad binding scraping and more bubbles. I brushed more paint and rescraped the binding after this pic was taken, still not great, but it's looking a little better. 






Covering the big scratch:



With scratch on the body. However, zoomed out it does look cool and I'm very pleased with the colour. 

MattNovak

Looking awesome, great colour choice. I'm hoping the clear coat will save my recent pigmented lacquer fiasco. Ever the optimist!

greggreg66

Cheers @MattNovak. We're both in the same pickle it seems! Fingers massively crossed for the clear. 

My paint rep (unconnected with this paint, from a day job / work angle) texted me after seeing my Insta post and suggested using slow thinners with the clear coats so I will be trying that. Hopefully as it's from a tin and not aerosol it'll be OK!