Westbury Standard gettin nekkid!

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SargeSarge Frets: 2370
edited December 2019 in Making & Modding
Started off like this
image

Wine red, with plenty chips and dings which I drop filled a few years ago.

I fancied doing this for a good long while now, but waited until I got another Standard in, just incase I balls this up!

So...
Heat gun check!
Paint scraper, check!
Suitable Japanese mahogany bodied rock monster?.......check!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WmBcD7d56k37jHXy5

Gently heated the finish with the gun, keeping it moving at all times, and NOT letting the finish bubble/burn.
eased the scraper under starting with a couple chips for easy access.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/m6iaoHJgrFzdURHC7

it all came off in about 20 minutes, a far cry from using the elbow-shaking palm sander!
after a light sanding with 240/320 and 400 grit we are all systems go!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4iGPeXFTXvLXtD3R9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/b7bN1amm2Pv3BnmT6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tpVyzKirx2yKGpeG7



This is after just one coat of Tru-Oil, I was going to try @Wezv's method of wet oil sanding but I'm running low on oil and this mahogany is finished really well so shouldn't need many slatherings, 5 or 6 should do it, oil permitting.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z3EZGk8EeZFDWtHk6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5Potsuhf7uRVnmu76

https://photos.app.goo.gl/a4yiNdcnuch4FayZ7

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Comments

  • koneguitaristkoneguitarist Frets: 4125
    Looking nice, always loved these.
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  • John_PJohn_P Frets: 2744
    I'm amazed how the finish came off like that - nice work!

    It looks a lot nicer now - should be a cracker when it's finished :)
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    Well I always liked the trans red/wine finish on these, but when there's all that vibrant mahogany underneath, well... It would be remiss of me to NOT reveal it :)

    This came to me with a pair of lethargic epi pickups which did absolutely nothing for it, so I put a pair of late 70's dimarzio k10's in it, wowee! Those pups just compliment the dark of the mahogany so well.
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    That finish has come off fantastically well :) Lovely wood underneath, too!
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    The heat gun was my only option really, no way was I going to spend all fathers day sanding that French carve!
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  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    That's stunning, sarge!
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    That's a nice piece of mahogany 2-piec body (the centre join is difficult to pick out).

    For what was a relatively budget-priced guitar, that's some quality!  Much better without the paint on it.
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    Gahh, I spent all evening rewiring it 50s style, or at least that was the intention, I've obviously ballsed it up somewhere along the way as I've got no volumes but 3 tones and a something!
    I hate wiring with a passion!
    Think I'll cut my losses and purchase a wiring loom to drop in, sod it.
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    Sarge;680204" said:
    Gahh, I spent all evening rewiring it 50s style, or at least that was the intention, I've obviously ballsed it up somewhere along the way as I've got no volumes but 3 tones and a something!
    I hate wiring with a passion!
    Think I'll cut my losses and purchase a wiring loom to drop in, sod it.
    Before you do that - and now you've had some sleep! - just follow each connection and wire run carefully against the wiring diagram. It's usually something simple missing or cross wired (and in my experience, usually involving the earth wires!)
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    I'll do that, thanks.
    It's a bit blurry but I think I've got a spare lug on each tone pot, probably should run to ground....
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    The tone pots generally do have an empty lug. The pots are grounded with the earth wire on the back of the casing. What wiring diagram are you using?
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    This one
    http://www.guitar-mod.com/images/lp/LP_50s.gif

    I'll get back to it after work this evening.
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    So there's nowt wrong with this diagram is there?
    I suspect I may also have a burnt out capacitor, the lug is dangerously close to the cap itself and it took a few goes getting the solder to take, maybe a little too hot.
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    The diagram looks fine. Have you followed each earthing point to make sure they ultimately are all connected to the Jack ( including the earths from the pickups )? Do you have a multimeter to check earth continuity?
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    edited December 2019

    The diagram looks fine. Have you followed each earthing point to make sure they ultimately are all connected to the Jack ( including the earths from the pickups )? Do you have a multimeter to check earth continuity?
    Yes and yes, but have not checked with the meter yet.
    I had a quick 10 mins poke around and I'm going to have to replace pretty much all the wire, I have some 22awg cloth covered to go pot to pot etc. but need to buy the rest.
    the whole things a mess really so I'll stop farting around and do it properly.
    I have plenty of signal fully open so I'll make do for now.



    image
    A pair of old Hondo Dimarzio K-10 and some amber numbered knobs.
    also sprayed the position markers black to tidy em up a bit.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/vytbADcbw8SnMSzt9

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/jAYX5P5TpcJLWSSB7

    ....and just because....

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/cN6sRrFfFaoQvfyB6

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/4LcpSX8WDzHSz3B5A
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    edited June 2015
    Thanks for the help @Andyjr1515 it's much appreciated :)
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    OK I FINALLY found where I was going wrong, apart from 1 dead capacitor, the spare lugs on both volume pots should have gone to ground, even though the diagram clearly indicated so.
    Schoolboy error!
    I swear I'll never get my head round this leccy malarky.

    Ive got it all to do again as I've just pulled the trigger on a HB goldtop and a pair of vanson '57 alnico II buckers and I want to get the magical wiring from my Westone prestige 250 in it: both tone pots are unique to matsumoku wherein they are center detent, anti clockwise it's standard tone, and clockwise it's a variable parallel to series, or vise versa.
    Nightmare!
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    Actually I changed my mind at the last moment, instead of the Vanson '57s I went with the Axesrus Knee Jerk Basic AlNiCo II 2 conductor set instead, so something of a simpler soldering session.
    Dodged a bullet methinks.
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  • Flanging_FredFlanging_Fred Frets: 3009
    Wow, it looks really great! Now that I have appeased Mrs Fred and sold a few guitars so that she didn't totally freak out when I bought my Gibson R8. How many months do you think I should leave it before 'accidently' buying another Westbury? :)
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    Thanks!

    You shouldn't even wait a month, in fact I've a lovely black one with a recent fret dress/cut polish and a coil rewind I might not have a use for ;)
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